5 Ancient Temples Outside Of India To Visit

1.Wat Phra Si Sanphet

It is one of the oldest temples in Thailand and was built in around the 15th century. Unlike Thailand’s other temples, monks were not allowed to live in it. Instead, it was used exclusively for storing royal items and conducting royal ceremonies.

In 1491, King Ramathibodi II added two chedis to the temple to hold the remains of members of his family. Chedis are a vital part of Thailand’s temples. They’re built after the body of a deceased loved one has been cremated, and the ashes of the dead are usually kept inside.

One of the two chedis built by Ramathibodi II held the ashes of his late father while the other held the ashes of his late brother. Seven years later, he added an assembly hall where the statue of Buddha Phra Si Sanphet was placed. The statue was covered in about 200 kilograms (440 lb) of gold.It was this statue that later popularized the temple and gave it its name. Unfortunately, the gold covering the statue was looted in 1767 by the invading Burmese army, who also destroyed much of the temple.

1. Wat Tilok Aram

Wat Tilam Aram is over 500 years old, and while it comes with a grab bag of interesting historical facts, most of its intrigue comes from its recent history.

The temple is believed to have been built by King Tilokanart of the Mengrai dynasty and was deliberately submerged more than 68 years ago during the construction of Phayao Lake.Recent attempts to drain the water around the temple have been met with resistance because doing so might cause more damage to the temple than anything the water could do.

The project could also affect fishing in the area and cause damage to the ecosystem.The plan was eventually shelved and a floating platform was built over the underwater temple instead. The temple itself has suffered extensive damage, and all that remains of it are four poles, some debris, and a massive concrete wall.

3.Temple Of Dendur

In 1965, the Egyptian government gifted the Temple of Dendur to the United States government which helped saving many Nubian monuments from drowning in the floods of Lake Nasser through the Aswan Dam project. Many monuments that were saved were simply dismantled and moved to higher ground but Dendur was disassembled and moved across the ocean in 661 crates on the S.S. Concordia Star. It took nearly 10 years for the complete temple to make it to New York City.

4.Wat Tham Suea

In 1975, a meditating monk discovered, what he said, were tigers roaming through the caves. This encounter led to the naming of the Tiger Cave Temple or Wat Tham Suea.

Most well known for the journey to the top, there are 1,237 steps to the summit of the Tiger Cave Temple.

Oftentimes, this set of stairs is referred to as the Stairway to Heaven. 1,237 is not a small number, and glorious Buddha statues await your arrival at the peak.

It’s considered a holy site by the Buddhists in Krabi, Thailand.

About 250 monks and nuns presently live in and maintain the temple. Tourists come as much for the temple as for the breathtaking natural beauty of the surrounding forest.

Tiger Cave Temple is surrounded by several cells that were built into the caves and cliffs around the main building; these natural dormitories serve as the living quarters for the monks. The temple itself is filled with skulls, skeletons, and explicit paintings. The most extraordinary part of the temple is probably the shrine at its top, but to get there you’ll have to trudge up 1,200 steps.

1. Pyramid Of The Magician

Uxmal, which means “built thrice,” is a destroyed Mayan city in Yucatan, Mexico. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. One of its major landmarks is the “Pyramid of the Magician,” which is also called the “House of the Dwarf” because of the belief that it was built by a dwarf who hatched from an egg.

According to legend, the dwarf grew into an adult in a day and built the pyramid in a night. In reality, the pyramid was constructed in the sixth century. Standing an impressive 35 meters (115 ft) tall, the pyramid is the biggest building in Uxmal. It actually contains several temples that were built before the pyramid itself was erected it wasn’t uncommon for the Maya to construct new buildings on top of older ones. Temple IV one of the temples at the top of the pyramid—has 12 masks hung around its doorway.

The masks were originally believed to represent Chac, the god of rain, but this has been disputed.Another temple at the top, Temple V, was built around A.D. 1000. It might have been inspired by the Governor’s Palace, which stood nearby.