Religious places in Asia

Over the flat plain of central Sri Lanka rises a small hill of rock. Since the 1st century BC it has been used as a Buddhist cave temple, with more than 80 smaller and bigger caves. There are five main caves, all dimly lit with ancient Buddha statues and precious wall paintings, along with the usual religious mismatch of statues of Hindu gods and old kings. The Buddhist monastery, which is believed to be from the 2nd or 3rd century BC, is still functioning to this day and local visitors still use the caves to pray. By being such an impressive historical place, Dambulla Cave Temple was of course declared an UNESCO site. As a bonus, you have a magnificent view from the top and Sigiriya Rock can even been spotted in the distance, 19 km away.

Once a year, the war god Kataragama, son of Shiva, is celebrated in the streets of Colombo. Hindu devotees honour him and pray for his healing and blessing through a rough day of sacrifices. Some worshippers are pierced through their mouthes and tongues and hung by huge hooks pierced through the skin of their backs, while others, also tongue pierced, roll all the way to the temple. Everyone can participate as the audience is getting blessed by the self-sacrificed disciples. A hand on the head and some holy dust in the hair and Kataragama's strong power might be transferred. It's a holy madness that only Hindus can make sense of and a not-to-be-missed experience.

Buddhist monasteres don't necessarily have to be a thousand years old and the Chung Tai Chan is an example of that. Build in 2001, rising 43 floors to the sky, it is designed with slick lines that should resemble a devotee in meditating lotus position. It's an interesting piece of architecture trying to embrace both modern technology and Buddhist philosophy. It belongs to a special Buddhist order that practices Chinese Zen, if that means something to you, and visitors are welcome to have a sightseeing tour.

Being 46 m long and 15 mtall not only makes the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho an impressive sight, but also the biggest Buddha in Thailand. Though only gold plated, and not solid gold, it is still pretty shinny with mother-of-pearl in the eyes and on the soles of his gigantic feet. The Wat Pho itself is the largest wat in Bangkok and is dating back to the late 18th century, though the Buddha was first added in the first part of the 19th century. The Wat Pho complex also contains over a thousand other Buddha images, an active monastery and a massage school for those that are a bit templed-out.

Mizdakhan is a wicked cemetery close to the border with Turkmenistan. Ancient Mizdakhan was once an important city for many centuries until it got sacked by Timur. However, it stayed a sacred place and burial site up to present. Today, the hill is covered with mausoleums and graves, including a handful of ancient tombs. There are great views over the neighbouring ruin of the mud castle Gyaur Qala and the plains that stretch into Turkmenistan.

The Cao Dai religion is a strange mix of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Roman Catholicism, and had a strong political flavour in the past. It was founded in Southern Vietnam in 1926 and has Jesus, Buddha and Victor Hugo as saints, among many others. A Cao Dai temple is a very colourful affair, resembling something from a kids colouring book with pastel coloured dragons snaking around columns, odd religious objects like the Divine Eye and flashing Christmas lights, but it all go very well with the equal colourful robes of the priests. This Cao Dai temple lies right in Ho Chi Minh City, and should not be confused with the main Cao Dai temple in Tay Ninh (95 km from HCM City), which can be included in a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels.
Visitors are welcome to attend mass which are held at 12 am, 6 am, 12 pm and 6 pm.

Ho Chi Minh City is not just speeding motorcycle, advertising signs and new office buildings, the city still have some hidden ancient gems, like the Jade Emperor Pagoda (Phuoc Hai Tu). This ancient Chinese temple, built around the turn of the 20th century, is dedicated to the Taoist "god of the heaven" and stand in strong contrast to the surrounding concrete. The interior is wonderful dark and dirty, and the air is dense with incense smoke. Along the walls are fierce looking characters, who all get their part of attention from the steady flow of worshipers.

The Jarai (Gia Rai) people outside Kon Tum have some unusual cemeteries. A wooden hut is build to protect the grave and hold possessions of the deceased as well as some offerings to the spirit. Some have fence around while others are guarded by crude wooden statues and maybe decorated by jaws of the buffalo that got sacrificed during the burial ceremony. If the deceased's family can't afford a proper burial ceremony (which includes sacrificing a buffalo), it can be postpone for years. In the meantime the deceased's spirit take home in the hut and has to be taken care of with food offerings and rice wine. Only after a proper burial celebration can the spirit be released and the hut then gets abandoned.
There are several cemeteries west for Kon Tum (e.g. Plei Bur and Plei Sar villages about 15 km West from Kon Tum) and can also be seen in Ratanakiri province in Cambodia.