Mount Banahaw

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Mount Banahaw

Mt. Banahaw in 2007
Elevation 2,158 m (7,080 ft)
Location
Location Lucban, Quezon and
Majayjay, Laguna, Luzon, Philippines
Coordinates 14°4′0″N 121°29′0″E / 14.066667°N 121.483333°E / 14.066667; 121.483333
Geology
Type Complex volcano
Last eruption ?1909

Mount Banahaw (alternative spelling: Banáhao) is one of the active volcanos in the Philippines. Part of a volcanic group, it is located along the boundary of Laguna and Quezon provinces, on the island of Luzon, in the Philippines.

The mountain and its environs are considered sacred by the local residents because of its "holy water", which allegedly have beneficial qualities, issuing forth from local springs and its "puwesto s, or the "holy sites". These are composed of unique, natural features such as rocks, caves and springs with shrines erected in, on or around them, their location having been revealed to a man in the Spanish Era by the "Santo Boses" or the "Holy Voice". It has another of this mountain and it was named as Mount Banahaw de Lucban.

Contents

[edit] Physical characteristics

  • Tiaong-San Pablo hot/warm springs
  • Bakia warm/cold springs
  • Sampaloc warm springs
  • Mainit hot/warm springs
  • Cagsiay hot/warm springs

[edit] Etymology

1.The term Banahaw is not known to many people but some beliefs attribute it to the description of a holy being. This mountain has a rock with the footprint of an unknown being and supposedly, this was the origin of the name of the mountain. Banahaw is very close to the modern Tagalog words banal (holy, sacred, divine) and daw (a word used in quoting another speaker; when appended to sentences, daw indicates slight disbelief or uncertainty in the veracity of the quotation's content). Combined, the two words mean "[it is] probably/supposedly sacred". The way the phrase was transcribed in Baybayin, the ancient syllabary used in writing Tagalog prior to the introduction of the Latin alphabet, finally produced the term " Banahaw ".

[edit] Hiking activity on Banahaw

Mt. Banahaw is a traditional pilgrimage site for locals, considered by many to be a "holy mountain" or spiritually-charged location. It is also popular among mountain climbers being the closest >2000-meter mountain to Manila. Hiking activity peaks during Holy Week of each year, with climbers numbering in the thousands. At least four trails exist, from Dolores, Sariaya, and other towns in Quezon. The most frequently trails are the Cristalino and the Tatlong Tangke, taking an average of 9 and 5 hours, respectively. These two trails originate from Barangay Kinabuhayan, Dolores, and meet near the summit of Banahaw. At the summit, which is actually a rim encircling the caldera, viewpoints are numbered as Durungawan I,II, and III. These viewpoints are the usual destination for pilgrims and hikers. Other points of interest include the "Kuweba ng Diyos Ama" (Tagalog: Cave of God the Father) and the spring at Brgy. Kinabuhayan, said to have curative powers.

[edit] Pollution

Due to incessant climbing activity, the mountain trails have become littered with trash. In March 2004, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered a 5-year suspension of hiking activity in the mountains, covering the Dolores and Sariaya trails. It is scheduled for reopening on 2010.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Mount Banahaw". PinoyMountaineer. 7 January 2009. http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2009/01/mt-banahaw-still-closed-mt-cristobal.html. Retrieved 2009-03-20. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Banahaw"
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