Śākyamuni Buddha

Sacred focus

Buddhism

Hōrin-ji

Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan

Hōrin-ji is the only temple among the Shikoku 88 whose principal image is a Parinirvana Shaka Nyorai—Shakyamuni at the threshold of nirvana, lying on his side....

Sacred focus

Buddhism

Jōdo-ji

Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan

Temple 49 of the Shikoku henro stands in low hills south of Matsuyama, weathered and quiet beside its busier neighbours....

Sacred focus

Buddhism

Konsen-ji

Itano, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan

Konsen-ji is Temple 3 of the Shikoku 88, in Itano, Tokushima. Pilgrims peer into a well dug by Kūkai whose water is said to look gold; a clear reflection is read as a sign...

Sacred focus

Buddhism

Ryōzen-ji

Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan

Ryōzen-ji is Temple 1 of the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage in Naruto, Tokushima. Pilgrims begin their 1,200-kilometer circuit here, buying white robes, conical hats, and...

Sacred focus

Buddhism

Shusshakaji

Zentsūji, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan

Temple 73 Shusshakaji sits at the foot of Mt Gahaishi in Zentsūji City, Kagawa. The legend here is intimate: a seven-year-old boy named Mao — later Kūkai — leapt from a...

Sacred focus

Korean Buddhism

Bongwonsa Temple

Seoul, Seoul, South Korea

Bongwonsa rests on Ansan’s slope above western Seoul and serves as a center of the Taego Order....

Sacred focus

Korean Buddhism

Jogyesa Temple

Seoul, Seoul, South Korea

Jogyesa sits among offices, traffic, shops, and civic life, yet it is not a retreat from the city....

Sacred focus

UNESCOKorean Buddhism

Seokguram Grotto

Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

Seokguram Grotto is an eighth-century Silla Buddhist sanctuary on Tohamsan, centered on a monumental seated Sakyamuni surrounded by stone reliefs....

Sacred focus

Buddhism

Abhayagiri Vihara

Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Founded around 89 BCE by a king fulfilling a vow of vengeance and restoration, Abhayagiri grew into one of the ancient world's most cosmopolitan Buddhist institutions — a...

Sacred focus

UNESCOBuddhism

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi

Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

A cutting from the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment was brought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE....

Enshrines relics of

Buddhism

Kiri Vehera

Kataragama, Monaragala, Sri Lanka

Kiri Vehera is a modest, actively worshipped Buddhist stupa roughly 800 meters from the well-known multi-faith Kataragama shrine complex — a separate site entirely, with...

Enshrines relics of

Buddhism

Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara

Mahiyangana, Badulla, Sri Lanka

Nine months after his enlightenment, the Buddha is said to have crossed to Sri Lanka and pacified its yaksha inhabitants at Mahiyangana, leaving behind a hair relic...

Enshrines relics of

Buddhism

Ruwanwelisaya

Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Rising from the plains of Anuradhapura, Ruwanwelisaya was raised by King Dutugemunu in the 2nd century BCE to hold what tradition describes as one of the largest...

Enshrines relics of

UNESCOBuddhism

Sri Dalada Maligawa, Temple of the Tooth

Kandy, Kandy, Sri Lanka

Beside Kandy's lake stands the palace-temple that has held the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha since the seat of Sinhala kingship settled in these hills....

Sacred focus

Buddhism

Ling Jiou Mountain Monastery

Fulong, New Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taiwan

On a coastal mountain in northeastern Taiwan, this monastery was founded in 1984 by the monk Hsin Tao as a place to renew Buddhist practice for a modern world....

Sacred focus

Buddhism

Linji Huguo Temple

Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan

In the heart of Taipei stands a rare survivor: a Rinzai Zen temple built in Edo-period Japanese style during the colonial era, its main hall constructed of timber....

Enshrines relics of

Theravada Buddhism

Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon

Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen, Thailand

Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon is the nine-storey stupa of Wat Nong Waeng in Khon Kaen....

Enshrines relics of

Theravada Buddhism

Phra Pathom Chedi

Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

Phra Pathom Chedi is the enormous central stupa of Wat Phra Pathom Chedi Ratchaworamahawihan....

Enshrines relics of

Theravada Buddhist

Phra That Phanom

That Phanom, Nakhon Phanom, Thailand

Phra That Phanom is one of northeastern Thailand's most revered Buddhist reliquaries....

Enshrines relics of

UNESCOHistoric Theravada Buddhism

Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thailand

Wat Mahathat was Ayutthaya's central royal monastery, built around a principal prang that Fine Arts records say enshrined Buddha relics....

Enshrines relics of

UNESCOTheravada Buddhist

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan

Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan is Nakhon Si Thammarat's great relic monastery and, as of 2026, UNESCO World Heritage property 1761....

Enshrines relics of

UNESCOLiving Theravada Buddhism with earlier Buddhist layers

Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat Chaliang

Si Satchanalai, Sukhothai, Thailand

Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat Chaliang combines an archaeological monument with a living first-class royal monastery....

Enshrines relics of

Lanna Theravada Buddhism

Wat Phra That Chae Haeng

Phu Phiang, Nan, Thailand

Wat Phra That Chae Haeng is Nan's principal Lanna relic shrine. Its golden chedi is associated with Buddha relics brought from Sukhothai, the Chu That birth-year tradition...

Enshrines relics of

Lanna Theravada Buddhism

Wat Phra That Cho Hae

Phrae, Phrae, Thailand

Wat Phra That Cho Hae is Phrae's principal living relic sanctuary. Tourism Authority sources describe its gilded chedi as traditionally holding a relic from the Buddha's...

Enshrines relics of

Theravada Buddhist

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep crowns a forested mountain above Chiang Mai, where a golden chedi enshrining a Buddha relic anchors Lanna devotion....

Enshrines relics of

Lanna Theravada Buddhism

Wat Phra That Doi Tung

Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Wat Phra That Doi Tung is a Lanna Buddha-relic shrine high above Chiang Rai. Official sources document a recurrent named mountain pilgrimage, relic-bathing rites, alms,...

Enshrines relics of

Theravada Buddhist

Wat Phra That Hariphunchai

Lamphun, Lamphun, Thailand

Wat Phra That Hariphunchai centers Lamphun's religious memory on a principal stupa said to enshrine a hair of the Buddha....

Enshrines relics of

Theravada Buddhist

Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

Ko Kha, Lampang, Thailand

Wat Phra That Lampang Luang rises within a walled hilltop enclosure outside Lampang city....

Enshrines relics of

Theravada Buddhist

Wat Saket

Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Saket's Golden Mount is a constructed sacred topography rather than a natural summit or an untouched ancient stupa....

Sacred focus

Khmer Theravada Buddhism

Âng Pagoda

Nguyệt Hóa, Vĩnh Long, Vietnam

Âng Pagoda is one of Trà Vinh's principal Khmer Theravada monasteries, joined physically and culturally to Ao Bà Om....

Sacred focus

Theravada Buddhism

Bửu Long Pagoda

Long Bình, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Bửu Long Pagoda is an active Theravada monastery in Thủ Đức whose stupa complex supports meditation, almsgiving, and monastic life....

Sacred focus

Khmer Theravada Buddhism

Chén Kiểu Pagoda

Mỹ Xuyên, Cần Thơ, Vietnam

Chén Kiểu Pagoda is an active Khmer Theravada monastery in Mỹ Xuyên whose ceramic ornament and narrative paintings frame worship of Śākyamuni Buddha....

Sacred focus

Khmer Theravada Buddhism

Dơi Pagoda

Phú Lợi, Cần Thơ, Vietnam

Dơi Pagoda is a Khmer Theravada monastery in Sóc Trăng where worship, community memory, and a protected fruit-bat colony share one precinct....

Sacred focus

Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism

Hang Pagoda, Núi Sam

Châu Đốc, An Giang, Vietnam

Hang Pagoda, also known as Phước Điền Tự, is a Mahayana Buddhist sanctuary on Núi Sam....

Sacred focus

Khmer Theravada Buddhism

Hang Pagoda, Trà Vinh

Châu Thành, Vĩnh Long, Vietnam

Hang Pagoda in Trà Vinh is a Khmer Theravada monastery, distinct from the pagoda of the same English name at Núi Sam....

Enshrines relics of

Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism

Hoằng Phúc Pagoda

Tân Mỹ, Quảng Trị, Vietnam

Hoằng Phúc Pagoda is a restored Mahayana Buddhist sanctuary in Lệ Thủy whose long institutional memory includes repeated destruction and renewal....

Sacred focus

Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism

Linh Phước Pagoda

Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam

Linh Phước Pagoda is a living Mahayana Buddhist sanctuary in Đà Lạt whose elaborate ceramic work surrounds devotion to Śākyamuni Buddha and Avalokiteśvara....

Sacred focus

Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism

Linh Ứng Pagoda, Bà Nà

Bà Nà, Da Nang, Vietnam

Linh Ứng Pagoda at Bà Nà is an active Vietnamese Mahayana sanctuary above Đà Nẵng....

Sacred focus

Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism

Long Sơn Pagoda

Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa, Vietnam

Long Sơn Pagoda is a major Vietnamese Mahayana center in Nha Trang, marked by monastic life, memorial worship, and a hilltop image of Śākyamuni Buddha....

Sacred focus

Trúc Lâm Vietnamese Zen Buddhism

Trúc Lâm Đà Lạt Zen Monastery

Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam

Trúc Lâm Đà Lạt is a contemporary Zen monastery devoted to meditation, monastic discipline, and renewal of the Vietnamese Trúc Lâm lineage....

Enshrines relics of

Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism

Xá Lợi Pagoda

Xuân Hòa, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Xá Lợi Pagoda is a modern Ho Chi Minh City Buddhist center named for sacred relics of Śākyamuni Buddha....

Enshrines relics of

Buddhism

Pha That Luang

Vientiane Capital, Vientiane, Laos

Pha That Luang, the great gold-covered stupa of Vientiane, is the holiest Buddhist monument in Laos and its national symbol....

Enshrines relics of

Buddhism

That Ing Hang

Savannakhet, Savannakhet, Laos

Outside Savannakhet stands That Ing Hang, a three-terraced golden stupa marking the spot where, by legend, the ailing Buddha leaned against a hang tree to rest....

Enshrines relics of

Buddhism

That Sikhottabong

Thakhek, Khammouane, Laos

On the Mekong's left bank a few kilometers south of Thakhek, That Sikhottabong rises nearly thirty meters in gold and white....