December 8th- While in India, I stopped by the Ganges River, a famous hot spot for the Hindu religion. It is known as India's holiest and longest river. Hindu people believe that this river is sacred and holy. Many believe that the water will wash away their sins.
I also visited the Vishwanath Temple of Shiva. It is dedicated to a Hindu god named Shiva, also known as the destroyer or transformer. It is found in the city of Varanasi. It is a very impressive piece of architecture, with its impressive gold spire. The present day structure was built by Queen Holkar of Indore in 1785.
November 12th- Today I went to Islam's holiest city, Mecca, and visited the Great Mosque of Mecca. It surrounds Islam's most holy shrine, the Kaaba. Many Islams make a pilgrimage to this holy site. Kaaba, which means cube, has a silk and cotton veil draped over it. Today the mosque covers almost 40 acres.
September 12th-20th- I visited the Mount of Temptation, a sacred sight for Christians. It's where the devil failed to tempt Jesus Christ. I also visited the Sea of Galilee, which is a lake in northern Israel. I then visited St. Basil's Cathedral, which is a famous piece of Christian architecture. It is located in Moscow, Russia.
September 11th- Today I visited the sacred Western Wall, the only standing wall from when Rome destroyed the second temple but only one of the walls remained. I also visited the synagogue in Jerusalem. A synagogue is a building where Jewish congregations meet for religious worship and instruction.
August 24th-August 30th- Today I visited Lumbini, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama in 563 BCE. It is a sacred site to Buddhists. I also visited Haenisa, a famous piece of architecture. It is the head temple of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is located in the Gaya Mountains in South Korea.
Credits:
Created with images by Fred Hsu - "Ganges River" • Simon - "india ganges holy" • ptwo - "169" • Camera Eye - "Holly Ka'ba" • shahin olakara - "Kaaba, Masjid Al Haram, Mecca" • Camera Eye - "Holly Ka'ba" • shahin olakara - "Kaaba, Masjid Al Haram, Mecca" • hoyasmeg - "Monastery of Temptation_1526" • Smirnova Ksenia - "Sunrise on Sea of Galilee" • Vovka - "cathedral russia moscow" • BRBurton23 - "western wall israel prayer" • Emmanuel Dyan - "Hurva Synagogue, Jerusalem - Israël" • Tim Brown Architecture - "Haeinsa" • taylorandayumi - "Lumbini"