Samurai Armor

After watching The Last Samurai as a child, I've always been fascinated by the way of the warrior, their look, and their beliefs. A scene from the film that has remained with me is the cutting of a warrior's hair which is significant to their military group representing their status and nobility. The gasp and dry swallow Another scene is the suiting of the American soldier Nathan Algren played by Tom Cruise into Samurai armor. Taka, a widow of a well known Samurai warrior of the neighborhood gracefully dresses him in the armor that belonged to her husband. The magnificent and elegant look of the armor instantly catches one's eye, even jaw-dropping studying the elements and design of the intimidating but, beautiful uniform handmade and personalized for each warrior.

The creation of the armor took months to make due to several components that were timely. Armor was commonly made using leather scales, small iron, or plates that were connected to each other with via macrame cords or rivets made with braided silk, leather, or chain armor. The construction was important because of their archery and horse riding it was necessary to create armor plates that were lightweight. Lacquered in order to keep safe from the climate this also contributed to the shininess of the armor. The Do: Cuirass, Men Yoroi: The Face Armor, Kote: Armored Sleeves, Suneate: Greaves, and Haidate: Cuisses are all different components of the armor separately constructed although the making of the gear differ from era to era. Although few still exist, the delicacy of the Samurai warriors armor remains a beauty from the past that historians such as myself admire.

Ta Prohm

Rajavihara also known as Ta Prohm "ancestor Brahma" is a temple located in Cambodia constructed by Jayavarman VI, a king of the Khmer Empire in present-day Siem Reap, Cambodia in 1186 A.D. The temple was dedicated to his family consisting of various Buddhist inscriptions, artwork, and sculptures. During his reign he launched a program of construction and public works along with this temple being apart of it, different components of the temple were modeled for them. The main image of the temple representing Prajnaparamita, the personification of wisdom was designed in honor of his mother. Other parts were dedicated to his brothers, his father, and his guru. The site was home to 12, 500 people with religious leaders, dancers, and villagers. After the Khmer Empire had fallen in the 15th century, the temple was forgotten and neglected though work has been done to restore the grand temple. Original Buddhist art has believed to been salvaged by Hindu iconoclasts after the death of Jayavarman VII. However, the elegance of the temple persists through the overgrown jungle and trees that add to the beauty of the ruins.

Ellora

The Ellora is a Wolrd Heritage site located in Maharashtra, India, a large monastery and temple carved from large rocks and formed caves of basalt cliffs. The extravagant monument features Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain artwork and complexes with temples. One of the more popular temples apart of the Ellora is the Kailasha that features the gods, goddesses, and mythologies found in Vaishnavism, Shaktism and other relief panels from Hindu epics. It was built to represent the religious harmony that existed in Ancient India funded by royals, traders, merchants, and the wealthy in the region. Not only was it a center for pilgrims but a commercial center in the region as apart of the South Asian trade route. There are several other caves and monuments in the same location or region that attract a lot of tourism. 

Kava

Kava is a significant drink throughout the Polynesian islands and the South Pacific. The root of the Piper Methysticum plant is ground into a fine powder then soaked and strained with a mixture of water producing the drink, Kava. This beverage takes part in the traditional and ancient kava ceremony done in a majority of occasions such as weddings, funerals, homecomings, birthdays, wars, etc. The origin of the plant has been widely accepted to be from the Oceanic country Vanuatu however, recent studies have indicated the Piper Methysticum had originated in South India or Southeast Asia. Found in an article it discusses how scholars had developed this theory, "where the pepper species Piper nigrum (black pepper) and Piper longum (long pepper) are found. These arguments trace the similarities of ceremonial and ritualistic procedures in each culture. One scholar suggested an Asian origin for Kava by linking the Kava ceremony to the Chinese tea ceremony! And another scholar outlines the similarities of Kava drinking ceremonies to the ancient Vedic religion of India."

http://kava.guru/ask-kava-guru/true-origin-of-kava/

Polynesians Originally From East Asia

A game-changing study suggests the first Polynesians voyaged all the way from mainland East Asia to the South Pacific remote islands. The study of ancient DNA from prehistoric Polynesians indicate that the ancient mariners who also possibly could have mixed with Melanesians. Ancient artifacts found among the Polynesian islands dating from around 3,000 years ago were stamped red pottery. obsidian tools and shell ornaments were collectively known as Lapita culture as well as the growth the culture acquired growing taro, yams, etc. and the spread of livestock which proposed that it had roots in farming cultures in East Asia.  Peter Bellwood of the Australian National University in Canberra research configures him to guess the Lapita originated from mainland China than moving to Twain and the Philippines then sought out to Tonga and eventually Samoa. Other researches argued that the DNA of living Polynesians suggested their Lapita ancestors did linger in Melanesia as mentioned before, the two groups mixing. Ancient skeletons were studied, and a significant sample were four women found in Tonga around 2300 to 3100 old. Researches discovered that the women shared all their ancestry with the indigenous Atayal people in Tawain and the Kankanaey people in the Philippines. 

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/10/game-changing-study-suggests-first-polynesians-voyaged-all-way-east-asia

Borra Caves

Located on the East Coast of India, the Borra Caves is one of the largest in the country with an elevation of 2,313 ft with irregular shaped stalactites and stalagmites. The native name is Borra Guhalu meaning hole caves discovered in 1807 by William King George. Oral legends are shared among the Jatapu, Porja, Kondadora, Nookadora, and Valmiki tribes who live in villages around the caves. The most popular legend speaks of a cow that was grazing on top of the caves who had fallen through a hole in the roof. Searching for the cow, the cowherd came across the caves where he found a stone that resembled a lingam (anionic representation of the Hindu deity Shiva) believing Shiva protected the cow. Since then the people had built a small temple for the Hindu deity outside of the cave where people visit to worship and view the Lingam. A second legend narrated among the villages is the story of the Shiva lingam representing the Hindu God Shiva found deep in the caves above a stone formation of a cow. It's presumed that the udder of the cow is the source of the Gosthani River. The legend is significant because of the Hindu aspects of the stories and the sacredness of the cow in the religion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borra_Caves

Gabon Caves, Philippines

In the Philippines, you'll discover many caves from island to island but the Tabon Caves are located on Lipuun Point in the southwestern part of the Province of Palawan on Palawan Island. Out of 215 known caves, 29 have been explored and seven of these are open to the public. There are no legends available online, however, the cave does hold a lot of history. Protected by the government apart of the Lipuun Point Reservation, the cave holds cultural artifacts and many great finds such as the Tabon man discovered in 2007 with remains dating back to 47,000 years old and known to be the earliest human remains in the Philippines. Another interesting discovery inside the Tabon is a gold ornamental pendant which consisted of an image of Garuda, the eagle bird who is the mount of Hindu deity Vishnu. This find suggests a presence of Hinduism in the Philippines as well as an active trade of many specialized goods and gold between India and Philippines and coastal regions of Vietnam and China. Additionally, inside the caves are Manunggul burial jars as seen in the photo below and over 1,500 burial of them have been recovered. The Tabon is visited frequently as a tourist attraction because of the beautifully shaped limestone and water locals and visitors are able to dip in.

Tham Luang Nang Non

Over the summer, a local soccer team and their coach were trapped inside the Tham Luang Nang Non, a karstic cave system in Northern Thailand. Besides the great rescue, the history of the cave is rich with stories and legends. The name translates into the "Great Cave of the Sleeping Lady" or "the cave of the reclining lady," legends vary but the most popular story known goes, the cave was named after a princess who had committed suicide after she was forbidden to be with her lover, a commoner. The story varies whereas in the Washington Post article explains she was pregnant to a stable boy therefore, they took refuge in the cave and when he had gone to look for food her father's army had caught and killed him. Afterward, the princess had stabbed herself and her blood had become the water in the cave and the surrounding mountains, her body. The local residents believe her spirit guards the cave. Other legends say the cave was the home of demonic giants "yaksha" who were ruled from the cave by a king and others speak of a trickster spirit that devoured men and those who come in. All stories mention the cave becoming a powerful entity home to a sometimes dangerous spirit though it keeps the Northern Thai region safe.

https://www.upi.com/Thailands-inhospitable-caves-host-sacred-legends/7721531221813/


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/spirit-of-mythical-princess-looms-over-thai-cave-crisis/2018/06/27/7feaa5a4-79f6-11e8-ac4e-421ef7165923_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.98255ec30510