okezone: 10 Amazing Temples in the World
18 Oktober 2011
Add Comment
A quarter of people in the world embraced Buddhism and Hinduism. Typically, adherents of this faith worship at the shrine with unique architecture and different from each other.
Here are 10 stunning temples that exist in the world that you can visit, as quoted Neotarama:
Tiger's Nest Monastery
Tiger's Nest Monastery perched on the edge of a cliff at an altitude of 3,000 feet on Mount Paro. This monastery is one of the most sacred places in Bhutan.
Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche, the second Buddha, flew into a cliff at the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave that now exists within the monastery walls.
The monastery, formally established in 1692 and reconstructed in 1998 after a fire. Now, the monastery is restricted to practicing Buddhists, religious retreats, and off-limits to ordinary tourists.
Wat Rong Khun
Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai, Thailand is not like a Buddhist temple in the world. All all in white. Building structures using gold decoration in mosaic mirrors that seem to shine magically, is done in a contemporary style.
It is the brainchild of renowned artist Chalermchai Kositpipat Thailand. Actually, the temple is still under construction. Chalermchai expect this temple could be completed soon so that could be the equivalent of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona,?? Spain.
Prambanan
Prambanan is a Hindu temple in Central Java, Indonesia. This temple was built in 850 BC, and consists of 8 main shrines and 250 small shrines in the vicinity.
Almost all the temple walls are covered with beautiful carvings and sculptures tell the story of Vishnu's incarnations, adventures of Hanuman the Monkey King, the Ramayana and other legends.
Shwedagon Pagoda
No one knows exactly when the Shwedagon Paya in Myanmar or the Pagoda was built. Legend has it Pagoda was built 2,500 years ago, though archaeologists estimate that it was built between the 6th century and 10th.
People call it "golden temple" which means all building structures made of gold. As if all the gold that was not enough, the spire of the stupa dome is covered with over 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies (there is even a 76 carat diamond at the end). And, in the temple is placed one of the holiest relics in Buddhism: eight strands of Buddha's hair.
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple in Beijing, capital of China. This temple was built in the 14th century by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (who also built the Forbidden City) as his personal temple, where he will pray for good harvest and to atone for the sins of His people.
The temple architecture is quite interesting: everything in the temple, which represents heaven, while the ground level, which represents the Earth, are square.
Chion-in Temple
Chion-in Temple was built in 1234 AD to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death. This temple is the oldest building of the 17th century. Visitors who come to Chion, one must first pass through the largest gate in Japan: Gate two-story San-mon.
The bells in this temple weighs 74 tons. Another interesting feature of the Chion-in Temple is called the Assembly Hall floor uguisu-bari or nightingale floor, made of wooden boards are designed to creak at every footstep to alert the monks when there's an intruder!
Borobudur
In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a huge ancient ruins deep in the forests of Java. Apparently they found a complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m2) of stone.
The temple has nearly 2700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. Until now, no one knows exactly when and why it was built. Some scholars believe that Borobudur is actually a giant book of Buddhism, because Borobudur tells the life of Buddha and the principles of his teachings.
Golden Temple
Harmandir Sahib (Meaning Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple in Punjab, India is the most sacred Sikh shrine. For Sikhs, the Golden Temple symbolizes freedom and spiritual independence of the infinite. The temple site began with a small lake that is so peaceful. Even Buddha came there to meditate. Thousands of years later, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism also lived and meditate on the lake.
Construction of the Golden Temple began in the 1500s, when the fourth Guru of Sikhism enlarge the lake that became Amritsar or Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, which grew around the temple and the city. The temple itself is decorated with marble statues, gold plated, and covered with precious stones.
Srirangam Vishnu Temple
Temple of Srirangam (Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple) located in the city of India. This temple dedicated to Vishnu, one of the three gods in Hinduism. Legend has it that, the Old sage rested and put a statue of Vishnu reclining, on top of a big snake. When he was ready to resume his journey, he discovers that the statue not be moved, so a small temple was built on it. For centuries, the temple "grew up" be bigger on the existing building.
Very large temple complex covers an area of more than 150 acres (63 hectares) with seven concentric walls, the outer about 2.5 miles (4 km) in length! Temple of Srirangam is famous for its Gopurams or bottom of the pyramid entrance colorful. This temple has 21 Gopurams total, with the largest has 15 stories and nearly 200 feet (60 m) in height.
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon
Last but definitely not least is the largest temple in history and inspiration to countless novels and action movies of Hollywood.
Ankor Wat. Angkor Wat was built at the beginning of the 12th century in Cambodia. The first of the famous Hindu temple in the world and is dedicated to Vishnu. On the 14th or 15th century, became a Buddhist temple.
The Western world saw Angkor Wat, when the 16th-century Portuguese monk visited the temple and eloquently described it as "extraordinary construction that it is impossible to describe with the pen, especially because unlike other buildings in the world.
The temple has towers and decoration and all the improvements are a genius. Tourists visiting Angkor Wat usually also visit the nearby ruins of Angkor Thom and Bayon, two fantastic temples that is the capital of the ancient Khmer empire.
Here are 10 stunning temples that exist in the world that you can visit, as quoted Neotarama:
Tiger's Nest Monastery
Tiger's Nest Monastery perched on the edge of a cliff at an altitude of 3,000 feet on Mount Paro. This monastery is one of the most sacred places in Bhutan.
Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche, the second Buddha, flew into a cliff at the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave that now exists within the monastery walls.
The monastery, formally established in 1692 and reconstructed in 1998 after a fire. Now, the monastery is restricted to practicing Buddhists, religious retreats, and off-limits to ordinary tourists.
Wat Rong Khun
Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai, Thailand is not like a Buddhist temple in the world. All all in white. Building structures using gold decoration in mosaic mirrors that seem to shine magically, is done in a contemporary style.
It is the brainchild of renowned artist Chalermchai Kositpipat Thailand. Actually, the temple is still under construction. Chalermchai expect this temple could be completed soon so that could be the equivalent of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona,?? Spain.
Prambanan
Prambanan is a Hindu temple in Central Java, Indonesia. This temple was built in 850 BC, and consists of 8 main shrines and 250 small shrines in the vicinity.
Almost all the temple walls are covered with beautiful carvings and sculptures tell the story of Vishnu's incarnations, adventures of Hanuman the Monkey King, the Ramayana and other legends.
Shwedagon Pagoda
No one knows exactly when the Shwedagon Paya in Myanmar or the Pagoda was built. Legend has it Pagoda was built 2,500 years ago, though archaeologists estimate that it was built between the 6th century and 10th.
People call it "golden temple" which means all building structures made of gold. As if all the gold that was not enough, the spire of the stupa dome is covered with over 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies (there is even a 76 carat diamond at the end). And, in the temple is placed one of the holiest relics in Buddhism: eight strands of Buddha's hair.
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple in Beijing, capital of China. This temple was built in the 14th century by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (who also built the Forbidden City) as his personal temple, where he will pray for good harvest and to atone for the sins of His people.
The temple architecture is quite interesting: everything in the temple, which represents heaven, while the ground level, which represents the Earth, are square.
Chion-in Temple
Chion-in Temple was built in 1234 AD to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death. This temple is the oldest building of the 17th century. Visitors who come to Chion, one must first pass through the largest gate in Japan: Gate two-story San-mon.
The bells in this temple weighs 74 tons. Another interesting feature of the Chion-in Temple is called the Assembly Hall floor uguisu-bari or nightingale floor, made of wooden boards are designed to creak at every footstep to alert the monks when there's an intruder!
Borobudur
In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a huge ancient ruins deep in the forests of Java. Apparently they found a complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m2) of stone.
The temple has nearly 2700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. Until now, no one knows exactly when and why it was built. Some scholars believe that Borobudur is actually a giant book of Buddhism, because Borobudur tells the life of Buddha and the principles of his teachings.
Golden Temple
Harmandir Sahib (Meaning Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple in Punjab, India is the most sacred Sikh shrine. For Sikhs, the Golden Temple symbolizes freedom and spiritual independence of the infinite. The temple site began with a small lake that is so peaceful. Even Buddha came there to meditate. Thousands of years later, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism also lived and meditate on the lake.
Construction of the Golden Temple began in the 1500s, when the fourth Guru of Sikhism enlarge the lake that became Amritsar or Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, which grew around the temple and the city. The temple itself is decorated with marble statues, gold plated, and covered with precious stones.
Srirangam Vishnu Temple
Temple of Srirangam (Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple) located in the city of India. This temple dedicated to Vishnu, one of the three gods in Hinduism. Legend has it that, the Old sage rested and put a statue of Vishnu reclining, on top of a big snake. When he was ready to resume his journey, he discovers that the statue not be moved, so a small temple was built on it. For centuries, the temple "grew up" be bigger on the existing building.
Very large temple complex covers an area of more than 150 acres (63 hectares) with seven concentric walls, the outer about 2.5 miles (4 km) in length! Temple of Srirangam is famous for its Gopurams or bottom of the pyramid entrance colorful. This temple has 21 Gopurams total, with the largest has 15 stories and nearly 200 feet (60 m) in height.
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon
Last but definitely not least is the largest temple in history and inspiration to countless novels and action movies of Hollywood.
Ankor Wat. Angkor Wat was built at the beginning of the 12th century in Cambodia. The first of the famous Hindu temple in the world and is dedicated to Vishnu. On the 14th or 15th century, became a Buddhist temple.
The Western world saw Angkor Wat, when the 16th-century Portuguese monk visited the temple and eloquently described it as "extraordinary construction that it is impossible to describe with the pen, especially because unlike other buildings in the world.
The temple has towers and decoration and all the improvements are a genius. Tourists visiting Angkor Wat usually also visit the nearby ruins of Angkor Thom and Bayon, two fantastic temples that is the capital of the ancient Khmer empire.
0 Response to "okezone: 10 Amazing Temples in the World"
Posting Komentar