TOP TEMPLES IN WORLD
Angkor Wat Temple
The Angkor Wat temple was Built in 12th century during the reign of King Suryavarman II (1112-1150), dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu. Angkor Wat temple is the main feature of Cambodia tourism, the all-time visited temple among hundreds of Khmer temple ruins.
Angkor, the capital of Khmer empire from 9th to 13th century, ruled a vast territory that is now Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. During these periods, the Khmers build hundreds of temples and Buddhist monasteries through out Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Despite of Angkor temples are seen sprawling over the hundreds of historical sites in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, the main temples featuring Angkor civilization and political culture involving administration and power are located in Siem Reap province. These temple ruins converge in an area of 400 square kilometers just north of Siem Reap town and Tonley Sap lake. |
Baalbek
The Baalbeck’s temples were built around the first millennium B.C. The enclosed court was built on the ancient tell. The more accurate history of Baalbeck first begins during the Hellenistic period (333-64 B.C.). The Greeks identified the god of Baalbeck with the sun god and enlarged the court. The temple was begun in the last quarter of the first century B.C., and was nearing completion in the last years of Nero’s reign. The Great Court Complex of the Temple of Jupiter was built in the second century A.D. The other addendum courts to the Jupiter Temple were added in the third century.
The Baalbeck temples were officially closed in 313 A.D., when Byzantine Emperor Constantine officially closed them. Since then these monuments have gone through many transformations, falling under Arab domination, and the Omayyad, Abbasid, Toulounid, Fatimid and Ayyoubid dynasties. It was sacked by the Mongols in 1260, but later has enjoyed a period of calm and prosperity. |
Karnak (Wonderful Hypostyle Hall)
Karnak (Wonderful Hypostyle Hall) Thebes was the capital of New Kingdom Egypt. It had grown in importance throughout the Middle Kingdom, when it was a sanctuary of the god, Montu. Karnak and Luxor Temples together were known as Waset, Thebes was the later Greek name for the town. The history of Karnak Temple and its gods is told in three performances in different languages each evening in a spectacular Sound and Light Show.
Karnak is the biggest temple complex in the world, covering an area of 100 hectares and there is nowhere more impressive to the first-time visitor. Much of it has been restored during the last century and our knowledge of the buildings here in different periods of Egyptian history is still increasing each year. In ancient times, Karnak was known as Ipet-isut, ‘The most select of places’. |
Borobudur
The Borobudur Temple is considered as one of the seven wonders of the world. This temple is located at Borobudur District, South of Magelang, Central Java.The expression of experts who had been studying Borobudur Temple varied someway. Bernet Kempers' expression was: “Borobudur is Borobudur”, meaning that Borobudur Temple is very unique in her own way. Nieuwenkamp (an artist) imaginated Borobudur as “a big lotus flower bud ready to bloom” which was “floating” on a lake. Nieuwenkamp’s imagination was supported by N. Rangkuti (1987) that from the air, the Borobudur Temple looks floating. From the geological studies, experts were able to prove that Borobudur area was one time a big lake. Most of the villages around Borobudur Temple were at the same altitude, 235 meters above the sea-level. The same altitude included the Pawon and Mendut temples. Thus the area under 235 meter altitude was below the lake water level.
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Christ the Saviour
The Perhaps the most famous temple of Russia is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. There, all the solemn services in the honor of the main Orthodox holidays, gathering the believers from all over Russia are held. The monumentality and grandeur of the temple, its magnificent interiors - everything speaks about the special status of the temple and its significance for the Russian Orthodox Church. But all this was preceded by a very dramatic history.
The grand building of the temple to commemorate the victory over Napoleon's army in the Patriotic War of 1812 started in 1817 by the decree of Russia's Tsar Alexander I. The new temple was to be the embodiment of heroism of the Russian people. The author of the first temple, the architect Alexander Vitberg, laid the temple on the Sparrow Hills. However, the mountain began to sag under the weight of building. Nicholas I, who succeeded Alexander I to the throne of Russia set the condition that the temple was to be made completed in the old Russian style, and appointed a new architect, Konstantin Ton. |
Saint Sava
Saint Sava This year 2010 has a very special meaning for St. Sava parish of Los Angeles – San Gabriel. It marks 100th anniversary. As we at St. Sava take steps to prepare the celebration for this great Jubilee, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to His Grace Bishop Dr. Maxim of our Serbian Western American Diocese for His contribution, generous assistance and moral support.
The history of the early parish years can be written today based mainly on what has been said and published in previous Anniversary parish books, Diocesan publications and Church bulletins. Some important historical facts of St. Sava Church can also be found in the “History of the Serbian Orthodox Church in America and Canada,” published by the Bishop of Sumadija, Dr. Sava Vukovic and in the “History of the Serbian Orthodox Church,” published by Prof. Stanimir Spasovic. There are also several published books about prominent community individuals that can be of interest for St. Sava church history. |
Akshardham
The Akshardham Temple is a massive temple complex in Delhi. It has got 20,000 statues, floral motifs, arches as well as exquisitely carved pillars. The Akshardham Temple in Delhi was constructed under the patronage of the Bochasanvasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and initiated on November 7, 2005. The temple complex represents an unique blend of the Hindu religion and Indian culture.The Akshardham temple complex stands on the banks of the Yamuna and has more than a 100 acres of lawn decorated with water fountains and carved pavilions. An amount of 2 billions was spent on the building that took around 2 years to complete.There is the IMAX theater, the Swaminarayan temple and a beautiful musical fountain in the large Akshardham temple in Delhi. The architectural design is a copy of the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The chief monument of the Akshardham temple is about 141 feet high and possesses a grand statue of Lord Swaminarayan.
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Sri Ranganathaswamy
the Srirangam temple has been rendered possible mainly by the remarkable advance of epigraphy in South India. An account based wholly on glorifying Mahatmyas and historically useless myths and legends is bound to be incomplete, indefinite and unreal. Most of the inscriptions in the Srirangam temple have been reported on and some of them edited in the publications of the Department of Epigraphy. Though there are a few Pallava inscriptions in the Trichinopoly cave and in Tiruvellarai and Uyyakondan Tirumalai near Srirangam the Srirangam temple itself contains no Pallava inscriptions. The earliest inscriptions are the Cola inscriptions of the 10th century A.D. and of these the first is dated in the 17th year of Parantaka I (907 - 953 A.D.) These are followed by the inscriptions of the Pandyas of the Second Empire. They record the numerous and rich benefactions made to the temple by these kings and are often setout in such great detail that they confirm in a large measure the account in the Vaisnava chronicles of the bountiful resources of the temple that lay at the back of the ceremonious conduct of worship and festivals for the God Renganatha.
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Tikal
Tikal The civilization that flourished for at least 1,200 years at the ancient Maya city of Tikal (the original name of which was probably Mutal or Yax Mutal) collapsed, more or less simultaneously with most other important Maya centers of the Classic period, at the end of the ninth century of our era.Within the Tikal National Park of Guatemala's northern Petén region, rest the impressive Mayan ruins of Tikal. Tikal is the largest excavated site among all the ruined Mayan cities and arguably Guatemala's most prized cultural gem. Both magical and spiritual, Tikal encourages the imagination to wander and incites the desire to explore. Towering above the jungle canopy, the great Mayan temples of Tikal are among the tallest examples, the loftiest reaching nearly 230 feet. While some of the earliest Mayan ruins at Tikal date as far back as the 4th century BC, the city didn't reach its zenith until some 500 years later during the Mayan Classic Era (2nd century AD-10th century AD). Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tikal Mayan ruins attract curious investigators of all sorts, who come to marvel at their existence. Visitors to Guatemala will find a variety of options for Tikal excursions that can be arranged from other main tourist areas. Most Tikal excursions start from the nearby town of Flores, which serves as the hub for tours into the Petén department.
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Jetavanaramaya
The Jetavanaramaya is a stupa, located in the ruins of Jetavana Monastery in the sacred world heritage city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. King Mahasena (273-301 AD) initiated the construction of the stupa following the destruction of Mahavihara, his son Maghavanna Ithe construction of the stupa. A part of a sash or belt tied by the Buddha is believed to be the relic that is enshrined here.The structure is significant in the island's history for it represents the tensions within the Theravada and Mahayana sects of Buddhist monks, it is also significant in world history as one of the tallest structures in the ancient world. The height of the stupa is 400 feet (122 m) and was the tallest ancient stupa in the world, the structure is no longer the tallest however it is the largest with a volume of 233,000 m2 (2,508,000 sq ft). At the time of its completion the structure was the third tallest structure in the world behind the Great Pyramids of Giza. Approximately 93.3 million baked bricks were used in its construction; the engineering ingenuity behind the construction of the structure is a significant development in the history of the island. The sectarian differences between the Buddhist monks also are represented by the stupa as it was built on the premises of the destroyed Mahavihara, which led to a rebellion by a minister of king Mahasena.
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