Mount Meru

The Mount Meru (Sanskrit, m, मेरु, meru, . Sino须弥 山, Pinyin Xumi Shan, W.-G. Hsü -mi shan; hgl 수미산, Sumisan; . Jap.须弥 山, Shumisen; viet Tu di ZON., Tib: ri rab ) forms according to the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist cosmogony the world mountain in the center of the universe.

Description

The incredibly high mountain Sumeru, residence of gods and protective deities, rises in the center of the universe. Around him circle the sun and the moon, the stars and the planets that influence the course of day and night, the coming and going of the seasons and ultimately the well-being of the people.

According to ancient Thai texts rises Mount Sumeru 84,000 Yojana on the earth's surface, it reaches more 84,000 Yojana in depth. It is 84,000 Yojana thick and a perimeter of 252,000 Yojana.

According to the Hindu tradition of the Meru is surrounded by four concentric chains of continents. Explained at length such as in the Thai Phra Ruang Opus Traiphum from the 14th century - - According to the Buddhist cosmology surround him seven concentric mountain ranges, which are always lower on the outside. Each mountain range is separated from the next by a deep ocean, the Sidantara Ocean. This entire system is limited to the outside of another, insurmountable mountain chain, the Cakkavala mountain range ( "Iron Mountain "). Beyond the Iron Mountain Range, Nothing.

Between the iron mountains and the seven mountain ranges, the Mount Meru surrounded, in the great salt Ocean, lie the four continents: the east is Pubbavideha, in the north Uttarakuru, in the west Aparagoyana and south of the Jambu continent (Sanskrit, m. , जम्बुद्वीप, Jambudvipa, Thai, ชมพูทวีป - Chomphuthawip ). In the north of this continent, on the slopes of Mount Meru, the Himaphan forest, is home to many mythical creatures. Each of these continents is surrounded by 500 smaller islands. Between the four major continents four smaller continents, called Yupara. This is the country where Garuda live. On the Jambu continent people live.

Meru is sometimes locates regional differences. So also mountains in China, Japan and Bali are identified with Meru or other sacred mountains of Buddhism. Mythological explanations for this are eg removals of supernatural beings, the flight of the mountain or cosmological explanations. Especially in Southeast Asia show symbolic replicas of the center of kingdoms.

Wall painting

Explanation of the adjacent picture

This image shows the right half of the west wall in the bot of Wat Sakhet, Bangkok. Shown here is just behind the main Buddha statue were, the cross-section of the Buddhist cosmos. In the left half of the picture is Mount Meru, the very top of Indra's palace. The seven mountain chains are here represented as columns, crowned by the palace of a deity. Bottom right is seen with two of the continents of the Great Salt Ocean. Up on red background float the palaces of the Devata. The circled white circle in the middle right is the sun, here represented as sun- carriage, drawn by mythical mythical animals. A similar painting can now be viewed in the Chapel of the Emerald Buddha ( Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok).

565122
de