world most beautiful temples

The Chi Lin nunnery sits majestically in Hong Kong Diamond Hill.The golden pavilion, known as the Pavilion of Absolute Perfection, is juxtaposed with the innumerable grey apartment buildings which surround it.The traditional timber architecture of the temple dates back to the Tang dynasty and are the only remaining buildings of this kind in contemporary Hong Kong.Locals come to escape the metropolis and find respite in the tranquil gardens.For the hungry traveller, a vegetarian restaurant (lunch costs HKD doller100 150) is hidden behind a waterfall and covered by spindly trees.The Chi Lin temple grounds are free to explore.

Kyoto is filled with beautiful shrines and temples, but in my opinion, none can be compared to the beauty of Kinkaku ji, or the Golden Pavilion.Officially called Rokuon ji, this Buddhist temple has acquired a lot of fame recently and has become one of the most visited places in Japan.Whether you visit during the fall when there are red momiji leaves contrasting the gold, in winter when the gold is topped with pure white snow, in spring with the cherry blossoms, or in summer allowing you to see the beautiful temple golden reflection there is never a bad time to visit this beautiful temple.While it does cost 400 yen to visit, the cost is certainly worth it.

This is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Vracar neighborhood of Belgrade.It the largest Orthodox church in the world and it dedicated to Saint Sava who founded the Serbian Orthodox church.It dominates Belgrade cityscape and it one of the most important Belgrade landmarks and a tourist attraction.The church looks grandiose and beautiful from the outside, however work on the internal decoration is still ongoing.The ground floor can house 10,000 people.The entrance is free and if you wish you can leave donation.It definitely a must see in Belgrade, and you can also check out the post I wrote about the free things to do in Belgrade.

The most beautiful church Ive visited is also one of the most unique that Ive seen.The Holy Spirit Catholic Church (Szentlelek templom) is found in Paks, a small town in Hungary on the banks of the Danube.The church is made completely out of wood by Hungarian organic architect Imre Makovecz.The spires, included the expected cross, but also has the unusual shapes of a sun, and a crescent moon.The latter, a symbol of Islam, caused quite a stir in the city when they were unveiled.I especially enjoy the sense of flow and movement you get from the overall design of the church.A visit inside to marvel at the beautiful wooden designs is by appointment only.

Although mostly famous for it amazing trekking in the Himalayas, Nepal is also home of some of the most breath taking temples and Stupas.I heard about the Swayambhunath or Monkey temple for a while and I could not wait to visit it in person.This enormous Buddhist Stupa is located in Kathmandu, at the top of a hill.Surrounded by ancient sacred trees, it also called the sublime trees in Tibetan.Swayambhunath is one of the most ancient religious sites in Nepal.Although mostly a Buddhist religious site, it importance attracts also Hindus who come to pay respect to this Sacred complex.The stupa consists of a dome where the eyes of the Buddha is looking in all directions with the word Unity in between them.The whole complex is combined of Stupas, a variety of shrines, temples and a stairway of 365 steps that will lead you directly into the temple.There is an entrance fee..Stay in for sunset, it will take your breath away.

An original temple was opened on this site in 1926.This newer version completed in 1994 is now the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere.It features traditional Dravidian architecture and is decorated with wood carvings of Hindu deities imported from India and colorful frescos adorning n the ceilings.

To get there, we followed a poorly marked path through a field filled with grazing yaks until we reached a tall staircase carved out of mud.A paved staircase pointed the rest of the way up.It was slow going due to the high altitude, but our effort definitely paid off.We were rewarded with an expansive view of charming old town Shangri la and the snow capped mountains in the distance.Colorful prayer flags flowed across the hills while chickens and pigs meandered around the grounds hunting for food.Aside from a lone caretaker, we were the only ones there, and for once it was surreal to be in the world most populous country and so completely alone.Much of Shangri lahas now sadly been lost to fire.Its tragic destruction makes my memories of the place even more special.You can read more about Shangri la and the temple here.

In a land full of Armenian Monasteries and Churches, it seems slightly out of place and odd to find a Greek style Temple in amongst the dominated Christianity.This peculiarity is one of the things that attracted us to visit Garni and we loved it.Garni Temple is situated out in the countryside, down a hill from the small village of Garni which is about 40 minutes drive from Yerevan.You pay 1000 Armenian Dram to get inside this place is a UNESCO listed World Heritage spot too.It in remote countryside and sparkles in this dreamy landscape.Within the area of Garni Temple, you can admire the stunning views, go inside the main temple, which dates back to the 1st Century! The most remarkable thing about the Garni Temple is that it a Hellenic Greek Temple which survived the Christianity revolutions in Armenia and still stands, proud and pretty to this very day.There are also some souvenir stalls within and some strolls and walks around the nearby countryside.You can read my full report on visiting Garni Temple.

Nearly everyone that travels to Thailand visits at least one temple, and mostly likely lots of temples.But there are some truly remarkable temples that are completely off the beaten track that not many people get to see.On such temple is Wat Lan Khuat in Khun Han, in Isaan, which is in the north east of Thailand.The temple is known locally as the Beer Bottle Temple or the Million Bottle Temple.

It is located in the very centre of the city, easily accessible from the Nevsky Prospect metro station.It took its name after the murder of tsar Alexander II, who was killed in 1881 in the place where the church stands today.The Griboyedov Canal, which leads to the church, used to be named the Catherine Canal (after Catherine the Great), but as it often happened, the name was changed under the communist rule.