Building sights in Asia
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Dargah of Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti
Situated at the foot of a hill and in the old part of town is the dargah of Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, India's most important Muslim pilgrimage site. This is the tomb of a Sufi saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, who came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192 and died here in 1236. The tomb gained its significance during the time of the Mughals - many emperors added to the buildings here. Construction of the shrine was completed by Humayun, and the gate was added by the nizam (ruler of Hyderabad).
Akbar used to make the pilgrimage to the dargah from Agra every year. You have to cover your head in certain parts of the shrine, so remember to take a scarf or cap, although there are pl…
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Temple Of The Five Immortals
Not far from the mosque is the Taoist Temple Of The Five Immortals . It dates back to 1377 and is named after the mythical founders of Guǎngzhōu. A statue of the immortal five depicts three men and two women riding their legendary rams through the clouds. The temple includes a main hall, built in typical Ming fashion. To the east of the hall is a small pond with a foot-shaped depression, said to be the footprint of one of the immortals.
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Tran Quoc Pagoda
On the eastern shore of West Lake, this is one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam. The current structures are very impressive and date back to 1842. The pagoda is just off the road that divides West Lake and Truc Bach Lake.
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Seto Machhendranath Temple
Southwest of Asan Tole, this important temple attracts both Buddhists and Hindus - Buddhists consider Seto (White) Machhendranath to be a form of Avalokiteshvara, while to Hindus he is a rain-bringing incarnation of Shiva. The temple's age is not known but it was restored during the 17th century. The arched entrance to the temple is marked by a small Buddha figure on a high stone pillar in front of two metal lions.
In the courtyard there are numerous small shrines, chaityas and statues, including a mysteriously European-looking female figure surrounded by candles who faces the temple. It may well have been an import from Europe that has simply been accepted into the panth…
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Ichon-Qala
The main entrance to the Ichon-Qala is the twin-turreted brick West Gate (Ota-Darvoza, literally 'Father Gate'), a 1970s reconstruction - the original was wrecked in 1920. The two-day ticket gives you access to all the sights and museums in the Ichon-Qala besides the Islom-Hoja Minaret, the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum and the Akshaikh Baba Complex in Kuhna Ark. One highlight for which you do not need a ticket is the walk along the northwestern section of the wall, best at sunrise or sunset. The stairs are at the North Gate. The 2.5km-long mud walls date from the 18th century, rebuilt after being destroyed by the Persians.
Despite what the guards at the West Gate say, you ar…
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Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil
Approximately 2km northeast of the centre, the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is the most impressive religious building in Jaffna and one of the most significant Hindu temple complexes in Sri Lanka. Its sacred deity, Murugan (or Skanda), is central to temple activity, especially during the punctual, cacophonic pujas (5am, 10am, noon, 4pm and 5pm), when offerings are made to his brass-framed image and other Hindu deities like Ganesh, Murugan’s elephant-headed brother, in shrines surrounding the inner sanctum.
The kovil’s 15th-century structure fell victim to Portuguese destructive ruthlessness in the 17th century; the current one dates from 1734. Its beautifully maintained larg…
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Pachali Bhairab & the Southern Ghats
Between Tripureshwar Marg and the Bagmati River at Pachali Bhairab a huge, ancient pipal tree forms a natural sanctuary for an image of Bhairab Pachali, surrounded by tridents (Pachali is a form of Shiva). To the side lies the brass body of Baital, one of Shiva's manifestations. Worshippers gather here on Tuesday and Saturday. It is particularly busy here during the festival of Pachali Bhairab Jatra.
From the temple you could explore the temples and ghats that line the holy, polluted, Bagmati River. Head south of Pachali Bhairab to the ghats on the riverbank to find a collection of lovely statuary. To the west is the Newari-style pagoda of the Lakshmi Mishwar Mahadev; to …
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Shore Temple
Standing like a magnificent fist of rock-cut elegance overlooking the sea, the Shore Temple symbolises the heights of Pallava architecture and the maritime ambitions of the Pallava kings. Its small size belies its excellent proportion and the supreme quality of the carvings, many of which have been eroded into vaguely Impressionist embellishments. Originally constructed in the 7th century, it was later rebuilt by Narasimhavarman II and houses two central shrines to Shiva. The layout is meant to resemble the perfect cosmic body, with the head and heart located over the spire that dominates the structure. Facing east and west, the original linga (phallic images of Shiva) ca…
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Kasthamandap
Kathmandu owes its very name to the Kasthamandap, in the southwestern corner of the square. Although its history is uncertain, local tradition says the three-roofed building was constructed around the 12th century from the wood of a single sal tree. At first it served as a community centre where visitors gathered before major ceremonies - a mandap is a 16-pillared pilgrim shelter.
Later it was converted to a temple dedicated to Gorakhnath, a 13th-century ascetic who was subsequently linked to the royal family.
The last disciples were kicked out in the 1960s.
A central wooden enclosure houses the image of the god, which is noteworthy since Gorakhnath is generally represente…
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Taleju Temple
The square's most magnificent temple stands at to the northeast but is not open to the public. Even Hindus can only visit the temple briefly during the annual Dasain festival. The Taleju Temple was built in 1564 by Mahendra Malla. Taleju Bhawani was originally a goddess from the south of India, but she became the titular deity, or royal goddess, of the Malla kings in the 14th century. Taleju temples were erected in her honour in Patan and Bhaktapur, as well as in Kathmandu.
The temple stands on a 12-stage plinth and reaches more than 35m high, dominating the Durbar Sq area. The eighth stage of the plinth forms a wall around the temple, in front of which are 12 miniature t…
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Old KL Train Station
Midway between Chinatown and KL Sentral is another of AB Hubbock's Moorish-inspired fantasies. KL Train Station opened with much pomp and circumstance in 1911 to receive trains from Butterworth and Singapore. This wonderful confection of turrets and towers looks particularly impressive in the golden afternoon sunlight - half close your eyes and you can imagine the old Orient Express steaming in from Singapore.
The soaring domes and arches were skilfully restored in the 1980s, but the station was replaced by the new KL Sentral station in 2001. Today the platforms are only used for KTM Komuter trains to the suburbs. Although it's looking a bit dishevelled these days, it's s…
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Tokyo Stock Exchange
The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) has been operating since 1878, and today it is the world’s second-largest capital market after the New York Stock Exchange. The two main indices of the TSE are the benchmark Nikkei (an index of 225 companies selected by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan’s leading economic daily) and the broader TOPIX index, which covers all 1600 companies on the TSE’s prestigious 1st Section. Though the Tokyo Stock Exchange no longer echoes with the flurry of unbridled activity (the trading floor closed in 1999, and now all trading is by computer), a visit is a good introduction to the world of capitalism. You can walk through the visitors galleries on your …
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Jaisi Deval Temple
The south of Kathmandu's old city was the heart of the ancient city in the Licchavi period (4th to 9th centuries) and its major temple is the tall, triple-roofed Jaisi Deval Temple, built just two years before Durbar Sq's famous Maju Deval (which is one platform higher). It's a Shiva temple, as indicated by the bull on the first few steps and the mildly erotic carvings on some of the temple struts.
Right across the road from the temple is a stone lingam rising a good 2m from a yoni (female equivalent of a phallic symbol). This is definitely a god-sized phallic symbol and a prayer here is said to aid fertility.
In its procession around the town during the Indra Jatra festiv…
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Ananda Samakhon Throne Hall
Anchoring the Royal Plaza and indeed the whole Dusit precinct is the Ananda Samakhon Throne Hall. Built in the early 1900s by Italian architect and engineer combination Mario Tamagno and Annibale Rigotti, the great neoclassical dome of the Ananda Samakhon looks out of place in Bangkok but right at home in Dusit. It was designed as a place to host – and impress – foreign dignitaries and on occasion it still serves this purpose, most notably during celebrations of King Bhumibol Aluyadej’s 60th year on the throne, when royals from around the world converged here in full regalia. You’ll almost certainly see a photo of this during your visit. The elaborate facade of Carrara ma…
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Luna Vasahi Temple
The later Luna Vasahi Temple is dedicated to Neminath, the 22nd tirthankar, and was built in 1230 by the brothers Tejpal and Vastupal for a mere Rs 125.9 million. Like Vimal, the brothers were both Gujarati government ministers. The marble carving here took 2500 workers 15 years to create, and its most notable feature is its intricacy and delicacy, which is so fine that, in places, the marble becomes almost transparent.
In particular, the many-layered lotus flower that dangles from the centre of the dome is an astonishing piece of work. It's difficult to believe that this huge lacelike filigree started life as a solid block of marble. The temple remains incredibly well pr…
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Vimal Vasahi
The older of the temples is the Vimal Vasahi, on which work began in 1031 and which was financed by a Gujarati minister named Vimal. Dedicated to the first tirthankar, Adinath, it took 14 years and allegedly cost Rs 180.5 million to build. The central shrine has an image of Adinath himself, while around the courtyard are 52 identical cells, each enclosing a cross-legged Buddha-tirthankar - the crucial difference between these statues and those of Buddha is that their eyes are always open.
Forty-eight beautifully carved pillars form the courtyard entrance, in front of which stands the House of Elephants, featuring a procession of elephants marching to the temple entrance, …
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Kathesimbhu Stupa
The most popular Tibetan pilgrimage site in the old town is this lovely stupa, a small copy dating from around 1650 of the great Swayambhunath complex. Just as at Swayambhunath, there is a two-storey pagoda to Harti, the goddess of smallpox, right behind the main stupa. The entrance is flanked by metal lions atop red ochre concrete pillars, just a couple of minutes' walk south of Thamel.
Various statues and smaller chaityas (small stupas) stand around the temple, including a fine standing Avalokiteshvara statue enclosed in a glass case and protective metal cage in the northeast corner. Avalokiteshvara carries a lotus flower in his left hand, and the Dhyani Buddha Amitabha…
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Theosophical Society
Between the Adyar River and the coast, the 100 hectares of the Theosophical Society provide one of the few peaceful retreats from the city. The sprawling grounds contain a church, mosque, Buddhist shrine and Hindu temple. There’s a huge variety of native and introduced trees, including a famed 400-year-old banyan tree whose branches offer reprieving shade for over 40,000 sq ft. The Adyar Library here has an immense collection of books on religion and philosophy, from thousand-year-old Buddhist scrolls to intricate, handmade 19th-century bibles. If you’re interested in the Theosophical Society’s philosophy, call into the public relations office and chat with the director…
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Kalta Minor Minaret
Just south of the Kuhna Ark stands the fat, turquoise-tiled Kalta Minor Minaret. This unfinished minaret was begun in 1851 by Mohammed Amin Khan, who according to legend wanted to build a minaret so high he could see all the way to Bukhara. Had it been completed it surely would have been the world's tallest building, but the Khan dropped dead in 1855 and it was never completed.
East of the minaret, beside the medressa housing Restoran Khiva, is the small, plain Sayid Alauddin Mausoleum, dating to 1310 when Khiva was under the Golden Horde of the Mongol empire. You might find people praying in front of the 19th-century tiled sarcophagus. To the east is a Music Museum in th…
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Bhagwati Temple
Next to the Gaddhi Baithak, this triple-storey, triple-roofed Bhagwati Temple is easily missed since it surmounts the building below it, which currently has thangka (religious Tibetan paintings) shops along its front. The best view of the temple and its golden roofs is probably from the Maju Deval, across the square.
The temple was built by Jagat Jaya Malla and originally had an image of Narayan. This image was stolen in 1766, so when Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the valley two years later he simply substituted it with an image of the goddess Bhagwati. In April each year the image of the goddess is conveyed to the village of Nuwakot, 65km to the north, then returned a f…
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Tien-Ho Temple
More proof that good things come in small packages, the Tien-Ho Temple seems, from the outside, but a narrow (though exceptionally ornate) storefront in the busy Ximending district. But walk through the narrow gate and you'll find one of Central Taipei's most beautiful Buddhist temples, complete with statues of Matsu, ancient Chinese generals, a bell tower and a small dragon-shaped pond filled with huge carp.
The original temple was built during the mid-Qing period and demolished during the last years of Japanese rule to make way for a roadway. The current temple was built in 1948 and holds several ancient statues brought over from mainland China hundred of years ago.
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Alloquli Khan Medressa, Bazaar & Caravanserai
The street leading north opposite the Aq Mosque contains some of Khiva's most interesting buildings, most of them created by Alloquli Khan - known as the 'builder khan' - in the 1830s and '40s. First come the tall Alloquli Khan Medressa (1835) and the earlier Kutlimurodinok Medressa (1809), facing each other across the street, with matching tiled façades.
North of the Alloquli Khan Medressa are the Alloquli Khan Bazaar and Caravanserai. The entrance to both is through tall wooden gates beside the medressa. The bazaar is a domed market arcade, still catering to traders, which opens onto Khiva's modern Dekhon Bazaar at its east end.
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Kala (Black) Bhairab
Behind the Jagannath Temple is the large figure of Kala (Black) Bhairab. Bhairab is Shiva in his most fearsome aspect, and this huge stone image of the terrifying Kala Bhairab has six arms, wears a garland of skulls and tramples a corpse, which is symbolic of human ignorance. The figure is said to have been brought here by Pratap Malla, having been found in a field to the north of the city. The image was originally cut from a single stone, but the upper left-hand corner has since been repaired.
It is said that telling a lie while standing before Kala Bhairab will bring instant death and it was once used as a form of trial by ordeal.
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Meguro Wedding Hall (Meguro Gajoen)
One look at the ads on virtually any subway car will tell you that wedding halls are big business in Tokyo. For better or for worse, Gajoen is one of the biggest, and as a study in anthropology you can hardly beat it. ‘Wedding hall’ doesn’t do justice to its many storeys of chapels, banquet halls, expensive restaurants and hotel rooms. The impossibly long corridor connecting them is lined with friezes of geisha and samurai, and often festooned with flowers, while floor-to-ceiling windows look out on a drop-dead gorgeous hillside garden. Even if there aren’t wedding bells in your future, it’s definitely worth stopping by for a look.
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Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra
Beyond the dargah, on the town outskirts, are the extraordinary ruins of the Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra mosque. According to legend, construction in 1153 took 2½ days. Others say it was named after a festival lasting 2½ days. It was built as a Sanskrit college, but in 1198 Mohammed of Ghori seized Ajmer and converted the building into a mosque by adding a seven-arched wall covered with Islamic calligraphy in front of the pillared hall.
Although in need of restoration, it's an exquisite piece of architecture, with soaring domes, pillars and a beautiful arched screen, largely built from pieces of Jain and Hindu temples.
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