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MYSTICAL AND SACRED SITES IN THE FAR-EAST
Adam's Peak, Sri Lanka
This 2,243 metre high mountain is considered a sacred site by the four major religions practised on the island; Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.
Amritsar, India
This is the site of the Golden Temple and is the most sacred shrine and place of pilgrimage for the Sikh religion.
Angicor vvat, Kampucnea (Cambodia)
The ruins of Angkor still have over 100 remaining temples, showing the early influences of Hinduism and later of Buddhism in the region.
Arunachaleswar Temple, India
This temple, one of the largest & oldest temples in Southern India, is associated with the fire linga (phallic emblem) of Shiva.
Bodhi Tree, Bodh Gaya, India
The Bodhi Tree is important for being the place where Buddha found enlightenment. A building project of gardens, theatre, school, exhibition halls for art works and prayer and a 150 meter high bronze statue of Buddha, was announced in 2000 and to be completed by 2005.
Chaturmukha, India
The Chaturmukha Jain temple was built in the 5th century and is the largest and most elaborate temple in Ranakpur. The temple is the realisation of the vision of four devout seekers: Acharya Somasundarsuriji, Dharanashah, the minister to Kumbha Rana, Rana Kumbha and the architect Depaka.
Cheju Island, Korea
This island is considered a place of mystery, myth and legend. Where the stone Tolharubang statues built in honour of the fertility god can be found.
Dunhuang, The Cave of the Thousand Buddhas, China
The ‘cave’ is actually 492 caves known as the Mogao Caves or the Cave of the Thousand Buddhas (Ch’ien-fo Tung). The caves consist of frescoes, carvings and the site where a vast collection of manuscripts, dating from the 5th to the 11th century CE, was found in 1900.
Ellora Caves, India
The caves are a series of 34 temples cut into over a mile of basalt cliffs near the village of Ellora. The southern 12 caves are Buddhist, dating from around 200 CE – 600 CE, the central 17 caves are Hindu, dating from 500 – 900 CE, the northernmost 5 caves are Jain & dates from around 800 – 1000 CE.
Great Shinto Shrine, Japan
The Great Shrine (Ise Jingu) is positioned on site considered by the Japanese to be deeply sacred. The shrine buildings are built amid a forest of giant cryptomeria trees & next to the Isuzu River, sacred because of the mystical force ‘ke’ believed to permeate all matter.
Jagatmandir Temple, India
This temple is revered as the oldest pilgrimage sites because it is said that it was founded by Krishna who lived there until his death.
Jokhang Monastery, Tibet
This 647 CE monastery is the oldest wood & masonry structure existing in Tibet and it is believed to have been designed by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty.
Konarak, India
The Bay of Bengal is renowned for its magnificent Sun Temple (Arka) and is one of India’s most famous Brahman sanctuaries.
La'Vang, Vietnam
The shrine of Our Lady of La’Vang is on the site where persecuted Catholics sought refuge from 1798 onwards and where many visions of the Virgin Mary have been reported.
Maha Muni Pagoda, Myanmar
The Great Maha Muni Pagoda is one of the most magnificent in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and is named after the statue it houses: the sacred maha Muni image of Buddha.
Mount Fuji, Japan
The legend of Mount Fuji’s origin is that it rose from a plain in a single night in 286 BCE. It is regarded as the most majestic, beautiful and mysterious mountain in all Japan and is was a joint Shinto/Buddhist (Fujiko) pilgrimage and remains a popular pilgrimage for many Japanese.
Mount Kailas, Tibet
This mountain pilgrimage is significant to both Hindus & Tibetan Buddhists the road to which is festooned with prayer-flags.
Mount Qomolangma (Everest), Tibet
Tibetans regard Mount Everest as the Goddess Snow, or sometimes as the Third Goddess. This mystical place the most sacred Lapchi pilgrimage to the highest monastery on earth and to the four hermitage sites of Buddhism’s poet-saint Milarepa.
Nara, Japan
Nara is the ancient capital of Japan and is the site of one of the major sacred temples, Todai-ji which houses many valuable artefacts, many designated as National Treasures and the repository (the Shosoin) is known as the Treasure House of the World.
Pagan, Myanmar
Tradition has it that Pagan (or Bagan) was founded by King Pyinbia in 849 CE and was a Hindu kingdom but over time much land has been given to Buddhist monasteries. An enormous number of Buddhist pagodas have been built in Pagan and has been recognised as one of the richest archaeological sites in the world.
Potala Palace, Tibet
Potala Palace is built in a combination of Chinese an classical Tibetan architectures and is regarded as the seat of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the patron god of Tibet.
Prayag, India
The Maha Kumbha Mela in Prayag is the most sacred of all Hindu pilgrimages.
Rameswaram, India
The island of Rameswaram (Benares) is the closest point in India to Sri Lanka and is the most visited pilgrimage sites in India. The island is famous for the Ramanathaswamy Temple which is dedicated to Shiva.
The Sacred Mountains of China
China has 9 sacred mountains which are the object of regular pilgrimages, 5 important to Taoist belief & 4 sacred to Buddhists. Tai Shan is the most important of these not just as the dwelling place of the gods but because it is an actual god itself.
Sanchi, India
The hilltop at Sanchi is crowned by over 50 Buddhist monuments, most of them Stupas (a traditional burial mound). The most magnificent is the Great Stupa built during the rein of Emperor Ashoka between the 3rd & 12th centuries CE.
Shambala
To Tibetan Buddhists Shambala, the Hidden Kingdom, is believed to be a community of perfect and near perfect beings whose role is to assist in the development of humanity. Although the location is unknown, and regarded as a myth by most scholars, its position is generally said to be either in the Gobi Desert, or in the Himalayas near Mount Kailasa.
Shwedagon, Myanmar
The Golden Stupa of the Shwedagon Pagoda has long been the spiritual symbol of the Burmese people and according to belief, the original stupa was built during Buddha’s lifetime in 6th century BCE.
Sravanabelagola, Karnataka, India
The hill of Sravanabelagola is situated 1,222 meters above sea level and the 614 steps lead to a statue of Sri Gomatheswar which stands at the summit.
The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand
The Buddha is carved from a single, solid block of jadeite and is housed in Wat Phra Kaeo (built in 1782) where it sits on a gilded altar protected by a 9 tiered umbrella.
Varanasi, India
Varanasi is one of the 7 Holy Cities, one of the 12 jyortilinga sites and one of the Shakti Pitha sites (Shakti in Hindu represents the power of the supreme goddess), therefore this city is considered the holiest of cities by Hindus.
Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, India
Hampi is a mediaeval village surrounded by shrines and temples and is famous for the annual Purandara festival, held in january/february in the Vitthala Temple which celebrates the birth of the medieval poet-composer, Purandar.
Xt'an (Sian), China
This is the site of the famous Terracotta Army and the excavations at the burial site of China’s first emperor, Shi Huangdi who lived between 259 & 210 BCE.
Sourced from “The Encyclopaedia of the World’s Mystical and Sacred Sites” by John and Anne Spencer; Headline Book Publishing. 2002.
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