Asia is full of temples that foreigners may find unusual and even creepy, and all because we are not very familiar with the religion and features of this region. We present to your attention the TOP-10 Asian temples, from visiting which thoroughbred goosebumps can go (and even run!)
Dongyue Temple (China)
Dongyue Temple, which was built in 1319, is one of the largest as well as one of the darkest Taoist temples in Beijing. Today it houses the Beijing Folklore Museum, which was opened in 1999. Festivals and demonstrations based on Chinese culture take place at the museum almost all year round. Why is this temple so unusual and gloomy? And the fact that in addition to two huge pavilions, which were built as memorials to two emperors of the Qing dynasty, there are as many as 72 small rooms, each of which symbolizes one of the levels of hell.
Goa Lawah Temple (Indonesia)
Those who don't like bats shouldn't go to the 11th-century Goa Lawah Balinese temple. Even the name Goa Lavakh itself means "bat cave". One of the country's earliest Hindu temples eventually grew into a huge temple complex. For centuries, the tradition of bringing offerings in the form of fruits has been preserved, so it is not at all surprising that the cave in which the temple was built is full of bats. It is believed that bats have been an integral part of the life of monks since the creation of the temple, since their squeak helped the monks to concentrate during meditation. According to legend, the Hindu snake Vasuki, who was once a companion of Shiva, lives in the cave (which indeed no one has ever fully explored). He guards the healing waters in the depths of the cave - where no one has ever reached.
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Wat Phumin (Thailand)
Wat Phumin is one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in Thailand. There are four entrances to the temple, in front of each of which there is a statue of Buddha. The interior of Wat Phumin is decorated with frescoes depicting the daily life of ancient times. However, if you get to the middle of the temple, it becomes clear why Wat Phumin was included in the list of the darkest places of worship: there are life-size dioramas showing what will happen to those who go astray on the Buddhist path. Pictures are very vividly depicted in which people are boiled alive in pots, which are poured over with boiling oil, women impaled on stakes, with which birds peck out the brain, and other horrors of hell. All this contrasts sharply with the frescoes in the "heavenly" part of the temple, which depicts a complete idyll.
Chaikhana Huashan (China)
Although there are no images of hell and creepy pictures in this temple, Huashan Chaykhana is scary for a completely different reason - it is terrible to get to it. Mount Huashan has been a sacred site for many centuries. Several shrines and temples are scattered along the peaks of this mountain, and Huashan itself, according to Taoist beliefs, is the embodiment of wealth. This is not surprising, since 474 species of medicinal plants grow on Huashan. This is the place where, as legends say, the gods came down to Earth to bring their magic and wonders. It is to this place that emperors come to worship these gods. But the path to the temples of Chaikhana Huashan collects about 100 lives every year. It leads to the peaks along half-broken narrow boards nailed to sheer cliffs and iron bars driven into stone. At the same time, no railings simply exist.
Zenkoji Temple (Japan)
Zenkoji Temple in Nagano is almost 1,500 years old. It was founded in the sixth century by Buddhists. At that time it was an unpopular religion, so it is not surprising that even the statue of Buddha, carved in India and secretly brought to the temple, was hidden from prying eyes by the monks. The statue, which was called the "hibbutu" or "hidden Buddha" was originally installed behind the altar, and a copy was brought out to the people every seven years. As people who were lucky enough to touch the statue wrote, it is warm and feels like a living person. And getting to it is not easy - under the altar, a tunnel leads to the room with the statue, in which impenetrable darkness reigns.
Snake Pagoda (Myanmar)
By analogy with the "cave of bats" of Goa Lawah, the Yadana Labamuni Xu-tongpi Paya pagoda should never be visited by people who do not like snakes. The Snake Pagoda was built either in the 11th or 15th century (there are almost no historical records), but only in the 1970s did snakes appear there. Every day, people began to crawl into the temple from the jungle, winding around the Buddha statue. The monks believe that one of the pythons, which has grown to 5 meters in length, is the reincarnation of one of the abbots of the temple.
Osore (Japan)
Osore is one of the most sacred places in Japan. At the same time, it is one of the gates to hell (at least, local residents believe in it). The temple is located on a volcanic plain, the air here is filled with the smell of sulfur, geysers of steam and hot water constantly break out of the caked earth, and the lakes have a strange yellowish color, since the water in them is saturated with sulfur. The temple also bears a striking resemblance to ancient images of the entrance to the afterlife: it is surrounded by a river and eight mountains, and along the banks of the river there are pebbles, which are allegedly brought by the souls of dead children and babies trying to build a pyramid so that their souls can go further. The statues around the complex depict Jizo, a guardian spirit who is trying to keep the children and their little cairns from harm.
Tanah Lot (Indonesia)
Tanah Lot is one of the most beautiful places for a Hindu temple. At least for those who don't mind the hundreds of deadly poisonous sea snakes that literally swarm in the rocks on which the temple stands. Also, the temple can collapse into the water at any moment, because erosion is steadily destroying the rocks.
Preah Vihear (Cambodia)
In this temple you will not find any giant snakes or bats. Also, there are no creepy stories associated with him. But being in it is deadly. The fact is that Preah Vihear, which is a perfectly preserved example of Khmer architecture, is located on the border of Cambodia and Thailand. There is constant shooting around the building, which was built in the 11th century.
Awashima Jinja (Japan)
Dolls play a huge role in Japanese culture. They are not only toys, but also used in all kinds of rituals and ceremonies of purification and prayer. Awashima Jinja Shrine is very popular with Japanese women who come from all over the country to pray for health and fertility. They also go to this temple to leave their daughters' old dolls behind, as in Japan it is believed that if the doll is simply thrown away, she or her spirit will return to terrorize the family. Eyewitnesses say that looking into the dead, goggle eyes of thousands of dolls, which the temple is simply stuffed with, is a spectacle from which a frost goes down the skin.
