Buddha

12 July, 2021 - 15:41 Bryan Hill

The Leshan Giant Buddha: Largest Stone Buddha in the World

Not far from the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China, sits the Leshan Giant Buddha statue. Carved into the side of Mt. Lingyun, the colossal statue is over 1,300-years-old and is considered to...

Ruins of the Tribal Nanzhao Culture Recently Uncovered

22 January, 2021 - 17:58 ML Childs

Ruins of the Tribal Nanzhao Culture Speak of Buddha

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient temple complex dating back to a society once subjugated by the Tang Dynasty - the state of Nanzhao. Researchers found the words "Buddha sarira enshrined by...

9 January, 2021 - 20:19 Alicia McDermott

Ancient Hilltop Monastery Led by Female Monk Found in India

Archaeologists have discovered a unique hilltop monastery in eastern India. The 11th or 12th century religious center is special because of its location and because it was headed by a Buddhist nun,...

19 December, 2020 - 17:35 Alicia McDermott

Surprise Discovery of a Headless 'Buddha' Statue Beneath Chinese Apartments

A huge, headless religious statue has been discovered carved into the rock face under apartment buildings in China. It is of questionable age - some claim it’s from the Republican era and others...

The tranquil waters of the Burning Lake in Bhutan, a place of miracles that still attracts thousands today! Source: Brian Weed / Adobe Stock

3 October, 2020 - 13:24 dhwty

Bhutan’s Burning Lake, Place of Legend and Pilgrimage

Bhutan’s sacred Burning Lake (known also as Membartsho or Mebar Tsho), in the Tang Valley, gets its name from a legend involving Pema Lingpa (or Padma Lingpa), a renowned Bhutanese saint. Today, the...

Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, India. The site where Buddha attained enlightenment. Source: tinnaporn / Adobe Stock

6 August, 2020 - 01:15 Ed Whelan

Why Bodh Gaya is Considered the Navel of the Earth

India is the birthplace of Buddhism and as one of the oldest faiths followed, there are many wonderous Buddhist sites. There is also a growing recognition of the country’s Buddhist heritage. One of...

Screengrab from video showing vandals in Pakistan destroying Buddhist statue

20 July, 2020 - 13:52 Ed Whelan

Vandals Destroy Priceless Buddha Statue for Being Un-Islamic

In Pakistan , a group of construction workers destroyed a priceless Pakistani Buddha , smashing the figure to pieces. The almost 2000-year-old figure was vandalized because it offended local...

The Fall of the Giants by Jacob Jordaens (1636 – 1638) Museo del Prado (Public Domain)

14 April, 2020 - 01:35 ashley cowie

Measuring Up Real World Archaeological Giants

Strabo, Philostratus and Pliny all wrote about mythological giants: Antaeus, Ilio son of Hercules , Orestes, Cyclops and many others, and one of the most common components of creation myths found in...

Bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. Source: yuliana_s / Adobe Stock.

6 April, 2020 - 23:01 dhwty

Bodhisattvas – Selfless Saviors of Mahayana Buddhism

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva, in its most general sense, refers to a person who is on his/her way to becoming a buddha. More specifically, bodhisattvas are savior-like beings who forsake their own...

Ajina-Tepa remain in Tajikistan Source: Aleksandar/ Adobe Stock

22 January, 2020 - 01:35 Ed Whelan

Ajina-Tepa, Tajikistan – Abandoned Buddhist Cloister on the Famous Silk Road

Although Central Asia is no longer inundated by tourists, in the past it was a dynamic and diverse area, largely thanks to the Silk Road . One of the many remarkable sites in this region is the...

The ruins of the temple sanctuary at Vat Phou, Laos

1 January, 2020 - 12:42 Ed Whelan

The Stunning Vat Phou Temple Tells Secrets of Laos' Past

Laos is a country that we know little about, it is only in recent years that the nation has opened to the outside world. But the country has many important archaeological sites, amongst the most...

15 August, 2019 - 22:59 B. B. Wagner

My Name Is Heracles, And I Have Father Issues

The story of Heracles is considered one of the oldest of the Greek myths . Heracles’ popularity stretched from the western world to the far reaches of northern India. His likeness has appeared as...

The head of a Buddha statue. Credit: Richard / Adobe Stock. Inset: Fragments of a birch bark manuscript from ancient Gandhara. Credit: British Library (public domain)

16 June, 2019 - 11:04 ashley cowie

Scholars Get Closer to Words of Buddha as They Unravel Oldest Buddhist Scrolls in the World

The oldest Buddhist scrolls ever discovered were made on birch bark and spent two millennia folded in clay pots, in a cave, situated along the northern border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and now...

1 May, 2019 - 22:47 Caleb Strom

Siddhartha Gautama: How The Father of Buddhism Walked From Suffering to Enlightenment

Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha or “Enlightened One,” is probably one of the most influential individuals to come out of India through the incidental founding of Buddhism . Siddhartha...

The ruins of Bavikonda, Andhra Pradesh, India.

15 April, 2019 - 01:55 Ed Whelan

The Sacred Bavikonda Monastery: Vestiges of the Buddhist Golden Age in India

Of all the countries in the world, India has some of the finest examples of Buddhist history and heritage. One of the noteworthy sites is the sacred monastery of Bavikonda in Andhra Pradesh . It is...

Two small figures guard the table holding the Buddha’s relics. Are they spearmen, or robots?

18 March, 2019 - 12:59 ancient-origins

Robots Guarded Buddha’s Relics in a Legend of Ancient India

As early as Homer, more than 2,500 years ago, Greek mythology explored the idea of automatons and self-moving devices. By the third century BC, engineers in Hellenistic Alexandria, in Egypt, were...