Meru, Mount

Meru, Mount

      volcanic cone (14,978 feet [4,565 m]), northern Tanzania. It is situated 42 miles (68 km) west-southwest of Mount Kilimanjaro, near the Kenyan border. Its extinct crater is easily accessible from Arusha town, which lies at the mountain's southern base. The mountain's densely populated southern and eastern slopes, exposed to the prevailing wind, are well watered, and the fertile volcanic soil supports coffee plantations. There are rain forests on the slopes up to about 9,500 feet (2,900 m).

      in Hindu mythology, a golden mountain that stands in the centre of the universe and is the axis of the world. It is the abode of gods, and its foothills are the Himalayas, to the south of which extends Bhāratavarṣa (“Land of the Sons of Bharata”), the ancient name for India. The roof tower crowning the shrine in a Hindu temple represents Meru. As the world axis, Mount Meru reaches down below the ground, into the nether regions, as far as it extends into the heavens. All of the principal deities have their own celestial kingdoms on or near it, where their devotees reside with them after death, while awaiting their next reincarnation.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Meru, Mount —    In ancient Indian cosmology Mount Meru is a golden mountain, supporting the heavens, located at the center of the known universe. Its location is at the center of the continent of Jambudvipa (the island of the rose apple tree). The part of… …   Encyclopedia of Hinduism

  • Meru, Mount — geographical name mountain 14,979 feet (4566 meters) NE Tanzania …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Mount Meru (Tanzania) — Mount Meru Mount Meru, October 2002 Elevation 4,565 m (14,977 ft)  …   Wikipedia

  • Meru National Park — IUCN Category II (National Park) …   Wikipedia

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  • Mount Kilimanjaro — Kilimandscharo Art: Hochgebirge Typ: Schichtvulkan Lage: Ostafrika Staat: Nordost Tansania …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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