Recently, religious tourism has become increasingly popular. There are more and more believers every day, and people are becoming more interested in religion.
In any case, the charm of religious places does not depend on the beliefs and religions that are promoted there. People come here to get closer to the saint, to find faith and peace of mind.
1. Ta Prum.
It is one of the Angora temples - a temple complex dedicated to the god Vishnu in Cambodia. The temple was built at the end of the 12th century AD. King Jayavarman VII of the Khmen Empire. The structure is located in the jungle and looks like an overgrown and abandoned temple from a thousand years ago.
2. Kaaba.
This is the most important sacred site for Islamic believers. Its history began long before the time of the Prophet Muhammad. At one time, there was a refuge for statues of Arab gods. The Kaaba is located in the city of Mecca (Saudi Arabia).
3. Borobudur.
This sacred site was discovered in the 19th century in the bush of Java, Indonesia. Its amazing design includes 504 Buddha statues and approximately 2,700 reliefs. The history of the temple remains a mystery for now, since it is still not known who built this temple and for what purpose. Another interesting question is why such a delightful structure was abandoned.
4. Church of Las Lajas.
The amazingly beautiful Las Lajas Church was built in 1916 on the site where, according to legend, Saint Mary appeared to people. According to one legend, a woman and her sick daughter walked through these places. As she stopped to rest, her daughter suddenly began to speak.
5. Saint Sophia.
The truly amazing Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has a very long history. It was once a Christian church founded by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine I (4th century AD). After the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, the church ceased to exist, and a mosque was founded in its place. In the Hagia Sophia, the internal images of Christians were not erased, but only hidden under a layer of plaster.
6. St. Peter's Basilica.
The beautiful Catholic St. Peter's Basilica is located in the Vatican. It was erected in the 17th century. In addition to the title of the most beautiful, this cathedral is considered the largest and most spacious (up to 60 thousand people!). There is an opinion that under the altar there is the tomb of St. Peter.
7. Sanctuary of Apollo.
This temple was built 3500 years ago. For the Greeks, it was the “center of the world”; not only they, but also thousands of other pilgrims came here to hear the prophecies of the Oracle of Delphi - a priestess through whose lips God seemed to speak to the believers.
8. Mahabodhi Temple.
This is the holiest place for Buddhists. Thousands of believers and tourists come here every year. Buddhists believe that Siddhartha Gautama achieved Enlightenment here, becoming Buddha.
9. Luxor Temple.
The amazing structure was built in the 14th century BC. and was dedicated to Amon (Amon-Ra) - the most important god of the Egyptians. Every night the temple is illuminated by hundreds of lights, which makes this spectacle unforgettable.
10. Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris.
Notre Dame Cathedral is the most famous cathedral in the world. It was built between 1163 and 1250 and is considered one of the most important monuments of Gothic architecture.
The most sacred place in the world. Many people, under the influence of stereotypes of consciousness, in search of the most sacred things, begin to travel, visiting all kinds of religious places of pilgrimage, places of power, visit various temples and sacred buildings, spend invaluable time and a huge amount of material resources in the hope of finding what is originally present in themselves. Without even suspecting that everything is much closer, simpler and easier. The fashion for traveling into God has distorted the truth that the most beautiful and amazing journey a person can take is a journey within himself, to know his soul. After all, the soul is precisely the door that many people are looking for, including travelers who want to know God. The complexity is in the simplicity!
When creating man, God endowed him with everything he needed for the most important journey in life - returning Home! From time immemorial, people found God and were saved without leaving their village. They knew that God was indeed very close, closer than the carotid artery, and with great joy they recognized God within themselves. After all, initially it would not be fair if only travelers found God. What if a person does not have the opportunity to travel, so the road to God is closed to him? God has created all the conditions for spiritual development for each of us, regardless of where a person was born and lives.
— Travel agency, Stepan! I'm listening! Yes, yes, at 7.30. Okay, come on over. Yes, see you later! All the best!
- Hello!
- Hello Sasha! I beg you, please look, it refuses to work, it doesn’t want to work at all: the Internet has disappeared, the system has frozen...
- Hm! Let's see.
- Hello!
- Good afternoon!
- Please! What brought you to our travel agency? Where do you want to go?
— I have an unusual request.
— Our company has many tours for every taste.
— I would like to go to a place where I can find God.
- I think this is an easy task. We have many catalogs with different tours where people from all over the world go to these holy places and find God there. Look. Here's another option.
- The fact is that I have already been to these places, but I could not find God there. Maybe you have some special place where you can definitely find God?
- You know, I’ll go and consult, we have avid travelers who have visited many holy places. I think we can help you in this matter. I'll just go and ask them. Yes, I’ll go now, I think they were definitely able to find God there.
- Now everything will be all right! Forgive me, please, I witnessed your conversation, I know how to help you.
—Do you know a special place where you can find God?
- Were you there?
- Yes! I visit him constantly. You could even say that I try not to leave it.
- And where is this place where you found God?
- Everything is much simpler and closer than we think. I spent my entire life looking for God wherever I could. Wherever I have been: in holy places, in temples, in ashrams, I have been in religious sects and movements. Where have I never been? What haven't I seen? But over time I realized that places are just places, and religious organizations These are just organizations. God is always with us, and He is truly much closer than the carotid artery, He is inside us. There is no need to waste precious time and money traveling in search of God. Look inside yourself. Turn to your soul. Helped me understand this issue more deeply. This is not a movie. It's much more than that. This is a live conversation “Consciousness and personality. From the obviously dead to the eternally Alive.” I recommend. Take a look and I'm sure you will really like it.
The most important sacred places on the planet
Recently, religious tourism has become increasingly popular. There are more and more believers every day, and people are becoming more interested in religion.
In any case, the charm of religious places does not depend on the beliefs and religions that are promoted there. People come here to get closer to the saint, to find faith and peace of mind.
1. Ta Prum.
It is one of the Angora temples, a temple complex dedicated to the god Vishnu in Cambodia. The temple was built at the end of the 12th century AD. King Jayavarman VII of the Khmen Empire. The structure is located in the jungle and looks like an overgrown and abandoned temple from a thousand years ago.
2. Kaaba.
This is the most important sacred site for Islamic believers. Its history began long before the time of the Prophet Muhammad. At one time, there was a refuge for statues of Arab gods. The Kaaba is located in the city of Mecca (Saudi Arabia).
3. Borobudur.
This sacred site was discovered in the 19th century in the bush of Java, Indonesia. Its amazing design includes 504 Buddha statues and approximately 2,700 reliefs. The history of the temple remains a mystery for now, since it is still not known who built this temple and for what purpose. Another interesting question is why such a delightful structure was abandoned.
4. Church of Las Lajas.
The amazingly beautiful Las Lajas Church was built in 1916 on the site where, according to legend, Saint Mary appeared to people. According to one legend, a woman and her sick daughter walked through these places. As she stopped to rest, her daughter suddenly began to speak.
5. Saint Sophia.
The truly amazing Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has a very long history. It was once a Christian church founded by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine I (4th century AD). After the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, the church ceased to exist, and a mosque was founded in its place. In the Hagia Sophia, the internal images of Christians were not erased, but only hidden under a layer of plaster.
6. St. Peter's Basilica.
The beautiful Catholic St. Peter's Basilica is located in the Vatican. It was erected in the 17th century. In addition to the title of the most beautiful, this cathedral is considered the largest and most spacious (up to 60 thousand people!). There is an opinion that under the altar there is the tomb of St. Peter.
7. Sanctuary of Apollo.
This temple was built 3500 years ago. For the Greeks, it was the “center of the world”; not only they, but also thousands of other pilgrims came here to hear the prophecies of the Oracle of Delphi - a priestess through whose lips God seemed to speak to the believers.
8. Mahabodhi Temple.
This is the holiest place for Buddhists. Thousands of believers and tourists come here every year. Buddhists believe that Siddhartha Gautama achieved Enlightenment here, becoming Buddha.
9. Luxor Temple.
Israel is a country to which millions of people have been coming for many decades to with my own eyes see cities and places connected by the life trials of Jesus and his mother, touch shrines and feel in your soul, standing at the Western Wall, your involvement in history, regardless of what nationality you are. Therefore, a trip to Israel to holy places is a very popular tourist destination.
Jerusalem
A city that has experienced rise and fall, seen different cultures and civilizations and is a shrine to many thousands of people professing different religions - this is Jerusalem. Here the redemptive feat of Christ was accomplished. Any tour of the holy places of Israel begins from here, from one of the ancient cities, the cradle of three religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
The walls of the city were built by the Turks in the 16th century, and the stones from which they are made remember the times of Herod and the Crusaders. On the site of the ancient city gates stands the Golden Gate, which attracts the attention of tourists.
According to Jewish beliefs, the Messiah was supposed to enter the city through these gates. Jesus made his entrance through them. Now the gates are walled up by Muslims so that the next Messiah cannot enter them. Many legends are associated with this gate. Tour guides always tell tourists and pilgrims interesting fact, which is located at a depth of 5 meters. That is, the streets of Jerusalem are in basements.
Shrines of Jerusalem
The shrines of Judaism include the Temple Mount - Moriah, the holy place revered by the Jews - the Western Wall and the cave in Hebron. Muslim shrines include the al-Aqsa mosque, where the Prophet Muhammad was transferred to heaven before his ascension to heaven. For Muslims, this is the third most spiritually important city after Mecca and Medina. Christian shrines, first of all, are places associated with the birth and life of Jesus Christ. In Jerusalem, Christ preached, in the Garden of Gethsemane he addressed the Father, here he was betrayed and crucified, pilgrims from all over the world come here to Via Doloroz. The trip is also interesting for tourists who love traveling to historical places. However, a trip to Israel to holy places is not always affordable during the Easter and Christmas periods. Usually, during this period, the cost of plane tickets and services for pilgrims and tourists becomes higher.
Temple Mount
IN Old Testament The Bible mentions the Temple Mount as the site where the First Temple was built. It is here that according to prophecy it should happen Last Judgment on Judgment Day. An interesting fact is that this shrine in equally Jews, Christians and Muslims claim. What has happened in 2000 years on this top of Jerusalem! Jews and Christians who come to holy places in Israel consider themselves involved in the Temple Mount mentioned in the Bible.
The history of the events that took place over many hundreds of years has made its own amendments. Now the mountain is surrounded by high walls with a perimeter length of about 1.5 km, and in the square above the old city there are Muslim shrines - the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque. Christians and Jews can be on the Temple Mount, but praying is strictly prohibited, as is bringing books and religious objects that are not related to the Muslim faith.
Wall of Tears
Those who come on excursions to the holy places of Israel will certainly come to the miraculously preserved ancient wall of the Second Temple. There are rules on how to behave at the Western Wall. So, if you stand facing the Wall, men pray on the left, women on the right. A man must wear a kippah. According to an unknown tradition, people place notes between the stones in the Wall with various requests to the Almighty. They are written mainly by tourists. When quite a lot of such notes are collected, they are collected and buried in a designated place near Maslenitsa Mountain.
The Wailing Wall for the people of Israel is not only a symbol of grief for the destroyed temples. Somewhere in the subconscious of the Jews, this is rather a prayer carried through the centuries, a prayer of an exiled people for return from eternal exile and a request to the Lord God for peace and unity of the Israeli people.
How the site of Christ's crucifixion was found
The Romans, who destroyed Jerusalem, erected their pagan temples in the new city. And only in the time of St. Constantine, when the persecution of Christians stopped, in the 4th century, the question arose of finding the burial place of Jesus. Now they began to destroy the pagan temples and temples introduced by Hadrian in 135 - such is the story. Through many military expeditions called crusades, the liberation of the shrine from the infidels took place. And after some time, Queen Helena found the place where the Savior was crucified. By order of the queen, the construction of a temple began on this site. In 335 the temple was consecrated. Historians talk about its beauty and grandeur. But less than 300 years passed before it suffered from the Persians. In 1009, it was completely destroyed by Muslims, and only in 1042 was it restored, but not in its former glory.
Church of the Ascension of Christ
The most important and most visited among the holy places of Christianity in Israel has always been the Church of the Ascension of Christ, or the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Pilgrims arriving in Jerusalem first of all come to venerate the stone on which Jesus was anointed, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The place where the temple was built and now operates was at the beginning of the first century outside the walls of Jerusalem, far from dwellings. There was a cave near the hill where Jesus was executed, and Jesus was buried in it. According to their customs, the Jews buried their dead in caves, in which there were several halls with niches for the deceased and an anointing stone on which the body was prepared for burial. He was anointed with oils and wrapped in a shroud. The entrance to the cave was covered with a stone.
The temple with many halls and passages, including the Holy Sepulcher and Calvary, is located at the end of the road along which Jesus walked to Calvary. Traditionally, on Good Friday, before Orthodox Easter, a procession of the Cross follows this path. The procession moves through the Old Town, along Via Dolorosa, which means “Way of Sorrow” in Latin, and ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Tourists who come to make a pilgrimage to holy places in Israel take part in this procession and worship.
Six Christian denominations, Armenian, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian, have the right to hold services in the temple. Each denomination has its own part of the complex and time allocated for prayers.
Garden of Gethsemane
A unique landmark of Jerusalem that you must see when visiting the holy places of Israel is the garden located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ prayed here before the crucifixion. In this garden grow eight centuries-old olive trees, which are believed to have witnessed this prayer. Modern methods Research has made it possible to determine the real age of olives growing in the garden.
It turned out that their age was very respectable - nine centuries. The researchers concluded that all these trees are related to each other, since they have one parent tree, next to which Jesus himself may have passed. History has preserved the fact that during the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans, all the trees in the garden were completely cut down. But olives have persistent vitality and could produce good shoots from strong roots. Which also gives us confidence that the current trees of the garden are the direct heirs of the very ones that Jesus saw.
Birthplace of the Virgin Mary
Visiting holy places in Israel includes a trip to the birthplace of the mother of Jesus Christ. Not far from the Sheep Gate, almost at the exit from the city, was the home of Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anna. Currently there is a Greek temple on this site. Above the entrance doors of the temple there is an inscription: “The Birth Place of Virgin Mary”, which means “Place of the Nativity” Mother of God" To get into the house, you need to go down to the basement, since the current Jerusalem, as the guide said, is about 5 meters higher than the previous one.
Bethlehem and Nazareth
Pilgrims visiting Israel's Christian holy sites come to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born.
The temple is more than 16 centuries old. Believers come to the temple to touch the star installed in the place where the manger stood; visit Joseph's cave and the cave with the burial of infants killed by order of Herod.
The next place of pilgrimage is the city where Jesus spent his childhood and youth. This is Nazareth. Here, in Nazareth, an Angel brought the Good News to the future mother of Christ, Mary. Pilgrims and tourists, visiting holy places, always go to it and 2 other churches: St. Joseph and Over the past decade, the Old part of Nazareth has been renovated and the architectural beauty of the narrow streets has been restored.
Other holy places in Israel
The usual program for tourists visiting the holy places of Israel is very eventful. You can stay in Jerusalem alone for weeks and discover something new every day. In order to somehow compress the deadlines and meet the allotted time for the tour, agencies organize free trips to the holy places of Israel included in the tour in buses, accompanied by a guide-interpreter. Of course, stops are made and there is an opportunity to take pictures for memory. From the bus window you can see the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus Christ delivered the famous Sermon on the Mount; drive through Cana of Galilee, where Christ turned water into wine. You can make a stop in the city of Jericho, which, according to experts, is more than 6 thousand years old.
Not far from the city is the Mountain of Temptations and the Forty Days Monastery, where Jesus fasted for 40 days after his baptism. The next stop is at the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. And the sign that swimming here is prohibited does not stop a group of tourists.
The time allotted for a tourist trip passes quickly. Impressions, photographs and some souvenirs will long remind you of the days spent in holy places. And, of course, recommendations to your friends and family: “Be sure to go to Israel.” There are many places that I would like to see in the Promised Land, which is why pilgrims and tourists constantly come here to once again touch the holy places.
Places of power are zones of the Earth endowed with special energy. They acquire unusual properties for various reasons: they leave their mark on natural features terrain (e.g. geotectonic faults), important religious or historical events that occurred in this area.
Such zones may have pronounced positive or negative energy. In the first case, visiting places of power can heal a person on both the physical and spiritual levels. In the second, on the contrary, to take away part of the vital energy.
In one article it is impossible to talk about all such places located within our state. We have collected 11 famous objects that have powerful positive energy and are surrounded by many legends.
Mount Belukha in Altai
Esotericists call it a sacred place, believing that here our planet is charged with universal energy; ufologists believe that the Yarlu Gorge is a “parking lot” for UFOs. Mystics say that here is the entrance to the mysterious Shambhala - a mythical country inside a mountain, accessible only to a select few. 
Since time immemorial, people have been coming here to find peace and quiet. Belukha does not leave the sick and unfortunate in trouble, as well as punishes those who are overwhelmed by pride. Roerich noted this place for its strong energy.
Chardon archipelago in Karelia
Layers of granite with quartzite create a unique rock pattern on the islets of the Chardon archipelago. The wild beauty of these places attracts everyone without exception. People come here to listen to the silence, admire the sunsets, fish and, of course, restore their strength. 
The energy center of the archipelago is called relatively small area where trees grow unusual shape- their trunks are twisted in an intricate way and burned by lightning.
Here people feel a surge of vigor; some say that if you put your palm forward, you can feel a slight tingling sensation.
Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal
Olkhon is surrounded by the waters of Lake Baikal. This is one of the most beautiful places in Russia, shrouded in many mysterious legends. The island is called the sacred center of the northern shamanic world. The ancients believed that the spirits of Baikal settled here. 
Not far from the island, at the source of the Angara, there is the Shaman Stone - the habitat of Ama Sagan Noyon - the owner of the river. Two stone peaks protruding from the water resemble a shaman's headdress.
Important ceremonies were held here and justice was administered. The convicted criminal was left on the stone overnight. If a person was not taken by Baikal or did not go crazy, he was acquitted.
Cape Burhan is considered one of the 9 shrines of Asia. Here in the Shamanka rock there is a through cave, where they used to make sacrifices, and now there is a statue of Buddha. For a long time, the road to the rock was open only to the strongest sorcerers of the world: and in our time, they come here every year for their tailagan.
Mount Demerdzhi in Crimea
Mount Demerdzhi is a rocky place of power, shrouded in a mystical aura. There are many eyewitness accounts that talk about humanoid creatures, which are found here as well as in Arkaim, the city of ghosts. There is a belief that if a traveler gets caught in the fog on the slopes of Demerdzhi, he risks never returning - the mountains will not let him go. IN good weather the place gives strength and helps you make the right decisions in silence. 
Sanctuary of Pegrema in Karelia
Pegrema, an abandoned village on the shores of Lake Onega, is ranked among the most mysterious places in Russia. Visitors are greeted by a graveyard of peasant houses with facades facing the lake, and a crypt made of wood from the monastery of Valaam Khutyn. 
The “Glade of Idols” brought fame to the place. Here the ancestors of the Karelian-Finns worshiped the gods, performed rituals, paying honor to ancestral totems and escorting last way their compatriots.
Among the idols one can easily recognize a duck - the foremother of the earth in Karelian-Finnish mythology, a frog, a turtle and other representatives of the fauna created by someone in stone.
Lake Svetloyar in the Nizhny Novgorod region
The second name of the reservoir is “Russian Atlantis”. The still waters of the lake, according to legend, hide the magnificent city of Kitezh from view. This is notified by the occasional light ripple running across the mirror-like surface. 
Those standing on the shore of Svetloyar see lights in the depths of the lake, hear drawn-out singing and the ringing of bells. The water of a reservoir is considered holy because it can be stored indefinitely in a vessel without losing its qualities.
Dolmens in the Krasnodar region
Dolmens are stone megalithic buildings. They were erected several thousand years ago by unknown masters. Dolmens are scattered throughout the Caucasus. Most of them are near Gelendzhik: on Mount Nexis, in populated areas Revival, Pshada and on the way to them. 
Scientists put forward several versions of their purpose. Dolmens are called ancient observatories, original energy cannons, ancient tombs. One thing was found out for sure - all the buildings were erected in geoactive places (where geological faults and springs are indicated on the map). People believe that wishes come true here and answers to important questions are found.
Ukok plateau in Altai region
The Ukok plateau is located not far from Gorno-Altaisk, and, like many places of power, is surrounded by an aura of mystery. It is forbidden to shout here, since it is believed that a loud sound is a sign of sacrilege and an insult to the spirits “living” here. 
In the Ukok pastures, from a great height you can see geoglyphs - giant drawings similar in scale to those found in the Nazca desert.
Ufologists believe that this is a marking for the messengers of heaven.
Champ Island in the Arkhangelsk region
One of the many atolls of the Franz Josef Land archipelago is attractive with its mysterious orbs. At first glance, it looks like the spheres were created by nature from very hard rock, but in fact their structure is quite loose. Tourists compare it to very tightly compressed sand. Spherulites seem to “grow” from the groundValley of Geysers on the Kamchatka Peninsula
A rare and majestic natural manifestation in the form of swirling steam, incessant roar and water splashes on the only geyser field in Eurasia. 
Travelers feel here as if on another planet. The play of colors gives the landscape a special beauty: the green of the flora is interspersed with yellow, purple and red shades of rocks covered with thermal algae and moss. The names of the geysers also match them, one of which is “The Gates of Hell”.
Everyone who has managed to visit here falls under the charm of this region.
Tekie dervishes in Evpatoria (Crimea)
The only Islamic monastery on the peninsula is a refuge for supporters of Sufism (a mystical movement in Islam). Mystery lies in the dances of the dervishes, representing a performance-ritual of worship of Allah. 
Here Sufis at their meetings shared knowledge with each other and immersed themselves in meditation, organized celebrations with chants and dances, after which they fell into mystical ecstasy.
The editors of the site believe that the world is full of secrets, many of which have yet to be solved by man. Scientists have already found explanations for some amazing phenomena. We invite you to get acquainted with natural illusions that look like a miracle.
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