Southeast Asia’s breadth of experience is so vast that it offers something for every type of traveler: looking out over Buddhist temples that dot the horizon as far as the eye can see in Burma’s Pagan, seeing (and feeling) a volcano explode before your eyes in Java, feeling dwarfed by the immense scale of Angkor’s temples, or working out your body’s kinks with a traditional Thai massage session in Bangkok. From a cultural standpoint, this is a derivative location, meaning that it’s cultural legacy was in many ways shaped by its neighbors, most importantly China to its north and India to its west. We seek to explore these connections so that you can fully appreciate how the Southeast Asian cultures integrated these incoming influences and made them distinctly their own. This derivative nature means that there is always a new theme to follow, a new adventure to pursue. Southeast Asia keeps you coming back again and again!

TRAVEL. DRAW CONNECTIONS.

Cambodia: The Temples of Angkor

Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer civilization in central Cambodia, is one of the most magnificent historical sites in southeast Asia. Use the detailed site reviews in this guide of Angkor to explore the historical, architectural significance of Angkor’s famous temple structures: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (including the Bayon Temple) and Banteay Srei.  Read more

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The Temples of Java

In Central Java, two massive temples rise as witness to the greatness of two empires – one Buddhist and one Hindu. This ApproachGuide to the Temples of Java will explore the sites of Borobudur (Buddhist) and Prambanan (Hindu) in detail, helping visitors understand the importance of each site and draw linkages between these seemingly disconnected architectural landmarks.  Read more

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Religion: Buddhism

Buddhism began as a rebellious offspring of Hinduism in India, “Hindu Protestantism”, if you will, and migrated out of India to the rest of Asia via the Silk Road and other trade routes. This guide seeks to provide a framework for understanding the faith and help readers gain an understanding of this religion’s rich, global cultural legacy.  Read more

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The Stupa Form’s Transformation over Time

The stupa in Sanchi (located in Central India) is the original stupa, serving as the prototype for all others that followed, both in India and throughout Asia. Using this document, travelers will be able to identify stylistic changes in stupa/pagoda architecture as Buddhism migrated out of India, to China and Japan (via the Silk Road) and to Southeast Asia (via sea trade routes).  Read more

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Historical East-West Trade Connections

Ever wonder who was trading with the Venetian Empire when it ruled Europe’s trading networks? Equally powerful Southeast Asian empires supported Europe’s increasing demand for exotic Eastern goods and spices.  Although fundamentally economic in orientation, this worldwide trade network spawned vast cultural, artistic and religious exchanges. We encourage our readers to use this ApproachGuide to discover the nature of these exchanges, which served as the underlying (and often overlooked) inspiration for many of the world’s greatest cultural landmarks.  Read more

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Indian Art & Architecture: Buddhist

India’s Buddhist traditions had a far-reaching impact on the formative period of Southeast Asia’s artistic and architectural development.  In this Approach Guides document, we provide a condensed, yet comprehensive overview of Buddhist architecture and sculpture, that is helpful to anyone studying the historical influence of Indian Buddhist art and architecture on that of Southeast Asia.  Read more

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Indian Art & Architecture: Hindu

Hinduism has exerted arguably as powerful an influence as Buddhism on historical Southeast Asian art and architecture.  Hindu architecture, while structurally simple (no arches are ever used in its construction),  exhibits some of the most ornate decoration and symbolic design elements in the world. This document offers travelers an approach to understanding Hindu architecture and sculpture and be able to easily answer questions like, “What’s the main difference between Hindu architecture in the North and South” and “What Mediterranean culture influenced Indian sculpture?” (Hint: think Alexander the Great).  Read more

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“Are you a god?” “No,” he replied.
“Are you a reincarnation of god?” “No,” he replied.
“Well, are you a man?” “No.”
“So what are you?” they asked, being very perplexed.
“I am awake.”
-The Buddha

Note that free previews reveal only a small, yet representative, portion of the content available in the complete Approach Guides document. All images and photos in these Approach Guides and on www.approachguides.com were taken on location by David and Jennifer Raezer.

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