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Sacred Correspondences
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All Buddhist Sites

Sites sacred to Buddhism across Asia, from Bodh Gaya and the other places of the Buddha's life to the great mountain pilgrimages, cave temples and relic shrines of the later tradition.

Facts
Overview
What Defines This Grouping
The places of the Buddha's own life, together with the monasteries, stupas, cave-temples and sacred mountains of every land Buddhism reached. The group spans Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, and most of its members lie outside the country the tradition began in - Buddhist sacred geography followed the religion's expansion rather than staying with its origin. 2
Size of the Traditional Set
Four: the places the Mahaparinibbana Sutta names as those a Buddhist should visit - the birth, the awakening, the first teaching and the final nirvana of the Buddha. Later tradition extends the four to a set of eight. 2
Directory
Category
Sacred Sites 1
Learn More
The Holy Places of Buddhism

This group holds the sacred sites of Buddhism, spread across Asia along the paths of the religion's expansion from India. Buddhist sacred geography begins with the places of the Buddha's own life (his birth, awakening, first teaching and passing), and extends to the great monasteries, stupas and cave-temples raised over relics and images.

The browser will find the pilgrimage places of the Buddha's biography together with the monastic and devotional centres of the lands to which Buddhism spread. The entries describe each site's history and significance, noting the tradition (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) to which it chiefly belongs.

All Buddhist Sites
Filter Results42 entries

Adam Peak (Sri Pada)

Buddhist Sites

Ajanta Caves

Buddhist Sites

Angkor Thom

Buddhist Sites

Bagan

Buddhist Sites

Bodh Gaya

Buddhist Sites

Borobudur

Buddhist Sites

Boudhanath

Buddhist Sites

Ellora Caves

Buddhist Sites

Erawan Shrine

Buddhist Sites

Famen Temple (Famensi)

Buddhist Sites

Great Stupa of Sanchi

Buddhist Sites

Great Wild Goose Pagoda

Buddhist Sites

Haw Pha Bang (Royal Temple, Luang Prabang)

Buddhist Sites

Hsi Lai Temple

Buddhist Sites

Jokhang

Buddhist Sites

Koyasan

Buddhist Sites

Kushinagar

Buddhist Sites

Lingguang Temple (Badachu)

Buddhist Sites

Lingyun Hill

Buddhist Sites

Longmen Grottoes

Buddhist Sites

Lumbini

Buddhist Sites

Menri Monastery

Buddhist Sites

Mogao Caves

Buddhist Sites

Mount Emei

Buddhist Sites

Mount Jiuhua

Buddhist Sites

Mount Kurama

Buddhist Sites

Mount Putuo

Buddhist Sites

Mount Wutai

Buddhist Sites

Piprahwa Stupa

Buddhist Sites

Potala Palace

Buddhist Sites

Rumtek Monastery

Buddhist Sites

Samye Monastery

Buddhist Sites

Sarnath

Buddhist Sites

Shwedagon Pagoda

Buddhist Sites

Songyue Pagoda

Buddhist Sites

Tashilhunpo Monastery

Buddhist Sites

Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa)

Buddhist Sites

Todai-ji

Buddhist Sites

Tsurphu Monastery

Buddhist Sites

Wat Phra Kaew and the Emerald Buddha

Buddhist Sites

Yonghegong

Buddhist Sites

Yungang Grottoes

Buddhist Sites
Sources
1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Tree
2. An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices, 2nd edition
Peter Harvey, Cambridge University Press, 2013View the Source
Divinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptions
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