Tag Archives: Temple

Jain Temple – Jaisalmer

Jain Temple - Jaisalmer

Jain Temple – Jaisalmer

It’s one of the Jain Temples in Jaisalmer. It was very ornate from the outside. I’m not sure how they did it, but it seems to me that someone carved all that ornateness in the sandstone structure by hand. If they did, they sure had a lot more patience than I ever will. Whoever the architect was, he was a marvelous technician to have a accomplished what he did with what he had. I plan on visiting the Jain Temple tomorrow.

Nice Temple

Nice Temple

Nice Temple

The locals call it Birla Mandir. It’s a modern, very nice temple. Lots of marble. Very clean lines. Well worth a visit when you are in Jaipur, India..

Temple Group

Temple Group

Temple Group

There were four of us that left from the hotel that morning with the guide. There was a Frenchman who was born in America who was on a one year around-the-world trip. There was a couple who resided in Switzerland. He was from the Netherlands. She was from Portugal. We went on the morning boat ride along the ghats in Varanasi and the temple in the city. After the tour we had lunch together and decided to go to Sarnath, a small town north of Varanasi that is purported to be the location where Buddha first revealed the way to Enlightenment. I don’t know a whole lot about Buddha, but I do know that it’s really nice when people can get together for a day, have a good time and do a little human bonding.

Lotus Temple – Delhi

Lotus Temple - Delhi

Lotus Temple – Delhi

This is the Lotus Temple in Delhi. It is a temple of the Bahai faith and is known as the Bahai House of Worship. It’s a very unique structure. When I visited, there was a constant stream of people coming and going. The Lotus Temple was quite popular with the tourists as well as people of the Bahai faith.

Laxminarayan Temple – Delhi

Laxminarayan Temple - Delhi

Laxminarayan Temple – Delhi

The Indians call it Birla Mandir. So, if you’re catching a cab, that’s what you would tell the driver. Often, your pronouncEments of the name of a location or site is different to the locals than to tourists. It gets tricky. But, Delhi Tourism got me there with no problem. The temple was really beautiful. The guide was impressive in her explanations. It’s one of the few times that I’ve come out of a temple feeling that I would like to go back and see it again. No pictures were allowed inside, though.The Indians call it Birla Mandir. So, if you’re catching a cab, that’s what you would tell the driver. Often, your pronouncEments of the name of a location or site is different to the locals than to tourists. It gets tricky. But, Delhi Tourism got me there with no problem. The temple was really beautiful. The guide was impressive in her explanations. It’s one of the few times that I’ve come out of a temple feeling that I would like to go back and see it again. No pictures were allowed inside, though.

Donut King

Donut King

Donut King

This is the only western-style donut shop I’ve run across since I’ve been in China. It’s located across the street from the Jing’an Temple so it gets a lot of tourist exposure. I would have substituted a picture of the Jing’an Temple, but I’ve got a lot more pictures of temples than I do of donut shops. Plus, I don’t really feel that I have a good handle on Buddhism. There are some things I don’t really understand about the religion. Seems like there’s an awful lot of terminology and lore about the religion that leaves me a little baffled. Donut shops, on the other hand, are something I’ve come to love and understand.

Jade Buddha Temple

Jade Buddha Temple

Jade Buddha Temple

This is the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai, China. It has a Jade Buddha. I would have taken a picture of the Jade Buddha, but pictures were not allowed. I’m sure I could have snuck one, but this is Communist China, after all. There are a lot of people I’ll mess with and even more people that I couldn’t possibly take seriously, even on a bet. However, when it comes to messing with the Chinese government, I don’t. It seems that millions and millions of people have simply "disappeared" here in the last century. I don’t want some petty incident with someone in a uniform to cause my wife to wonder where I am. It was bad enough that I snuck in to see the Jade Buddha in the middle of a group of French tourists.

Burning Incense

Burning Incense

Burning Incense

It’s called the Lama Temple and it’s supposed to be the main Buddhist Temple in the Beijing area. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but I do know that it’s on all of the main-list-of-attractions for virtually every source I checked. What’s going on in the picture is that people are praying/worshiping and burning incense. They had to burn it outside as they weren’t allowed to burn it inside the temple. It made for some interesting fragrances.

Me at Temple of Heavenly Peace

Me at Temple of Heavenly Peace

Me at Temple of Heavenly Peace

The Temple of Heavenly Peace is a large group of Taoist buildings. It’s considered one of the great temples in China. It was built about 600 years ago to appease the Emperor of Heaven. I’m not really sure who that is, but I’m sure he’s important. The Temple of Heavenly Peace is a UNESCO World Heritage site. That alone gives it enough credibility to get me to go there. It was, also, on one of my tours.