Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia
Currently, in the world, there are many famous pagodas and also the pride of the local people there. Most of these pagodas are concentrated in the Asian region because the religious tradition of most countries in the East is Buddhism. Let’s take a look at the top list of which pagodas are those!
Huong Pagoda (Vietnam)
First in Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia is Huong Pagoda. Huong Pagoda or Huong Son Pagoda is a religious and cultural complex of Vietnam including dozens of Buddhist pagodas, pagodas worshiping agricultural beliefs, and several pagodas worshiping Gods. Every year, January 6 is the opening day of the Huong Pagoda Festival, and it lasts until the third week of the third lunar month, the largest pagoda festival from February 15 to 20 (the main festival). On this occasion, millions of Buddhists across the country and tourists from all over the world eagerly go to the Huong Pagoda festival, the journey back to the land of Buddha, where Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is currently practicing.
Huong Pagoda is famous for its beautiful scenery that moves people with an architectural complex scattered in Suoi Yen valley, including a collection of many pagodas and pagodas associated with mountains, rivers, and caves. When traveling here, you can choose for yourself sightseeing tours with 4 routes to admire the beauty of the majestic mountains.
Routes in Huong Son Scenic Area:
- Huong Tich route: Trinh Pagoda – Thien Tru Pagoda – Tien Son Cave – Giai Oan Pagoda – Tran Song Pagoda – Huong Tich Cave – Hinh Bong Pagoda.
- Thanh Son Line: Thanh Son Pagoda – Huong Dai Cave
- Long Van route: Long Van Pagoda – Long Van Cave – Sung Sam Cave
- Tuyet Son route: Bao Dai Pagoda – Fish Pagoda Cave – Tuyet Son Cave
Currently, the Management Board has built a cable car system, from Thien Tru station to Huong Tich cave, which is more convenient for visitors when coming to Huong Son.
- Address: Huong Son Commune, My Duc District, Hanoi – 60 km from the center of Hanoi
- Ticket price: 130,0000 VND – 180,000 VND / ticket.
- Opening hours: Open all day weekdays.
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Wat Arun (Thailand)
Next in the Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia is Wat Arun. Wat Arun, also known as the Pagoda of Dawn, is one of the most beautiful and ancient pagodas in Thailand, attracting a significant number of tourists to the capital Bangkok. The pagoda is located on the banks of Thonburi, on the romantic Chaophraya River in Nakhon Sawan province.
The image of the pagoda is modeled on the Indian architecture of the “Cosmic Mount Meru”. It is known that Phra Prang tower is the tallest tower in the pagoda with a height of up to 79m and is made of Chinese porcelain. Wat Arun has 4 corners and 4 pointed towers, symbolizing Mount Tu Di – the sacred five-peaked mountain in the cosmology of Hinduism and Buddhism. At each corner of the pagoda are built small pagodas based on Khmer architecture. In particular, the pagoda has a shimmering and extremely splendid beauty, especially at sunset. When the sun goes down, the sunset light shines on the towers creating a brilliant scene like never before. Evening is the time when the pagoda is lit up very shimmering and fanciful.
Another unique feature of Wat Arun is that it is covered with pieces of ceramic. Pieces of glass cover the towers of the pagoda, inlaid with gentle colors, creating wonderful effects when illuminated by light. Coming to Wat Arun, besides going to the ceremony, you can spend time living virtual because the color and architecture of the pagoda when taking photos is very beautiful. Conquering the steep steps leading to the spiers is also an interesting experience.
- Address: 158 Thanon Wang Doem, Wat Arun, Bangkok Yai, Bangkok, Thailand
- Opening time: from 08:30 to 17:30
Pha That Luang Pagoda (Laos)
Pha That Luang Pagoda – one of Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia, is located in the capital Vientiane, considered the most important national monument of Laos and also a typical symbol for Buddhism. The pagoda was built in 1566 during the reign of King Setthathirat based on the image of a wine glass inlaid with gold. In addition, the pagoda has many steps with many levels representing different stages of Buddha’s enlightenment. In which, the highest place represents the world of nothingness, the lowest place represents the material world.
Pha That Luang is a huge Buddhist stupa with a height of 45 meters built in the shape of a pyramid and surrounded in turn by 30 smaller stupas. The top of Pha That Luang stupa is covered with 500 kg of gold leaf, so it has such an impressive yellow color, symbolizing the splendor of Laos.
Pha That Luang is considered as a unique religious and cultural architectural work, a symbol of wisdom and creativity. Every year on the full moon of November of the solar calendar, the festival at That Luang is held for three days and three nights with solemn rituals such as the Buddha bathing ceremony, the Rice offering ceremony, the blessing ceremony, …. in the hearts of the Lao people. That Luang is seen as a golden flame. Always lighting them with passion, faith in life and historical pride.
To fully visit the beauty of this impressive golden pagoda, it can be divided into two areas: the outer area and the great tower area. The outer area includes typical landscapes such as gardens, pagodas, memorials, Buddha statues, and the pagoda Wat Neua That Luang, the surrounding small pagodas. The area inside the great tower is for worship. Dubbed “the pearl tower in the world”, you will certainly not be disappointed when you come to Pha-that-luang pagoda.
- Address: Vientiane, Laos
- Ticket price: 5,000 kip
- Opening time: Morning: 8:00 to 12:00, Afternoon: 13:00 to 16:00
Shwedagon Pagoda (Myanmar)
Shwedagon Pagoda is located on the top of Singuttara hill of Yangon city, also is one of the Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia, spreading over an area of 50,000 square meters. Shwedagon Pagoda is considered the pride and pride of the people of Myanmar, and is also the most sacred place among the pagodas in Myanmar. The pagoda was built between the 6th and 10th centuries. The pagoda consists of hundreds of glittering pagodas and colorful stupas, most especially the 99m high stupa that is completely surrounded by gold and the top of the tower is encrusted with 4531 diamonds. In addition, the pagoda is also the place to store the most architectural and cultural heritages of this country.
The entire pagoda area has gilded Buddhist towers with sophisticated architecture, but the huge main tower is still the center of attention for all devotees and visitors. The tower is located on a square platform 6.4 m above the ground, which stands out from the surrounding towers. Around the main tower, there are 4 smaller towers in four directions and more than 60 scattered small towers. And with the tower up to 99m high, no matter where you stand in the city of Yangon, you can see this sacred Buddhist work. The main tower has a height of 112m, designed in the shape of a bell, built with bricks inside and gilded outside. The bottom of the tower has a circumference of 432.8m and a height of 99.4m. The top of the tower is encrusted with 7,000 precious stones and large diamonds, including 4,531 diamonds, one weighing up to 76 carats. The tower has a large bell inlaid with gold, each year the bell is inlaid with a new layer.
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In addition, this thousand-year-old pagoda is also a place to store 4 Buddhist treasures: Buddha’s stick of Luu Ton Buddha; Water filter equipment of Buddha Cau Na Ham; A piece of Buddha Kasyapa’s robe and eight hairs of Shakyamuni Buddha. The best time to visit Shwedagon Pagoda is at sunset.
Some notes when coming here, you are not allowed to wear sleeveless t-shirts and shorts, it is best to dress politely (do not expose breasts, do not wear see-through clothes or leggings). In addition, you need to cover your shoulders and knees, and take off your shoes and socks before entering pagodas.
- Address: Ar Zar Ni, Road Pha Yar Gyi Ward, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
- Opening hours: All day
Borobudur Pagoda (Indonesia)
Borobudur the name is familiar to some readers who have the opportunity to travel to Asia, learn about Buddhist relics or rather, spiritual tourism. Borobudur Pagoda was built in the 9th century and was built in about 100 years.
This pagoda is an extremely sophisticated and largest Buddhist wonder in the world, it was built between the 8th and 9th centuries of the Sailendra dynasty. The pagoda was built in the form of a pagoda, consisting of a Buddhist building and 72 towers. The whole building is up to 43m high, including 5 floors of square terraces, 3 floors of circular terraces, at the top is a large stupa carved with 2 million blocks of grizzly volcanic rock mined from Java island.
A special feature is that the architecture and stone of the work are arranged naturally, neither following any rules nor using any type of cement or mortar for construction. Each floor is decorated with exquisite carvings with indigenous patterns. These reliefs depict scenes of mundane life, activities in daily life, as well as the banal desires of sentient beings in the three worlds, depicting stories about human life and cultivation. The story of the Buddha…
From a distance, the pagoda resembles a hill or a pyramid with many Buddha statues and stupas, the work is completely built and carved with a gray volcanic rock quarried on the island of Java. The overall architecture of the pagoda can be divided into three parts from low to high, representing the three realms of Saha: the lowest floor is the Desire Realm, followed by the Form Realm, and the top floors are Formless. gender. Borobudur Pagoda was recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage in 1991 & one of the Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia.
- Address: Jl. Badrawati, Kw. Candi Borobudur, Borobudur, Kec. Borobudur, Magelang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia (Central Java of Indonesia)
- Opening hours: from 06.00 am – 17.00 pm
Kinkakuji Golden Pagoda (Japan)
The Golden Pagoda in Japan, also known as Kinkakuji Pagoda – Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia, is located in Northern Kyoto. At first, the pagoda was a guest house of General Ashikaga built in the 139s. After his death, the house became a pagoda inlaid entirely with gold leaf. Do you know, the most distinctive feature of the sophistication and sophistication of the Golden Pagoda is an extremely impressive position between the green canopy of luxuriant trees and the pure reflected light of a lake. Silence. Statues of Buddha Shaka and Yoshimitsu were stored on the first floor of the pagoda. It can be said that the golden pagoda is a symbol of both spiritual and material value of the people of Kyoto.
Kinkakuji Pagoda is located in a very impressive position amidst the green canopy of the trees and the pure light reflected by the still lake. Kinkakuji Golden Pagoda is three stories high:
- The first floor is built in the Shinden style used for palace buildings during the Heian period, and with its natural wooden pillars and contrasting white plaster walls.
- The second floor is built in the Bukke style used in samurai residence architecture, and the outside is completely covered in gold leaf. Inside is a seated Bodhisattva Kannon surrounded by statues of the Four Heavenly Kings.
- The third and highest floor is built in the style of a Chinese Zen Hall, gilded inside and out, and bounded with a golden phoenix.
In spring with an ideal temperature of more than 10 degrees Celsius, the season when cherry blossoms bloom sporadically on the mountains, and many special festivals take place. Summer when the sound of chirping insects calls you is also an appropriate time to visit Kinkakuji Pagoda. In particular, the most impressive is probably the scenery of Kinkakuji golden pagoda in autumn – the season of red maple leaves. Each red maple tree like the sunset color makes Kinkakuji shine, this is also the best time to visit Kinkakuji Golden Pagoda.
- Address: 1 Kinkakuji-chō, Kita-ku, Kyōto, Kyoto, Japan.
- Website: http://www.shokoku-ji.jp/
- Admission: 400 ¥
- Opening time: 9.00 am – 17.00 pm on weekdays
Mahabodhi Pagoda (India)
Other name in Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia is Mahabodhi Pagoda, also known as the Great Enlightenment Pagoda, is considered a Buddhist stupa located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar state, India, where Buddha Shakyamuni attained Bodhi. Next to the pagoda to the west is a very sacred Bodhi tree. In general, the pagoda is a sophisticated stone architecture with 1 large tower in the center and 4 small towers arranged on 4 sides. Mahabodhi Pagoda was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2002.
Mahabodhi Pagoda is more than 50m high, is the first pagoda built in the 5th-6th centuries in mainland India, this is the first Buddhist pagoda built entirely of bricks from the ancient Gupta period to the present day. still existed in India, having a significant influence on the development of architecture in later centuries.
Architecturally, the pagoda clearly shows Burmese style, since it has been restored by Burmese Buddhists. Mahabodhi Pagoda has two floors, a base and a tower, a total height of 42.6 meters. On the base floor there is a large Buddha hall, but unlike all the other pagodas, this shrine has a door, the door is gilded and locked with a steel padlock made specifically for Queen Victoria. by your side. Around the pagoda there are many small niches, each niche has a seated Buddha image, a total of 465 Buddha statues in many positions. The tower has four sides, including hundreds of reliefs depicting the life of Buddha.
- Address: Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India
- Opening time: 5.00h – 21.00h on weekdays
Haeinsa Pagoda (Korea)
Haeinsa Pagoda, also known as Hai An Pagoda, was built in 802 on Mount Gaya, in South Gyeongsang Province, also in Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia. Haeinsa is one of the leading Buddhist pagodas in Korea, located in the middle of rolling hills and has a strange attraction because of both religious values and wild beauty. Not only is an impressive Korean tourist destination, but Haeinsa pagoda is also a place where Korean Buddhists, Buddhists and scholars from all over the world come here on pilgrimage to pray to Buddha.
Mahabodhi Pagoda has been known to many visitors for not only its outstanding architecture, but also because it is home to the Tripitaka Koreana – Ancient Buddhist scripture carvings, carved on more than 80,000 wooden panels from 1237 to 1247. This is also one of the reasons that this small pagoda nestled in this deep mountain valley still enjoys a reputation more than all the pagodas built in recent centuries. Haeinsa is also one of the three largest pagodas on the Korean peninsula and represents the Three Jewels of Buddhism, namely Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
The buildings that store Buddhist scriptures called Janggyeong Pangeon area were built in the 15th century according to the traditional wooden architecture, which is not only beautiful in architecture but also very scientific in layout and always used for a single purpose. that is to protect the wooden slabs. Specially designed to provide natural ventilation as well as to regulate the temperature and humidity of the air to adapt to the climatic conditions and thus, for more than 500 years, the precious slabs of wood. that still exists.
Haeinsa Pagoda has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site since 1995.
- Address: 122 Haeinsa-gil, Gaya-myeon, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
- Entrance ticket price: 2,000KRW/person
- Opening time: 9.00 am – 17.00 pm on weekdays
Boudhanath Pagoda (Nepal)
Nepal is a land with diverse cultures and religions of more than 100 ethnic groups, making it an attractive destination and place to visit to travel, experience and explore the majestic nature here. Moreover, this is also a spiritual stop for pilgrims to visit the place of Buddha’s birth – Lumbini or sacred Buddhist relics such as the Boudhanath Stupa – located in the northern suburbs. Northeast of Kathmandu.
Located on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas in the world. Bao Thap was built according to the classical, arched model. Each part of the Stupa has a certain symbolic meaning. On the four sides of the stupa overlooking the four main directions are the eyes of the Buddha – painted very large. The stupa is up to 36m high and has existed since the 5th century. This pagoda is designed in the pattern of interwoven squares and circles. In addition, around the tower, there are 108 incarnations of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Even the prayer chakras around this stupa are engraved with Buddha’s mantras.
From the main gate walking into the stupa, we will enter the Tibetan prayer flags. The prayer flags have 5 colors, representing the 5 basic elements: yellow for earth, green for water, red for fire, white for wind, blue for sky space.
Boudhanath Pagoda has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage since 1979 and in the Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia.
- Address: Buddha Stupa, Boudhanath Sadak, Kathmand, Nepal.
- Opening hours: Open all day weekdays.
Todaiji Temple (Japan)
Last of the Top 10 Most Famous Pagodas in Asia is Todaiji Temple, also known as Dong Dai Temple, is considered a Buddhist temple complex, and was built in 743 and completed in 751. Todai-ji temple has so many unique architecture that it is impossible to see it. all within 1 day.
The temple is located in the city of Nara, built during the reign of Emperor Shomu. Currently, the pagoda still preserves extremely finely carved statues, representing the Japanese art of wood carving, and hundreds of other rare relics and antiques. The pagoda has been recognized by UNESCO as the “historical memorial complex of the Nara period”.
The complex includes the Great Buddha Pagoda, two 7-storey towers, a lecture hall and a vihara. The main hall of Todaiji Pagoda – Daibutsuden – (big hall) is the largest wooden hall in the world – where the 14.7m high bronze statue of Todai-ji Rushana Buddha is located. Next to the Great Buddha Hall is a large pillar named “Kuguri column”, on which there is a hole. Legend has it that if you can get through that hole, you will have good luck that year, if you have the opportunity to come here, try to get through it.
At the entrance to Todaiji there is the Nandaimon Gate, a large wooden gate guarded by two fierce-looking statues. Representing the two Nios, the two statues were designed to guard the national treasure along with the entrance gate.
Another interesting point when visiting Todaiji Pagoda is the Todaiji Museum. The museum was opened to the public in 2011 and is located near the Nandaimon Gate. At the museum exhibits range from the Pagoda’s collections of religious art and cultural treasures, to large Buddha statues.
- Address: Nara, Nara-shi, Zoshi-cho, Japan.
- Website: http://www.todaiji.or.jp/.
- Admission: 500 yen (museum visit), 800 yen (museum visit and Daibutsuden hall).
Open time:
- Between November and February it is 8:00~16:30.
- In March it is 8:00~17:00.
- From April to September is 7:30~17:30, October is 7:30~17:00.
The above are all famous temples of Asia and have extremely unique architecture. If you have the opportunity, then try to visit these places to have a complete view of Asian Buddhism!
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