Usami Kannon

Name : Usami Kannon

Location : Located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Ito City, in the tiny town of Usami. Usami is a small town on the Izu Peninsula of Japan.

Description : This 50-meter high sitting statue of the Kannon (built to pray for global peace) was constructed in 1982. The Kannon sits on a hill above the town. Reportedly the largest sitting statue of Kannon in Japan. The temple grounds hold a broad array of statues, including those from Tibet and Nepal, numerous mandala, and statues of the Seven Lucky Gods. Some web sites claim it is the Jibo Kannon (Loving Mother Kannon).

The deity depicted in the statue is known as Avalokitesvara. is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism. In China and its sphere of cultural influence, Avalokiteśvara is often depicted in a female form known as Guan Yin. (However, in Taoist mythology, Guan Yin has other origination stories which are unrelated to Avalokiteśvara.)

Avalokitesvara is also referred to as Padmapāni ("Holder of the Lotus") or Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World"). In Tibetan, Avalokiteśvara is known as Chenrezig, and is said to be incarnated in the Dalai Lama,[1] the Karmapa[2][3] and other high Lamas. In Mongolia, he is called Megjid Janraisig, Xongsim Bodisadv-a, or Nidüber Üjegči.

Website : http://www.kannon.co.jp

Baguashan and the Great Buddha Statue

Name : Baguashan

Location : Mount Bagua, Changhua City, Taiwan

Description : On Taiwan's eastern fringe is high Baguashan (Eight Trigram Mountain). On the top of which its crowning glory – the iconic 92m-tall Great Buddha Statue.

Towering 22m above its brightly coloured lotus flower base, the seated likeness of the Sakyamuni Buddha has become one of Taiwan's most recognizable landmarks since its construction in 1961. The serene figure is the dominant feature of the local landscape, visible from several places in town and giving the area an enchanting ambience.

Built on the former site of a commemorative tablet erected during the Japanese occupation, it is made entirely of reinforced concrete and has a hollow, six-storey interior. The inside walls, decorated with dioramas depicting the stages of Buddha's life, have been given a facelift, and visitors can ascend stairs leading as high as the statue's neck.



Baguashan affords great views of Changhua, on very clear days yielding vistas to the sea; for this reason it was an important military lookout up until the Japanese colonial period. Behind the statue to the east is the three-storey Great Buddha Temple, the top floor of which is a superb place to watch the sun set over the Great Buddha's shoulders. Still further east is the tranquil Baguashan Scenic Area, interspersed with short walkways leading to pavilions and city overlooks.

Website :

Baekdam sa Temple

Name : Baekdamsa Temple

Location : It is located in Inje County, Gangwon province, South Korea.

History : This temple was founded in 647 during the Shilla Dynasty by a well respected monk at the time by the name of Jajang who named the temple Hangye-sa. The temple wasn’t always located at its present location because the monks over the years had to move the temple multiple times due to fire. The present version was completed in 1957.

Legend : The name of the temple also has changed over time. Originally called Hangyesa. It has been at its present location for about a thousand years and was called Baekdam-sa when a Buddhist monk had a vision to climb Mt. Sorak and count the number of pools between the mountain and the temple. If he did this, it would protect the temple from fire. The monk climbed Mt. Sorak, walked back to the temple, and counted 100 pools along the way. After his walk it was decided the temple would be called Baekdam-sa meaning the 100 pools temple.

Description : The temple is located in the Inner Sorak area of the Gangwon-do’s, scenic Soraksan National Park which is mostly wild, natural, and untouched by man. For anyone looking for unspoiled wilderness in Korea this is the place. The small village of Yongdae-ri is the access point the temple. From Yongdae-ri a short bus ride takes visitors to the temple located seven kilometers up a twisting and winding road that traverses the Baekdam Valley.

A better option is to avoid the bus and hike up the valley instead. The walk to the temple is only seven kilometers which takes about an hour to complete and will be rewarded with incredible views compared to being crunched into a bus with dozens of oversized visors.

The road to the temple follows a beautiful flowing river that twists and turns through the valley. The water is crystal clear has no mineral taste to it and just had a cool, fresh water.

The valley opens up a bit and the river widens significantly. Then the road reaches a pedestrian bridge that takes visitors into the Baekdam-sa Temple. Across the bridge visitors are welcomed by Buddhist deities located in a small gate. Once into the compound the temple is actually in appearance very similar to other temples in Korea. It has long wooden and colorful buildings. It has a big bronze bell and drum.

Attractions : Attractions at the temple include National Treasure No. 1182--Wooden Amityus Buddha Statue--which dates to the 18th century, and Susimgyo, a wooden bridge in front of the property that spans Baekdam Gyegok valley. Baekdamsa also is near Seoraksan and Mt. Soraksan Nature Reserve.

Website : http://rokdrop.com/2008/05/24/places-in-korea-baekdam-sa-temple/

Christ the Redeemer

Name : Christ the Redeemer

Location : Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is located at the peak of the 710-m Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city.

Description : With arms spread wide -- as if to embrace the whole city of Rio de Janeiro sprawling below in spectacular disorder -- the Cristo Redentor statue can be seen from all over town.

For a pedestal, the statue has the 2,310-foot mountain called Corcovado. The Christ figure on top rises another 100 feet, its arms extending nearly 92 feet from fingertip to fingertip, with a weight of some 700 tons.

French sculptor Paul Landowski and his team of artisans erected the impressive statue to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of Brazil's 1822 independence from Portugal. Due to budget constraints, however, the centennial artwork was finished nearly a decade later in 1931, and then only with help from the Vatican. Sleekly contemporary in appearance, the statue was fashioned of soapstone and concrete.

The Cristo Redentor figure vies with Sugarloaf Mountain as the emblem of the city of the cariocas. And its site offers a view over Rio that is even more spectacular than Sugarloaf's, taking in the famous beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema, tree-lined residential neighborhoods, the bay, and a blue lagoon called Rodrigo de Freitas. Corcovado itself is enveloped within a tropical reserve where waterfalls tumble and butterflies flit through thick forests.

Local residents like to go up to see the statue by riding on a 2.3-mile cog railway whose tracks for cogwheel steam engines were laid up the mountainside in 1885. During the 20-minute ride, the train passes through leafy green tunnels of trees and provides views of Brazil's city of pleasure and poverty, carnival and beaches, far below.

In the evening, powerful spotlights illuminate the statue of Christ, making it glow and appear almost to levitate above the darkened peak. By day or night, no matter where you may go in the city of Rio, the statue has the presence of an icon.

Website : http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/christ-the-redeemer-statue-landmark.htm

Mount Koya - Japan

Name : Mount Kōya

Location : Mount Koya is the generic name of specific mountains in Wakayama prefecture to the south of Osaka. Also, Kōya-san is a modifying word for Kongōbuji. There is no one mountain officially called Kōya-san in Japan.

Description : First settled in 819 by the monk Kūkai, Mt. Koya is primarily known as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Located in an 800 m high valley amid the eight peaks of the mountain. This was the reason this location was selected, in that the terrain is supposed to resemble a lotus plant ( Similar to the Taoist temple Huashan in China ), the original monastery has grown into the town of Koya, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies and 120 temples, many of which offer lodging to pilgrims. The mountain is home to the following famous sites:

* Okunoin, the mausoleum of Kūkai, surrounded by an immense graveyard (the largest in Japan)
* Konpon Daitō, a pagoda that according to Shingon doctrine represents the central point of a mandala covering not only Mt. Koya but all of Japan
* Kongōbu-ji, the headquarters of the Shingon sect

In 2004, UNESCO designated Mt. Koya, along with two other locations on the Kii Peninsula, as World Heritage Sites.

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_K%C5%8Dya

Temple Ominesanji - Japan

Name : Ōminesanji

Location : This Temple is situated on the top of Mount Omine (Mt.Sanjo) in the Kansai region, Honshū, Japan.

Description : Mount Omine is famous for its controversial ban on women and for its three tests of courage. Officially known as Mount Sanjo, it is more popularly known as Mount Omine due to its prominence in the Omine mountain range.

The temple Ōminesanji, is the headquarters of the Shugendō sect of Japanese Buddhism and the entire mountain is part of a pilgrimage and training ground for the yamabushi.

History : The monastery at Mount Ōmine was founded in the 8th century by En no Gyōja, as a home for his new religion of Shugendō. Shugendo literally means "the path of training and testing," and is based on the self-actualization of spiritual power in experiential form through challenging and rigorous ritualistic tests of courage and devotion known as shugyo.

Ban on Women : Traditionally, women in Japan were not allowed to climb mountains sacred to the Shinto religions. While the origins of the traditions can only be guessed at, originally these areas were banned to unclean people, such as those who had recently had a death in the family, or women on their period, which was believed to be linked to Shinto concepts of impurity, specifically the "blood impurity" brought on by menstruation and childbirth.

Other sacred mountains had different traditions, such as segregating the sexes by season, allowing women to climb at some times and men to climb at others. It is believed that the reason for this ban was to remove thoughts of temptation from the Yamabushi monks who are supposed to practice strict self-denial of a hermit in isolated mountain. Eventually the bans came to be called Nyonin Kekkai and were off-limits to women only.

Mount Ōmine is the headquarters of the Shugendō religion, an all-male asetic practice with a long tradition. Because of decrease of asetic practioners in modern Japan, most Shugendō-related mountains are no longer used for mountain retreats, and are now tourist attractions. Consequently, these sites removed their gender-restrictions and only Mount Ōmine remains.

Tests of courage :

There are three shugyo (Tests) on Mount Ōmine, each said to strengthen the spiritual power of the challenger. Climbers not wishing to take the tests can easily walk around them.

* Kane Kane Iwa - The Hanging Stone, also known as the Crab Rock due to the position one must take when ascending, is a roughly 30-foot tall cliff, most of which is easily climbable. However, at the top there is an overhanging rock. To climb the rock, one must swing out over the overhang, using an embedded length of chain to ascend.

* Nishi no Nozuki - The Insight from the West is a sheer cliff, roughly 200 feet high, roughly the same height as the Golden Gate Bridge. Novices are held head-first over the cliff, where they are compelled to admit their faults and promise to follow the social and religious laws.

* Byodo Iwa - The Rock of Equality is only available by special request. It is a rock tower, overlooking a deep cliff. Several projections from the wall allow individuals to cross over to the other side.

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_%C5%8Cmine