Kalkaji Mandir AKA Kalkaji Sanctuary

Driving along the highway, all eyes are drawn as a magnet to the unique building with its golden dome and unusual architecture. The Islamic Center is located at the base of a residential street in a small neighborhood. The center houses an Islamic school, a community center, an international school and the Mosque, which is the place of worship for Muslims.

Once inside the prayer hall, the imam explained to me that in a mosque there

Prambanan temples, Yogyakarta province, Indonesia: One of the world's most historic and sacred Hindu icon.

Throughout the ages, the kiva has remained a sacred site, a place of spiritual energy and space.

Within the Arabian desert rests the town of Mecca which houses the Ka‘ba, the pantheon site where the all the pagan Arab pilgrims converged to worship their tribal deities. Although no one knows who built the square, roofless structure, or when it was set up, the Ka‘ba became the center of the religious life in pre-Islamic Arabia, the sixth century Anno Domini (AD), is characterized as a time of complex beliefs of no universalism or moral absolutism, neo-animism (providing a host of intermediary deities between the creator god and his creation), and henotheism (belief in a

noticed. By sharing a purpose, both structures act as a shrine for different religions to reach God.

The temple contains the images of many bodhisattvas,Buddha's, and disciples. The images of the Buddha's and bodhisattvas are the focus of the rooms and outside. For example, in the main shrine and Bodhisattva hall, the focus are the images. Another example is the garden of the eighteen arhats in which the Buddha is surrounded by his first disciples. The other garden that is in the temple is the Vessel of Compassion for Universal Liberation. The main image in this garden is that of Avalofitesvara Bodhisattva. The other images depicted are of heaven kings. The bodhisattva is important because the vows of this Bodhisattva are of a compassionate mind and the power of wisdom. This bodhisattva answers the prayers of sentient beings no matter where they are and manifests in different forms. These eighteen arhats extinguished all defilements and afflictions. They had reached nirvana and their righteousness is exemplary to all Buddhists. Comparatively, symbols play an important role in buddhism and we can see this through the offers made to the Buddha's and bodhisattvas. For example, incense symbolizes inner peace, a lamp offering symbolizes the brightening of our vision and the enhancement of our wisdom. In addition, in the images, mudras or certain objects are a symbol of important rules to follow. Such as in image of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, the elephant symbolizes practice. The sounds that are used are that of instruments during the service in the main shrine and the sound of bells which usually mark the initiation of a service or other announcements. Furthermore, the smells that are used throughout the temple are incense. Incense is used as an offering and it is meant to help the Buddhist concentrate and focus on meditating. Lastly, taste is used in the ritual of eating vegetarian meals

the ancient Tikal temple but the temple I have presented is between the third to twentieth one

Located at Angkor, Cambodia, it was built in the early 12th century for King Suryavarman II. The building was to be his temple and capital city, which was dedicated to the Hindu God, Vishnu. After some time the Hindu religious site turned

Before visiting this site, I did some researches about the building of this temple. The design of the temple was conceived by Noppom Poochareon, an architect from Miami. He built this structure thinking in a refuge for the local Buddhist community. His vision for the sanctuary was a peaceful place, full of light, and quietness. He had no predetermined notion of what type or size of the Buddha might reside there. The project results in many difficulties and countless personal expenses for him just to obtain the proper permits. Money is always a problem in such a project. It was not easy to find financing. The National Bank of Homestead, Florida, was the first in giving a hand and allowing the start of the project ("History").

The arrangement of its space integrating the outside space into the building granted the impressive temple its

One common feature of all places of worship is “verticality” (Greenbaum, S., 2009). One can notice that the temple is very tall for a one-storey building, and the windows are narrow and tall as well. The purpose of this is to add to the aesthetic appeal and allows the building to be distinguished from the ones surrounding it (Greenbaum, S., 2009). All aspects of a building are taken into account when constructing it. All new development, renovations and so on are for the purpose to enhance the welcoming feeling, and not take away from the character or significance of the setting (Heritage Victoria 2010). On the outside, the building is made of stone symbolizing strength, power and religion (Gray, J., 2015). It also does not get damaged easily, so this makes it useful to places of worship because it prevents damage to the building (which is extensively used), adds an artistic feature and provides

Sacred space is associated with the center of the entire universe, where power and holiness are strongest and where we can go to renew our own strength. In native religions, sacred space may encompass a great mountain, a volcano, a valley, a lake, a forest, a single large tree, or some other striking natural site” (Molloy, 2010). Sacred space can also be constructed into a symbolic shape, like a circle, square, or a group of stones, like the Stonehenge in England. Sacred space can also be a church, synagogue, or any place of worship depending on the religion and its beliefs.

Kaaba – a sacred building made of “black stone” in the shape of a cube in Mecca and when in prayer Muslins turn in this direction (Dictionary)

The Kaaba is the most sacred place in Islam. The Kaaba is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is where millions of people make a pilgrimage. Salman said during his pilgrimage to Mecca there were over 3 million people who answered the call of prayer and in a matter of minutes were lined up side by side, shoulders touching so that Satan could not squeeze in.