View allAll Photos Tagged temples
These photos of Sri Meenakshi were taken in Pearland, TX - a small suburb just south of Houston. The temple is built in the South Indian style and is not the only one located in Houston.
Candi Kalasan is located on the northwest side of modern Yogyakarta on the south side of the road that leads to Prambanan village. Initially constructed during the late 8th century, the design of Candi Kalasan underwent a considerable number of changes during the remainder of Central Java's Classic Age. One notable feature of the temple is its octagon-shaped roof, which featured carved images of the Tathagatas facing the four cardinal points, each of which was flanked by a pair of bodhisattvas in bas-relief. It has been suggested that the bodhisattva serial on the upper part of Kalasan represent the famous Eight Great Bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism.
My friend, Albert, and I went up to the 427 and Finch to take some shots of the new Hindu temple there. It was an, um, interesting experience.
See the guy standing right up against the temple on the right?? Okay, no one said anything to him however when I was standing there taking some shots (and not touching the architecture) one of the security guards came along and started giving me royal heck. I explained that there were no signs and apologized but then he got aggressive.
He asked me how many shots I had taken ... I said four (it was actually seven but I was abit taken aback at that point because he was being quite rude). He then asked me to show him ... I had to tell him three times it wasn't a digital camera and that I was NOT going to open the back of my Pentax. If he had touched me, I think I would have gone ballistic. He then told us we had to leave ... then shortly afterwards motioned other people over. Wow. It had been awhile since I had experienced that kind of prejudice. sigh.
Tua Pek Kong Temple Sibu, Sarawak. 22nd January 2012. Eve of Chinese New Year.
This beautiful seven-story Pagoda temple in Sibu town sits on the edge of Rejang River. The history of the original wooden temple dates back to 1870. The statue of Tua Pek Kong deity in the temple was specially sculptured and brought from Xiamen, China.
On 8th March, 1928, Sibu town was destroyed in a fire, but the wooden temple survived. A miracle! In 1942, the Japanese invaded and occupied Sibu and when the Allied forces bombarded the town in 1945, Sibu and the temple were severely destroyed. Again, the statue of Tua Pek Kong survived.
The temple was replaced with a concrete one in 1957. The 7-storey Pagoda for the worship of The Goddess of Mercy was built in 1987. Today, it remains a recognisable landmark and a popular tourist attraction of Sibu.
#201203-12
Osaka, Japan. Spring 2007.
I decided to re-edit my photos taken in Japan four years ago. Originally they were uploaded either without any post-processing work done, or with minimal work done in picasa. Japan is a truly beautiful country and if you haven't already, I hope you'll find the time to donate.
Donate List
www1.networkforgood.org/help-survivors-pacific-quake-tsunami
See where this picture was taken. [?]
Shitennoji is the oldest state temple in Japan. It was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku, who supported the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. Although the temple's buildings burned down several times throughout the centuries, they were always carefully reconstructed to reflect the original 6th century design.
Shitennoji's many impressive buildings include a five-storied pagoda and the Golden Hall in which Prince Shotoku is enshrined. There is also a turtle pond and the garden of Gokuraku-jodo, which represents the Buddhist paradise. A treasure house exhibits paintings, sculptures, scriptures and other valuable belongings of the temple. Taken from www.japan-guide.com/e/e4011.html
At 3 in the morning my alarm-clock went off. We planned a photoshoot from a hillside of Borobudur at sunrise and in Indonesia it means you have to get up really really early. The shoot itself was disappointing due to heavy fog.
Next stop that day was the Mendut temple. And old old Buddhist temple not that for from Borobudur but with far less tourists.
Still a bit disappointed with the Borobudur shots I entered the temple and was immediately struck by the serenity and tranquillity of the temple complex. I just had to pay my respect and burned an stick of incense in Buddha's honour.
Buddha must have appreciated my offer. When I left the temple complex a hug drop of water splashed on my head. It was over 30 degrees Celsius outside and it hadn't rained in over a week.
I felt blessed.
At a Buddhist temple, you usually write your prayer on a wooden plaque that you tie onto racks near the temple. At this small temple in the Yasaka area of Kyoto, instead of wooden plaques, you write your prayer on a colorful fabric ball called a kukurizaru. The ball represents a mischievous monkey with its hands and feet tied to prevent it from acting on its will or desire. The idea is that if you control your desires, your prayer will come true. Makes for a much more colorful temple.
Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat is the principal temple in Phitsanolouk and is dominated by a tall 'corn-cob' shaped tower or 'prang' in Khmer style. Inside the main temple is an important and very beautiful Buddha image, whilst to the rear of the complex a standing Buddha can be seen amidst the ruins of a pillared hall.
Bongwonsa temple - Seoul - South Korea
Bongwon Temple (or Bongwonsa) is a South Korean Buddhist temple in Bongwon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul near Yonsei University.
Situated to the northeast of the university on the hillside of Ahn Mountain, this is the head temple of the Taego Order of Korean Buddhism. Originally founded in 889 by Master Doseon and located on the current site of Yonsei University, it moved to its present location in 1748.
Part of the temple was destroyed in 1950 during the Korean War. In 1966 a new hall was built but this was later moved to another part of the city. In 1991 while a new Hall of 3000 Buddhas was being built, a fire destroyed the Main Buddha Hall, which was rebuilt in 1994. In the summer of 2004, it was discovered that serial killer Yoo Young-Cheol had buried over one dozen bodies of his victims on the temple grounds.
Currently more than 50 monks live at the temple and are engaged in education and social welfare work.
From:
Philae in Greek or Pilak in ancient Egyptian, meaning 'the end,' defined the southern most limit of Egypt. It was begun by Ptolemy II and completed by the Roman Emperors. The Temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. These three characters dominate ancient Egyptian culture and their story possesses all the drama of a Shakespearian tragedy. The god Osiris is murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth. Isis searches for the fragments, collects them together and with her magic powers brings Osiris back to life. They then conceive the god Horus. Osiris becomes god of the under world and judge of the dead - who must answer to him for their deeds on Earth. Meanwhile Isis gives birth to Horus and protects the young god. Later when Horus is grown he avenges his father by defeating Seth in combat.
For centuries the temple complex was the holiest site for Isis worshippers. The temple was officially closed down in the 6th century A.D. by the Byzantine emperor Justinian. It was the last pagan temple to exist in the Mediterranean world. Philae was a seat of the Christian religion as well as of the ancient Egyptian faith. Ruins of a Christian church were still discovered, and more than one adytum bore traces of having been made to serve at different eras the purposes of a chapel of Osiris and of Christ. The Philae temple was converted into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, until that was closed by Muslim invaders in the 7th century.
Isis is a very important figure in the ancient world. She is associated with funeral rites but as the enchantress who resurrected Osiris and gave birth to Horus she is also the giver of life, a healer and protector of kings. She was known as 'Mother of God' and was represented with a throne on her head. During the Roman period her cult spread throughout Greece and the Roman Empire. There was even a temple dedicated to her in London.
The temple at Philae was nearly lost under water when the high Aswan dam was built in the 1960s. Fortunately the temple was rescued by a joint operation between the Egyptian government and UNESCO. In an engineering feat to rival the ancients the whole island was surrounded with a dam and the inside pumped dry. Then every stone block of the temple complex was labelled and removed later to be assembled, like a giant jigsaw puzzle, on the higher ground of Agilka island. The whole project took ten years and has saved one of Egypt's most beautiful temples from certain destruction.
Temple I, also referred to as Jaguar Temple, is the most iconic of the temples at Tikal: it is the most visible of them all as all vegetation on and around it has been cleared. It is 44 meters (145 ft) tall. It stands opposite from Temple II in a twin pyramid arrangement. It was begun sometime after 721 CE and completed around 740–750 CE. It is seen here through the buildings of the North Acropolis.
Tikal is one of the grandest sites of the Maya civilization, located in Guatemala's northern rainforest lowlands. While some of the monumental architecture at the site dates back as far as the 4th century BCE, Tikal reached its apogee during the Classic Period (about 200-900 CE). At its peak, the city covered an area greater than 16 square kilometers (6.2 sq miles), included about 3,000 structures, and may have had as many as 90,000 inhabitants. During this time, the city dominated much of the Maya region politically, economically, and militarily, while interacting with other states throughout Mesoamerica. Tikal gradually lost both population and influence after 850, and by 950 the city was mostly deserted.
The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai in the Tamil Nadu region of southern India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, the Goddess Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai. The complex houses 14 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities, that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is believed to have been built in 1600. The tallest temple tower is 51.9 metres (170 ft) high. Madurai is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites of India.
!apP1110203
A Greco temple inspired by recent forays into LOTR, Tales of Earthsea and Minecraft.
Yes it's crooked it accidentally was pushed off my front deck when I was trying to photograph it outside in the sun. In the end I had to manage with a thin strip of sun from through the windows.
FOTD (fields of the dead) will have to wait for tomorrow. My camera's batteries are dead and the light is already gone.)
Water Temple is located on a hill in Awaji Island, Hyogo, Japan. It is designed by Tadao Ando. An elliptical lotus pond is the roof of the temple, and is enclosed by two concrete walls, one straight, the other an arc. At the west side of the Temple resides a light well (vermilion cedar frames).
真言宗本福寺水御堂為於日本兵庫縣的淡路島, 由安藤忠雄設計. 橢圓形的蓮花池屋頂, 被兩面牆所包圍, 一面直牆, 一面弧牆. 在寺的西方,有漆上朱紅顏料的杉木窗框光井.
It was too early to go back to our hotel on this last day of our holiday in Malta, so from Rabat we ordered an Uber taxi to the Tarxien Temples. There are apparently seven megalithic temple sites on Malta and Gozo and we thought it would be a shame to miss out on visiting one. The Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex stands out as the most architecturally complex and elaborately decorated megalithic temple site in Malta.
The circular or semi-circular chambers (apses) at the Tarxien Temples were designed for ritual focus, fertility and ancestor worship, and community power projection. The distinctive trefoil (cloverleaf) layouts were built by a highly organized Neolithic society between 3600 and 2500 BCE. (Top right and model bottom left)
The Fat Lady's legs are possibly a representation of a mother goddess or earth deity, symbolising abundance and agricultural fertility. These are just replicas - the originals are preserved in a museum in Valletta. (bottom right)
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest (of more than 120 around the world) and best-known temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church overall, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois.
The Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10 acre (40,000 m²) Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although there are no public tours inside the temple (because it is considered sacred by the church and its members, a temple recommend is required), the temple grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction. Due to its location at LDS Church headquarters and its historical significance, it is patronized much by Latter-day Saints from many parts of the world.
The Salt Lake Temple is also the location of the weekly meetings of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles [1]. As such, there are special meeting rooms in the Salt Lake Temple for these purposes, including the Holy of Holies, which are not present in other temples.
The official name of the Salt Lake Temple is also unique. In the early 2000s, as the building of LDS temples accelerated dramatically, the Church announced a formal naming convention for all existing and future temples. For temples located in the United States and Canada, the name of the temple is generally the city or town in which the temple is located, followed by the name of the applicable state or province (with no comma). For temples outside of the U.S. and Canada, the name of the temple is generally the city name (as above) followed by the name of the country. However, for reasons on which the Church did not elaborate (possibly due to the historical significance and worldwide prominence of the temple), the Salt Lake Temple was granted an exception to the new rule and thus avoided being renamed the Salt Lake City Utah Temple.