We all have always had the opinion that Yoga originated and belonged to the Asian subcontinent especially India which is true to a great extent. However it was taken to other parts of the globe much before than most of us know. Today we will take the case of Arabia and the traces of yoga that have been found in the region. In Lebanon there is a special man made structure that is very unique and interesting. This structure also shows traces of Yoga that is a part of Indian culture.

The Bekaa Valley & Baalbek

There is a place in Lebanon that is called Bekaa valley. In this valley you can find a structure that is called Baalbek. This structure is very unique and interesting. This structure was built about three thousand years back. Its construction was started by the Foneshian civilization and was completed by the Romans and the Greeks. The Arabs have also made their contribution to this structure from time to time. This makes this structure really unique and interesting.

You must visit this temple to understand exactly what we are talking about. You can clearly see the traces of all these cultures here and you can also see something that is completely unbelievable. You can see the traces of Yoga in the temple. How did Yoga reach this part of the world so early?

Some Interesting Facts About Baalbek

One point that clearly stands out in at Baalbek is that in the ceiling of the temple you can find lotus flowers engraved. Nowhere else in this part of the world you will get to see lotus flowers, so the question arises why is this unique feature found here.

Lotus s closely associated with Hindu spiritual traditions like Yoga. In India you will hardly find a temple without lotus. Lotus is considered to be a flower that can take you very close to spiritual development. As per the legend this temple was made by people who came from some other country.

800 Tons Founder Boulders

Another interesting fact is that in the foundation of the temple you can find stones that are as heavy as eight hundred tons. The pillars of the temple are as tall as fifty feet. The legends say that elephants were used to move these stones and make a base for the construction as there were no heavy earth moving equipment in those days. The strange part about this theory is that you do not find elephants in this part of the world then from where did elephants come. These points make us wonder who actually built this temple and why.

It is for sure that this temple involved a lot of hard work. At that time there was no sophisticated machines and technology. All the work was done by man and it must have taken long years. The intention behind constructing this temple must have been something much bigger. A common man could not have thought of building a temple like this. What could have been the intention of building this unique monument? We will now look at another interesting fact. In the museum of Lebanon you can also find a stone that has sixteen corners and it is also called Guru Puja stone.

Guru Puja Stone @ Baalbek

Guru Puja is a special type of puja that is done to develop certain prospects. It is an integral part of the traditions of yoga and meditation. With this puja you can create an atmosphere that will make people more spiritually aware and help them reach the state of self realisation. If you study about yoga you will definitely come across this puja. This is done by utilising the energies in a constructive manner. The base of this whole process is sixteen ways of showing respect to the Guru. This is exactly why for this purpose you need a stone with sixteen corners.

This concept was introduced by Lord Shiva himself. Lord Shiva is considered to have developed yoga and taught it to the seven saints who later on taught it to others. This is the oldest stone that can be associated with Guru Puja. You will not get a stone like this and so old in any part of the world. Even in India you will not easily find a stone like this. This makes us believe that there was a connection between this temple and Indian culture. It is also possible that there was a strong spiritual or commercial relationship between India and Lebanon at that time as a result this temple was built. There is no other culture or civilization that talks about Guru Puja.

Interconnection in Cultures

The purpose of this temple must have been to get two cultures together. It could have been built to make people aware of the many benefits of Yoga and meditation. The legends say that this temple was built by people who came from some other country. It is possible that some people from India went to Lebanon years back and they started to build this temple. They had taken elephants with them who helped in making the foundation of this temple.

There is not much known and we cannot prove these either. However, the temple of Baalbek is definitely an interesting structure and it does make us think that there must have been some connection between this temple and ancient India. The temple also makes it clear that at that time yoga did spread to other parts of the world except India.

With time the people of Lebanon must have forgotten about yoga. It is also possible that at that time yoga was not well accepted by the people of Lebanon. There was hardly anything written about this temple at that time. If there was any writing available about why and how this temple was built it could have been an interesting read and it could have also helped us to understand the history of this temple better. As of now we can only guess and most of the things about the temple is a mystery.