One Hundred and Eight Rosary Beads in Landscape and Architecture Design

A study about monuments containing 108 architectonic and decorative elements, is here proposed in the framework of their environments and cultural landscapes. The number is related to Lord Buddha and to the beads of the Japamala that here we call as 'rosary'. Number 108 is highly relevant in Hinduism too. In the proposed discussion we will illustrate some examples regarding the presence of 108 elements (shrines, stupas, statues) in Buddhist and Hinduist architectures. Among the monumental sites here considered, the reader can find the well-known Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat and Candi Borobudur. For this last site, we will also refer to a publication regarding the temples of Pawon, Mendut and Ngawen, the archaeologists found linked to Borobudur. We will consider in detail the zenith passage of the sun at Angkor (Cambogia) and Java.