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Rishikesh Pilgrimage

Rishikesh is a city and a municipal board in Dehradun district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is surrounded by two other districts namely Tehri Garhwal and Pauri Garhwal. It is located in the foothills of the Himalaya in northern India and attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists each year, from within India, as well as from other countries. Rishikesh

Mahabalipuram India

This group of sanctuaries, founded by the Pallava kings, was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries. It is known especially for its rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous 'Descent of the Ganges', and the temple of Rivage, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva. Mahabalipuram India

Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya

Mahabodhi Temple Complex at B The Mahabodhi Temple Complex is one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Buddha, and particularly to the attainment of Enlightenment. The first temple was built by Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century B.C., and the present temple dates from the 5th or 6th centuries. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick, still standing in India, from the late Gupta period. Mahabodhi Temple

The Precolombian Pyramids of Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the Avenue of the Dead, and numerous colorful, well-preserved murals. Additionally, Teotihuacan produced a thin orange pottery style that spread through Mesoamerica. Avenue of the Dead

Thousand Pagodas Plain Pagan

Bupaya Pagoda is a notable pagoda located in Bagan , in Myanmar, at a bend on the right bank of the Ayeyarwady River. The small pagoda, which has a bulbous shaped dome, is widely believed to have been built by the third King of Pagan Pyusawdi who ruled from 168 to 243 AD. It is one of the most notable shrines among the thousands of new or ruined Pagodas in Pagan, which is located about 140 km below Mandalay. Pagodas Plain Temples

Motsu Ji

Motsu Ji refers to the Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in Hiraizumi and to the historic area surrounding it containing the ruins of two older temples, Enryū-ji and Kashō-ji in a Jōdo (Pure Land) garden. The current temple was built in the 18th century and bears no relation to the ancient temples that once stood here. In June 2011, Mōtsū-ji was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi". Motsu Ji

Mount Haguro

Mount Haguro is one of the Three Mountains of Dewa in the ancient province of Dewa As the lowest of the three mountains, standing at 1,358 feet, it is the only one that is accessible throughout the year. A path of 2,466 stone steps lead to its summit amidst 600-year-old sugi trees, past the famous Gojū-tō five story pagoda and numerous shrines. The steps and the pagoda are listed as National Treasures. The Sanzan-Gosai-den temple at the summit venerates the spirits of all three mountains. The summit can also be reached by a limited bus service. In addition to religious pilgrims, travellers often stay at the Saikan temple lodgings. Mount Haguro

Taiwan's Religious Temples

Taiwan also known, especially in the past, as Formosa is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the de facto current territory of the Republic of China (ROC) following the Chinese Civil War in 1950. Due to this reason and the disputed political status of Republic of China in the United Nations, the name "Taiwan" has also become the pars pro toto common name for the country itself. Here some Taiwan’s religious photos. Outside Longshan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan

Group of Monuments Pattadakal

Pattadakal, in Karnataka, represents the high point of an eclectic art which, in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India. An impressive series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary, can be seen there. One masterpiece from the group stands out – the Temple of Virupaksha, built c. 740 by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband's victory over the kings from the South. Group of Monuments at Pattadakal

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Stretching over 72,000 ha in the northern part of Sichuan Province, the jagged Jiuzhaigou valley reaches a height of more than 4,800 m, thus comprising a series of diverse forest ecosystems. Its superb landscapes are particularly interesting for their series of narrow conic karst land forms and spectacular waterfalls. Some 140 bird species also inhabit the valley, as well as a number of endangered plant and animal species, including the giant panda and the Sichuan takin. Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area The valley lies in the southern part of the Min Shan Range, approximately 330 km from the provincial capital of Chengdu and includes the catchment areas of the Shizheng, Rize and Zechawa gullies, which join Jiuzhaigou Valley.

Tanah Lot Temple

Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home of a pilgrimage temple, the Pura Tanah Lot (literally "Tanah Lot temple") and a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography and general exoticism. Tanah Lot means "Land Sea" in Balinese language Located in Tabanan, about 20 km from Denpasar, the temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. Tanah Lot Temple, Bali, Indonesia.

Golden Temple India

The Harmandir Sahib is a prominent Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Construction of the gurdwara was begun by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, and completed by his successor, Guru Arjan Dev. In 1604, Guru Arjan Dev completed the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of Sikhism, and installed it in the Gurdwara. In 1634, Guru Hargobind left Amritsar for the Shivalik Hills and for the remainder of the seventeenth century the city and gurdwara was in the hands of forces hostile to the Sikh Gurus. During the eighteenth century, the Harmandir Sahib was the site of frequent fighting between the Sikhs on one side and either Mughal or Afghan forces on the other side and the gurdwara occasionally suffered damage. In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh secured the Punjab region from outside attack and covered the upper floors of the gurdwara with gold, which gives it its distinctive appearance and English name of "Golden Temple". Golden Temp

Phugtal Gompa India

Phugtal Monastery or Phugtal Gompa is a monastery in south-eastern Zanskar, Ladakh in northern India, founded by Gangsem Sherap Sampo in the early 12th century, the monastery is a unique construction built into the cliffside like a honeycomb. It located on the mouth of a cave on the cliff face of a lateral gorge of a major tributary of the Lungnak River. A number of chapels are situated inside the premises of the Phugthal Gompa. And one of these chapels even reflects a strong Indian touch. The frescoes as well as the ceiling decorations, adorning the chapel, bear the marks of artistic and iconographic influence of India. Home to about 70 monks the monastery has a library and prayer rooms. A stone tablet reminds of Alexander Csoma de Kőrös author of the first English-Tibetan dictionary who explored Ladakh and visited in 1826-27. Phuktal Monastery, Ladakh

Paro Taktsang Monastery

In the 17th century the well-known Terton Pema Lingpa of Bumthang, who founded many monasteries in various parts of Bhutan, was also instrumental in creating religious and secular dance forms from his conception of the 'Zandog Pelri' (the Copper Coloured mountain), which was the abode of the Guru Padmasambahva . This dance is performed in Paro as the Tsche festival. But it was during the time of Ngawang Namgyal of the Drukpa sub sect, who fled Tibet to escape persecution by the opposing sect of the Gelugpa, that an administrative mechanism was established in Bhutan. Taktsang Monastery

Akshardham Temple

Akshardham is a Hindu temple complex in Delhi, India, also referred to as Delhi Akshardham or Swaminarayan Akshardham, the complex displays millennia of traditional Indian and Hindu culture, spirituality, and architecture. The building was inspired and moderated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual head of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, whose 3,000 volunteers helped 7,000 artisans construct Akshardham. Akshardham Temple

Great Living Chola Temples

The Great Living Chola Temples were built by kings of the Chola Empire, which stretched over all of south India and the neighbouring islands. The site includes three great 11th- and 12th-century Temples: the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram, built by Rajendra I, was completed in 1035. Its 53-m vimana (sanctum tower) has recessed corners and a graceful upward curving movement, contrasting with the straight and severe tower at Thanjavur. The Airavatesvara temple complex, built by Rajaraja II, at Darasuram features a 24-m vimana and a stone image of Shiva. The temples testify to the brilliant achievements of the Chola in architecture, sculpture, painting and bronze casting. Great Living Chola Temples

Hampi India

The austere, grandiose site of Hampi was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Its fabulously rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces which won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned. Hampi India

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. Forbidden City