Southeast Asia is not only famous for its beautiful beaches and rich cuisine, but also preserves many extremely valuable cultural and natural heritage values.
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| Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, a Buddhist architectural wonder. (Source: TripAdvisor) |
Wonders of the archipelago
Borobudur Temple, a symbol of Mahayana Buddhism and one of the world's largest Buddhist architectural wonders, is located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia.
Built in the 9th century, this monumental structure is not only a testament to the ingenuity of ancient architects but also reflects the complex interplay between the unique Indian, Chinese and indigenous cultures of the archipelago. With more than 300,000 blocks of stone stacked on top of each other in an elaborate manner, Borobudur is an artistic masterpiece, carrying within it profound historical and cultural values.
The temple has nine floors, stacked with six square floors, three round floors, and a dome at the top. The temple has a total of 504 Buddha statues, of which the top dome alone has 72 Buddha statues surrounding it.
Borobudur is a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site, with pilgrimages starting around the top, through three areas depicting the Buddhist concept of the Three Realms of the Universe: Kāmadhātu (Desire Realm), Rupadhatu (Form Realm) and Arupadhatu (Formless Realm). On the way to the top, visitors pass through vast staircases and corridors, past thousands of reliefs carved on the walls and railings. The temple is famous for having the largest number of reliefs in the world.
After the fall of the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty, the temple was abandoned for 10 centuries. In 1814, the Dutch colonial government in Indonesia sent a delegation of European scientists to study it because it was too dilapidated and damaged.
In 1970, the Indonesian government appealed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for assistance. UNESCO's Borobudur Restoration Program brought together nearly 600 world-renowned restoration experts to undertake a massive restoration of the temple, repositioning the stones in their proper places. This took 12 years and cost about $50 million.
After restoration, the temple once again radiates the brilliant light of Eastern Buddhist architecture, revealing its ancient grandeur, worthy of being one of the famous wonders of Asia.
Kinabalu Biological Treasure
Kinabalu National Park, located on the island of Borneo, Malaysia, is not only a popular tourist destination but also one of the world's most valuable treasures of biodiversity.
Recognized as a World Natural Heritage by UNESCO since 2000, Kinabalu is home to more than 4,500 species of flora and fauna, including 326 species of birds, 100 species of mammals and more than 110 species of land snails.
The park covers an area of 754 square kilometers and surrounds Mount Kinabalu - the majestic mountain with the highest peak in Southeast Asia, formed between 10 and 35 million years ago. At 4,095 meters high, Kinabalu is one of the youngest mountains in the world, still growing at a rate of 5 mm per year.
As one of the most popular tourist destinations in Malaysia, Kinabalu Park has a diverse terrain from lowland tropical rainforest to cold highland mountains, creating an ideal habitat for thousands of species, many of which are endemic, including the Kinabalu giant earthworm (a type of earthworm with the scientific name Pheretima darnleiensis) and the Kinabalu giant red leech (Mimobdella buettikoferi).
Naturalists will be particularly interested in exploring Kinabalu’s unique ecosystem, which is home to a wide variety of orchids, including carnivorous plants, most notably the rare Nepenthes rajah, a predatory plant found only here. Birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects are also found here.
Ancient Ayutthaya City
Located about 80km north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya was once the political, economic and cultural center of the Kingdom of Thailand.
Ayutthaya ancient city in Thailand was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1991.
The ancient city of Ayutthaya is a living testament to the exchange and development of Southeast Asian architecture. The architecture of Ayutthaya is a harmonious combination of Sukhothai, Angkor and Indian architectural styles, creating a unique feature.
Temples, palaces and other structures were built according to strict plans, with surrounding roads, canals and moats.
Entering the main road leading to the central area, visitors will see intact, tall and majestic stupas, completely different from the temples in Bangkok. Ayutthaya has many ancient temples such as Wat Phutthaisawan, Wat Phra Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Pra Sri Sanphet, Wat Worachettharam... which are valuable cultural and spiritual tourist destinations. Visitors can feel the sacredness and tranquility when setting foot in these temples.
Ayutthaya is quite large so visitors can take a tuk tuk, rent a bicycle or explore on foot. Cycling is an interesting experience when weaving through and admiring the temples and towers that have the color of time. The paved roads are smooth and the distance between the temples is not too far so it is easy to travel.
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Cultural heritage and natural heritage, with their unique appeal, have been playing an important role in promoting sustainable tourism development. Effective exploitation of cultural and historical values of heritage not only brings economic benefits but also contributes to raising public awareness of heritage values, thereby creating a solid foundation for long-term development.
Not only in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, preserving and promoting heritage values in the future continues to be one of the top priorities of many countries, including Vietnam.
The success of these destinations has proven that heritage is not only a national asset but also a valuable resource for sustainable tourism development. So how to replicate these successful models and protect these precious heritages is the question we need to answer together.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/suc-hut-di-san-dong-nam-a-289680.html
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