The colour red is signifying nobility most of the time in Chinese architecture. I am guessing they use red colour in the Buddhist Temple to show the respect with the Buddha.

 

However I would like the original wooden colour and texture more than the vibrant red in the temple. It shows more empathy with the nature and universe and I believe this goes more in line with the Buddhist teachings.

 

What do you think?

 

This is the architecture details in Richmond Buddhist Temple.

 

Wish everyone a great Friday and great weekend!

 

Adelomyia

 

Gr. adelos obscure; muia fly. In ornithology myia and myias signify flycatcher.

 

melanogenia / melanogenis / melanogenys

 

Gr. melas black; genus cheek.

A jetty is a structure that projects from the land out into water. The term is derived from the French word jetée, "thrown", and signifies something thrown out.

Paddy ... marooned and awaiting the faintest twitch which might signify that he can leave!!

Both of these aircraft are 747-45EFs, signifying that they started life with EVA Air.

One for the portfolio that I thought would be worth posting. Quite liked the tone, so decided to stick with it for now. Might change my mind though. :-)

 

Facebook: Stuart Leche - C9 Photography

The indigenous artists and master carvers of Haida Gwaii have created magnificent hand-split, post-and-beam cedar houses and finely carved totem poles on Canada’s Pacific northwest coast. They are widely appreciated both as fine art and as signifiers of an ancient and enduring Haida culture.

 

Construction of this late 19th-century Haida Gwaii village replica began in the late 1950s under the direction of renowned Haida artist, Bill Reid, and Kwakwaka’wakw artist, Doug Cranmer. Master Haida carver and hereditary chief, Jim Hart, carved the replacement frontal pole on the larger family dwelling. The red-tonged Dogfish Mortuary Pole looms in the forefront.

 

The dwellings and carvings are an integral part of Haida myth, cosmology, clan affiliation, family history and social rank - all intricately interconnected to other essential cultural practices (drum-making, storytelling, singing, dancing, potlatch ceremonies) that thrive today amid a flourishing "renaissance" and renewal in indigenous arts and crafts.

 

The village complex is situated on traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) people and now sits high on the edge of the steep Point Grey escarpment overlooking Vancouver’s Spanish Banks, Howe Sound, the ocean and beyond. explore#276

 

© All rights to these photos and descriptions are reserved

 

Billowing clouds signify the change of seasons in the western United States.

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Macbeth about Life. Five LED spotlights in a dark room; edited in Fujifilm's raw converter plus macOS High Sierra Photos.

Nearly everyone who is a Minnesota native eventually finds his or her own talisman that to them signifies winter has lost its battle to spring and that things will now return to normal.

 

For some, the appearance of the first robin is their favorite sign. Warm weather fishermen rejoice when the ice finally breaks up on their best fishing lake. Evidently for many of the younger generation seen on the streets of towns all over our state, wearing shorts when temps hit the mid-30s is their mode of showing victory.

 

For me, spotting the first bluebird of the season brings a warmth that no furnace can provide in January. The softness of the colors, the fragility of its body speak to a couple of brief seasons that restores my confidence that not all is lost by being a year-round resident of the northern tundra.

 

The Eastern Bluebird seen here shows up in southern Minnesota a little earlier than our area but when the calendar turns to April, you can start looking for these beautiful creations although late snowstorms can see them pack their little suitcases and fly south out of the snow for a couple of weeks.

 

Male bluebirds usually return first to establish and defend nesting sites. Soon they will seek to attract an unwary female and during our summers if the conditions are good for them, they can raise two or even three broods of young ones. The first eggs will be laid this month yet or early in May.

  

(Photographed near Cambridge, MN)

 

The Signifier Director's Cut

The Arcade has the honor of being Memphis’ oldest restaurant. Speros Zepatos founded the diner in 1919 after immigrating from Cephalonia, Greece. Situated at the corner of South Main Street and G.E. Patterson, the original building was a small, one story, wood framed building. Food was actualy cooked on potbelly stoves!

 

n 1925, Speros tore down the wood structure and built the Arcade Building in a Greek revival style, complete with retail stores to signify the “Arcade” name

The concept of "emptiness" usually has negative connotations, but for some reason ever since childhood I have always been drawn towards emptiness and find it a most beautiful thing! To me it signifies a space to feel safe and free.

 

(I'm working on catching up with everybody ...)

Inspired by Shakeseares Macbeth - "Life ... is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing"

Britannia Heritage Shipyards

Richmond, BC Canada

 

Length Overall 85 ft

Beam 19.5 ft

Tonnage 225

Power Triple Expansion Steam Engine

Propeller 8′ – 9 pitch

Horse Power 330 hp

Normal Cruise 7 knots @ 100 rpm

 

The MASTER is the sole Moscrop built tug that is still close to her original design and which still operates with her original steam engine, a Royal Navy World War 1 surplus engine built in 1916. While several of Moscrop’s hulls are still around, they have been heavily modified structurally and all have been re-engined. Moscrop went on to design and build a large number of outstanding wood hulled tugboats for coastal use. He also supervised the construction of the R.C.M.P.’s Arctic explorer, the ST. ROCH.

 

The MASTER’s original cost is believed to have been around $34,000. Captain Thorsen retained full ownership until 1927 when the Master Towing Company was incorporated and took title of the ship along with a mortgage for $23,000, back to Thorsen. This mortgage was transferred to the Home Oil Company in 1933.

 

First working for Fraser Mills and later chartered to the Lamb Logging Company, she put in general log and barge towing service from up coast to the mills in False Creek and elsewhere. In 1940, she was purchased by the Marpole Towing Company, joining her sister ship, the R.F.M. The stack was painted with the Marpole colours, black diamonds on a white band on an orange stack. Master wears these colours to this day. The black diamonds, which had been the insignia of the firm since shortly after the turn of the century, signified the towing of coal barges from Vancouver Island to the company’s plant in Coal Harbor, Vancouver.

 

In 1947, control of the Marpole Towing Company was assumed by Evans, Coleman and Evans – although actual title to the ship was not transferred until 1959. Around 1951, she had become part of the operations of the Gilley Bros. fleet, another subsidiary of Evans, Coleman but her Marpole colours remained unchanged. By 1959, the parent company decided to dispense with its old timers and tied up a clutch of them, including the MASTER, at the mouth of the Brunette River and left them.

 

Dilapidated and stripped, she was finally put up for sale or scrap, “Where is, as is”, in 1962. Here she was spotted by some members of the World Ship Society of Western Canada, a branch of an English based organization of ship-lovers. They decided to rescue and restore her as a tribute to the tugboat industry of British Columbia. For the full payment of $500, raised quickly among some members, the Society took over the MASTER on August 14, 1962.

 

Thousands of hours of volunteer labor, scrounged and donated materials, along with money raised by all sorts of means, resulted in the ship being cleaned up and repaired, equipment restored and replaced and steam being raised on April 23, 1963, the first time in several years. The Master now commenced a new career as the Society’s flagship, bringing to the public an awareness of the now vanished era of marine steam.

 

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Thank-you for your visit, and please know that any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!

 

Sonja

Matariki signifies the Maori New Year and is marked by the first rising of the Pleiades star cluster. Tonight I headed out to Aramoana near Dunedin to photograph the full moon rise and to try and work out where in the sky the Pleiades star cluster might be... I definitely found the moon, but I'm not sure about Pleiades!

 

I seem to have been neglecting Flickr lately and making lots of posts on Facebook instead (www.facebook.com/simoneastphotography). Will have to make amends and start checking out some of the great shots in your streams.

 

Northern rail 150222 passes through Parkgate working the 2N05 Sheffield - Leeds having just left Rotherham Central .

The unit is coming level with the Parkgate Sheffield Supertram stop , no trams today though with a tram replacement bus waiting for any passengers.

The next day the clocks had gone back to signify winter onset .

 

26 10 24

UP 5777 leads sister unit 6000 over the Dry Creek Trestle with CNACL9 06 in tow. An early morning sunrise gave way to overcast skies as if it was signifying the dark days ahead for the Coleto Creek coal fired power plant just a few miles up the track. Rumors are being spread that the plant is due to shut down before 2027.

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A pity the old sign was not removed when the new one went up! At a junction of footpaths in the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sited World Heritage Site and the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The cluster of trees the other side of the field conceals a number of ancient burial barrows.

 

A Byway is an unmetalled road open to all public traffic although usually they are only navigable by 4x4 or agricultural motorised vehicles. In this area traffic is further limited to prohibit all but agricultural access.

 

The Ridgeway is an 87 mile long public footpath, signified by the acorn emblem, running from Overton Hill , near Avebury, Wiltshire, to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire.

Signifying nothing... Light painting & wire wool in a tunnel.

This is one of those photos that signifies an event or time that I was completely unaware of at the time. In this case I found myself out in the local cemetery under a brilliant blue sky. The sun was blazing away, although at a drastically low angle compared to summer. The autumn leaves had already thinned out, but were still abundant and vivid in this corner of the cemetery. I angled the lens back toward the sun for a couple of quick shots. The sun looked great but the leaves were completely silhouetted against the sky and showed none of the vibrant color I was seeing. I dialed up the flash to full power and tried again. This is the resulting image; somehow I managed to hold the sun and sky while still illuminating the underside of the leaves. And got some nice lens flares in the bargain. I thought perhaps I could build on this in the coming days however the following days turned cloudy and wet. By the time the sun returned the leaves were gone and the time for fall foliage pictures had passed on for another year. But I had this image and was reminded how the time to get photos is usually when you see something.

___

 

The Black Swan signifies an insight about yourself which changes your position from one of victim to victor. The Black Swan is a graceful reminder to move from any position where you feel powerless and at the mercy of external forces; it is time to reclaim your personal power.

I can’t take my eyes off the green tulip leaves with the great light on it… Then I’ve asked myself: What’s the meaning of green? To me it’s nature & restful energy… Here is what I found from different sources: “Green, the color of life, renewal, nature, and energy, is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment.The color green has healing power and is understood to be the most restful and relaxing color for the human eye to view. Green can help enhance vision, stability and endurance. Green takes up more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye and it is the dominant color in the natural.The color green affects us physically and mentally in several different ways. Green is soothing, relaxing, and youthful. Green is a color that helps alleviate anxiety, depression, and nervousness. Green also brings with it a sense of hope, health, adventure, and renewal, as well as self-control, compassion, and harmony” Bourncreative “Since the beginning of time, green has signified growth, rebirth, and fertility. In pagan times, there was the "Green Man" - a symbol of fertility. In Muslim countries, it is a holy color and in Ireland, a lucky color. It was the color of the heavens in the Ming Dynasty.” Colormatters BeNowMeHere, Keukenhof, Lisse, Netherlands, 2015 via 500px ift.tt/21SqnYF

Examining the accumulating evidence signifying a rapidly fading outdoor season...

Il y a des gens qui éteignent leurs lumières 1h pour signifier au monde leur mécontentement, monde qu'ils valident quotidiennement par leurs choix de consommation.. ça ne va pas suffire :))

  

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photos de minéraux : www.flickr.com/photos/artzethic/collections/7215762604784...

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I met him on Bandra Hill Road liked his look , his turban , his peaceful attitude and shot a few frames.

 

He belongs to the Sikh religion.

 

about Sikhism

 

Sikhism,[1] founded in fifteenth century Punjab on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and ten successive Sikh Gurus (the last one being the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib), is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world.[2] This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally the counsel of the gurus) or the Sikh Dharma. Sikhism originated from the word Sikh, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit root śiṣya meaning "disciple" or "learner", or śikṣa meaning "instruction".[3][4]

 

The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in waheguru—represented using the sacred symbol of ik ōaṅkār, the Universal God. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself. The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus, or enlightened leaders, as well as the holy scripture entitled the Gurū Granth Sāhib, which, along with the writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus, includes selected works of many devotees from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds. The text was decreed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Khalsa Panth. Sikhism's traditions and teachings are distinctively associated with the history, society and culture of the Punjab. Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples) and number over 23 million across the world. Most Sikhs live in Punjab in India and, until India's partition, millions of Sikhs lived in what is now Pakistani Punjab.[5]

 

The origins of Sikhism lie in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. The essence of Sikh teaching is summed up by Nanak in these words: "Realisation of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living".[6] Sikhism believes in equality of all humans and rejects discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender. Sikhism also does not attach any importance to asceticism as a means to attain salvation, but stresses on the need of leading life as a householder.

 

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion.[7][8] In Sikhism, God—termed Vāhigurū—is shapeless, timeless, and sightless: niraṅkār, akāl, and alakh. The beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure "1"—signifying the universality of God. It states that God is omnipresent and infinite, and is signified by the term ēk ōaṅkār.[9] Sikhs believe that before creation, all that existed was God and Its hukam (will or order).[10] When God willed, the entire cosmos was created. From these beginnings, God nurtured "enticement and attachment" to māyā, or the human perception of reality.[11]

 

While a full understanding of God is beyond human beings,[9] Nanak described God as not wholly unknowable. God is omnipresent (sarav viāpak) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. Nanak stressed that God must be seen from "the inward eye", or the "heart", of a human being: devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment. Guru Nanak Dev emphasized the revelation through meditation, as its rigorous application permits the existence of communication between God and human beings.[9] God has no gender in Sikhism, (though translations may incorrectly present a male God); indeed Sikhism teaches that God is "Nirankar" [Niran meaning "without" and kar meaning "form", hence "without form"]. In addition, Nanak wrote that there are many worlds on which God has created life.[12]

[edit] Pursuing salvation and khalsa

A Sikh man at the Harimandir Sahib

 

Nanak's teachings are founded not on a final destination of heaven or hell, but on a spiritual union with God which results in salvation.[13] The chief obstacles to the attainment of salvation are social conflicts and an attachment to worldly pursuits, which commit men and women to an endless cycle of birth—a concept known as reincarnation.

 

Māyā—defined as illusion or "unreality"—is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation: people are distracted from devotion by worldly attractions which give only illusive satisfaction. However, Nanak emphasised māyā as not a reference to the unreality of the world, but of its values. In Sikhism, the influences of ego, anger, greed, attachment, and lust—known as the Five Evils—are believed to be particularly pernicious. The fate of people vulnerable to the Five Evils is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion.[14]

 

Nanak described God's revelation—the path to salvation—with terms such as nām (the divine Name) and śabad (the divine Word) to emphasise the totality of the revelation. Nanak designated the word guru (meaning teacher) as the voice of God and the source and guide for knowledge and salvation.[15] Salvation can be reached only through rigorous and disciplined devotion to God. Nanak distinctly emphasised the irrelevance of outward observations such as rites, pilgrimages, or asceticism. He stressed that devotion must take place through the heart, with the spirit and the soul.

 

A key practice to be pursued is nām: remembrance of the divine Name. The verbal repetition of the name of God or a sacred syllable is an established practice in religious traditions in India, but Nanak's interpretation emphasized inward, personal observance. Nanak's ideal is the total exposure of one's being to the divine Name and a total conforming to Dharma or the "Divine Order". Nanak described the result of the disciplined application of nām simraṇ as a "growing towards and into God" through a gradual process of five stages. The last of these is sac khaṇḍ (The Realm of Truth)—the final union of the spirit with God.[15]

 

Nanak stressed now kirat karō: that a Sikh should balance work, worship, and charity, and should defend the rights of all creatures, and in particular, fellow human beings. They are encouraged to have a chaṛdī kalā, or optimistic, view of life. Sikh teachings also stress the concept of sharing—vaṇḍ chakkō—through the distribution of free food at Sikh gurdwaras (laṅgar), giving charitable donations, and working for the good of the community and others (sēvā).

[edit] The ten gurus and religious authority

Main article: Sikh Gurus

A rare Tanjore-style painting from the late 19th century depicting the ten Sikh Gurus with Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana.

 

The term guru comes from the Sanskrit gurū, meaning teacher, guide, or mentor. The traditions and philosophy of Sikhism were established by ten specific gurus from 1499 to 1708. Each guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting in the creation of the Sikh religion. Nanak was the first guru and appointed a disciple as successor. Gobind Singh was the final guru in human form. Before his death, Gobind Singh decreed that the Gurū Granth Sāhib would be the final and perpetual guru of the Sikhs.[16] The Sikhs believe that the spirit of Nanak was passed from one guru to the next, " just as the light of one lamp, which lights another and does not diminish ",[17] and is also mentioned in their holy book.

  

After Nanak's passing, the most important phase in the development of Sikhism came with the third successor, Amar Das. Nanak's teachings emphasised the pursuit of salvation; Amar Das began building a cohesive community of followers with initiatives such as sanctioning distinctive ceremonies for birth, marriage, and death. Amar Das also established the manji (comparable to a diocese) system of clerical supervision.[15]

The interior of the Akal Takht

 

Amar Das's successor and son-in-law Ram Das founded the city of Amritsar, which is home of the Harimandir Sahib and regarded widely as the holiest city for all Sikhs. When Ram Das's youngest son Arjan succeeded him, the line of male gurus from the Sodhi Khatri family was established: all succeeding gurus were direct descendants of this line. Arjun Mathur was responsible for compiling the Sikh scriptures. Guru Arjan Sahib was captured by Mughal authorities who were suspicious and hostile to the religious order he was developing.[18] His persecution and death inspired his successors to promote a military and political organization of Sikh communities to defend themselves against the attacks of Mughal forces.

 

The Sikh gurus established a mechanism which allowed the Sikh religion to react as a community to changing circumstances. The sixth guru, Har Gobind, was responsible for the creation of the concept of Akal Takht (throne of the timeless one), which serves as the supreme decision-making centre of Sikhdom and sits opposite the Darbar Sahib. The Sarbat Ḵẖālsā (a representative portion of the Khalsa Panth) historically gathers at the Akal Takht on special festivals such as Vaisakhi or Diwali and when there is a need to discuss matters that affect the entire Sikh nation. A gurmatā (literally, guru's intention) is an order passed by the Sarbat Ḵẖālsā in the presence of the Gurū Granth Sāhib. A gurmatā may only be passed on a subject that affects the fundamental principles of Sikh religion; it is binding upon all Sikhs.[19] The term hukamnāmā (literally, edict or royal order) is often used interchangeably with the term gurmatā. However, a hukamnāmā formally refers to a hymn from the Gurū Granth Sāhib which is given as an order to Sikhs.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Sikhism

 

Nanak (1469–1538), the founder of Sikhism, was born in the village of Rāi Bhōi dī Talwandī, now called Nankana Sahib (in present-day Pakistan).[20] His father, Mehta Kalu was a Patwari, an accountant of land revenue in the employment of Rai Bular Bhatti, the area landlord. Nanak's mother was Tripta Devi and he had one older sister, Nanaki. His parents were Khatri Hindus of the Bedi clan. As a boy, Nanak was fascinated by religion, and his desire to explore the mysteries of life eventually led him to leave home and take missionary journeys.

 

In his early teens, Nanak caught the attention of the local landlord Rai Bular Bhatti, who was moved by his intellect and divine qualities. Rai Bular was witness to many incidents in which Nanak enchanted him and as a result Rai Bular and Nanak's sister Bibi Nanki, became the first persons to recognise the divine qualities in Nanak. Both of them then encouraged and supported Nanak to study and travel. Sikh tradition states that at the age of thirty, Nanak went missing and was presumed to have drowned after going for one of his morning baths to a local stream called the Kali Bein. One day, he declared: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" (in Punjabi, "nā kōi hindū nā kōi musalmān"). It was from this moment that Nanak would begin to spread the teachings of what was then the beginning of Sikhism.[21] Although the exact account of his itinerary is disputed, he is widely acknowledged to have made four major journeys, spanning thousands of kilometres, the first tour being east towards Bengal and Assam, the second south towards Tamil Nadu, the third north towards Kashmir, Ladakh, and Tibet, and the final tour west towards Baghdad and Mecca.[22]

 

Nanak was married to Sulakhni, the daughter of Moolchand Chona, a rice trader from the town of Bakala. They had two sons. The elder son, Sri Chand, was an ascetic, and he came to have a considerable following of his own, known as the Udasis. The younger son, Lakshmi Das, on the other hand, was totally immersed in worldly life. To Nanak, who believed in the ideal of rāj maiṁ jōg (detachment in civic life), both his sons were unfit to carry on the Guruship.

[edit] Growth of the Sikh community

 

In 1538, Nanak chose his disciple Lahiṇā, a Khatri of the Trehan clan, as a successor to the guruship rather than either of his sons. Lahiṇā was named Angad Dev and became the second guru of the Sikhs.[23] Nanak conferred his choice at the town of Kartarpur on the banks of the river Ravi, where Nanak had finally settled down after his travels. Though Sri Chand was not an ambitious man, the Udasis believed that the Guruship should have gone to him, since he was a man of pious habits in addition to being Nanak's son. They refused to accept Angad's succession. On Nanak's advice, Angad shifted from Kartarpur to Khadur, where his wife Khivi and children were living, until he was able to bridge the divide between his followers and the Udasis. Angad continued the work started by Nanak and is widely credited for standardising the Gurmukhī script as used in the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.

 

Amar Das, a Khatri of the Bhalla clan, became the third Sikh guru in 1552 at the age of 73. Goindval became an important centre for Sikhism during the guruship of Amar Das. He preached the principle of equality for women by prohibiting purdah and sati. Amar Das also encouraged the practice of langar and made all those who visited him attend laṅgar before they could speak to him.[24] In 1567, Emperor Akbar sat with the ordinary and poor people of Punjab to have laṅgar. Amar Das also trained 146 apostles of which 52 were women, to manage the rapid expansion of the religion.[25] Before he died in 1574 aged 95, he appointed his son-in-law Jēṭhā, a Khatri of the Sodhi clan, as the fourth Sikh guru.

 

Jēṭhā became Ram Das and vigorously undertook his duties as the new guru. He is responsible for the establishment of the city of Ramdaspur later to be named Amritsar. Before Ramdaspur, Amritsar was known as Guru Da Chakk. In 1581, Arjan Dev—youngest son of the fourth guru—became the fifth guru of the Sikhs. In addition to being responsible for building the Darbar/Harimandir Sahib (called the Golden Temple), he prepared the Sikh sacred text known as the Ādi Granth (literally the first book) and included the writings of the first five gurus. In 1606, for refusing to make changes to the Granth and for supporting an unsuccessful contender to the throne, he was tortured and killed by the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir.[26]

[edit] Political advancement

 

Hargobind, became the sixth guru of the Sikhs. He carried two swords—one for spiritual and the other for temporal reasons (known as mīrī and pīrī in Sikhism).[27] Sikhs grew as an organized community and under the 10th Guru the Sikhs developed a trained fighting force to defend their independence. In 1644, Har Rai became guru followed by Harkrishan, the boy guru, in 1661. No hymns composed by these three gurus are included in the Sikh holy book.[28]

 

Tegh Bahadur became guru in 1665 and led the Sikhs until 1675. Teg Bahadur was executed by Aurangzeb for helping to protect Hindus, after a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits came to him for help when the Emperor condemned them to death for failing to convert to Islam.[29] He was succeeded by his son, Gobind Rai who was just nine years old at the time of his father's death. Gobind Rai further militarised his followers, and was baptised by the Pañj Piārē when he formed the Khalsa on 13 April 1699. From here on in he was known as Gobind Singh.

 

From the time of Nanak, when it was a loose collection of followers who focused entirely on the attainment of salvation and God, the Sikh community had significantly transformed. Even though the core Sikh religious philosophy was never affected, the followers now began to develop a political identity. Conflict with Mughal authorities escalated during the lifetime of Teg Bahadur and Gobind Singh. The latter founded the Khalsa in 1699. The Khalsa is a disciplined community that combines its religious purpose and goals with political and military duties.[30] After Aurangzeb killed four of his sons, Gobind Singh sent Aurangzeb the Zafarnamah (Notification/Epistle of Victory).

 

Shortly before his death, Gobind Singh ordered that the Gurū Granth Sāhib (the Sikh Holy Scripture), would be the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikhs and temporal authority would be vested in the Khalsa Panth—the Sikh Nation/Community.[16] The first scripture was compiled and edited by the fifth guru, Arjan Dev, in 1604.

 

A former ascetic was charged by Gobind Singh with the duty of punishing those who had persecuted the Sikhs. After the guru's death, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur became the leader of the Sikh army and was responsible for several attacks on the Mughal empire. He was executed by the emperor Jahandar Shah after refusing the offer of a pardon if he converted to Islam.[31]

 

The Sikh community's embrace of military and political organisation made it a considerable regional force in medieval India and it continued to evolve after the demise of the gurus. After the death of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, a Sikh Confederacy of Sikh warrior bands known as misls formed. With the decline of the Mughal empire, a Sikh Empire arose in the Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, with its capital in Lahore and limits reaching the Khyber Pass and the borders of China. The order, traditions and discipline developed over centuries culminated at the time of Ranjit Singh to give rise to the common religious and social identity that the term "Sikhism" describes.[32]

 

After the death of Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Empire fell into disorder and was eventually annexed by the United Kingdom after the hard-fought Anglo-Sikh Wars. This brought the Punjab under the British Raj. Sikhs formed the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and the Shiromani Akali Dal to preserve Sikhs' religious and political organization a quarter of a century later. With the partition of India in 1947, thousands of Sikhs were killed in violence and millions were forced to leave their ancestral homes in West Punjab.[33] Sikhs faced initial opposition from the Government in forming a linguistic state that other states in India were afforded. The Akali Dal started a non-violence movement for Sikh and Punjabi rights. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale emerged as a leader of the Bhindran-Mehta Jatha—which assumed the name of Damdami Taksal in 1977 to promote a peaceful solution of the problem. In June 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian army to launch Operation Blue Star to remove Bhindranwale and his followers from the Darbar Sahib. Bhindranwale, and a large number of innocent pilgrims were killed during the army's operations. In October, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The assassination was followed by the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots massacre[34] and Hindu-Sikh conflicts in Punjab, as a reaction to the assassination and Operation Blue Star.

[edit] Scripture

 

There are two primary sources of scripture for the Sikhs: the Gurū Granth Sāhib and the Dasam Granth. The Gurū Granth Sāhib may be referred to as the Ādi Granth—literally, The First Volume—and the two terms are often used synonymously. Here, however, the Ādi Granth refers to the version of the scripture created by Arjan Dev in 1604. The Gurū Granth Sāhib refers to the final version of the scripture created by Gobind Singh.

[edit] Adi Granth

Main article: Ādi Granth

 

The Ādi Granth was compiled primarily by Bhai Gurdas under the supervision of Arjan Dev between the years 1603 and 1604.[35] It is written in the Gurmukhī script, which is a descendant of the Laṇḍā script used in the Punjab at that time.[36] The Gurmukhī script was standardised by Angad Dev, the second guru of the Sikhs, for use in the Sikh scriptures and is thought to have been influenced by the Śāradā and Devanāgarī scripts. An authoritative scripture was created to protect the integrity of hymns and teachings of the Sikh gurus and selected bhagats. At the time, Arjan Sahib tried to prevent undue influence from the followers of Prithi Chand, the guru's older brother and rival.[37]

 

The original version of the Ādi Granth is known as the kartārpur bīṛ and is claimed to be held by the Sodhi family of Kartarpur.[citation needed] (In fact the original volume was burned by Ahmad Shah Durrani's army in 1757 when they burned the whole town of Kartarpur.)[citation needed]

[edit] Guru Granth Sahib

Gurū Granth Sāhib folio with Mūl Mantra

Main article: Gurū Granth Sāhib

 

The final version of the Gurū Granth Sāhib was compiled by Gobind Singh in 1678. It consists of the original Ādi Granth with the addition of Teg Bahadur's hymns. It was decreed by Gobind Singh that the Granth was to be considered the eternal guru of all Sikhs; however, this tradition is not mentioned either in 'Guru Granth Sahib' or in 'Dasam Granth'.

 

Punjabi: ਸੱਬ ਸਿੱਖਣ ਕੋ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੈ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਾਨਯੋ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ।

Transliteration: Sabb sikkhaṇ kō hukam hai gurū mānyō granth.

English: All Sikhs are commanded to take the Granth as Guru.

 

It contains compositions by the first five gurus, Teg Bahadur and just one śalōk (couplet) from Gobind Singh.[38] It also contains the traditions and teachings of sants (saints) such as Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas, and Sheikh Farid along with several others.[32]

 

The bulk of the scripture is classified into rāgs, with each rāg subdivided according to length and author. There are 31 main rāgs within the Gurū Granth Sāhib. In addition to the rāgs, there are clear references to the folk music of Punjab. The main language used in the scripture is known as Sant Bhāṣā, a language related to both Punjabi and Hindi and used extensively across medieval northern India by proponents of popular devotional religion.[30] The text further comprises over 5000 śabads, or hymns, which are poetically constructed and set to classical form of music rendition, can be set to predetermined musical tāl, or rhythmic beats.

A group of Sikh musicians at the Golden Temple complex

 

The Granth begins with the Mūl Mantra, an iconic verse created by Nanak:

 

Punjabi: ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ISO 15919 transliteration: Ika ōaṅkāra sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabha'u niravairu akāla mūrati ajūnī saibhaṅ gura prasādi.

Simplified transliteration: Ik ōaṅkār sat nām kartā purkh nirbha'u nirvair akāl mūrat ajūnī saibhaṅ gur prasād.

English: One Universal Creator God, The Name Is Truth, Creative Being Personified, No Fear, No Hatred, Image Of The Timeless One, Beyond Birth, Self Existent, By Guru's Grace.

 

All text within the Granth is known as gurbānī. Gurbānī, according to Nanak, was revealed by God directly, and the authors wrote it down for the followers. The status accorded to the scripture is defined by the evolving interpretation of the concept of gurū. In the Sant tradition of Nanak, the guru was literally the word of God. The Sikh community soon transferred the role to a line of men who gave authoritative and practical expression to religious teachings and traditions, in addition to taking socio-political leadership of Sikh adherents. Gobind Singh declared an end of the line of human gurus, and now the Gurū Granth Sāhib serves as the eternal guru, with its interpretation vested with the community.[30]

[edit] Dasam Granth

Main article: Dasam Granth

A frontispiece to the Dasam Granth

 

The Dasam Granth (formally dasvēṁ pātśāh kī granth or The Book of the Tenth Master) is an eighteenth-century collection of poems by Gobind Singh. It was compiled in the shape of a book (granth) by Bhai Mani Singh some 13 to 26 years after Guru Gobind Singh Ji left this world for his heavenly abode.

 

From 1895 to 1897, different scholars and theologians assembled at the Akal Takht, Amritsar, to study the 32 printed Dasam Granths and prepare the authoritative version. They met at the Akal Takhat at Amritsar, and held formal discussions in a series of meetings between 13 June 1895 and 16 February 1896. A preliminary report entitled Report Sodhak (revision) Committee Dasam Patshah de Granth Sahib Di was sent to Sikh scholars and institutions, inviting their opinion. A second document, Report Dasam Granth di Sudhai Di was brought out on 11 February 1898. Basing its conclusions on a study of the old handwritten copies of the Dasam Granth preserved at Sri Takht Sahib at Patna and in other Sikh gurudwaras, this report affirmed that the Holy Volume was compiled at Anandpur Sahib in 1698[3] . Further re-examinations and reviews took place in 1931, under the aegis of the Darbar Sahib Committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee. They, too, vindicated the earlier conclusion (agreeing that it was indeed the work of the Guru) and its findings have since been published.

[edit] Janamsakhis

Main article: Janamsākhīs

 

The Janamsākhīs (literally birth stories), are writings which profess to be biographies of Nanak. Although not scripture in the strictest sense, they provide an interesting look at Nanak's life and the early start of Sikhism. There are several—often contradictory and sometimes unreliable—Janamsākhīs and they are not held in the same regard as other sources of scriptural knowledge.

[edit] Observances

 

Observant Sikhs adhere to long-standing practices and traditions to strengthen and express their faith. The daily recitation from memory of specific passages from the Gurū Granth Sāhib, especially the Japu (or Japjī, literally chant) hymns is recommended immediately after rising and bathing. Family customs include both reading passages from the scripture and attending the gurdwara (also gurduārā, meaning the doorway to God; sometimes transliterated as gurudwara). There are many gurdwaras prominently constructed and maintained across India, as well as in almost every nation where Sikhs reside. Gurdwaras are open to all, regardless of religion, background, caste, or race.

 

Worship in a gurdwara consists chiefly of singing of passages from the scripture. Sikhs will commonly enter the temple, touch the ground before the holy scripture with their foreheads, and make an offering. The recitation of the eighteenth century ardās is also customary for attending Sikhs. The ardās recalls past sufferings and glories of the community, invoking divine grace for all humanity.[39]

 

The most sacred shrine is the Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar, famously known as the Golden Temple. Groups of Sikhs regularly visit and congregate at the Harimandir Sahib. On specific occasions, groups of Sikhs are permitted to undertake a pilgrimage to Sikh shrines in the province of Punjab in Pakistan, especially at Nankana Sahib and other Gurdwaras. Other places of interest to Sikhism in Pakistan includes the samādhī (place of cremation) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore.

[edit] Sikh festivals

 

Festivals in Sikhism mostly centre around the lives of the Gurus and Sikh martyrs. The SGPC, the Sikh organisation in charge of upkeep of the gurdwaras, organises celebrations based on the new Nanakshahi calendar. This calendar is highly controversial among Sikhs and is not universally accepted. Several festivals (Hola Mohalla, Diwali, and Nanak's birthday) continue to be celebrated using the Hindu calendar. Sikh festivals include the following:

 

* Gurpurabs are celebrations or commemorations based on the lives of the Sikh gurus. They tend to be either birthdays or celebrations of Sikh martyrdom. All ten Gurus have Gurpurabs on the Nanakshahi calendar, but it is Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh who have a gurpurab that is widely celebrated in Gurdwaras and Sikh homes. The martyrdoms are also known as a shaheedi Gurpurab, which mark the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur.

* Vaisakhi or Baisakhi normally occurs on 13 April and marks the beginning of the new spring year and the end of the harvest. Sikhs celebrate it because on Vaisakhi in 1699, the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, laid down the Foundation of the Khalsa an Independent Sikh Identity.

* Bandi Chhor Divas or Diwali celebrates Hargobind's release from the Gwalior Fort, with several innocent Hindu kings who were also imprisoned by Jahangir, on 26 October, 1619.

* Hola Mohalla occurs the day after Holi and is when the Khalsa Panth gather at Anandpur and display their warrior skills, including fighting and riding.

 

[edit] Ceremonies and customs

The anand kāraj (Sikh marriage) ceremony

 

Nanak taught that rituals, religious ceremonies, or idol worship is of little use and Sikhs are discouraged from fasting or going on pilgrimages.[40] However, during the period of the later gurus, and owing to increased institutionalisation of the religion, some ceremonies and rites did arise. Sikhism is not a proselytizing religion and most Sikhs do not make active attempts to gain converts. However, converts to Sikhism are welcomed, although there is no formal conversion ceremony. The morning and evening prayers take about two hours a day, starting in the very early morning hours. The first morning prayer is Guru Nanak's Jap Ji. Jap, meaning "recitation", refers to the use of sound, as the best way of approaching the divine. Like combing hair, hearing and reciting the sacred word is used as a way to comb all negative thoughts out of the mind. The second morning prayer is Guru Gobind Singh's universal Jaap Sahib. The Guru addresses God as having no form, no country, and no religion but as the seed of seeds, sun of suns, and the song of songs. The Jaap Sahib asserts that God is the cause of conflict as well as peace, and of destruction as well as creation. Devotees learn that there is nothing outside of God's presence, nothing outside of God's control. Devout Sikhs are encouraged to begin the day with private meditations on the name of God.

 

Upon a child's birth, the Guru Granth Sāhib is opened at a random point and the child is named using the first letter on the top left-hand corner of the left page. All boys are given the middle name or surname Singh, and all girls are given the middle name or surname Kaur.[41] Sikhs are joined in wedlock through the anand kāraj ceremony. Sikhs are required to marry when they are of a sufficient age (child marriage is taboo), and without regard for the future spouse's caste or descent. The marriage ceremony is performed in the company of the Guru Granth Sāhib; around which the couple circles four times. After the ceremony is complete, the husband and wife are considered "a single soul in two bodies."[42]

 

According to Sikh religious rites, neither husband nor wife is permitted to divorce. A Sikh couple that wishes to divorce may be able to do so in a civil court—but this is not condoned.[43] Upon death, the body of a Sikh is usually cremated. If this is not possible, any means of disposing the body may be employed. The kīrtan sōhilā and ardās prayers are performed during the funeral ceremony (known as antim sanskār).[44]

[edit] Baptism and the Khalsa

A kaṛā, kaṅghā and kirpān.

 

Khalsa (meaning pure) is the name given by Gobind Singh to all Sikhs who have been baptised or initiated by taking ammrit in a ceremony called ammrit sañcār. The first time that this ceremony took place was on Vaisakhi, which fell on 29 March 1698/1699 at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. It was on that occasion that Gobind Singh baptised the Pañj Piārē who in turn baptised Gobind Singh himself.

 

Baptised Sikhs are bound to wear the Five Ks (in Punjabi known as pañj kakkē or pañj kakār), or articles of faith, at all times. The tenth guru, Gobind Singh, ordered these Five Ks to be worn so that a Sikh could actively use them to make a difference to their own and to others' spirituality. The 5 items are: kēs (uncut hair), kaṅghā (small comb), kaṛā (circular iron bracelet), kirpān (dagger), and kacchā (special undergarment). The Five Ks have both practical and symbolic purposes.[45]

[edit] Sikh people

Main article: Sikh

Further information: Sikhism by country

Punjabi Sikh family from Punjab, India

 

Worldwide, there are 25.8 million Sikhs and approximately 75% of Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab, where they constitute about 60% of the state's population. Even though there are a large number of Sikhs in the world, certain countries have not recognised Sikhism as a major religion and Sikhism has no relation to Hinduism. Large communities of Sikhs live in the neighboring states, and large communities of Sikhs can be found across India. However, Sikhs only make up about 2% of the Indian population.

 

In addition to social divisions, there is a misperception that there are a number of Sikh sectarian groups[clarification needed], such as Namdharis and Nirankaris. Nihangs tend to have little difference in practice and are considered the army of Sikhism. There is also a sect known as Udasi, founded by Sri Chand who were initially part of Sikhism but later developed into a monastic order.

 

Sikh Migration beginning from the 19th century led to the creation of significant communities in Canada (predominantly in Brampton, along with Malton in Ontario and Surrey in British Columbia), East Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom and more recently, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Western Europe. Smaller populations of Sikhs are found in Mauritius, Malaysia, Fiji, Nepal, China, Pakistan, Afganistan, Iraq and many other countries

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism.

   

A Roland statue is a statue of a knight with a drawn sword, signifying the town privileges of a medieval city. The Roland statue in Bremen dates to 1404. The city hall and statue are a world heritage site.

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird,is the only eagle unique to North America. The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. Bald eagles are found throughout most of North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Combined with British Columbia's population of about 20,000, the northwest coast of North America is by far their greatest stronghold for bald eagles. They flourish there in part because of the salmon. Dead or dying fish are an important food source for all bald eagles.

Eagles are a member of the Accipitridae family; which also includes hawks, kites, and old-world vultures. Scientists loosely divide eagles into four groups based on their physical characteristics and behavior. The bald eagle is a sea or fish eagle.

Color - Both male and female adult bald eagles have a blackish-brown back and breast; a white head, neck, and tail; yellow feet, legs and beak; and pale yellow eyes.

  

Immature bald eagles have a mixture of brown and white feathers, with a black beak and brown eyes in younger birds; some immature bald eagles have more mottling than others. Adult plumage develops when a bald eagle become sexually mature; it takes five years for a bald eagle to attain solid white head and tail feathers. For the first five years they gradually change; the beak turns from black to yellow, the eyes from brown to pale yellow, body feathers from mottled to dark brown, and head and tail feathers from mottled to solid white.

  

Florida has one of the densest concentrations of nesting bald eagles in the lower 48 states, with an estimated 1,500 nesting pairs. Concentrations of nesting territories are clustered around several significant lake, river, and coastal systems throughout the state. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has monitored the population of nesting bald eagles in Florida since 1972.

 

The bald eagle was removed from the USFWS endangered species list and the FWC imperiled species list in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The bald eagle continues to be protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, along with the state bald eagle rule (68A-16.002, F.A.C.).

 

I found this Juvenile at Joe Overstreet Landing on Lake Kissimmee in Osceola County, Florida.

 

Please, whose 'eggses' are these?

 

There was no sight of the parent insect in the vicinity of the eggs. The eggs are pearly and were neatly arranged. On closer examination, all were noticed to be broken at the top signifying a successful hatch. None was in pristine condition.

They were laid in two batches on the broad leaf of a tree on the way into the forest. It was certainly a wonderful find.

"Candle in the Wind" signifies for me the reason why we light candles - for hope and a better future and for remembering those who have passed.

 

Many thanks for all views, fav's - and particularly comments - all are greatly appreciated!

 

Happy Macro Mondays to you all!

I've no idea what the large graffiti '37' signifies but it does a smashing job in contrasting with the '68', taken low down from an empty workers car part on Globe Road Leeds, where the recent rains have filled up the puddles nicely.

 

68027 'Splendid' gets underway from Leeds with a throaty roar at the head of 1F66 the 12:41 Scarborough to Liverpool Lime Street.

 

6th October 2019

The red counties represent counties where I have photographed the county's courthouse. The darker red signifies that the county has two (or more) seats and I have photographed multiple courthouses in different communities. The light brown signifies that the county has no government (and therefore no county seat or courthouse) but I have been there. The yellow stars represent the state capitals that I have visited.

 

So far, I have visited 2,713 county seats (2,662 counties or equivalents) in 45 states.

They include:

all 254 in Texas

all 159 in Georgia (plus one dual seat county)

all 120 in Kentucky

all 114 in Missouri (plus the Independent City of Saint Louis)

all 105 in Kansas

all 102 in Illinois

all 101 in Iowa (including two dual seat counties)

all 95 in Tennessee

all 93 in Nebraska

all 92 in Indiana

all 92 in Mississippi (including 10 dual seat counties)

all 89 in Minnesota (including 1 county with three seats)

all 85 in Arkansas (including 10 dual seat counties)

all 84 in Michigan (including 1 county with two seats)

all 77 in Oklahoma

all 73 in Alabama (including 6 counties with dual seats)

all 72 in Wisconsin

all 67 in Florida

all 64 in Colorado

all 64 parish seats in Louisiana

all 64 in South Dakota (plus the 2 seat-less counties)

61 in North Carolina

58 in Ohio

54 in Montana

all 53 in North Dakota

49 in California

all 36 in Oregon

33 in Idaho

all 33 in New Mexico

30 in New York (including 3 multiple-seat counties)

all 29 in Utah

28 in South Carolina

all 23 in Wyoming

24 in Virginia (plus 6 independent cities)

19 in Massachusetts (including 5 multiple-seat counties)

17 in West Virginia

all 16 in Nevada (plus the Independent City of Carson City)

all 15 in Arizona

12 in Washington

9 in New Hampshire (including 1 county with two seats)

7 in Maine

7 in Vermont (including 1 county with two seats)

all 5 in Rhode Island

all 4 in Hawaiʻi

and one in Pennsylvania

The name tulip is thought to be derived from Persian, signifying “turban” and to be actinomorphic.

C is for Chris (me), Camera and Charm. This is the charm that signifies me on Mrs C's Pandora bracelet

 

HMM!

 

Explore 12/09/2016 #405

Blasting out toward London wearing the '700th' sticker signifying this aircraft to be #700 in the production of ERJ-190's.

 

Edinburgh Airport - EGPH

This was on a side street in downtown Galveston, Texas. I don't know what the trumpet signifies, but I would not want to meet the guy who plays it.

We saw around 100 of these beautiful birds today at the Nature Dyke Trail at Grant Narrows. These birds are uncommon in the lower mainland and we only see them at wintertime when they are present. These birds signify Christmas time for me. They are so beautiful with their bright colours.

The Kinavai ceremony, that signifies landing of Tolai people on the shores of East New Britain, starts before sunrise with Tolai secret society invoking Duk Duk (male) and Tubuan (female) spirits. The society is referred to as secret because its rituals are restricted to its members only. When we arrived on the shore at around 4am we could not see anything, we only could hear voices and people walking on the beach in both directions. We did not know what is happening. With sun rising we saw more people gathered on the shore including those wearing Duk Duk and Tubuan ceremonial costumes. After sunrise more Tolai people in Duk Duk and Tubuan costumes arrived on canoes accompanied by chanting and drumbeat. In the past, Duk Duk and Tubuan acted as sole law enforcers. These were people wearing Duk Duk and Tubuan masks believed to have spirits residing in them after the spirit was invoked. Their judgement was unquestionable and they would on occasion burn houses and kill people as a punishment. We saw Duk Duk and Tubuan dancing until shaman announced that possession by a spirit took place. After that Duk Duk and Tubuan would go to villages to administer punishment to wrongdoers including their own relatives.

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), our national bird,is the only eagle unique to North America. The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. Bald eagles are found throughout most of North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Combined with British Columbia's population of about 20,000, the northwest coast of North America is by far their greatest stronghold for bald eagles. They flourish here in part because of the salmon. Dead or dying fish are an important food source for all bald eagles.

 

Eagles are a member of the Accipitridae family; which also includes hawks, kites, and old-world vultures. Scientists loosely divide eagles into four groups based on their physical characteristics and behavior. The bald eagle is a sea or fish eagle.

 

Florida has the largest bald eagle population in the lower 48 states.

I found this one at Joe Overstreet Landing (Lake Kissimmee) in Osceola County, Florida.

View Large

 

Canon's fire signifying the end of the day at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

 

If you have never had the opportunity to attend this spectacular ceremony at Fort Henry I would suggest that you do so. As noted on the Fort Henry website "The ceremonies are presented each Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. throughout July and August. The Fort Henry Drums begin the show with a military musical performance, followed by the Drill Squad demonstrating marching drill and battle tactics, including the multiple firing of the Guard’s Snider Enfield Rifles with drill tactics and the finale features the Fort Henry Artillery Detachment, firing the big guns from the East Battery Wall and an exciting fireworks finale set to Rule Britannia, weather permitting."

 

I am still on vacation so I will try to get to see your photos as time permits during the next week. Being a tourist in your own city is a fun vacation and being a "tour guide" is even better. Both GP and I are having fun showing more of Kingston and the area to my penpal and her hubby while there are here visiting.

 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all know that I appreciate your comments, awards and invites "-)

 

© All Rights Reserved - No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without My Written

 

This photo serves / to signify the colors of age. //

The colors in flag, and hangers / strengthen the message.

This empty bench signifies the empty heart of a son who misses his father very much, exactly four months ago to the today of his passing. I LOVE YOU DAD!

 

I hope your week is going well.

Thank you so much for your visit and for your kind comments. They are very much appreciated!

Snowdrops to me signify to me that winter is here. the shoots start in December with flower buds present at the beginning of January.

photo rights reserved by B℮n

 

Wat Suthat Thepphawararam is a royal temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a royal temple of the first grade, one of ten such temples in Bangkok. There are 23 in the whole of Thailand. Construction was begun by King Rama I in 1807. Further construction and decorations were carried out by King Rama II, who also assisted, but the temple was not completed until the reign of King Rama III in 1847. This temple contains the Buddha statue Phra Sri Sakyamuni, which was moved from a temple in Sukhothai province. Sukhothai was the capital of the first kingdom of Siam in the 13th and 15th centuries. Twenty-eight Chinese pagodas are placed on the lower terrace of the base, signifying the twenty-eight Buddhas born on this earth. In 2005, the temple was submitted to UNESCO for consideration as an addition to the World Heritage List. The viharn of Wat Suthat is one of the oldest surviving buildings from the Rattanakosin era. It contains the main Buddha statue of the Wat. The Phra Si Sakyamuni is an eight meter high bronze Buddha statue. The temple is beautiful and is not inferior to the Grand Palace. The big advantage that you can take pictures inside and it is wonderfully quiet.

 

The temple complex officially called Wat Suthat Thepphawararam is one of the largest in Bangkok and covers 10 hectares. The viharn of Wat Suthat is one of the oldest surviving buildings from the Rattanakosin era. It contains the main Buddha statue of the Wat. There is an 800 year old Sukhothai Buddha statue standing 8 meters high in a demure Mara pose. It was cast in Sukhothai some 800 years ago and was brought to Bangkok by riverboat from an abandoned temple in Sukhothai. The Phra Si Sakyamuni is an eight meter high bronze Buddha statue. One of the most common and popular mudras depicted in Buddha statues is the Bhumisparsha mudra, translated as the gesture touching the earth. Buddha statues with this above showing mudra are commonly known as the "earth witness" Buddha commemorating some important moments in the Buddha's life.

 

Wat Suthat Thepphawararam is een koninklijke tempel in Bangkok, Thailand. Het is één van de tien eerste graadstempels in Bangkok. In heel Thailand zijn het er 23. De bouw werd begonnen door Koning Rama I in 1807. Verdere bouw en versieringen werden uitgevoerd door koning Rama II, die ook zelf heeft geholpen, maar de tempel werd pas voltooid tijdens het bewind van koning Rama III in 1847. Deze tempel bevat het Boeddhabeeld Phra Sri Sakyamuni, die werd verplaatst van uit een tempel in de provincie Sukhothai. Sukhothai was de hoofdstad van het eerste koninkrijk Siam in de 13e en 15e eeuw. Op het onderste terras van de basis zijn achtentwintig Chinese pagodes geplaatst, die de achtentwintig geboren Boeddha's op deze aarde betekenen. In 2005 werd de tempel voorgelegd aan de UNESCO ter overweging als toevoeging aan de Werelderfgoedlijst. De viharn van de Wat Suthat is één van de oudste nog bestaande gebouwen uit het Rattanakosin-tijdperk. Het bevat het belangrijkste Boeddhabeeld van de Wat. Er staat een 800 jaar oud bronzen Sukhothai Boeddhabeeld van 8 meter hoog in een ingetogen Mara-houding. Het werd zo'n 800 jaar geleden in Sukhothai gegoten en werd per rivierboot vanuit een verlaten tempel in Sukhothai naar Bangkok gebracht. De tempel is prachtig en doet niet onder aan de Grand Palace. Het grote voordeel dat je hier wel binnen mag fotograferen en heerlijk rustig is. Eén van de meest voorkomende en populaire mudra's die in Boeddhabeelden worden afgebeeld, is de Bhumisparsha mudra, vertaald als het gebaar dat de aarde aanraakt. Boeddhabeelden met deze mudra staan algemeen bekend als de aardgetuige Boeddha ter herdenking van enkele belangrijke momenten in het leven van de Boeddha.