2011-11-07

Namaste Dagoba imagery update

In August 2009 I visited Namaste Dagoba in the "Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area" in Shaanxi Province, China. Afterwards, I looked for it on Google Earth, but the images available then only showed farm land. Since then I've waited for Google to release updates.

Namaste Dagoba

Today, thanks to Follow Your World, I received an email saying that new imagery is available. Unfortunately, the resolution is not very high, and the complex appears to be under construction, which would make the image at least two and a half years old. Nonetheless, it's clear and complete enough to show the grand scale of the place. 

Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area
From end to end it's nearly 2.5 km, with a wide avenue lined with large, golden statues leading to the Namaste Dagoba. The Namaste Dagoba holds a number of treasures discovered in the Famen Temple, including what is supposedly a relic of the Buddha (his finger bone). The historic Famen Temple and monastery area is just east of the avenue's northern end. 

Grand entrance to the avenue

One of ten large statues along the avenue, with Famen Temple in the background

Looking down the avenue, from the Namaste Dagoba to the main entrance.