More than a quarter of all people in the world belong to Eastern
religions, which include Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism. These
people worship in temples, which are architecturally as diverse as the
religions are different from each other. From the ancient ruins of Ankor
Wat to the distinctly modern Wat Rong Khun, there are hundreds if not
thousands of amazing temples in the world.
I have long been fascinated by the temples and sacred sites of
Eastern religions. After doing an article on some amazing churches from
around the world (10 Divinely Designed Churches), it’s only right that we do a follow up on the ten most fascinating temples in Asia. Here they are, in no particular order:
Tiger’s Nest Monastery
Tiger’s Nest Monastery, perched precariously on the edge of a 3,000-feet-high cliff in Paro Valley, is one of the holiest places in Bhutan. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche [wiki], the second Buddha, flew onto the cliff on the back of a tigress, and then meditated in a cave which now exists within the monastery walls.The monastery, formally called Taktshang Goemba, was built in 1692 and reconstructed in 1998 after a fire. Now, the monastery is restricted to practicing Buddhists on religious retreats and is off-limits to ordinary tourists.
Wat Rong Khun
Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai, Thailand is unlike any Buddhist temples in the world. The all-white, highly ornate structure gilded in mosaic mirrors that seem to shine magically, is done in a distinctly contemporary style. It is the brainchild of renowned Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat.Actually, the temple is still under construction. Chalermchai expects it will take another 90 years to complete, making it the Buddhist temple equivalent of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain!
Prambanan
Prambanan is a Hindu temple in Central Java, Indonesia.
The temple was built in 850 CE, and is composed of 8 main shrines and
250 surrounding smaller ones.
Nearly all the walls of the temple are covered in
exquisite bas relief carvings, which narrate stories of Vishnu’s
incarnations, adventures of Hanuman the Monkey King, the Ramayana [wiki] epic and other legends.
Though not the biggest temple in Indonesia (Borobudur is
larger – see below), Prambanan makes up in beauty and grace for what it
lacks in size.
Shwedagon Pagoda
No one knows exactly when the Shwedagon Paya
[wiki] (or Pagoda) in Myanmar was built – legend has it that it is
2,500 years old though archaeologists estimate that it was built between
the 6th and 10th century.
Now, when people say "golden temple" they usually mean
that the structure is golden in color. But when it comes to the
Shwedagon Pagoda, golden literally means covered in gold! In the 15th
century, a queen of the Mon people donated her weight in gold to the
temple. This tradition continues until today, where pilgrims often save
for years to buy small packets of gold leafs to stick to the temple
walls.
As if all that gold wasn’t enough, the spire of the
stupa or dome is covered with over 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies
(there’s even a 76 carat diamond at the very tip!). And oh, the temple
housed one of the holiest relics in Buddhism: eight strands of Buddha’s
hair.
Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven
[wiki] is a Taoist temple in Beijing, the capital of China. The temple
was constructed in 14th century by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty
(who also built the Forbidden City) as his personal temple, where he
would pray for good harvest and to atone for the sins of his people.
The Temple’s architecture is quite interesting:
everything in the temple, which represents Heaven, is circular whereas
the ground levels, which represent the Earth, are square.
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest at the Temple of Heaven, Beijing.
Image: Saad Akhtar [wikipedia]
Chion-in Temple
Chion-in Temple
[wiki] was built in 1234 CE to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land)
Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death in the very spot. At
one point in time, the complex had 21 buildings but due to earthquakes
and fire, the oldest surviving building is from the 17th century.
Visitors to the Chion-in Temple must first pass through
the largest gate in Japan: the two-story San-mon Gate. The temple bell
is also a record setter: it weighs 74 tons and needs 17 monks to ring it
during the New Year celebrations.
Another interesting feature of the Chion-in Temple is the "singing" floor of the Assembly Hall. Called a uguisu-bari or nightingale floor, the wooden planks were designed to creak at every footstep to alert the monks of intruders!
Details of the Chion-in Temple roof. Notice a feudal family’s crest stamped on the roof tiles, as a symbol of their patronage. Image: kuribo [Flickr]
Borobudur
In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a
massive ancient ruin deep in the jungles of Java. What they discovered
was the complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2
million cubic feet (55,000 m³) of stones. The temple has nearly 2,700
relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
Until today, no one knows for sure when and why it was
built, nor the reason for its complete abandonment hundreds of years
ago. Some scholars believe that Borobudur is actually a giant textbook
of Buddhism, as its bas reliefs tell the story of the life of Buddha and
the principles of his teachings. To "read," a pilgrim must make his way
through nine platforms and walk a distance of over 2 miles.
Image: elbisreverri [Flickr]
Golden Temple
The Harmandir Sahib (meaning The Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple
[wiki] in Punjab, India is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. For the
Sikhs, the Golden Temple symbolizes infinite freedom and spiritual
independence.
The site of the Temple began with a small lake that was
so peaceful that even Buddha came there to meditate. Thousands of years
later, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism also lived and meditate by the
lake.
Construction of the Golden Temple began in the 1500s, when the fourth Guru of Sikhism enlarged the lake that became Amritsar or Pool of the Nectar of Immortality,
around which the temple and the city grew. The Temple itself is
decorated with marble sculptures, gilded in gold, and covered in
precious stones.
Vishnu Temple of Srirangam
The Temple of Srirangam (Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
[wiki]), in the Indian city of Tiruchirapalli (or Trichy), is the
largest functioning Hindu temple in the world (Ankor Wat is the largest
of all temple, but it is currently non-functioning as a temple – see
below).
The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, one of three Gods in
Hinduism. Legend has it that a long time ago, a sage rested and put down
a statue of Vishnu reclining on a great serpent. When he was ready to
resume his journey, he discovered that the statue couldn’t be moved, so a
small temple was built over it. Over centuries, the temple "grew" as
larger ones were built over the existing buildings.
The temple complex is massive: it encompasses an area of
over 150 acres (63 hectares) with seven concentric walls, the outermost
being about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long! The walls demarcate
enclosures within enclosures, each more sacred than the next, with the
inner-most enclosure is forbidden to non-Hindus.
The Temple of Srirangam is famous for its gopurams
or entrances beneath colorful pyramids. The temple has 21 gopurams
total, with the largest one having 15 stories and is nearly 200 feet (60
m) tall.
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Bayon
Last but definitely not least is the largest temple in
history and the inspiration to countless novels and action movies of
Hollywood: Ankor Wat.
Angkor Wat
[wiki] was built in the early 12th century in what is now Cambodia. The
world famous temple was first a Hindu one, dedicated to Vishnu. In the
14th or 15th century, as Buddhism swept across Asia, it became a
Buddhist temple.
The Western world’s got a glimpse of Angkor Wat when a
16th century Portuguese monk visited the temple and eloquently described
it as "of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible
to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other
building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the
refinements which the human genius can conceive of." His words still rang true today.
Tourists visiting Angkor Wat usually also visit the nearby ruins of Angkor Thom and Bayon [wiki], two fantastic temples that serve as the ancient capital of Khmer empire.
Bayon, which described by Maurice Glaize, an Angkor conservator of the 1940s, as "but a muddle of stones, a sort of moving chaos assaulting the sky"
Image: Charles J. Sharp [wikipedia]
Entrance to Bayon. That man on the bike is carrying coconuts. Lots and lots of coconuts. Image: therefromhere [Flickr]
Bonus:
Here are some more amazing temples and sacred places that just couldn’t fit in the list above:Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple
Potala Palace
[wiki], built on top of the Red Mountain in Lhasa, Tibet, China was
built by the first emperor of Tibet in 637 CE. The current palace was
re-constructed in the mid-1600s by the fifth Dalai Lama.
The Palace consists of two main buildings, the Potrang
Karpo (White Palace) and Portrang Marpo (Red Palace). It was the chief
home of the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama until he was forced to
flee to India when China invaded Tibet in 1959. It is now a state
museum.
Jokhan Temple
[wiki] is the spiritual center of Lhasa and is considered the most
important and sacred temple in Tibet. The temple was built in 642 CE and
has since housed the single most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism: a
statue of Gautama Buddha [wiki], the founder of Buddhism.
The city of Lhasa has three concentric paths that
pilgrims use to walk to Jokhang Temple. Many actually prostrate
themselves along these routes in order to gain spiritual merit!
Two golden deers flanking a Dharma Wheel and a golden bell at the roof of Jokhang Temple. Image: satellite360 [Flickr]
Varanasi
Varanasi in India is not a temple, but ais ctually a
famous Hindu holy city, located at the banks of the Ganges River. It is,
however, often called the "City of Temples," where almost every road
crossing has a nearby temple. A center of pilgrimage (as many as a
million pilgrims visit Varanasi each year), the city has links to
Buddhism and Jainism as well.
Pilgrims believe that bathing in the Ganges River will cleanse them of sins.
Image: Jackson Lee [Flickr]
Let me be the first to acknowledge that this list is
woefully incomplete. There are countless amazing temples, monasteries,
and sacred places of Eastern religions scattered throughout Asia.
If your favorite temple is not included, it is not a slight – I welcome your suggestion in the comment section below.
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