Name Reunion identifies it with Rohan of ancient times; Arab traders who knew it by the name of Dina Morgabin widens the ancient identity of the twenty four communities of Reunuion their past to the land of the ‘Megha-bahana’ people of ancient history.
Unesco scholarship knows the area as ‘The combination of volcanism, tectonic landslide events, heavy rainfall and stream erosion have formed a rugged and dramatic landscape of striking beauty, dominated by two towering volcanoes, the dormant Piton de Neiges and the highly active Piton de la Fournaise. Other major landscape features include “Remparts” – steep rock walls of varying geological age and character, and so-called “cirques”, which can be described as massive natural amphitheatres with an imposing height and verticality. There are deep, partly forested gorges and escarpments, with subtropical rainforests, cloud forests and heaths creating a remarkable and visually appealing mosaic of ecosystems and landscape features…’.
The property covers an island comprised of two adjoining volcanic massifs located in the south-west of the Indian Ocean.
The core area comprising the heritage site finds an area of ‘voluntary group’ who are called aire d’adhesion and this identity of the locals holds the ancient identity of the migrants of the people of Reunin before the Great Flood. In ancient times the missionary soldiers, according to Pali sources, were called by the name of Ariya-kshea-yodha; even during the time of Alexander’s India invasion time, they switched their side from Darius to Alexander who did not harm them. Thus aire means Ariya, and adhesion or adhe–sion means yodha (soldiers)of siha clan(Lion’s clan) in arya-khanda or in the country of Bhartu referring to the river Euphrates..Remparts refers to ancient Mt Raivarta/Revat or/may be identified with Ramavarta.
Piton des Neiges refers to the land of the Nagas(Negv), and Piton de la Fournaise to the sacred land of Varana. Different regions of the heritage site consists of :
Mare Longue—foret de bois de couleurs des Bas means country of Bassa
Cirque de Cilaos— Pain de Sucre and La chapelle rock in the narrow gorge of the Bras Rouge River identifies the Succor or Sukra country;
Cirque de Salazie—with the Pitond’Anchaing means the Saraju Valley and the land of the Achaeans;
La Grande Chaloupe—Between Saint-Denis and La Possession; while Chaoupe means Chola country, La Posssession refers to La-Posses-sion or vajra-sana or the seat of the weapon of the Thunder God. This was the seat where the Buiddha sat for getting enlightenment.
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