Many cultures viewed the Dragon as a benevolent being, especially in the East where they held the belief that mighty Dragons once ruled the rivers, lakes, seas and skies. Dragons were well respected and even worshiped, especially in the agrarian settlements, for the welfare of men depended on the kindness of these supreme entities. The quantity of folklore that was spanned from their rich imagination has delighted generations of children.
In ancient times it was the province of the
immortals to intercede on behalf of humanity with the raw power of nature
symbolized by the Water Dragon.
Once upon a time in ancient India the
people of a small kingdom, being incited by a demon, went on a rampage against
the Buddhists and their monasteries. In the mayhem of destruction, some even
stooped to steal the Buddhist sutras.
The Dragon King of the undersea, outraged
by the unruly behavior of these humans, punished them all, the innocent as
well as the guilty, by flooding their entire kingdom. As he deemed them most
unworthy of benefiting from the wisdom within the holy writings, he took
custody of the sutras and stored them in his palace.
In time the repentant people, having
suffered so long, wanted the sutras back but nothing would sway the Dragon
King’s resolve. It took an extraordinary
being, Nantimitolo, to subdue the dragon guard and restore the sutras back to
earth. Hence he became a Buddhist immortal: the Dragon Taming Lohan.
In modern times we are still entertained by
accounts of Dragons in various visual and literary forms but we have also
learned to harness falling water, the most powerful of the dwelling places of Dragons,
to benefit mankind in yet another way: for what would man do today without the
use of electricity?
These pictures tell the story of one such
mighty waterfall, its might and how it has been tamed by mere mortals:
Posted by Bo and Steve Caunce
The End.
