Nobody can imagine after visiting the ancient Sharda Peeth temple of Neelam Valley, Pakistan that it was once a center of the educational excellence. The Hindu Pundits and the scholars of Sanskrit used to pay their visit at the Sharda Peeth temple or Sharda University from the far and away places of the Indian Subcontinent.

The ancient Sharda Peeth temple of Neelam Valley, Pakistan – Image: Asif Saeed

The Sharda Peeth temple of Neelam Valley is situated in the Pakistani administered Kashmir and this temple is located at a height of 11000 from the sea level and it is about 70 miles from Srinagar. The length of the Sharda Peeth temple of Neelam Valley is 142 feet and width is 94.6 feet. The outer walls of the temple are 6 ft. wide and 11 ft long along with the arches having the height of 8 ft. Kashmir was sometimes called Sharada Desh because of this temple and Sharada was called Kashmira Puravasini. The village, where the ancient Sharda Peeth temple of Neelam Valley, Pakistan is located is also named after this temple and is known as Sharda Village.

Sharda Peeth Temple or Sharda University , Pakistani administered Kashmir – Image: Fawad Awan

The temple of the Tooth is a UNESCO world heritage site situated in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The monument is actually a Buddhist worship place which is also famous as the temple of the sacred tooth. The legend associated with the temple is the holy tooth of Buddha that was secretly brought to Sri Lanka in 313 AD, hidden in the hair of Princess Hemamali who fled the Hindu armies besieging her father’s kingdom in India.

Temple of the sacred tooth - Image: Buddhika Ranchagoda

The visitors come to attend the rituals that are performed three times daily: at dawn, at noon and in the evenings. The temple is decorated with richly carved and embellished with inlaid woods, ivory, and lacquer. The relic of the tooth is kept in a two-story inner shrine fronted by two large elephant tusks. The tooth is preserved on a solid gold lotus flower, encased in jeweled caskets that sit on a throne.

Buddha Statue placed at the temple of the Tooth ( Image: LeszekZadlo )

The temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka is surrounded by an artificial lake which is known as Kiri Muhuda and its holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed among those present.

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The Hindu temple of the Batu Caves in Malaysia is one of the top rated sacred sites for the Hindus all around the lovely planet. The temple attracts more than 1 million pilgrims annually who pay their visit via Kuala Lampur, the capital of Malaysia. A very good railway track as well as a phenomenal road leads towards the Batu caves. The limestone forming of the Batu Caves is said to be around 400 million years old. This temple has a ceiling of 100 meters above the ground and its massive chamber is brightened by numerous holes that allow the daylight to come in.

A view of the Hindu Temple of the Batu Caves-Temple - Image: McKay Savage

The temple of Batu caves is erected almost 100 m above the ground which consists of three main caves along with some smaller ones. The biggest, referred to as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, has a very high ceiling and features ornate Hindu shrines. To reach it, visitors must climb a steep flight of 272 steps.

Some idols put at the temple of the Batu caves - Image: Alexander Baxevanis

The Hindu temple of the Batu caves is dedicated to the Hindu Lord Murugun and it is particularly famous for the Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. This temple was constructed by the Hindu settlers in Malaya almost 113 years ago. The rocky massif on which the Hindu temple of the Batu Caves is built is called Bukit Batu, which is located just near to the Sungai Batu River. The Thaipusam festival is held every year on the full moon day between 14^th January and 15^th of February.

The Murugan Statue of the temple of the Batu caves ( Image: rchia712 )

The Hindu temple of the Batu Caves in Malaysia has another fabulous feature which is the world’s tallest Murugan statue standing at 42.7 m (140 ft) high. This statue represents the Hindu deity Murugan or Murugun and it is made of 1550 cubic meters of concrete, 250 tons of steel bars and 300 liters of gold paint.

The valley of Soon Skeaser is famous for its lush green meadows, pleasant climate, water bodies and historical places. This wonderful valley is situated in the central part of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. One of the distinguished architecture of the Soon valley is the ancient temple of “Ambh Sharif” which is located in the district Khoshab.

The ancient temple of Ambh Sharif

Ambh Sharif is actually the remains of a Hindu temple, the exact historical facts of which are unknown. Most portion of this Hindu sacred place has been destroyed and there are only two buildings existing. There is some myth associated with this temple as the people used to donate their ornaments and other precious items to this temple. And with the passage of time the people have stolen most of the gold and silver stuff. There are also some stairs which lead towards the temple and the larger building is also supported by two large pillars. The building was constructed wth ancient blocks and bricks of stones and some walls are also remaining in some pieces. The structure was also decorated with fantastic craftsmanship. According to the historian Alexander Cunningham, this was actually an ancient town which is famous as “Ambh” and it was located in the south of the Skeaser Peak.

The remains of the ancient walls of Ambh Sharif

The ancient temple of Ambh Sharif is although a mysterious building of the Soon Skeaser Valley, which is one of the great hidden historical assets of Pakistan. Not only, the temple of Ambh Sharif but many other ancient temples existing in this valley need to be explored. These all sites require proper attention and appropriate research.

Hinduism and Buddhism both are reflected in the mysterious Bayon Temple of Cambodia which is a famous Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia.

This enigmatic temple was constructed around 1190 AD by the King Jayavarman VII as a worshipping place for Buddhist community but it has also some of the features of Hindu cosmology.

Bayon Temple. Photo : Deddeeda

Bayon Temple represents the intersection of heaven and earth. It is believed that the Bayon Temple was designed to serve as the primary locus of the royal cult and to serve as Jayavarman’s personal mausoleum. At that time, Angkor Thom was established as the new capital of Jayavarman’s state.

Bayon faces at the Bayon temple of Cambodia. Photo : Jonathan Lewis.

The most attractive part of the construction of the Bayon Temple is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. The mythological research is still going on among the historians to search for the exact resemblances of the 216 mystical faces. Most of them believe it’s the face of King Jayavarman VII or Avalokiteshvara.

Buddha Statue at the Temple of Bayon. Image : Dedeeda

Bayon Temple of Cambodia  is surrounded by two long walls on which there are more than 11,000 carved figures over 1.2km of wall. Although now most of the carvings have become faded with the passage of time yet they were painted and gilded beautifully. The central sanctuary of the Bayon Temple is surrounded by a narrow corridor in the middle of which a big statue of Buddha is erected.