Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु)—also known asSumeru,Sineru orMahāmeru—is asacred, five-peaked mountain present withinHindu, Jain andBuddhist cosmologies, revered as the centre of allphysical,metaphysical and spiritual universes.[1] It is professed to be located at the junction of the four great cosmic continents—Pubbavideha Dīpa,Uttarakuru Dīpa,Amaragoyāna Dīpa andJambu Dīpa. Despite not having a clearly identified or knowngeophysical location, Mount Meru is, nevertheless, always thought of as being either in the Himalayan Mountains or theAravalli Range (in western India). Mount Meru is also mentioned in scriptures of other, external religions to India, such asTaoism—which was influenced, itself, by the arrival of Buddhism in China.[2]
Many Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples have been built as symbolic representations of Mount Meru. TheSumeru Throne (Chinese:须弥座,xūmízuò) style is a common feature ofChinese pagodas.[citation needed] The highest point (the finial bud) on thepyatthat, aBurmese-style multi-tiered roof, represents Mount Meru.
Etymologically, 'meru' inSanskrit means "high." The proper name of the mountain isMeru (Sanskrit:Meruparvata), to which the approbatory prefixsu- is added, resulting in the meaning "excellent Mount Meru" or "sublime Mount Meru".[3]Meru is also the name of the central bead in amālā.[4]
The dimensions attributed to Mount Meru — which all refer to it as a part of theCosmic Ocean, along with several other statements that describe it in geographically vague terms (for example, "the Sun along with all the planets circle the mountain") — make the determination of its location most difficult, according to most scholars.[5][6]
Several researchers identify Mount Meru or Sumeru with thePamirs, northwest ofKashmir.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
TheSuryasiddhanta mentions that Mt. Meru lies at the centre ofthe Earth ("bhuva-madhya") in the land of the Jambunad (Jambudvīpa).Narapatijayacharyasvarodaya,[14] a ninth-century text, based on mostly unpublished texts of Yāmal Tantr, mentions:
Several versions of cosmology can be found in existing Hindu texts. In all of them, cosmologically, the Meru mountain was also described as being surrounded by Mandrachala Mountain to the east, Suparshva Mountain to the west, Kumuda Mountain to the north, andKailasha to the south.[16]
According to Buddhist cosmology, Mount Meru is at the centre of the world,[17] andJambūdvīpa is south of it.[18] It is 80,000yojanas wide and 80,000 yojanas high according to theAbhidharmakośabhāṣyam[19][20] and 84,000 yojanas high according to theLong Āgama Sutra.[21] At the peak of Mount Meru isTrāyastriṃśa, the realm where the rulerŚakra resides.[18] The Sun and the Moon revolve around Mount Meru, and as the Sun passes behind it, it becomes nighttime. The mountain has four faces — each one made of a different material; the northern face is made of gold, the eastern one is made of crystal, the southern one is made oflapis lazuli, and the western one is made of ruby.[17]
InVajrayāna,maṇḍala offerings often include Mount Meru, as they in part represent the entire universe.[22][23] It is also believed that Mount Meru is the home of theBuddhaCakrasaṃvara.[24]
Hindus believe Mount Meru to be a stairway toSvarga, a heaven where thedevas reside.[25] Meru is considered as the center of the universe and is described as 84,000yojanas high, about 1,082,000 km (672,000 mi), which would be 85 times the Earth's diameter. Oneyojana can be taken to mean about 11.5 km (9 miles), though its magnitude seems to differ over periods — for example, theEarth's circumference is 3,200 yojanas according toVarahamihira and slightly less so in theAryabhatiya, but is said to be 5,026.5 yojanas in the Suryasiddhānta. TheMatsya Purana and theBhagavata Purana, along with some other Hindu texts, consistently give the height of 84,000 yojanas to Mount Meru, which translates into 672,000 miles or 1,082,000 kilometers. The Sun and Moon along with all the planets revolve around Mount Meru which connects the earth with the under world and heaven with Shiva residing on top of the mountain atKailasha.[26][27] Gods anddevas are described as frequenting Mount Meru.[28]
According to theMahabharata, Meru is located amidst theHimavat range between Malayavat and Gandhamadhana mountains. Some scriptures indicate that Shiva resides in a horn of the mountains called asSaivatra.[26]Mahabharata further states that the mountain gleans of gold when the rays of the sun fall on it and is said to contain lovely woods, lakes, rivers adorned with fruit trees, precious stones and life saving herbs. It also describes Meru as the means to reach heaven and only a being without any sins would be able to scale it.[26] Meru is also said to be the residence ofKubera who lives near a golden gate with a lake calledAlaka adorned with golden lotuses and sweet tasting water from whichMandakini river arises.[26] As per theMahabharata, thePandavas along with their wifeDraupadi, traveled towards the summit of the mountain as a means to reach the heaven but onlyYudhishthira who was accompanied by a dog, was able to make it.[29]
The Hindu epicRamayana describes Kailash andLake Manasarovar located in the Mount Meru as places unlike anywhere in the world.[26] Mount Meru is also said to be kingdom of KingKesari, father ofLord Hanuman.
Vishnu Purana states that Meru is a pillar of the world, located at the heart of six mountain ranges symbolizing alotus. It also states that the four faces of Mount Kailash are made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli.[25] It further talks about Shiva sitting in a lotus position, engaged in deep meditation within the confines of the mountain.[30] The mountain is home to four lakes, whose water is shared by the gods and four rivers that originate from theGanges and flow to the earth. TheVayu Purana describes similarly with the mountain located close to a lake consisting of clear water with lotuses and lilies decked with water birds.[26]Bhagavata Purana places Kailash as located south of Mount Meru.Skanda Purana mentions that the mountain is located amongst the highest peaks, perpetually covered with snow.[26] Mount Meru was said to be the residence of King Padmaja Brahma in antiquity.[16]
This mythical mountain of gods was mentioned in theTantu Pagelaran, anOld Javanese manuscript written in the 15th-centuryMajapahit period. The manuscript describes the mythical origin of the island ofJava, as well as the legendary movement of portions of Mount Meru to Java. The manuscript explains thatBatara Guru (Shiva) ordered the godsBrahma andVishnu to fill Java with human beings. However, at that time, Java island was floating freely on the ocean, always tumbling and shaking. To stop the island's movement, the gods decided to nail it to the Earth by moving the part of Mahameru inJambudvipa (India) and attaching it to Java.[31] The resulting mountain isMount Semeru, the tallest mountain in Java.
According to Jain cosmology, Mount Meru (orSumeru) is at the centre of the world surrounded byJambūdvīpa,[32] in the form of a circle forming a diameter of 100,000 yojanas.[33][34] There are two sets of sun, moon, and stars revolving around Mount Meru; while one set works, the other set rests behind Mount Meru.[35][36][37]
EveryTirthankara is taken to the summit of Meru byIndra shortly after his birth, after putting the Tirthankara child's mother into a deep slumber. There, he is bathed and anointed with precious unctions.[38][39] Indra and other Devas celebrate his birth.
The concept of a holy mountain surrounded by various circles was incorporated into ancientHindu temple architecture with aShikhara (Śikhara) — a Sanskrit word translating literally to "peak" or "summit". Early examples of this style can be found at theHarshat Mata Temple andHarshnath Temple from the 8th century CE inRajasthan,Western India. This concept also continued outside India, such as inBali, where temples featureMeru towers.
In Buddhist temples, theMahabodhi Temple inBodh Gaya is the earliest example of the 5th- to 6th-century depiction. Many other Buddhist temples took on this form, such as theWat Arun inThailand and theHsinbyume Pagoda inMyanmar.
_-_panoramio_(23).jpg)
In other languages, Mount Meru is pronounced:
The mountain is also mentioned byDiodorus Siculus as Mēros (Μηρός) and ascribes toDionysus events related in Indian mythology, trying to use this as explanation as to why the Greeks had come to say Dionysus was born out of a thigh (whose word in Ancient Greek is indeedμηρός).[40]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
.svg)
