Beyond The Invisible

Amazing, Interesting and Inspiring
Showing posts with label Constructions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Constructions. Show all posts

The Hanging Monastery, Built 1400 Years Ago!

Located 3.5 kilometers southeast of Hunyuan County and built halfway on the cliff at Jinlong Canyon, the Hanging Monastery of Hengshan Mountain is one of China's most unique and remarkable feats of wooden architectural complex.

Built more than 1400 years ago, this temple is unique not only for its location on a sheer precipice but also because it includes Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian elements.



The monastery is founded during the Northern Wei period (386-584) in the 6th century, boasting a history of over 1,400 years. An architectural complex was built on the base of the natural hollows and outcrops along the contour of the cliff. Over 40 halls and pavilions within an area of 152.5 square meters are connected each other by corridors, bridges, boardwalks. They are evenly distributed and well balanced in height.

Inside the monastery are over 80 statues; some are cast with bronze, some with iron, some with clay and some are carved out of stone.

Facing east, the architectural complex hangs about fifty meters above the ground. It used to be much higher above the ground, but over the ages the silt has built up, raising the level of the riverbed. Reconstruction work was carried out from the Tang through the Qing dynasties, as well as in recent times. In 1982, the monastery was listed as one of our country's key protecting units of cultural relics.





How could a building like this withstand the winds and storms of so many years? Hanging Monastery is an architectural wonder. A unique mechanical theory was applied to building the framework. Crossbeams were half-inserted into the rock as the foundation, while the rock in back became its support. Seen from below, Hanging Monastery appears to be a tumble-down castle in the air. Inside, Hanging Monastery provides the same scene as other temples.

Construction experts from countries including Britain, Germany, and Italy, come to see the monastery. In their words, Hanging Monastery, which mixes mechanics, aesthetics, and Buddhism, is rare. The monastery and everything it symbolizes embodies a great cultural achievement of Chinese people.

Why build a monastery like this? Location is the first reason; building a monastery on the cliff could shield it from floods. In addition, the mountain peak protects it from rain and snow; and the mountain around it also diminishes damage from long-time sunshine. The second reason is that the builders followed a principle in Taoism: no noises, including those from rooster crowing and dog baying; so from the upper ground, all noises drop away.

Via - Cool Stuff4u

Read More......

Would You Like to Stay in This Cave?











Read More......

In Pics - Millau Bridge : Tallest Vehicular Bridge in the World

The Millau Viaduct is a large cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France. Designed by French bridge engineer Michel Virlogeux and Foster and Partners, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, Its slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m shorter than the Empire State Building!


It took 4 years for its construction (2001-2005) and has a length of 2.5 Km and a height of 280 m. The bridge's construction cost was about €394 million, with a toll plaza 6 km north of the viaduct costing an additional €20 million!


Wait, There is something for we Indians to be proud of, The Chenab Bridge in the Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled for completion in December 2009, is gonna be 359 metres high! The highest in the world! The total length of the bridge is 1315 metres and is being constructed at an estimated cost of over Rs 600 crore. TOI has a report on it.

Read More......

In Pics - Stainless Steel Temple in Thailand


Read More......

In Pics - Great Wall of China Through the Seasons






Read More......

The Greatest Driving Road in the World


The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the greatest driving road in the world. Stretching for 7.3 miles and climbing nearly 4,000 feet, it boasts 60 corners and a surface so smooth that it would flatter a racetrack.

The road is cut into the Jebel Hafeet Mountain , the highest peak in the United Arab Emirates , the oil-rich Persian Gulf state. The mountain spans the border with Oman and lies about 90 minutes' drive southeast of the thriving city of Dubai . It looks down upon a dusty, desert landscape that belies a nation of astonishing wealth.





Read More......