This post is inspired by Zinj's thread. His post sounds like Odiyan here in Northern California. Totally flabbergastingly mind-bogglingly amazing, but largely unknown and even a little mysterious. Almost zero publicity. I think that's the way they want it to remain. It would be a tourist attraction if people knew, which might be why they don't want people to know. They figure that those who need to know about it will learn about it.
http://odiyan.org/
Odiyan is built entirely by volunteers, for whom the work is kind of a meditation. The overall effect that they've accomplished is psychedelic. You just don't expect something like this to be over the next hill.
You don't have to be a Buddhist to volunteer (but it helps). Volunteers get a shared room with a roommate, vegetarian meals and $150/month expenses and plenty of Buddhist teaching (if you want it, it's optional). For 12 hours/day and 6 days/week hard physical labor. (What a deal!) They want a minimum 6 month commitment. You can't approach it like a job, it's more like temporary monasticism. On the other hand, you might learn several useful trades here.
http://volunteer.odiyan.org/work/
This thing has a large central temple, made partly of marble, surrounded by a moat, with architecturally striking temples surrounding it in three of the four directions. (The fourth northern direction is up the mountain and is vacant, seemingly awaiting something especially cool befitting the location overlooking everything else.) In this photo, the central temple is shown along with one of the outlying temples above it, this western one with walls of glass blocks (each with a Buddha sculpture). (It looks very cool at night, illuminated from within.)
And this southern one is metallic, made of bronze. I believe that it was made in several huge pieces that were some of the largest bronze castings ever attempted. All done by volunteer metalworkers.
Here's the eastern one covered in gold leaf
An air-view from the north.
More photos here, including the kitchens, foundry, sculpture studios, animals that roam the property (from horses to peacocks) and various stuff.
http://volunteer.odiyan.org/photos/
http://odiyan.org/
Odiyan is built entirely by volunteers, for whom the work is kind of a meditation. The overall effect that they've accomplished is psychedelic. You just don't expect something like this to be over the next hill.
You don't have to be a Buddhist to volunteer (but it helps). Volunteers get a shared room with a roommate, vegetarian meals and $150/month expenses and plenty of Buddhist teaching (if you want it, it's optional). For 12 hours/day and 6 days/week hard physical labor. (What a deal!) They want a minimum 6 month commitment. You can't approach it like a job, it's more like temporary monasticism. On the other hand, you might learn several useful trades here.
http://volunteer.odiyan.org/work/
This thing has a large central temple, made partly of marble, surrounded by a moat, with architecturally striking temples surrounding it in three of the four directions. (The fourth northern direction is up the mountain and is vacant, seemingly awaiting something especially cool befitting the location overlooking everything else.) In this photo, the central temple is shown along with one of the outlying temples above it, this western one with walls of glass blocks (each with a Buddha sculpture). (It looks very cool at night, illuminated from within.)
And this southern one is metallic, made of bronze. I believe that it was made in several huge pieces that were some of the largest bronze castings ever attempted. All done by volunteer metalworkers.
Here's the eastern one covered in gold leaf
An air-view from the north.
More photos here, including the kitchens, foundry, sculpture studios, animals that roam the property (from horses to peacocks) and various stuff.
http://volunteer.odiyan.org/photos/