Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Food window and entrance of center.
Indian Arts Center
Steaming Tender Restaurant
Tiptree Jam Museum entrance.
Tiptree Jam Museum
The Reading Room blends the intimacy of an inviting bar with the inviting solace of a good bookstore.
The Reading Room
Building
The Mountain House
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Nara Buddha's Nostril

Buddha's Nostril

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

Nara, Japan

L lisa peck profile photo
Added By
lisa
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXiVVAVfiWw   Danica Steinhauser/CC BY 2.0
A supporting post in the Daibutsuden has a hole said to be the same size as one of the Daibutsu’s nostrils.   Public Domain
Tōdai-ji at Nara Japan.   Wiiii/CC BY-SA 3.0
  Jason Rost / Atlas Obscura User
2023-04 closed due to COVID.   MikeInSanFrancisco / Atlas Obscura User
The hole.   maren / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

There are a number of wonders inside Japan's gorgeous Tōdai-ji Temple, including the world's largest brass Buddha statue, but the most memorable feature would have to be Buddha's Nostril. 

Nothing more than a small, square hole in the base of one of the temple's great wooden pillars, the so-called "nostril" is said to grant a degree of enlightenment in the next life to any worshipper who can fit through it. The magic hole takes its name from the belief that the tiny tunnel is as large as one of the nostrils on the giant Buddha statue sitting under the same roof. While no one has measured the actual size comparison between the Buddha's nose and the hole in the column, nor can anyone verify the exact nature of the enlightenment granted by the architectural oddity, yet small-hipped visitors from around the world continue to get down on all fours to seek the wisdom of the Buddha's nose hole.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Community Contributors

L lisa peck profile photo

Added By

lisa peck

hrnick profile photo Meg profile photo maren profile photo MikeInSanFrancisco profile photo

Edited By

hrnick, Meg, maren, MikeInSanFrancisco...

  • hrnick profile photo hrnick
  • Meg profile photo Meg
  • maren profile photo maren
  • MikeInSanFrancisco profile photo MikeInSanFrancisco
  • Jason Rost profile photo Jason Rost
  • L loremipsum profile photo loremipsum

Published

May 6, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://bigontrips.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/squeezing-through-buddhas-nostrils/
  • http://www.thefundamentalalchemist.com/deer-drool-unesco-and-the-beam-that-gave-rebirth-to-me/

Related Tags

Rites And Rituals Sacred Spaces Giant Buddhas Buddhism
Buddha's Nostril
Nara, 630-8211
Japan
34.688862, 135.84003

Nearby Places

Tōdai-ji Daibutsuden (The Great Buddha Hall)

Nara, Japan

miles away

Nekodan (Cat Stairway)

Nara, Japan

miles away

Shōsōin

Nara, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nara

Nara

Japan

Places 7
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Tōdai-ji Daibutsuden (The Great Buddha Hall)

Nara, Japan

miles away

Nekodan (Cat Stairway)

Nara, Japan

miles away

Shōsōin

Nara, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nara

Nara

Japan

Places 7
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

Baby Jumping and Worm Charming: 60 of the World’s Oddest Traditions

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • The temple.

    Nachikatsuura-chō, Japan

    Fudarakusan-ji

    A temple made famous by Japanese Buddhist monks who sacrificed themselves at sea.

  • The giant Buddha looms over the pathway.

    Beruwala, Sri Lanka

    Kande Vihara

    This amazing mountain temple is topped by one of the tallest sitting Buddha statues in the world.

  • Tham Sakkarin Savannakuha

    Luang Prabang, Laos

    Tham Sakkarin Savannakuha

    Abandoned limestone cave was once a sacred place of worship.

  • Tashiding Monastery

    South Sikkim, India

    Tashiding Monastery

    Miraculous vase predicts the future at this Tibetan Buddhist site in the Himalayas.

  • Haetae, the Korean lion-dog.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Zen’yō-ji Temple

    An eclectic temple with Chinese architecture, Korean lion-dogs, an Indian god and a legendary 700-year-old tree.

  • Guanyin Cave on Green Island

    Green Island, Taiwan

    Guanyin Cave

    Hidden in a cave on a small Taiwanese island, a stalagmite reported to look like the bodhisattva Guanyin.

  • Approaching the interior of the Longhua Temple complex

    Shanghai, China

    Longhua Temple

    A temple complex has existed on this site since the third century.

  • Temple at Camp Etna

    Etna, Maine

    Camp Etna

    A major spiritual gathering place in central Maine since the mid-1800s.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.