Famous Temples In The World
When talking about temples, most people would think about sacred places for Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Taoists. Most temples allow visitors to come into the places, but they need to follow certain rules. Here’s the top 10 list of most famous temples in the world.
1. Wat Rong Khun:
It’s located in Chiang Rai, Thailand. The temple is mostly-white and decorated with Buddhist mosaic and lots of mirrors. It’s now under construction and repair.
2. Shwedagon Pagoda:
Sometimes it’s also called the Golden Temple. It was built in the 6th century with the purpose to worship Buddha Gautama. As the name Golden temple suggests, it comes with the golden color with golden leaves decoration which has been collected for hundreds of years. The dome is decorated with 5,000 diamonds and also 2,000 rubies. It’s considered the most sacred place in the world because it has 8 strands of hair which is claimed Gautama’s hair.
3. Tiger’s Nest Monastery:
It’s located in Paro Valley, Bhutan. According to the legend, Guru Rinpoche, the second Buddha, rode a tiger to come to the place and that’s why the site got its name. For now, it’s only for Buddhists. It’s located 3,000 feet above the ground in the valley.
4. Prambanan:
It’s located in Central Java, Indonesia, which was built around 850CE. As one of the biggest and also the oldest temple in the country, the temple comes decorated with stories of Vishnu, Ramayana, and Shinta in carved stones.
5. Temple of Heaven:
It’s located in Beijing, China and it’s a holy place for Taoists. The temple was built in 14th century with a heavenly concept: the constructional square is for Heaven and the square itself is for Earth.
6. Borobudur:
It’s also located in Central Java, Indonesia, and it’s the oldest and biggest Buddhist temple in this world. It has mysterious air around it since no one knows why it was built and why it was then abandoned.
7. Chen-in Temple:
It’s located in Japan. The temple comes with interesting features such as the Uguisu-bari or the singing floor which will creak every time someone steps on it. It also has a very big bell that requires 17 monks to ring it.
8. Golden Temple:
It’s in Punjab, India. It’s decorated with marble statues and gold and it’s the most important temple for Sikhs.
9. Angkor Wat:
It’s located in Cambodia. It was built in 12th century for Hindu temple and later on replaced for Buddhist temple in the 14th century.
10. Vishnu Temple of Srirangam:
It’s located in Tiruchirapalli, and it’s the biggest Hindu temple that is still used until today. The inner part is only for Hindus.
All temples have their own histories and stories. That’s what makes them so elegant and beautiful. Hopefully, they’ll be preserved and guarded well till the end of time.
