Home›Buddhist Sites›Sacred ToBrowse BySacred ToThis page groups sacred sites by the deity or power they are considered sacred to. Wikipedia notes that scholars describe such places as "the place where the transcendent becomes immanent, and where the devotee can access God." Browsing this way lets a visitor find every site venerated in connection with one particular deity.FactsLearn MoreSacred ToSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe 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. 2Size of the Traditional SetWell-attestedFour: 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. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedSacred Sites 1Learn MoreThe 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.Sacred ToFilter Results2 entriesAdherents Today MaximumAll324,000,000 (1)Adherents Today MinimumAll324,000,000 (1)Basis of the Membership FigureAllChurch-Reported Rolls (1)Independent Survey (1)Scholarly or Demographic Estimate (1)Establishment StatusAllDisestablished (1)Varies by Province (1)FounderAllNone (1)Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha (1)How the Expectation Is EnforcedAllCustomary Norm (2)Membership Figure As OfAll2010-01-01 (1)2012-12-18 (1)2016-12-31 (1)2020-01-01 (1)Origin Period End YearAll400 BCE (1)712 (1)Origin Period Start YearAll500 BCE (1)300 BCE (1)Practice StatusAllLiving, and practised in varied local forms (1)Partly restricted: some elements are closed to outsiders (1)Status TodayAllLiving tradition, practised today (2)TheologyAllAnimist: persons and powers in land, water and living things (1)Non-theistic: no creator god is central (1)Polytheistic: many gods (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareBuddhismSacred To1 entryShintoSacred To1 entrySources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices, 2nd editiontier 1Peter Harvey, Cambridge University Press, 2013View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.