Religious, Spiritual sights in Asia
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Baiyun Temple
Relocated from southwest of the Old Town, the port-red Taoist Baiyun (White Cloud) Temple stands separated from Dajing Pavilion by Dajing Lane and fronted by an entrance with twin eaves. Though nowhere near as big as its Běijīng namesake, the temple is worth a peek for its colossal effigy of the Jade Emperor ( 玉皇大帝; Yùhuáng Dàdì) up the steps in the Xiaobao Hall ( 霄宝殿; Xiāobǎo Diàn), seated between two walls studded with smaller deities.
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Dembō-In
To the left of the temple precinct lies Dembō-in, a garden that adjoins the residence of the chief priest of Sensō-ji. The grounds are thought to have been designed sometime in the late 18th century to resemble those of Katsura-rikyu, the sprawling imperial villa in Kyoto.
Dembō-in is not usually open to the public, but if you'd like to take a peek at the 12,000-sq-metre area, whose pond is reputedly shaped like the Chinese character for 'heart', call ahead to the main office, which is to the left of the five-storey pagoda.
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Pashupatinath Temple
This temple ( M0465) is dedicated to Shiva as Pashupati and is a replica of the main shrine at Pashupatinath. Originally built by King Yaksha Malla in 1475 (or 1482), it is the oldest temple in the square and is sometimes called the Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple.
For adults only, the roof struts depict some of the rudest erotic art in the valley. Unexpected humour is provided by one bored-looking woman who multitasks by washing her hair while pleasuring her husband at the same time. Don't even ask what the dwarf with the bowl is doing…
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Convent & Church of St Francis of Assisi
One of the most interesting buildings in Old Goa, the church interior contains gilded and carved woodwork, a stunning reredos (ornamented screen behind the altar), old murals depicting scenes from the life of St Francis and a floor made of carved gravestones - complete with family coats of arms dating back to the early 16th century.
The church was built by eight Franciscan friars who arrived here in 1517 and constructed a small chapel, which was later pulled down and the present building was constructed on the same spot in 1661.
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Myōryū-ji
The temple Myōryū-ji is a five-minute walk from the river. Completed in 1643, it was designed as a hideout in case of attack, and contains hidden stairways, escape routes, secret chambers, concealed tunnels and trick doors. The popular name refers to the temple's connection with ninja (practitioners of the art of stealth). Admission is by tour only - it's in Japanese but visual enough. To reach the temple, take Minami Ō-dōri across the river, take a left at the first major intersection, then the first right.
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Eid Gah Mosque
One of the largest mosques in Afghanistan, Kandahar's Eid Gah Mosque stands at nearly 25m adjacent to the dilapidated Kandahar University. The mosque and the surrounding grounds can accommodate thousands of worshippers with its construction having taken years at a cost of millions - all funded by Mullah Omar. Apart from Eid times local youths use the grounds as cricket pitches, as many of them learned the game whilst growing up in refugee camps in Pakistan. The mullah will show you around and as a courtesy a small donation is customary.
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Krishna Temple
The history of the octagonal Krishna Temple is well documented. It was built in 1648 by Pratap Malla, perhaps as a response to Siddhinarsingh's magnificent Krishna Temple in Patan. Inside there are images of Krishna and two goddesses, which, according to a Sanskrit inscription, are modelled on the king and his two wives. The temple also has a Newari inscription, but this neglects to mention the king's little act of vanity.
The temple is a favourite of sadhus (itinerant holy men) who pose (and expect to be paid) for photos here.
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Chingodō-Ji
This odd, peaceful little shrine on the banks of Dembō-in pays tribute to tanuki (raccoon dogs who figure in Japanese myth as mystical shape-shifters and merry pranksters). Tanuki are normally depicted with enormous testicles on which they can fly. Since (needless to say) they make for great subject matter, they frequently pop up in Japanese wood-cuts like Utagawa Kuniyoshi's The Seven Wonders of the Clowning Raccoon, in which the tanuki is shown cheerily dancing his way round a geisha house.
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Char Dham
Four less significant temples crowd the western end of Durbar Sq. Together they are called the Char Dham, after the four Hindu pilgrimage sites of the same name, to provide a place of worship for those unable to make the pilgrimage to the real sites.They include the lopsided Rameshwar Temple dedicated to Shiva and the Bhadri Temple dedicated to Vishnu as Narayan.
In front of them is an impressive, larger Krishna Temple and just beyond that is a brick shikhara-style Shiva Temple erected by King Jitamitra Malla in 1674.
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Toranas
Four gateways were erected around 35 BC and had all completely fallen down at the time of the stupa's restoration. Scenes carved onto the pillars and their triple architraves are mainly tales from the Jatakas, episodes from Buddha's various lives. At this stage in Buddhist art he was never represented directly - his presence was alluded to through symbols. The lotus stands for his birth, the bodhi tree his enlightenment, the wheel his teachings, and the footprint and throne his presence. The stupa itself also symbolises Buddha.
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Tsome Ling
Tsome Ling is the most interesting of the three. One of the four ling (royal) temples of Lhasa (along with Kunde Ling and Tengye Ling), this small site consists of two temples. To the east of the residential courtyard is the Karpo Potrang (White Palace), built in 1777, and to the west is the Marpo Potrang (Red Palace), built at the beginning of the 19th century. Both buildings have fine murals and are well frequented by pilgrims.
Of equal interest is the small embroidery and Tibetan mattress workshop on site.
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Amitabha Buddhist Centre
This seven-storey Tibetan Buddhist centre holds classes on dharma and meditation (check its website for the schedule), as well as events during religious festivals. The upstairs meditation hall, swathed in red-and-gold cloth, is open to the public and filled with beautiful statues and other objects of devotion. In addition to being involved with community outreach, the centre also operates a store selling religious and spiritual items such as prayer flags, spinning wheels, and other items associated with Tibetan Buddhism.
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Fukusai-ji Kannon
This temple takes the form of a huge turtle carrying an 18m-high figure of the goddess Kannon on its back. Inside, a Foucault pendulum (demonstrating the rotation of the earth on its axis) hangs from near the top of the hollow statue. Only St Petersburg and Paris have larger examples.
The original temple, Chinese in origin, was built in 1628 but was completely burnt by the A-bomb fire. The replacement was built in 1976. The temple bell tolls at 11:02 daily, the exact time of the explosion of the atomic bomb.
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Daion-ji
Climb the stairs to the large Kuroganemochi tree at the entrance to Daion-ji and follow the path that heads to the grave of Matsudaira Zushonokami. He had been magistrate of Nagasaki for a year when, in 1808, the British warship HMS Phaeton sailed into Nagasaki harbour and seized two Dutch hostages. The British and Dutch were on opposite sides in the Napoleonic War at that time.
Unable to oppose the British, Zushonokami capitulated to their demands for supplies, then promptly disembowelled himself.
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Myeong-Dong Catholic Cathedral
This elegant, red- and grey-brick Gothic-style cathedral was built between 1894 and ’98 by Chinese bricklayers. Inside, the traditional vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows contrast with the modern air-conditioning and the TV screens. The cathedral provided a sanctuary for student and trade-union protestors during the long period of military rule after the Korean War, and is now a national symbol of democracy and human rights. Come at 9am on Sunday for English-language worship in the chapel.
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Wat Ko Kaew Sutharam
From the clock tower on Th Matayawong, look for signs leading to the Ayuthaya-period Wat Ko Kaew Sutharam (Wat Ko). The bòht features early-18th-century murals that are among the best in Thailand. One panel depicts what appears to be a Jesuit priest wearing the robes of a Buddhist monk, while another shows other foreigners undergoing Buddhist conversions. There is also a large wooden monastic hall on stilts - it's similar to the ones at Wat Borom and Wat Trailok but is in much better condition.
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Buddha
At the top of the hill, behind the Long Son Pagoda, is a huge white Buddha seated on a lotus blossom and visible from all over the city. Around the statue’s base are fire-ringed relief busts of Thich Quang Duc and six other Buddhist monks who died in self-immolations in 1963. The platform around the 14m-high figure has great views of Nha Trang and nearby rural areas. As you approach the pagoda from the street, the 152 stone steps up the hill to the Buddha begin to the right of the structure.
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Sé de Santa Catarina
Construction of the Sé de Santa Catarina, the largest church in Old Goa, began in 1562 and though the building was completed by 1619, the altars were not finished until 1652.
The building's style is Portuguese-Gothic with a Tuscan exterior and Corinthian interior. The remaining tower houses a famous bell, often called the Golden Bell because of its rich sound. The main altar is dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, and paintings on either side of it depict scenes from her life and martyrdom.
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Mampuku-ji
For something totally different while in the Uji area, you might consider a side trip to the unusual Mampuku-ji, a seldom visited temple a little bit north of the centre of Uji. Mampuku-ji was established as a Zen temple in 1661 by the Chinese priest Ingen. It is a rare example in Japan of a Zen temple built in the pure Chinese style of the Ming dynasty. The temple follows the Ōbaku school, which is linked to the mainstream Rinzai school but incorporates a wide range of esoteric Buddhist practices.
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Takiguchi-dera
The history of this temple reads like the romance of Romeo and Juliet. Takiguchi-dera was founded by Heian-era nobleman Takiguchi Nyūdō, who entered the priesthood after being forbidden by his father to marry his peasant consort Yokobue. One day, Yokobue came to the temple with her flute to serenade Takiguchi, but was again refused by him; she wrote a farewell love sonnet on a stone (in her own blood) before throwing herself into the river to perish. The stone remains at the temple.
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Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple
The embodiment of the Singaporean approach to spirituality, the Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple hosts three religions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, under one vast roof. There’s even a shrine devoted to Datuk Kung, a saint of Malay mysticism and Chinese Taoist practices. This temple is new and grand with large handcrafted wooden cravings, swirling dragons on large granite pillars and hundreds of colourful effigies of deities, gods and saints. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but worth the trip.
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Chapel of Arya Lokeshvara
Allegedly this is one of the few corners of the Potala that dates from the time of Songtsen Gampo's 7th-century palace. It is the most sacred of the Potala's chapels, and the image of Arya Lokeshvara inside is the most revered image housed in the Potala. The statue is accompanied on the left by the seventh Dalai Lama and Tsongkhapa, and on the right by the fifth, eighth and ninth Dalai Lamas and the protector Chana Dorje (Vajrapani). Relics include stone footprints of Guru Rinpoche and Tsongkhapa.
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Kwun Yam Shrine
Towards the southeast end of Repulse Bay beach is an unusual shrine to Kwun Yam. The surrounding area has an amazing assembly of deities and figures – goldfish, rams, the money god and other southern Chinese icons, as well as statues of the goddess of mercy and Tin Hau. Most of the statues were funded by local personalities and businesspeople during the 1970s. In front of the shrine to the left as you face the sea is Longevity Bridge; crossing it is supposed to add three days to your life.
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Domaine de Marie Convent
The pink tile-roofed structures of the hilltop Domaine de Marie Convent, constructed between 1940 and 1942, were once home to 300 nuns. Today the remaining nuns support themselves by making ginger candies and selling the fruit grown in their orchard. The French-speaking nuns are pleased to show visitors around, explaining the work they do for orphans, the homeless and handicapped children. A shop sells handicrafts made by the children and nuns. Mass is celebrated in the large chapel, Sun to Fri.
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Wat Traimit (The Golden Buddha)
Wat Traimit, also known as the Temple of the Golden Buddha, is home to the world’s largest gold statue, a gleaming, 3m-tall, 5.5 tonne Buddha image with a mysterious past and a current value of more than US$40 million in gold alone. Sculpted in the graceful Sukhothai style (notice the hair curls and elongated earlobes), the image is thought to date from the late Sukhothai period. But if it is possible for a Buddha image to lead a double life, then this priceless piece has most certainly done so.
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