10 Famous Buddhist Temples
Borobudur Temple on the island of Java, Indonesia
Buddhism is a major world religion and philosophy founded in north-eastern India in the 5th century BC. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as “The Buddha”, who was born in what is now Nepal. The goal of Buddhism is to escape from suffering and the cycle of rebirth through the attainment of nirvana. There are around 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion Buddhists worldwide, and this is an overview of the 10 most famous Buddhist temples in the world.
10. Haeinsa Temple
Haeinsa (Temple of Reflection on a Smooth Sea) is one of the most important Buddhist temples in South Korea. The temple was first built in 802, then rebuilt in the 19th century after it was burned down in a fire in 1817. The temple’s greatest treasure, a complete copy of the Buddhist scriptures (the Tripitaka Koreana) that was written on 81,258 woodblocks, however did survived the fire.
9. Wat Arun
Situated on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) is one of the oldest and best known landmarks in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is an architectural representation of Mount Meru, the centre of the universe in Buddhist cosmology. Despite its name, the best views of Wat Arun are in the evening with the setting sun behind it.
8. Pha That Luang
Located in Vientiane, Pha That Luang (Great Stupa in Lao) is one of the most important monuments in Laos. The stupa has several terraces, with each level representing a different stage of Buddhist enlightenment. The lowest level represents the material world, while the highest represents the world of nothingness. Pha That Luang was built in the 16th century on the ruins of an earlier Khmer temple. The temple was destroyed by a Siamese invasion in 1828, but was later reconstructed by the French in 1931.
7. Jokhang
The Jokhang Temple in Lhasa is the most important sacred site in Tibetan Buddhism, attracting thousands of pilgrims each year. The temple was constructed by King Songtsän Gampo in the 7th century. The Mongols sacked the Jokhang temple several times, but the building survived. Today, the temple complex covers an area of about 25,000 square meters (6.17 acres).
6. Todaiji Temple
Todaiji (Great Eastern Temple) in Nara is one of the most historically significant and famous Buddhist temples in Japan. The temple was built in the 8th century by Emperor Shomu as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan. Today, little remains of the original buildings of Todaiji, but the Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall), dates back to 1709. It houses one of the largest Buddha statues in Japan and is the world’s largest wooden building, even though it is only two-thirds the size of its original structure.
5. Boudhanath
Located in a suburb of Kathmandu, Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas in the world. It is the centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, and many refugees from Tibet have settled here in the last few decades. It is probably best known for the Buddha’s eyes that are featured on all four sides of the tower. The current stupa is said to date from the 14th century, after the previous one was destroyed by Mughal invaders.
4. Mahabodhi Temple
The Mahabodhi (Great Enlightenment) Temple is a Buddhist stupa located in Bodhgaya, India. The main complex contains a descendant of the original Bodhi Tree under which Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment, and is the most sacred place in Buddhism. About 250 years after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, Emperor Ashoka built a temple at the spot. The present temple dates from the 5th or 6th century.
3. Shwedagon Pagoda
The Shwedagon Pagoda (or Golden Pagoda) in Yangon, is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Burma. The origins of Shwedagon are lost in antiquity but it is estimated that the Pagoda was first built by the Mon during the Bagan period, sometime between the 6th and 10th century. The temple complex is full of glittering, colourful stupas, but the centre of attention is the 99 meter (326 feet) tall main stupa that is completely covered in gold.
2. Bagan
Bagan (also spelled Pagan) on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River, is home to the largest area 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 height of the kingdom (between 1000 and 1200 AD). In 1287, the kingdom fell to the Mongols, after it refused to pay tribute to Kublai Khan. Bagan quickly declined as a political centre, but continued to flourish as a place of Buddhist scholarship.
1. Borobudur
Located on the Indonesian island of Java, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Yogyakarta, the Borobudur is the largest and most famous Buddhist temple in the world. The Borobudur was built over a period of some 75 years between the 8th and 9th centuries by the kingdom of Sailendra, out of an estimated 2 million blocks of stone. It was abandoned in the 14th century for reasons that still remain a mystery, and for centuries lay hidden in the jungle under layers of volcanic ash.
The above information and some pictures are extracted from: Touropia. (2019, Feb 07). Retrieved from: https://www.touropia.com/famous-buddhist-temples/
For more interesting information
- Grand statues around the world
- 17 Best U.S. Cities for Hippies
- Amazing Angkor: A Guide to the Buddhist Temples of Siem Reap
- Seven Weird and Wonderful Towns Around The World
- Holy Relic Sites of China-Very interesting!
- 6 Incredibly Stunning Big Buddha Statues in Malaysia!
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Where is the Maya Devi Temple? Situated in Lumbini,Nepal where Lord buddha was actually borned andthere is the footprint of Bhagwan Buddha as well.
Hey photo of Borobudur is mine. You shouldn’t steal photos
Many temple was built and the 10 most famous Buddhist temple in the world was ranked. Each temple has its own history in its remarkable up today.One of the famous templeThe Mahabodhi (Great Enlightenment) Temple is a Buddhist stupa located in Bodhgaya, India. The main complex contains a descendant of the original Bodhi Tree under which Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment, and is the most sacred place in Buddhism.
Thank you very much for sharing this article with the beautiful view of 10 famous Buddhist temples.
Amazed by the architecture of the temples in various countries. There are so huge and some even have full gold painting on it. Great offering to the Buddha and it also shows how much the locals believe and engage in their spiritual practise. It is a great opportunity to visit all the holy places. While we may not be able to visit all, we are fortunate to have Kechara Forest Retreat that is just 1 hour plus away from Kuala Lumpur 🙂
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this top and famous temples around the world.
If KFR can be listed in the “Ten Famous Buddhist Temple”, that’s the best! We don’t have to travel far to visit a holy place then. ?
However, if I were given only choices to choose from the list, I would like to visit Borobudur, Boudhanath, Mahabodhi and Jokhang. Thank you Rinpoche for this article.
I love these beautiful buddhist temples. Would love to be able to visit these temples in the future. Some of the places i find interesting are…1. Borobudur, 2. Bagan, 3. Shwedagon Pagoda, 7. Jokhang,. Thank you very much Rinpoche and blog team for sharing these beautiful pictures of 10 famous buddhist temples. ???
Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of reality. Buddhism, religion and philosophy that developed from the teachings of the Buddha. Hence there are many places of worship for Buddhists, where Buddhist temples come in many shapes. As listed in the articles , those temples were built in the early centuries were indeed ancients and beautiful. The best known are the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Boudhanath in Nepal, Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India, Borobudur Temple in Indonesia and Wat Arun Bangkok, Thailand. Wish I could visit some of the wonders of the Buddhist world.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing.
The top most interesting and famous Buddhist temple view and its location was well said in this article. Its shows how the introduction of Buddhism spread from northern India and reached the world. The teaching of Buddhism has traveled through Gautama Buddha and the monks. Many temple was built and the 10 most famous Buddhist temple in the world was ranked. Each temple has its own history in its remarkable up today.
The great treasure woodblocks Korea Buddhist Temple survived even after fire, The rebuilt Laos by the French by stages, The most attractive Tibetan Buddhist Temple, The wooden Nara in Japan, The Golden Pagoda in Burma and the largest and most famous in Indonesia and the Amazing of Angkor. Had a good view and blessed to see them.