The 7 Most Beautiful Temples in Asia

10 Most Wonderful Temples of the World 1 - Tiger's Nest Monastery, perched precariously on the edge of a 3,000-feet-high cliff in Paro Valley, is one of the holiest places in Bhutan 2 - Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Mai, Thailand is unlike any Buddhist temples in the world. 3 - Prambanan is a Hindu temple in Central Java, Indonesia. The temple was built in 850 CE, and is composed of 8 main shrines and 250 surrounding smaller ones 4 - No one knows exactly when the Shwedagon Paya [wiki] (or Pagoda) in Myanmar was built - legend has it that it is 2,500 years old though archaeologists estimate that it was built between the 6th and 10th century. 5 - Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple in Beijing, the capital of China. The temple was constructed in 14th century by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty 6 - Chion-in Temple was built in 1234 CE to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death in the very spot. 7 - In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a massive ancient ruin deep in the jungles of Java. What they discovered was the complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m³) of stones. The temple has nearly 2,700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. 8 - The Harmandir Sahib (meaning The Abode of God ) or simply the Golden Temple in Punjab, India is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. 9 - The Temple of Srirangam ( Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple , in the Indian city of Tiruchirapalli (or Trichy), is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world (Ankor Wat is the largest of all temple, but it is currently non-functioning as a temple - see below). 10 - Last but definitely not least is the largest temple in history and the inspiration to countless novels and action movies of Hollywood: Ankor Wat.

The 7 Most Beautiful Temples in Asia

Unless you’re born and raised in Asia, you probably haven’t even heard of some of these places. But just like the much more famous European cathedrals and churches, Asia’s temples are amazing works of art just waiting to be discovered. Here’s a look at the seven most beautiful holy places in Asia.

See the beauty of Remaining 6

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