Beliefs, rituals, ceremonies, and liturgies typically characterize the world of the supernatural, which exists beyond the physical realm. While the topic of the metaphysical may not come up frequently in discussions about why people travel, some travelers who hold these views nonetheless embark on these travels in search of a spiritual experience.
So, from India’s holy city of Varanasi to the world’s largest Buddhist monument in largely Muslim Indonesia to Thailand’s Emerald Buddha, Road and Travel Magazine, has compiled a magnificent list of Asia’s top 10 temples, shrines, and places of devotion.
1. TAKTSHANG MONASTERY (Bhutan)
Tigers Nest monastery clings abruptly to a cliff approximately 3,000 feet above the Paro Valley floor, easily Bhutan’s most recognizable temple and the country’s most sacred location.
2. VARANASI (India)
This Hindu sacred city is claimed to be built on Lord Shiva’s trident, and a ritual cleansing in the Ganges at Varanasi absolves the believer of all sins, allowing for a higher birth in the future life. Every year, millions of Hindus and tourists from all over the world flock here.
3. SHWEDAGON PAGODA (Myanmar/Burma)
The magnificent golden dome that rises 322 feet above its base in Yangon is Burma’s most sacred place, visited daily by Buddhist worshippers and monks. It is encased in gold plates and capped by a 76-carat diamond. To complete a personal pilgrimage, walk clockwise around the complex, which is thought to have been built over 2,500 years ago, and pray at numerous sites.
4. DAMBULLA (Sri Lanka)
The most magnificent of Sri Lanka’s cave temples, Dambulla, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of five caves with over 6,000 square feet of painted walls and ceilings, making it the world’s largest continuous series of paintings.
5. BOROBUDUR (Indonesia)
The restored ninth-century remains are the world’s biggest Buddhist monument and one of the original seven ancient wonders of the world, and are a must-see for anybody visiting Indonesia.
6. PASHIPATINATH (Nepal)
The location attracts followers from all across the Indian subcontinent as the world’s largest temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. You are likely to see a cremation ceremony on the holy Bagmati River, in which the shrouded body is placed on a heap of burning logs and brush, then set alight.
7. PAK OU (Laos)
A natural cave with over 3,000 Buddha statues left behind over the years by adoring kings, merchants, and farmers. This magical pilgrimage spot and natural shrine can only be reached by boat.
8. DHARAMSALA (India)
The Dalai Lama’s residence and the capital of the Tibetan government in exile, Dharamsala, is visited by pilgrims and travelers from all over the world who desire to learn Tibetan Buddhism and get insights into Tibetan culture that are currently inaccessible in China.
9. WAT PHRA KAEW (Thailand)
This stunning pilgrimage site, which is located in Bangkok’s Grand Palace and is also known as the “Temple of the Emerald Buddha,” is the center of the modern-day Thai nation and the location where all Thai monarchs have worshiped since it was retaken from the Burmese in the late 18th century.
10. SARNATH (India)
Pilgrims from all over the world visit this hallowed spot near Varanasi, where Buddha is claimed to have spoken his first speech after achieving enlightenment.
Source: Nyscinfo