October 6th, 2016 | Updated on February 22nd, 2024
Asia is a land of diversity. Asia offers a western visitor an exciting, exotic change of culture. It would not be wrong to say that Asia is the most religious and spiritual place in the world.
Below is the list of 20+ of the most amazing spectacular temples in Asia along with magnificent photos.
1. Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world, with the site measuring 162.6 hectares. It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12th century.
2. Golden Temple
Sri Harmandir Sahib, also Sri Darbar Sahib and informally referred to as the “Golden Temple”, is the holiest Gurdwara of Sikhism, located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Amritsar was founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das.
3. Shwedagon Paya
The Shwedagon Pagoda, officially named Shwedagon Zedi Daw and also known as the Great Dagon Pagoda and the Golden Pagoda, is a gilded stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar.
4. Borobudur Temple
Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome.
5. Jokhang Temple
The Jokhang, also known as the Qoikang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery and Zuglagkang, is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet.
6. Kinkaku-ji
Kinkaku-ji, officially named Rokuon-ji, is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. It is one of the most popular buildings in Japan, attracting a large number of visitors annually.
7. Bodhnath Stupa
Boudhanath is a stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is known as Khāsti in Nepal Bhasa, Jyarung Khashor in Tibetan language or as Bauddha by speakers of Nepali.
8. Pashupatinath Temple
The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupatinath and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River 5 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu Valley in the eastern city of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
9. Khajuraho
The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh, India, about 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi. They are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.
10. Wat Pho
Wat Pho, also spelt Wat Po, is a Buddhist temple complex in the Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is on Rattanakosin Island, directly south of the Grand Palace.
11. Anuradhapura Ruins
Anuradhapura (Sinhalese:Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka and the capital of Anuradhapura District. Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient Sri Lankan civilization. It was the third capital of the Kingdom of Rajarata, following the kingdoms of Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara.
12. Prambanan Temples
Candi Prambanan or Candi Rara Jonggrang is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in Central Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer.
13. Swayambhunath Stupa
Swayambhunath is an ancient religious architecture atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the site means ‘Sublime Trees’, for the many varieties of trees found on the hill.
14. Meenakshi Amman Temple
Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Parvati, known as Meenakshi, and her consort, Shiva, here named Sundareswarar.
15. Labrang Monastery
Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its formal name is Genden Shédrup Dargyé Trashi Gyésu khyilwé Ling.
16. Pha That Luang
Pha That Luang is a gold-covered large Buddhist stupa in the centre of Vientiane, Laos. Since its initial establishment, suggested to be in the 3rd century, the stupa has undergone several reconstructions.
17. Tian-Tan-Buddha
Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is a large bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, completed in 1993, and located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong.
18. Punakha Dzong
The Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong, is the administrative centre of Punakha District in Punakha, Bhutan.
19. Thien Mu Pagoda
Thiên Mụ Pagoda is a historic temple in the city of Huế in Vietnam. Its pagoda has seven stories and is the tallest religious building in Vietnam.The temple is often the subject of folk rhymes and ca dao about Huế, such is its iconic status and association with the city.
20. Confucius Temple
A temple of Confucius or Confucian temple is a temple for the veneration of Confucius and the sages and philosophers of Confucianism in Chinese folk religion and other East Asian religions.
21. Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Phra Kaew is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The Emerald Buddha housed in the temple is a potent religio-political symbol and the palladium of Thai society.
22. Thian Hock Keng Temple
Thian Hock Keng Temple is the oldest and most important Hokkien or Hoklo temple in Singapore. The main temple is dedicated to Ma Cho Po, the Taoist goddess of the sea and protector of all seamen, while.
23. Tōdai-ji
Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex, that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan.
24. Kek Lok Si Temple
The Kek Lok Si Temple is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam in Penang facing the sea and commanding an impressive view, and is one of the best known temples on the island. It is said to be the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.
Source: wikipedia.org, lonelyplanet.com
