Temple of Heaven 天坛

One of the four temples built during Ming dynasty. The four temples are Temple of Sun, Temple of Earth, Temple of Moon and finally Temple of Heaven.

The most significant will be the Temple of Heaven.

The layout shows that the area is made up of inner wall and out wall. The inner part housing the complexes. While the outer wall is made up of the music administration.

The Temple grounds cover 2.73 km² (1.05 sq mi) of parkland and comprises three main groups of constructions, all built according to strict philosophical requirements:

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿)
The Imperial Vault of Heaven (皇穹宇)
The Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛)

The most magnificent is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests built on 3 levels of marble stone base. Its the Hall where the Emperor will pray during the year for good harvests in the Ming and Qing dynasty.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is single-gabled circular building, built on a single level of marble stone base. It is located south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and resembles it, but is smaller. The altar is surrounded by a low wall named echo wall where, the sound of the prayer will be reflected by the guardrail, creating significant resonance.

The Circular mound altar is, located south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated by lavishly carved dragons. The center of the altar is a round slate called the Heart of Heaven (天心石) or the Supreme Yang (太阳石), where the Emperor prayed for favorable weather.

I spent the major part of the day in the temple so do set at least half a day to wander through the premises.

Comments

Panasonic steam oven NU-SC100WYPQ "Cutie" Product Review

I wanted to get weeks about it I purchased this item from Tangs at SGD $399. They are having a promotion of discount SGD $50 if you spend SGD $500. So i top up with a vacuum tumbler and pyrex glass dish. After several months of using, here are my comments on this cutie steam oven. This is purely a steam oven with no microwave function. One of the rare oven with no microwave function. I am ok with it as i steam fishes regularly and its a perfect addition of appliance. The other alternative is the miele steam oven and it is on offer at the same time for SGD $1600. The oven can be plugged to main power point as it is at 13 amp. Summary: Here are some of my observations using the steam oven. Buns Easy peasy for the early morning rush to work, put the char siew bao into the oven. Set it to 10 mins and you can steaming hot bun to eat for breakfast. Fish I steam fish majority of the time. It is super easy to use for steaming fish Vegetables Tr...

Kose Beauty Centre Facial Review (Isetan Scotts)

I was very very taken aback when i entered the unassuming beauty salon right in the heart of orchard. While the place is clean and design is simple, it was very sparsely furnished considering its brand name and in comparision with Yamano (the other japanese salon i went). I entered the facial premises after i passed through the hair salon. What greeted me makes my jaw dropped even more, the room is bare. There is no wall partitions for privacy, in its place are curtains hung to separate the different beds. And i am able to see all the facial therapist and guests. Each therapist handles 2 guests both at the same time!!! From My session suppose to start at 3 pm since my therapist is also handling another customer, i whipped out my phone and start playing candy crush till my therapist is available at 3.30pm. The therapist started by cleaning my face and recommending the appropriate therapy for my skin. I was advised to do the Whitening & Anti-ageing Treatment an...

Banquet -Parkroyal beach road (Wedding dinner review)

I attended a wedding in October 2013 at the Parkroyal beach road. Boy! I was in for a surprise. The hotel is newly renovated and refurbished to a very corporate and clean polished look. There is a huge area for reception. Even the exterior area is also revamped (i didn't manage to get pictures for outdoors). You can hold your ROM outdoors and have decorated to an outdoor garden setting. Yes the outdoor area is that huge! This place has changed so dramatically. By comparison, a banquet held at the same location in 2010, see review here . There is alot more room since the wedding i attended is no longer at the other ballroom. The ceilings of the ballroom are tall, creating an illusion of space and comfort.See the ballroom with the backdrop. The photo below is where the bride and the groom walks down the aisle from the back. You are guaranteed a long long walk down the aisle. Romantic backdrop for the stage in romantic flowers display. Interestingly the cham...

My Solitaire Wedding

Search This Blog