- Most sacred sites
Many religious traditions have a most sacred site, a physical location which is considered especially holy. These sites include among others a location within the inner Tabernacle of Moses, the
Kaaba , the city ofVaranasi, India , theShrine of Bahá'u'lláh , andHarimandir Sahib .Ayyavazhi
Located in
Swamithoppe nearKanyakumari ,Tamil Nadu ,India , theSwamithope pathi is the most holy place for Ayyavazhi'ís than the otherpathi s amongPancha pathi .Ayya Vaikundar performed a Tavam for six years here. It also contains the remains of Vaikundar, who is believed to be the incarnation of Trinity.Bahá'í Faith
Located in
Bahji near Acre,Israel , theShrine of Bahá'u'lláh is the most holy place for Bahá'ís and theirQiblih , or direction of prayer. It contains the remains ofBahá'u'lláh , founder of the Bahá'í Faith and is near the spot where he died in theMansion of Bahji . The second holiest site is theShrine of the Bab in Haifa.Buddhism
Bodhgaya , in the state ofBihar inIndia , is considered by many adherents ofBuddhism to be their most holy site.Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment while sitting under a peepal tree located in Bodhgaya.Catholic/Orthodox Christianity
Located in the
Christian Quarter of theOld City of Jerusalem theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre is the most holy site for many mainstream denominations within Christendom. This is the site, according to their understanding, where Jesus Christ was crucified, died, buried and resurrected from the dead. Greek Orthodox,Roman Catholics , andArmenian Orthodox form the custodians of this most holy place and control collectively the most holy pilgrimages within the church with the Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches to hold also some chapels. Collectively in this church are represented more than 1.5 billion Christians which is equivalent to almost 25% of mankind.
* [http://www.christusrex.org/www1/jhs/TSspmenu.html]
* [http://www.atlastours.net/holyland/holy_sepulcher.html]Hinduism
Varanasi ,Uttar Pradesh ,India is said to be the most holy city inHinduism . It is considered by many to be the most sacred place of pilgrimage for Hindus irrespective of denomination.The "
garbha griha " (literally womb-house or womb-chamber), theshrine inside a temple complex where the maindeity is installed in an area that is in a separate building by itself inside the complex, is the most sacred site within the temple complex.The
garbha griha usually contains themurti (idol or icon), the primary focus of prayer. In temples with a spire or vimana, this chamber is placed directly underneath it, and the two them form a main vertical axis of the temple. These together may be understood to represent the axis of the world throughMount Meru . Thegarbha griha is usually also on the main horizontal axis of the temple which generally is an east-west axis. In those temples where there is also a cross-axis, the garbha griha is generally at their intersection.Islam
The
Kaaba inMecca ,Saudi Arabia , according to Islamic tradition was rebuilt byAbraham and his sonIshmael , and is the holiest place inIslam . Theqibla , the direction Muslims face during prayer, is the direction from any point to the Kaaba.Jerusalem is the third holiest place in Islam, andMedina is the second.Judaism
The
Kadosh Hakadashim , Judaism'sHoly of Holies , was the inner sanctuary of theTabernacle in the time ofMoses as described in theTorah ; the term now refers to the space on theTemple Mount where this sanctuary was located in theTemple in Jerusalem . It could be entered by the High Priest only onYom Kippur .Orthodox Judaism andConservative Judaism continue to regard the location as retaining some or all of its sanctity despite the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Entry into sanctified areas remains prohibited in traditional Judaism, and as a result many religious authorities prohibit or restrict entry into theTemple Mount by observant Jews.Latter-day Saints
The most holy place for members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may be considered a room in theSalt Lake Temple designated as the "Holy of Holies ."Latter-day Saints, however, may regard LDS temples in general to be their most holy place. The Bible Dictionary for the Latter-day Saint Edition of the King James Bible states:
"A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness" [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bd/t/12] .
Other sacred sites for Latter-day Saints include the
Sacred Grove andAdam-ondi-Ahman , as well as sites considered sacred by Christianity in general, such as theGarden of Gethsemane andGarden Tomb .hinto
Ise Shrine is the formal home of Amaterasu ōmikami, the primary deity ofShinto and traditionally believed to be a direct ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family. It is located in the city of Ise inMie prefecture ,Japan .Access is strictly limited, with the common public allowed to see little more than the thatched roofs of the central structures, hidden behind three tall wooden fences. The Ise Shrine has a national treasure in its possession, purportedly the home of the Sacred Mirror.ikhism
Harmandir Sahib , or "Darbar Sahib" (also known as the Golden Temple), is the most sacred shrine inSikhism , located inAmritsar , Punjab,India .ee also
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Burial places of founders of world religions
*Holy of Holies
*Honden
*Pilgrimage External links
* [http://www.basicsteps.org/english/oldtestament/step9l8.htm Bible study from basicsteps.org]
* [http://www.lds.org/temples/purpose/0%2C11298%2C1897-1%2C00.html The Purpose of Temples: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]
* [http://sacred-sites.org/preservation/endangered_most.html Endangered Sacred Sites]
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