Archaeologists estimate that the world’s oldest temple predates Stonehenge by 6,000 years. Ornate and often architecturally stunning, temples are found in many religions, although the name “temple” is most commonly used in Eastern religious traditions today. From a temple resembling a giant lotus in India’s capital city to the world’s largest religious structure in Cambodia, here are six of the most beautiful temples to visit around the world.
Temple of Heaven – Beijing, China
Beijing’s Temple of Heaven is widely considered to be the pinnacle of traditional Chinese architecture. Covering an area three times bigger than the Forbidden City, the 92-building site is the world’s largest existing building complex for offering sacrifice to heaven, according to UNESCO. The elaborately decorated structures here incorporate circles and squares, adhering to Chinese cosmology, which traditionally held that the Earth is square, while heaven is round.
The three-tiered, 125-foot-tall Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the oldest building in the compound — and the most impressive. It was built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, and used as the site where emperors conducted sacrificial ceremonies to garner the favor of the gods. Constructed entirely without nails, it’s a marvel of glazed tiles and 28 ornately decorated columns that support its grand conical roof. Ninety years after it was built, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, which held spirit tablets for deities and imperial ancestors, and the Circular Mound Altar, the site of winter solstice ceremonies and prayers for good weather, joined the central temple.
Borobudur Temple – Magelang Regency, Indonesia
There are few holier sites in Indonesia than Borobudur, which spans a total surface area upwards of 25,000 square feet, making it the world’s largest Buddhist temple. Located on the island of Java, Borobudur dates back to 778 CE under the Shailendra Dynasty, which later abandoned the site, and it was rediscovered in 1814. The 1970s saw Borobudur undergo massive restoration projects to remove layers of overgrowth and volcanic ash, which brought the three-tiered pyramidal structure back to its former glory.
Borobudur embodies many important symbolic elements of Buddhism: Each level of the temple represents a different step on the way to achieving bodhisattva (enlightenment). The temple’s stonework contains upwards of 2,500 artistic panels, all the more impressive considering the stone pieces were stacked and interwoven without any binding agent. Seventy-two stupas — Buddhist holy mounds each containing a relic within — also line the terrace. Borobudur plays a key role in the Pradaksina ritual on Waisak Day, an annual procession of monks who walk to the complex under a full moon in commemoration of Buddha’s life, enlightenment, and death.
Lotus Temple – New Delhi, India
In stark contrast to the seemingly endless bustle of India’s capital city, the giant white marble petals of the Lotus Temple invite you to stop and take a breath, opening delicately towards the sky as a giant blooming flower surrounded by gently lapping water and expansive green gardens. Indeed, it’s hard not to feel serene as you walk the grounds of this striking Bahāʾī temple, or mashriq, which was constructed in 1986. The temple’s award-winning design was the creation of Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba, who imbued it with a wealth of beauty and symbolism.
The lotus shape represents purity and divinity, while the interior’s nine-sided architecture pays homage to the special place the number nine has in Bahāʾī faith. On the outside, the 27 individual petals are made of white marble, and arranged in three concentric circles that rise 130 feet in the air. The entire structure is surrounded by tranquil pools and sandstone paths that meander through wide green gardens, and inside, a glass roof floods the prayer hall with natural light.
Pura Lempuyang Luhur – Karangasem Regency, Indonesia
One of Bali’s six holiest sites, Pura Lempuyang Luhur is a complex of breathtaking temples that runs up Mount Lempuyang (which itself is considered to hold religious symbolism), culminating with the principal namesake temple at the mountain’s 2,000-foot peak. While the 2,000-year-old site still sees many Balinese pilgrims, increasingly, it’s visitors who’ve perhaps seen the now Insta-famous “Gates of Heaven” that has put this once off-the-beaten-path complex, tucked into a remote area on the island’s eastern end, on the map.
These heavenly gates that welcome visitors at the lowest temple on the mountain create, on a clear day, the perfect photographic frame for Mount Agung — the island’s tallest peak and which many Balinese regard as the central axis of the universe. But why stop there? Anyone up for the steep, 1,700-stair trek to the top temple (typically about four hours round-trip) will be rewarded with resplendent views of the island — and hopefully a moment of spiritual clarity sent from above.
Wat Rong Khun Temple – Chiang Rai, Thailand
Even among Thailand’s many temples, Wat Rong Khun, or the White Temple, manages to stand out. Funded and designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat, a Thai artist with an eclectic sensibility, work began on the structure (which is actually a private art exhibit rather than a functioning temple) in 1997 to replace a dilapidated temple on the site. The artist’s eclecticism is evident throughout, as traditional Buddhist themes mingle with modern pop culture influences. Think murals, carvings, and statues bearing the likes of Mickey Mouse, Superman, Kung Fu Panda, Michael Jackson, and Neo from the Matrix alongside a depiction of samsara, a Buddhist cycle of birth and death that centers on the fixation on one self.
Located in Thailand’s northern Chiang Rai Province, the White Temple was mostly completed in 2008, though additional decorative flourishes continue to be added. The dramatic structure is all-white and clad in glass and mirrors that sparkle in the daylight and glow eerily by the light of the moon. One highlight not to miss: the gold building flanking the temple housing an ornate restroom, which some say is the most beautiful in Thailand.
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Sprawling across more than 400 acres near the modern city of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat (“Temple City”) is the world’s largest religious structure — so big it’s visible to astronauts in space. Khmer Emperor Suryavarman II built this awe-inspiring temple complex in the 12th century for the Hindu god Vishnu (though it later became a Buddhist place of worship). It served as the capital of the Khmer empire for several centuries, its design an architectural nod to Mount Meru — the center of both the Hindu and Buddhist universes.
Five towers represent the peaks of the mountain, and the moat and defensive wall symbolize the surrounding oceans and mountain ranges. Millions of sandstone blocks from a quarry at Phnom Kulen, Cambodia’s most sacred mountain, were used in the temple’s construction — some weighing as much as 3,300 pounds.
Though it’s no longer in use, Angkor Wat remains Cambodia’s most famous temple — so entwined in the country’s history that its image graces the national flag. Hundreds of thousands of tourists arrive at its steps each year to marvel at its massive scale and the cultural treasures that lie within.
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