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 of Varanasi, India, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, and Harimandir Sahib.

Ayyavazhi

Located in Swamithoppe near Kanyakumari,Tamil Nadu, India, the Swamithope pathi is the most holy place for Ayyavazhi'ís than the other pathis among Pancha 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, 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 second holiest site is the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa.

Buddhism

Bodhgaya, in the state of Bihar in India, is considered by many adherents of Buddhism 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 the Old City of Jerusalem the Church 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, and Armenian 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 in Hinduism. 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), the shrine inside a temple complex where the main deity 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 the murti (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 through Mount Meru. The garbha 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 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, according to Islamic tradition was rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael, and is the holiest place in Islam. The qibla, the direction Muslims face during prayer, is the direction from any point to the Kaaba. Jerusalem is the third holiest place in Islam, and Medina is the second.

Judaism

The Kadosh Hakadashim, Judaism's Holy of Holies, was the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle in the time of Moses as described in the Torah; the term now refers to the space on the Temple Mount where this sanctuary was located in the Temple in Jerusalem. It could be entered by the High Priest only on Yom Kippur. Orthodox Judaism and Conservative 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 the Temple 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 the Salt 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 and Adam-ondi-Ahman, as well as sites considered sacred by Christianity in general, such as the Garden of Gethsemane and Garden Tomb.

hinto

Ise Shrine is the formal home of Amaterasu ōmikami, the primary deity of Shinto and traditionally believed to be a direct ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family. It is located in the city of Ise in Mie 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 in Sikhism, located in Amritsar, Punjab, India.

ee also

* 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]