During my travels I visited five very distinct locations so I may further enrich my understanding of their various religions and cultures from both a physical and spiritual standpoint.
Akshardham
My first visit was to Delhi, India. I came to find a peculiar, albeit large piece of Hindu culture, the Akshardham Temple. This place is said to attract seventy percent of all tourists who visit Delhi. In the Arkshardham Temple, I decided to visit its main exhibit, the Hall of Values. In there are dioramas detailing the life of Swamiarayan and his values for maintaining peace, harmony, and piety.
Temple of the Golden Buddha
My second visit was to Wat Traimit, or the Temple of the Golden Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a large site of worship for monks. In this place I saw the five and a half ton statue of the Buddha made of pure gold. Although the origins of it are unknown it was said to be made in the style of the Suhkotai Dynasty.
Wat Rong Khun
My third destination was in the Chiang Rai province of Thailand. Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Temple. This place is not necessarily a place of worship for Buddhists, but a privately owned art exhibit. However it does harbor Buddhist relics and art and when finished being built, will have living quarters for monks. It also features a bridge that represents the cycle of rebirth and the Gates to Heaven.
Temple of Jerusalem
My fourth visit was to Herod's Temple in the City of Peace, Jerusalem. Although the first temple was destroyed. This temple's construction was said to be authorized by Cyrus the Great in 538 BCE after the fall of the Babylonian Empire. The temples construction was finished twenty-three years after its authorization on the third day of Adar. It now stand on the Temple Mount as a great place of Jewish worship.
Kaaba
My fifth destination was the Islamic center of the world, Mecca, or Makkah in Arabic in Saudi Arabia. Here, I was determined to see the most sacred piece of architecture Islam had to offer, the forty-three foot tall embellished mosque, the Kaaba. Also known as Al Kaaba Al Musharrafah, which translates to the the Holy Kaaba. Mecca is a place that every capable Muslim must make a pilgrimage to, at least once in their lifetime, as it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Once they come to Mecca it is most likely they will there holiest architecture. As such, the Kaaba is considered to be the House of Allah, the god of Islam. This place was also said to be built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, and later cleansed by the prophet Muhammad.
Saint Peter's Basilica
My sixth and final stop was in the Vatican City, Italy. The place that I came to see was the largest church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica. The place was absolutely astonishing, from what what I heard the church could accommodate up to approximately 60,000 occupants! While I was there I leaned that the Basilica St. Peter is considered the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church and one of the holiest places for Catholics. Traditions say that below the altar is the tomb of Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, and considered the very first pope of the Catholic Church.