Burial places of founders of world religions

This article identifies the burial places of founders of world religions.

Bahá'í Faith

Located in Bahji near Acre, Israel, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh is the most holy place for Bahá'ís and their Qiblih, or direction of prayer. It contains the remains of Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith and is near the spot where he died in the Mansion of Bahji.

The Shrine of the Báb, the burial location of the Báb, who Bahá'ís see as the immediate forerunner of their religion, is located on Mount Carmel, in Haifa, Israel.

Buddhism

The Buddha's body was cremated and the relics were placed in monuments or stupas, some of which are believed to have survived until the present. For example, the Temple of the Tooth or "Dalada Maligawa" in Sri Lanka is the place where the right tooth relic of Buddha is kept at present.

Bodhidharma (early 6th cent. CE) is generally regarded as the founder of Zen Buddhism, one of the Mahayana traditions. According to a 7th century account by Dàoxuān, Bodhidharma, he writes, died at Luo River Beach, where he was interred by his disciple Huike, possibly in a cave. Soon after his death, someone supposedly witnessed Bodhidharma walking back towards India barefoot and with a single shoe in hand. His grave was later exhumed, and according to legend, the only thing found in it was the shoe he left behind. Because of uncertainty about the precise physical location as well as ambiguity about what might be left of Bodhidharma at his burial site, no burial site has been venerated in the Zen tradition.

Christianity

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre occupies a possible location of where Jesus was entombed for three days, between his Crucifixion and Resurrection. Other sites are mentioned in the article "Tomb of Jesus".

Confucianism

The grave of Confucius is in his home town of Qufu. There is a temple built around his grave.

Islam

The prophet Muhammad is buried in the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) in the city of Medina (short for: Al-Madinat(u) 'l-Munawwara - the Enlightened City). The large mosque, at the center of the city, is one of the three holiest sites for Muslims, the other two being the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.
Muhammad's grave lies within the confines of what used to be the house of Ayesha, his wife. During his lifetime, it was adjoining the mosque - however in modern times, it has become a part of the mosque itself. The importance of the Mosque predates the death of the prophet, and thus the grave itself is not the reason for the particularly high sanctity of the Mosque. However the grave of the prophet has become the focal point of the mosque and millions of visitors come to it every year.
Muhammad is buried next to the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar. Umar was gifted a spot next to Muhammad by Muhammad's wife Ayesha. It had originally been intended for her. Moreover, there is an empty grave within the tomb area meant for Jesus upon his return as the Messiah.
Muhammad's grave itself cannot be seen as the area is cordoned off by a gold mesh and black curtains. As per Muslim tradition, the grave itself is not embellished or decorated and is two cubits high. The grave is marked by an austere green wooden dome above it, built by the Ottoman Turks. This dome has become universally emblematic of both the Prophet himself, as well as his beloved city of Medina.

Judaism

The Cave of the Patriarchs is a religious compound located in the ancient city of Hebron (which lies in the southwest part of the West Bank, in the heart of ancient Judea), and is generally considered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, to be its spiritual centre. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic, tradition holds that the compound encloses the burial place of four Biblical couples: (1) Adam and Eve; (2) Abraham and Sarah; (3) Isaac and Rebekah; (4) Jacob and Leah. According to Midrashic sources, it also contains the head of Esau.

Other religions

Not all religions lend themselves to being listed on this page.
* "Hinduism" is a religion of approximately 1 billion adherents, yet it has no single "founder". The Vedas and subsequent commentaries (including Upanishads) were written by anonymous sages. The only foundational text in Hinduism with a traditionally attributed author is the "Mahābhārata", said to be composed by Vyasa.
* "Taoism" was founded by Laozi, the author of the "Tao Te Ching". According to Taoist legend, Laozi transmitted the "Tao Te Ching" at the request of a border guard before departing from China (i.e. from known civilization); he is believed to have lived out the rest of his days in communion with Nature, and some Taoist traditions hold that he achieved immortality. Whether he underwent death or not is not made clear by all parts of the tradition, and if he did, it was in some remote area, far from civilization at that time.
*"Zoroastrianism" was founded by Zoroaster. There is no consensus as to where Zoroaster lived, much less where he died or what became of his remains.
*"Scientology" was founded by L. Ron Hubbard. Upon his death, Hubbard was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3476]
*The central figure of the "Rastafari movement", although not its founder, is Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. Haile Selassie is interred at Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8064782]
* Many so-called primary religions — the old Celtic religion, shamanism, Shinto in Japan, the Bon religion in Tibet, and indigineous religions of Africa, Australia, and the Americas — have traditions that extend back before the recorded history of those places. It is unclear whether any of these had founders; more likely, they were modified by several and evolved over the course of millennia.

ee also

* Most Holy Place
* Pilgrimage