Top 9 Beautiful Temples of the Wo

Taktshang
 Taktshang is the most famous of monasteries in
Bhutan. It hangs on a cliff at 3,120 metres (10,200
feet), some 700 meters (2,300 feet) above the
bottom of Paro valley, some 10 km from the district
town of Paro. Famous visitors include Shabdrung
Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century and
Milarepa. The name means “Tiger’s nest”, the
legend being that Padmasambhava (Guru
Rinpoche) flew there on the back of a tiger. The
monastery includes seven temples which can all
be visited. The monastery suffered several blazes
and is a recent restoration. Climbing to the
monastery is on foot or mule.
Wat Rong Khun
Wat Rong Khun is a contemporary unconventional buddhist
temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. It was designed by
Chalermchai Kositpipat. Construction began in 1998 and is
expected to end in 2008. Wat Rong Khun is different from
any other temple in Thailand, as its ubosot (Pali: uposatha;
consecrated assembly hall) is designed in white color with
some use of white glass. The white color stands for Lord
Buddha’s purity; the white glass stands for Lord Buddha’s
wisdom that “shines brightly all over the Earth and the
Universe.”
Prambanan
Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound
in Central Java in Indonesia, located
approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta. The
temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is
one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east
Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed
architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture,
and by the 47m high central building inside a large
complex of individual temples.
Shwedagon Pagoda
 The Shwedagon Pagoda also known as the
Golden Pagoda, is a 98-metre (approx. 321.5 feet)
gilded stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The
pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on
Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the
city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the
Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas
enshrined within, namely the staff of Kakusandha,
the water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe
of Kassapa and eight hairs of Gautama, the
historical Buddha.
Temple of Heaven
 The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of
Heaven is a complex of Taoist buildings
situated in southeastern urban Beijing, in
Xuanwu District. The complex was visited by
the Emperors of the Ming and Qing
dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to
Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a
Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven
worship, especially by the reigning monarch
of the day, pre-dates Taoism.
Chion-in
Chion’in Temple in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto,
Japan is the headquarters of the Jodo Shu
(Pure Land Sect) founded by Honen (1133-
1212), who proclaimed that sentient beings
are reborn in Amida Buddha’s Western
Paradise (Pure Land) by reciting the
nembutsu, Amida Buddha’s name.The vast
compounds of Chion-in include the site
where Honen settled to disseminate his
teachings and the site where he died.
Harmandir Sahib
Sri Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib, informally
referred to as The Golden Temple or Temple of
God, is culturally the most significant place of
worship of the Sikhs and one of the oldest Sikh
gurdwaras. It is located in the city of Amritsar,
which was established by Guru Ram Das, the
fourth guru of the Sikhs and the city that it was
built in, is also due to the shrine, known as “Guru
Di Nagri” meaning city of the Sikh Guru.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
(Srirangam)
 The temple occupies an area of 156 acres
(6,31,000 m²) with a perimeter of 1,116m (10,710
feet) making it the largest temple in India and one
of the largest religious complexes in the world. In
fact, Srirangam temple can be easily termed as the
largest functioning Hindu temple in the world
(Angkor Wat being the largest non-functioning
temple). The temple is enclosed by 7 concentric
walls with a total length of 32,592 feet or over six
miles. These walls are enclosed by 21 Gopurams
(Towers). Among the marvels of the temple is a
“hall of 1000 pillars” (actually 953).
Angkor Wat
 Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat), is a temple complex
at Angkor, Cambodia, built for King Suryavarman II
in the early 12th century as his state temple and
capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the
site, it is the only one to have remained a
significant religious centre since its foundation first
Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The
temple is the epitome of the high classical style of
Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of
Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is
the country’s prime attraction for visitors.