Khor Virap

Name : Khor Virap

Location : Its location, near the closest point to Mount Ararat within Armenian borders, offers a spectacular view of the mountain, the national symbol of Armenia.

Description : The main church, St. Astvatsatsin, dates from the end of the 17th century. The smaller St. Gevorg Chapel was originally constructed in 642 by Catholicos Nerses III the Builder, but has been repeatedly rebuilt. St. Gevorg was built over the pit of imprisonment of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. This prison pit is where Saint Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years before curing King Trdat III of a disease. As reverence for Saint Gregory's act of healing and kindness, the King converted Armenia into the first officially Christian nation in the world in the year 301.

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khor_Virap

Mt. Nantai San, Japan

Name : Mt. Nantai San, Japan

Location : Above beautiful lake Chuzenji and the ancient temple-studded town of Nikko is the sacred mountain of Nantai San in Japan

Description : Also known as Kurokiyama and Futaarasan, the 2484 meter peak has been a place of Shinto pilgrimage since at least the 4th century AD. Local legends tell of a powerful mountain spirit that assisted hermits and monks in spiritual realization, and by the 8th century Nantai San was a favored site for Buddhist practitioners on solitary retreats.

Besides finding the place highly conducive for the practice of meditation, people receive telepathic and visionary information which indicate that Nantai San had an energy field that would "awaken, stimulate, and amplify the capacity of human creativity".

Time to visit : The particular energy field is highly concentrated during the time of August 1-7 when many thousands of pilgrims climb the mountain from behind the Chugushi shrine.

Website : http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/japan/nantai_san.html

Guoqing Temple

Name : Guoqing Temple

Location : Tiantai Mountain, Zhejiang province, China

Significance : This mountain temple is the site where indigenous Chinese Buddhism branched away from Buddhist teachings and doctrine commonly found in India. From there, the Tiantai sect of Buddhism spread to both Korea and Japan during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The tall brick Guoqing Pagoda built at the temple in the year 597 is still standing, making it one of the oldest surviving brick pagodas in China (after the 40 m tall Chinese Songyue Pagoda built in 523 AD).

Description : It is a Buddhist temple originally built in 598 AD during the Sui Dynasty, and renovated during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1722-1735 AD) of the Qing Dynasty. It is located roughly 220 km from the city of Hangzhou. It was the initial site for the creation of the Tiantai Mahayana Buddhist sect, founded by Zhiyi (538-597 AD). The temple covers a square surface area of some 23000 square m (75440 ft squared). The temple features 600 rooms in a total of 14 different halls, including the Grand Hall of Sakyamuni, the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, the Hall of Monk Jigong, etc. The exterior of the temple features Chinese pagodas such as the Sui Pagoda, the Seven Buddha Pagoda, and the Memorial Pagoda of Monk Yi Xing (683-727 AD).

Pacha Tata and Pacha Mama

Name : Pacha Tata and Pacha Mama is the Quechan or Inca word for Earth Father and Mother Earth

Location : On the Amantaní island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca.

Description : These are the pre-Inca temples sitting on the two high peaks of Amantani Island which are dedicated to fertility. Pacha Mama and Pacha Tata are two important figures that symbolize the principle of complementarity and harmony in the Andean cultures: the Chacha Warmi. The large hills are covered by small square farms enclosed by four foot stone walls. On the steep stone stairway up to the temple, we are greeted by adorable local children selling bracelets. We can buy Benita's wares.At Pacha Tata we can enjoy the beautiful views of the island and the lake.



Legend : According to legend, if you walk around the temple three times and make a wish to Pacha Tata, it will come true. After making our wishes, we can watch the sunset across the lake. Then we can walk up the next hill to the Pacha Mama temple and watch the moon and stars glow at night.

The Amantani island's toad-like shape symbolizes material and spiritual wealth, giving balance to the individual and offering organized visits to overcome emotional problems, bring harmony, encounter the interior and bring balance to the body's energies.


Festivals :

Fiesta de la Santa Tierra occurs the third Thursday in January annually. This is the only day the temples (at the top of peaks) are open. The rest of the year it is closed to the public. (You can however take a walk to the top and circle Pacha Mama 3 times for a wish and get a glimpse of the sun going down across the waters of Lake Titicaca and celebrate Mother Earth all around you.)

During the festival the population split in two -- half at the Temple of Pachamama and the other half at the Temple of Pachatata (on Amantani's other peak), symbolizing the islanders' ancient dualistic belief system. A representative of each group will race to a point between the two. According to tradition, a victory for Pacha Mama means a bountiful harvest for the coming season.

Website :

1. http://www.americanfoxperu.com/Puno2D.php

2. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/South_America/Peru/Departamento_de_Puno/Isla_Amantani-1613793/Things_To_Do-Isla_Amantani-TG-C-1.html

Doi Tung temple

Name : Doi Tung Temple

Location : Doi Tung (Flag Mountain) located in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand

Description : At the top of the mountain Doi Tung is the thousand years old temple of Wat Phrathat Doi Tung. It is a Buddhist temple since 911 AD and it is assumed that the left collar bone of Buddha is found in two pagodas. On the way to the top, enjoy the view and then on a visit to the Lahu and Akha hill tribe village known for its hand woven textiles and silver jewelry.

The temple is an important pilgrimage spot for Buddhists from many countries. Thais will also make a pilgrimage of sorts to the royal villa of the Princess Mother, the mother of the current king, who passed away in 1995. The villa has been preserved as it was when the Princess Mother lived there, and turned into a museum.

Other attractions : A long drive the boat propeller in the Mekong River, the natural rock formations and caves with spectacular formations, such as the Big Cave, Fish Cave. Visit www.homestaytravelchiangrai.com for more photos and information.

Website : http://thailandforvisitors.com/north/chiangrai/doitung.html

Erechtheum

Name : Erechtheum

Location : North side of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece

Architecture :

The temple as seen today was built between 421 and 407 BC. Its architect may have been Mnesicles, and it derived its name from a shrine dedicated to the legendary Greek hero Erichthonius. Some have suggested that it may have been built in honour of the legendary king Erechtheus, who is said to have been buried nearby. Erechtheus and Erichthonius were often syncretized. It is believed to have been a replacement for the Pesistratid temple of Athena Polias destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC.

The need to preserve multiple adjacent sacred precincts likely explains the complex design. The main structure consists of up to four compartments, the largest being the east cella, with an Ionic portico on its east end. Other current thinking would have the entire interior at the lower level and the East porch used for access to the great altar of Athena Polias via a balcony and stair and also as a public viewing platform.

The entire temple is on a slope, so the west and north sides are about 3 m (9 ft) lower than the south and east sides. It was built entirely of marble from Mount Pentelikon, with friezes of black limestone from Eleusis which bore sculptures executed in relief in white marble. It had elaborately carved doorways and windows, and its columns were ornately decorated (far more so than is visible today); they were painted, gilded and highlighted with gilt bronze and multi-colored inset glass beads. The building is known for early examples of egg-and-dart, and guilloche ornamental moldings.

Religious functions :

The Erectheum was associated with some of the most ancient and holy relics of the Athenians: the Palladion, which was a xoanon (defined as a wooden effigy fallen from heaven - not man-made) of Athena Polias (Protectress of the City); the marks of Poseidon's trident and the salt water well (the "salt sea") that resulted from Poseidon's strike; the sacred olive tree that sprouted when Athena struck the rock with her spear in her successful rivalry with Poseidon for the city; the supposed burial places of the mythical kings Cecrops and Erechtheus; the sacred precincts of Cecrops' three daughters, Herse, Pandrosus and Aglaurus; and those of the tribal heroes Pandion and Boutes.

The temple itself was dedicated to Athena Polias and Poseidon Erechtheus. Within the foundations lived the sacred snake of the temple, which represented the spirit of Cecrops and whose well-being was thought essential for the safety of the city. The snake was fed honey-cakes by Canephorae, the priestesses of Athena Polias, by custom the women of the ancient family of Eteoboutadae, the supposed descendants of the hero Boutes. The snake's occasional refusal to eat the cakes was thought a disastrous omen.

Late antiquity and the Middle Ages :

The intact Erechtheum was extensively described by the Roman geographer Pausanias (1.26.5 - 27.3), writing a century after it had been restored in the 1st century AD. The internal layout has since been obscured by the temple's later use as a church and possibly as a Turkish harem.

Modern Times :

One of the caryatids was removed by Lord Elgin in order to decorate his Scottish mansion, and was later sold to the British Museum (along with the pedimental and frieze sculpture taken from the Parthenon). Athenian legend had it that at night the remaining five Caryatids could be heard wailing for their lost sister. Elgin attempted to remove a second Caryatid; when technical difficulties arose, he tried to have it sawn to pieces. The statue was smashed, and its fragments were left behind. It was later reconstructed haphazardly with cement and iron rods.

Recent events :

The Caryatids have been transferred to the New Acropolis Museum. The first was carried over safely on December 9th, 2007, via an elaborate system of aerial cranes.

Within the new museum, the statue was reunited with its long-missing sandalled left foot, which was identified among rubble in the 1980s. The reassembled Caryatid, along with the four others remaining in Athens, is having its decayed patina thoroughly restored by laser, and is on display in the new museum.


Website :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erechtheum