2013-12-15
【Aiden in English】
I was so excited for today! We finally did a tour that involved some exercises, such as climbing 120 stone steps along the slope. The shore excursion started with an hour-long boat ride from Mumbai harbor to the Elephanta Caves off the western coast of the Arabian Sea. Its name is derived from a vast elephant statue. When the Portuguese arrived and first discovered it in 1534, they saw the elephant statue at the entrance and gave it its name afterward. The Elephanta Caves are now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We paid our visit and tried to beat the crowd as soon as it opened. At the top, the caves loomed over us and looked like a giant gaping mouth, ready to swallow us whole. But inside, we found carvings of gods, goddesses, and celestial beings. The caves were primarily dedicated to Lord Shiva, the god of destruction and evil in the Hindu religion. In these caves, Lord Shiva was considered the most powerful god. Instead of being the destroyer, the caves showed Shiva as the Creator and the Preserver. Lord Shiva had many carvings, and each one depicted a different aspect of him. The one that I took the most interest in was the carving where Lord Shiva opened his third eye. The Hindus believed that the third eye was where all the power and knowledge one had mastered was stored. When Lord Shiva was angry, he would open his third eye, releasing all his power. That's why Hindu men and women cover their third eye with a bindi. So it wouldn't be vulnerable when the Hindu people encountered any difficulties. One of the carvings also demonstrated Lord Shiva catching the blood of a demon he had just killed. Unfortunately, it was difficult to determine because the Portuguese damaged it when they occupied the caves as a military base and used the carvings as targets for shooting practice during the 16th century. By now, it was difficult to discern what the images looked like in some of the carvings. Accidentally, one Shiva statue carved with three heads was kept intact. Because the Portuguese were Christians, they mistook this three-headed Shiva as Jesus in his three forms. It's a miracle that the Elephanta Caves survived over the centuries, especially after the Portuguese almost destroyed everything here. Perhaps Lord Shiva is watching over the caves, just as Jesus watches over a church. In 1987, the Elephanta Caves were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 【紅霞譯】
今天我開心得要命！我們終於攀登了120級台階，能夠藉助外出觀光順便鍛煉一下身體，實在難能可貴。
從位於阿拉伯海西岸的孟買“母親”碼頭乘船前往象島石窟需要一個鐘頭，之所以稱為“象”島石窟，是因為石窟前有一巨型大象雕塑，葡萄牙人於1534年登陸該島時首先發現了它，如今象島石窟早已被聯合國科教文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》，我們一大早刻意趕過來參觀，無非就想避開蜂擁而至的人潮。
在象島至高點，石窟像張大嘴巴想要吃掉我們的巨人迎面撲來，洞內梵天、菩薩以及神仙遙相呼應。象島石窟主要用來頌揚濕婆“吉祥”神——印度教中主司摧毀邪惡的破壞之神，因此濕婆當屬整個石窟中最有權威的一位，除此之外還有展現濕婆身兼創造之神和保護之神的雕刻。 象島石窟有大量表現濕婆各種風姿的浮雕壁畫，最觸目驚心的是濕婆腦門正中睜開的第三隻眼睛，印度教徒堅信第三隻眼睛是人類儲存所有力量與智慧的地方，一旦濕婆動怒，他將睜開第三隻眼睛全力以赴，這就是為什麼印度教徒額前都飾有一個人工痣的原因，它被用來寓意第三隻眼睛，只有這樣，印度教徒在困難面前才會勇敢無畏。
還有一尊表現濕婆英勇擒敵身上沾滿惡魔血跡的石像，遺憾的是雕塑已難辨認，其原因在於，16世紀葡萄牙人占領象島時曾以石窟為軍事基地，士兵們不分青紅皂白，直接把雕塑當成靶子練習射擊，結果破壞了幾乎所有的憾世珍品，但唯有一尊《濕婆三面像》的巨作卻完好無損，據說當時葡萄牙人篤信基督教，他們誤以為這個三頭濕婆是上帝耶穌的三種表現形式，想不到《濕婆三面像》意外地保留了下來。 幾百年來，象島石窟差一點慘遭葡萄牙人滅頂之災，不能不說是個奇蹟，也許多虧了濕婆的看護，正如耶穌保佑基督神明一樣。
1987年，象島石窟被聯合國教科文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》。 Today in History(歷史上的今天): 2012: 南美洲逍遙遊(Frolics in South America)  Marine Drive, Queen's Necklace along the Arabian Sea
(海濱大道·阿拉伯海的“女王項鍊”)  Victoria Train Station in the Late 19th-Century Indo-Saracenic & Victorian Gothic Revival
(維多利亞火車站·19世紀晚期印度-撒拉遜與維多利亞哥特復興式)  Ferry Boats Docked @ Bombay Harbour (Front Bay) against Bombay Yacht Club
(渡輪停靠在孟買港前灣與背後的孟買遊艇俱樂部)  Maharashtra Police Headquarters
(馬哈拉施特拉“孟買”警察總部)  Gateway of India, Taj Mahal Hotel, & Mumbai Skyline from Elephanta Island Ferry
(從象島渡輪上欣賞印度門、泰姬陵酒店和孟買天際線 12-15-2013)
 Mumbai Harbour, the Gateway to India
(孟買港·印度的門戶 12-15-2013)  Gateway of India, a Symbol of Conquest & Colonisation in the Architecture of Marathas w/ a Blend of Hindu Traditions, Regional Craftsmanship, & Functional Designs, Completed in 1924
(印度門·征服與殖民化的象徵，建於1924年、融合了印度教傳統、區域工藝和實用設計的馬拉地風格 12-15-2013)  Taj Mahal Palace, a Prime Example of Indo-Saracenic Architecture, Opened in 1903
(泰姬陵“王冠”酒店·印度—撒拉遜“穆斯林”式建築的典範，於1903年開業 12-15-2013)  Elementary Kids @ Taj Mahal Palace
(泰姬陵宮殿酒店·小學生 12-15-2013)  A Tourist Toy Train from the Dock to the Elephanta Caves
(從碼頭到象島石窟的觀光玩具火車 12-15-2013)  Meet Macaca mulatta @ Elephanta Island
(象島·遇見獼猴 12-15-2013)  Main Entrance of Cave 1 (一號洞主入口 12-15-2013)
 Entrance of Cave 2 (二號洞入口)
 Elephanta Cave Complex (象島石窟大廳 12-15-2013)
 Main Mandapa & Pillars @ Elephanta Caves
(象島石窟·主要柱廳和柱子 12-15-2013)
 Tour Guide @ Elephanta Caves
(象島石窟·導遊 12-15-2013)  Shiva Linga Shrine inside the Cave Complex
(廳內存放濕婆神龕 12-15-2013)  Trimurti Shiva (三頭濕婆神 12-15-2013)
 Trimurti Shiva, 3 Heads Representing 3 Essential Aspects of Shiva in Creation, Protection, & Destruction
(三頭濕婆·三個頭代表着濕婆的三個基本屬性：創造、守護和毀滅 12-15-2013)
 Ardhanarishvara, Half Female (Parvati) & Half Male (Shiva)
(半月神像 12-15-2013)
Shiva Bringing the Ganges River to Earth (濕婆將恆河帶到人間 12-15-2013) 
Shiva in Details (濕婆·近景)  Shiva as Nataraja, God of Dance (濕婆·舞蹈之神)
Shiva as Yogishvara, God of Yogas (濕婆·瑜伽之神) 
Lord Shiva w/ Bhakt (濕婆與巴克 "“宗教信"”) 
Ravana Shaking Mount Kailash (拉瓦那“蘭卡之王”·恐怖狂嘯震動岡仁波齊峰“珍貴的雪山”)
Kalyanasundara, the Wedding of Shiva & Parvati, Represented Shiva Embodying the True Spirit of Blessedness (帕爾瓦蒂“山之女”結婚的帕爾瓦蒂“美滿婚姻”·體現了真正的幸福精神 12-15-2013)  Meet Indian Visitors (偶遇印度參觀者 12-15-2013)
 Local Visitors (當地遊人)
 Grilled Corns @ Elephanta Island
(象島·烤玉米 12-15-2013)  Women @ Field, Elephanta Island
(象島·婦女在田間勞作)  Dumpster @ Elephanta Island (象島·垃圾場)
 Container vs Dredger (集裝箱貨輪與挖泥船)
 Ferry Riders Between Mumbai & Elephanta
(穿梭於孟買與象島間的渡輪乘客 12-15-2013)
 Polo Grill @ Nautica Oceania
(“大洋·航海”號遊輪——馬球燒烤餐廳 12-15-2013)  Pool @ Nautica Oceania
(“大洋·航海”號遊輪——泳池 12-15-2013) Crosslinks(相關博文):
India(出遊印度)
Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋) |
