The most beautiful Buddhist temples in the world
From Cambodia to Hawaii, these temples, pagodas, sanctuaries and wats are as different as they are magnificent. Some are perched on mountains, others are thousands of years old (and still others just turned 50). But whatever their age or architecture, these Buddhist holy places are among the most astonishing in the world.
1. Wat Rong Khun, Thailand
The most modern temple on this list, Wat Rong Khun, was inaugurated in 1997. Located in Chiang Rai, the all-white structure (the color symbolizing purity) is completely surrounded by crystals, which represent the wisdom of the Buddha . It is said that when he began to preach his dogma, the Buddha himself crossed the bridge leading to it.
2. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
This monumental complex in Cambodia, protected by UNESCO, is one of the oldest temples in the world. Considered the largest religious structure ever built, this wondrous place, after being the center of frenetic activity for centuries, has all but fallen into oblivion, buried in jungle vegetation.
Buddhists have always inhabited the main temple, but the rest of the complex experienced a renaissance in the late 19th century, when it was "rediscovered" by the West. Angkor Archaeological Park covers just over 150 square miles, so plan your visit in advance.
Learn more about the Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat, Cambodia: Angkor Wat: everything you need to know about Cambodia's most emblematic temple
3. Seiganto-ji, Japan
4. Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma
5. Byodo-In Temple, Hawaii
6. Pha That Luang, Vientiane, Laos
Located in Vientiane, the Pha That Luang (“Great Stupa in Lao”) is one of the most important monuments in Laos. The stupa has several terraces, each level representing a different stage of Buddhist enlightenment. The lowest level represents the material world; the highest level represents the world of nothingness. Pha That Luang was built in the 16th century on the ruins of an ancient Khmer temple. The temple was destroyed by a Siamese invasion in 1828, then rebuilt by the French in 1931.
7. Taung Kalat Monastery, Myanmar
8. Peace Pagoda, Sri Lanka
9. Ulun Danu Bratan, Indonesia
10. Bagan, Burma
Bagan, also spelled Pagan, on the banks of the Ayerwaddy River, is home to the largest number of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins in the world. It was the capital of several ancient kings of Burma who built perhaps as many as 4,400 temples during the kingdom's peak (between 1000 and 1200 AD).
En 1287, the kingdom fell to the Mongols, after refusing to pay tribute to Kublai Khan. Bagan quickly declined as a political center, but continued to thrive as a place of Buddhist scholarship.
