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. These are the temples of the East and let us represent.
Prambanan
Candi Prambanan is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in Central Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). The temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia, and is one of the largest Hindu temples in Southeast Asia. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the towering 47-metre-high (154 ft) central building inside a large complex of individual temples.
Paro Taktsang
Paro Taktsang is the popular name of Taktsang Palphug Monastery (also known as The Tiger’s Nest), a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex, located in the cliffside of the upper Paro valley, Bhutan. A temple complex was first built in 1692, around the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three months in the 8th century. Padmasambhava is credited with introducing Buddhism to Bhutan and is the tutelary deity of the country. Today, Paro Taktsang is the best known of the thirteen taktsang or “tiger lair” caves in which he meditated.
Wat Rong Khun
Located near the city of Chiang Rai, about 5 kilometers to the south, is the beautiful Wat Rong Khun or White Temple. Wat Rong Khun is unique from other temples in that it has been constructed entirely in a radiant white color with sparking reflections from mirrored glass mosaics embedded in the white plaster. The temple is the idea of Mr. Chalermchai Kositpipat, one of Thailand’s most renowned artists, who wanted to build a temple all in white to signify the purity of Lord Buddha. The artist continues to puts his religious belief and desire to enrich Buddhism in Thailand into his contemporary art design. The construction of the White Temple is Khun Chalemchai’s master work, which he refers to as an offering to Lord Buddha and his beloved country.
Borobudur
Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa. Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty, the temple’s design in Gupta architecture reflects India’s influence on the region, yet there are enough indigenous scenes and elements incorporated to make Borobudur uniquely Indonesian.
Shwedagon Pagoda
The Shwedagon Pagoda is a 99 meters (325 ft) gilded pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within, namely the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair of Gautama, the historical Buddha. Uppatasanti Pagoda is a same-sized replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma.
Vishnu Temple of Srirangam
The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple or Tiruvarangam is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha, a reclining form of Hindu deity, Vishnu located in Srirangam, India. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, this temple is glorified in the Divya Prabandha, the early medieval Tamil literature canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE and is counted as the first and foremost among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu. The temple occupies an area of 156 acres (631,000 m²) with a perimeter of 4,116m (10,710 feet) making it the largest temple in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world. It is one of the most illustrious Vaishnava temples in South India rich in legend and history.
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Bayon
Angkor Thom, built in the late 11th century, covers almost four square miles and is enclosed by a 26 foot high wall. The moat surrounding is was once stocked with crocodiles. Its five monumental gates, each more than 65 feet high, are dominated by four carved faced of the Buddhist bodhisattvaAvalokitesvara, facing north, south, east and west. In front of each gate are giant statues of 54 gods on the left, 54 demons on the right. Jayavarman VII built the Bayon in the late 12th century as his state temple. It is located at the physical center of Angkor Thom and is the focal point of the building boom Jayavarman VII initiated after he defeated the Chams to reclaim the Khmer Empire. It is a massive cluster of towers carved with 172 faces of the bodhisattva. Its interior walls are covered with bas-relief’s showing 11,000 figures engaged in battles, ceremonial pageants of the everyday life of 12th century Angkor. As with his other constructions, this temple is a Mahayana Buddhist temple; its primary deity is Avalokitshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.
Harmandir Sahib
The Harmandir Sahib also referred to as the Golden Temple, 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. 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”.
Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven is a complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It has been regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism.
Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple
The Jokhang Temple and Monastery is the most sacred and important Buddhist temple in Tibet. It was built during the reign of King Songsten Gampo to celebrate his marriage to a Chinese princess who was a Buddhist. Today it forms part of what UNESCO calls the ‘Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace’. The Potala Palace stands behind the Jokhang Temple. The site was a meditation retreat until King Songtsen Gampo built a palace in 637. But the present building was started by the Fifth Dalai Lama (Lozang Gyatso) in 1645. It takes its name from a hill in the southern tip of India (Cape Comorin) which is sacred to the bodhisattva of compassion (Avalokitesvara). The Potala was the residence of the Dalai Lama until it became a museum after the 1959 uprising against the Chinese.
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