Main Course -
Even though this conversation took place in Ogedeis thread -
Ogedei I have a request, if you're up for it.
Early wonders! (pre 0 BCE). I start adding wonders to my mod, and realised how few Asian wonders there really is. I think I've added all the wonders that I could find on these forums, but it just isn't enough. Pretty much any wonder is appreciated.
Pre 0 BCE wonders?
...
Blue Monkey can suggest a few South Asian ones.
[threadjack]In my mod the wonders I lack most are from the Bronze age, so any new Indus or ancient SEAsian ideas are appreciated.[/threadjack]
Im not familiar with SE Asia prior to the Indianization era which is definitely CE. Even then, two of the three Im familiar with are already made:
Prambanam by Ogedei &
Angkor Wat by Ukas with alternative splash by Rufas T Firefly.
Borobudur has yet to be tackled as far as I know.
As you requested then, here are some ideas for
Ancient Indian Wonders
Stone Age
The
Kupgal Singing Rocks are a location where natural resonance in the huge stones brings forth ringing tones when struck with rocks. There is also one spot that forms a sort of natural amplifier for the human voice. There is some evidence that the site has been worked to emphasize and tune these effects. Its also notable that the tones evoked may have influenced the development of the
mantras used in meditation.
Mythic or Vedic Era
These wonders are associated with legends from the mists of time.
Dvaraka is the location of Krishnas capital in the Mahabharata. It was supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The whole city was deluged by the ocean after his death and lost forever.
The 7 Drowned Temples of Mahabalipuram are both legendary and historic (kind of like Camelot). The Indian Ocean Tsunami
revealed buildings as it drew back prior to crashing into the shore. Several artifacts were washed ashore which date to the 7th century CE. There are stories of a much earlier (BCE) site, and some tentative underwater exploration, slightly to the north of the revealed buildings.
Juggernauts are not a building. They are giant chariots (45 ft. high) which are paraded on holy days in commemoration of Krishna and other heroes of the epics. They are still in use at present, however their use extends back to antiquity. There are even representations of them in stone, with rotatable wheels, at a few temples.
Indus-Saraswati (Harappan) Civilization
The remains at Lothal of a
Great Harbor are now often interpreted to be some other kind of structure. As a harbor it would include the
earliest example of a tidal lock. This wonder would reinforce the reality that the Indus-Saraswati civilization was involved in extensive trade with other contemporary societies.
The
Great Granary at Mohenjo-Daro is important because this and other cultures in India are centers of some of the earliest cultivation of barley, wheat, and cotton. I posted
some reconstructions of the granary which Ogedei
turned into a wonder.
The Harappans were noted for their systems of conduits and sewers, the earliest extant examples of such a civic project. The
Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro and the
reservoirs at Dholavira are two wonder-worthy examples.
Life of Buddha
Although the current structures are later-era elaborations all these sites are associated with major events in the life of Buddha and have been venerated since shortly after his
parinirvana.
The
Mahabodhi Temple encloses and protects the bodhi tree where he meditated and achieved enlightenment. The tree growing today, although ancient, is a replanting from a shoot of the original tree (which was taken to Sri Lanka by the children of Asoka, who had become Buddhist mendicants).
Sarnath is a venerable deer park where Buddha preached his first sermon.
The
Great Stupa at Sanchi holds some important relics of the Buddha. Because of the sacredness of the relics pilgrims frequently took pieces of the stupa as souvenirs. They believed that since the stupa was in touch with the relics some of their spiritual power was transferred to the stones. So successive kings enclosed the structure with larger, more embellished stupas in order to further protect the actual relics.
Ogedei
made us a wonder of the current structure which is the elaboration sponsored by Ashoka.
Sri Dalada Maligawa temple is the current location of the
Relic of Buddhas Tooth. Wars have been fought over this wonder. In fact,
a wuxia film funded by the Chinese government features the tooth as its
macguffin.
Life of Mahavira (Jain Religion)
Mahavira, a contemporary of Gautama Buddha, was the last and best known of the Jain
Tirthankaras. As with many other of these potential wonders, the extant structures are from later eras. Its the practice in India to continually rebuild and extend sacred complexes. We do the same thing; the Vatican is a perfect example.
Rajgriha Temple was the site of one of the earliest Jain temples.
The
Chandragiri temple complex is also important.
My choice for a Jain wonder would be
Shri Sammet Shikharji. It's the Jain practice for their spiritually advanced members to become increasingly reclusive. Entire communities grow around these locations, which become much more than just temple complexes. This is the site where 20 of the 24 Tirthankaras achieved
moksha.
Here is a gallery I put together of
many of the Jain sacred sites.
Later BCE
Ashokas
Pillars or
Rock Edicts proclaimed his laws, and more importantly the social contract in which he expected all of his subjects to participate. It has the same importance in Indian history as the Hammurabi stele did for the Babylonians. further more, since he used multiple languages to serve the various ethnic groups under his rule, they have become a kind of Indian Rosetta Stone.
There are many monasteries and temple complexes throughout India made by enlarging caves or hewn from solid rock. The
Ajanta Cave Temples is one of the best known sites. The earliest use dates back to BCE, although the more elaborate caves are from CE. It is famous for its many murals, which depict both Hindu & Buddhist subjects.
Early CE
Wootz is a superior type of steel produced in classical India. It became known in the West as Damascus steel because of intermediary traders & its use in Middle Eastern swords. The
Iron Pillar of Delhi is a wonder that demonstrates the advanced metallurgical skills of Indian craftsmen.
The
Giant Buddhas of Bamiyan were one of the major pilgrimage & secular tourism sites along the Kushan Empire section of the Silk Road. This post describes
how they looked in their heyday.