The Costa del Sol – Spanish town of Benalmadena is host to four un-related sites connected to Science and Religion. The golden steeple of the Buddhist “Stupa” is visible over 7 km away from at our apartment where we are snowbirds in Fuengirola, Spain. Across the road is an amazing, immersive Butterfly Park where you walk among 1500 exotic butterflies, including the hand sized, vibrant blue ones that are constantly flittering about as you walk through the hot humid jungle path of the greenhouse. Sharing the steep mountain edge are the Christian-oriented Lords Grotto (Gruta de Lourdes) and Retamar Rustic Park, which transforms into a venue for Passion Play theatrics during Easter. Conveniently, the last bus stop up the mountain from Benalmádena allows you to visit all these sites with ease.
Butterfly Park
A fun walk through a beautiful jungle like environment, where “colors fly”. Experience the 1,500 exotic butterflies which come in all sizes and colors. See them evolve from the chrysalis (cocoon) stage into their full form, as they stop an feeders throughout the jungle. They “sip” the sweet nectar through an elephant trunk like straw (see photo) which can easily be mistaken for another leg. Some may land on you like the girl in the photo, where the printed flower on her top seemed to attract ones attention. Some of the chrysalis cocoon’s look like hand crafted jewelery, with one species having “gold” droplets circling the top like a crown, and another species a shimmering gold leaf tone.
Buddhist Stupa – “temple of enlightenment”
In Buddhism, a stupa is a monument which represents world peace, prosperity and harmony, as well as being a place for meditation. Benalmádena Stupa (Chan Chub Chorten in Tibetan) symbolizes Buddha’s enlightenment, the realization of the nature of the mind, and is one of the eight different forms that stupas are built. Whereas stupas are typically sealed structures, the Benalmádena Stupa is unusual as there is a 100 square metre meditation room and a room that can be used for exhibitions about Tibetan Buddhism and Himalayan culture inside the structure. The walls of the meditation room are painted with the life story of the historical Buddha Sakyamuni. There is a 3D cutout model so you can see where the scripts and memorabilia is stored above. Incense burns in a “sand box”, and there is amazing detailed art created using sand.
The gold plated steeple has distinctive elements:
- Central Spire (Yasti): This pillar symbolizes the axis mundi, or the cosmic axis, connecting the heavens and the earth. It represents the spiritual journey towards enlightenment
- Two Umbrellas (Chattra): The umbrella-like discs symbolize the Jewels of Buddhism: These two discs symbolize the protection and reverence for the Buddha’s teachings
- The two circular objects above the Chattra on the Stupa of Enlightenment in Benalmádena are known as the moon and the sun discs. These discs symbolize the celestial bodies and represent the cosmic order and the enlightenment of the Buddha. The moon disc often symbolizes the calm and serenity of the mind, while the sun disc represents wisdom and the illumination of knowledge.
Christian Lord’s Grotto
The “Lords Grotto” (Gruta de Lourdes) in Benalmádena, Spain, is a small cave dedicated to prayer and meditation, located near the Buddhist Stupa. While they are close to each other and both serve as spiritual sites, they are not directly related in terms of religious or cultural significance. It’s a place of Christian devotion, modeled after the famous Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, France, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858
Retamar Rustic Park
The buildings in Retamar Rustic Park in Benalmádena are primarily used for the annual Passion Plays (El Paso de Benalmádena) during Holy Week (Semana Santa). These structures serve as backdrops and stages for the reenactments of the Passion of Christ, which take place on Good Thursday and Good Friday. The park transforms into a vibrant and solemn setting, attracting many visitors who come to witness this deeply rooted tradition.
The rustic and natural environment of the park, combined with these symbolic structures, creates a unique and powerful atmosphere for the performances. It’s a beautiful blend of nature, culture, and spirituality.
Conclusion
This end of the line bus stop has a number of fascinating science and religious sites to enjoy exploring for part of a day.
Our many other articles about Spain here: Spain Archives – yesRetired
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