Religious places in Asia

Shikoku 88 is a famous pilgrimage route connecting 88 of Shikoku's temple. It's mostly done by Japanese Buddhists, but none buddhists are welcome too. The full pilgrimage will take about 1-2 months to complete by foot, but you can settle on just some of the temples and see them by car (plus a bit of hiking). If you only visit one temple, make it Iwaya-ji, Temple 45. Parking is about 20 minutes hike from the temple. The trail leads through the forest and pass temple flags and Buddhist statues on the way. The temple itself is on multiple levels and beautiful nested against a cliff face with forest to the other sides. It's a tranquil place which invites to contemplation.

Though Kazakhs are fairly secular, many of Kazakhstan’s Sufi Muslims go on pilgrimages to the underground mosques of Shopan-Ata and Beket-Ata. These pilgrimages hold more cultural than religious importance; so foreign visitors are welcome to join the local pilgrims on a trip that includes ancient necropolises; prayer-sessions; conventional walks around sacred trees; and underground mosques hundreds of kilometres from anywhere.
The pilgrimage starts from Zhanaozen, 150 kilometres into the Mangistau Desert. You will share old Russian minibuses with the pilgrims, eat communal meals at temples along the route, and sleep in mosques at the holy sites. The final and blessed destination is a number of ancient cave mosques that have been used by important scholars, who withdrew to these caves for religious meditation in the early nineteenth century.

Where the Mekong River meets the Nam Khan river lies one of the most charming cities in Asia. The old town of Luang Prabang is an ancient capital packed with golden temples, old French colonial houses, and even a royal palace. Though it is fast becoming a mandatory stop on the Southeast Asian trail, it is still tranquil and fairly unspoiled with quiet backstreets and hidden temples just a block away from the French bakeries and cafes on the main street. In the evening, the friendly monks overcome their shyness to practice English with the passing travellers, and, at dawn, they sway down the streets in long orange rows to collect alms from the locals. It is almost too easy to fall in love with Luang Prabang.

The sacred Buddha caves at Pak Ou consist of two caves, where Buddhists for centuries have come to pray and place Buddha sculptures in hope of merits. They sit in a steep limestone cliff face right above where the Mekong River meets the Nam Ou river. The upper cave is dark and almost empty, since the old Buddha statues have been eaten by termites. The lower cave is open and is the famous one. Every surface is littered with big and small Buddha statues. It has been estimated that the cave has once contained more than 6000 statues, though the number is probably closer to 100 today thanks to souvenirs hunters and thoughtless tourists.

In 2004, a local guy found a cave up on a steep cliff face. When he crawled through the narrow cave entrance, there was more than just stalagmites inside the cave. 229 Buddha statues in various sizes were looking at him. Nobody knows for sure when and why they were placed, which just adds to the magic. Today, the cave is a popular pilgrimage place for locals and monks alike. They come to pray, splash water, bang the gong and do other quirky rituals. The drive from Tha Khaek goes through picturesque rice paddy fields with nice views of the limestone mountain range in the distance.

Besides being the national symbol, the Pha That Luang is the biggest, holiest and shiniest stupa in all of Laos. The story goes that in the 3rd century BC a stupa was erected here which contained a bit of Buddha's ribs. Whether that is true is doubtful, but a stupa has for sure been standing here since mid 16th century. Since then, it has many times been reconstructed due to invasions and fires, and the one that stands today is the result of two French reconstruction from 1900 and 1930s. The layout follows, of course, a Buddhist numerological design where every level or feature have some symbolic meaning. But you can easily enjoy it without knowing all the details.

Laos is showered in stupas and pagodas, but some are apparently more important than others. The golden stupa at the Sikhottabong monastery is one of the important ones. Though not as grand, nor as shiny, as Pha That Luang in Vientiane, it is still worth the small trip from Tha Khaek - if nothing else then to chat up some friendly monks. The classic Lao-style temple, next to the stupa, has a big Buddha inside, along with the usual buddhist knickknacks that always leave us non-Buddhists in wonder and in awe.

An ancient Khmer temple complex built in Angkor style a bit earlier (11th century) than Angkor Wat in Cambodia (12th century). Bits and pieces were later added, so the similarities in design with its sister temple of Angkor are big, though it does not have any bas-reliefs. Wat Phu is built at the base of a hill, which due to its slight penis shape was considered a representation of Shiva, and therefore holy. Furthermore, a spring drips from the rock ceiling and, since the rock is Shiva's phallus, the water is therefore holy. So Wat Phu is a water temple in honour of Shiva and the only of its kind in the Angkor world. Additional fascinating things can be found on the site, like the crocodile rock and heaps of later added Buddha statues.

Located in a limestone hill and consisting of several caves with a series of Hindu temples within, this is one of the most visited sites of Malaysia. What is more striking than nature perhaps, is man made - the world's tallest statue of Lord Muruga stands just outside the entrance at an impressive 42.7 metres. To reach the actual temple complex, visitors have to climb 272 steps amongst local worshippers who do it barefoot. The best time to visit is during the Thaipusam festival, when as many as 800,000 devotees arrive, most carrying kavadis. These elaborately decorated frameworks are supported by metal hooks or pins that pierce the skin, cheeks, and tongue to support their weight and are meant as offerings of sacrifice. The caves themselves are decorated with natural limestone formations and ornately painted sculptures of Hindu Gods. Beware though, of the numerous macaques that will follow your every footstep all the way up those steep steps if you carry any semblance of food.

You shouldn't think so, but Mongolia is a great place to experience Tibetan Buddhism. This monastery was Mongolia's first and built in 1586 with stones from the once mighty capital, Karakorum, of the Mongolian kingdom. Destroyed and abandoned several times, the latest under the power of the Stalinist dictator Choibalsan in the 1930's, today, the temples are again buzzing with the monk's prayers. A mandatory stop on every Mongolian trip.