Passed and Past: Mausoleums
October 7th, 2008
There have been two Koreas since 1948 and I am from one of the countries which are still under the state of armistice. I was a freshman who was enjoying the first summer vacation when Kim Ilsung died in 1994 and I suddenly realized the fragile and tensive environment surrounding me. Cherishing the memory of the late founder of the nation, an exorbitant palace was set up by the order of his son - and succeesor. Now in 2008, Kim Jongil, so-called the great leader seems to be in a critical condition. What will be built there after his death?
Historically many sovereigns who wielded enormous power were attached to eternity. Some of them had built gigantic structures to leave their immorality and many people were put to slave labor. It is ironic that most of the mausoleums are now very popular and good sources to national revenue. In modern society, owing to people’s revolutions in many countries, democracy prohibits dictatorship by law. However dreadful power still forces people to make a fetish of leaders, dreaming of eternal reign.
There is an obvious creterion to probe the spiritual framework of the mausoleum: Was it built coercively or voluntarily?
BC 2630-1814
Pyramids and Parao, Egypt
Pyramids located in Egypt were built as a tomb for dead pharaohs and still there are more than 100 pyramids left. Before the first pyramid designed by architect Imhotep, dead kings were buried in bench-like structures named “mastabas.” The shape of Egyptian quadrangular pyramids represents their religious belief that the earth was created from the primordial mound. It is also representative of the descending rays of the sun. Pyramids were often named referring to solar luminescence.
BC 246-209
Terracota Army and Qin Shi Huang, China
Qin Shi Huang, literally “the first emperor of Qin dynasty”, ordered to construct a huge tomb and terracota army, during his reign, to show his eternal immorality. Since he was extremely tenacious of athanasia, It is no surprise that he dispatched envoys all over the world to collect elixir of life. The figures of the terracota army, made by over 700,000 people, include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and even musicians. There were more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses in the three pits ever been excavated, the majority is still buried in the pits.
1932
Taj Mahal and Emperor Shah Jahan, India
The Taj Mahal was built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It consists of main building with exquisite exterior and interior decoration, garden and outlying buildings. Famous architects, designers, calligraphers over south Asian countries participated in the construction for 17 years. The Taj Mahal complex adopted various styles from Persia, Turkey, India and Islam to create the quintessence of architectural splendor in the era.
1932
Lincoln Tomb and President A. Lincoln, US
Lincoln’s Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois, is the family tomb of President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, his wife, and three of their four sons. The 117-foot tall granite tomb was built just outside the town where Lincoln lived most of his adult life. The tomb was dedicated with additional crypts for members of Lincoln’s family in addition to the five spaces already used. However, the remaining members of had decided not to be buried at the tomb so the other crypts remain empty. Designed by sculptor Larkin Mead, the tomb features Lincoln’s statue.
1994
Geumsusan Palace and Ilsung Kim, N. Korea
The palace once was official residence and office of Kim Ilsung. After his death, his son and successor, Kim Jongil, had the building renovated and transformed into his father’s vast tomb. Deep inside the palace, the Kim’s embalmed body lies inside a clear sarcophagus. North Korea is one of four nations, along with Vietnam, Russia and China, that house the embalmed corpses of their leaders in mausoleums. The magnificence of the the palace forms extreme contrast to chronic degeneration of the country’s economy and human rights.