Interesting Religious Sites

by bluestorm1738

415 Places

San Francisco, California

Vedanta Society's Old Temple

Built in 1906, this unique building was the first Hindu temple in the United States.

Added by Jon Lucas

Hindu Temple of Florida

A gleaming white tower in ornate Indian style soars above the low-slung bungalows of north Tampa.

tcgarner

Added by tcgarner

Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa

Maharishi Vedic City

An unlikely Transcendental Meditation haven in the American Heartland built around the ancient Vedic principles of balance and harmony.

lewblank

Added by lewblank

Queens, New York

The Ganesh Temple of Queens

This enormous Hindu temple in Queens serves incredible dosas in its basement canteen.

Luke J Spencer

Added by Luke J Spencer

Spanish Fork, Utah

Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple

Despite sitting firmly in the global cradle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this Hare Krishna temple is host to one of the largest color festivals outside India.

Added by Soozcat

Morrison, Colorado

Compassionate Dharma Cloud Monastery

A Buddhist monastery tucked away in the mountains of Colorado.

DavidK

Added by DavidK

Soquel, California

Land of Medicine Buddha

A Buddhist retreat built on more than 100 acres of California Redwood forest.

katerayne

Added by katerayne

Gainesville, Florida

Tu Viện A Nan

This Buddhist temple is home to a number of towering statues spread over a peaceful wooded park.

Added by kfs386

East Palo Alto, California

Chùa Giác Minh

An eatery within a Bay Area Buddhist temple pulls off all your favorite Vietnamese classics without the meat.

lukefater

Added by lukefater

Conley, Georgia

Wat Lao Buddha Phothisaram

An ornate Buddhist temple located in an Atlanta suburb, built by and for the Laotian community.

Added by danielmejia93

Ukiah, California

City of 10,000 Buddhas

One of the largest Buddhist communities in the West sits on the site of an old hospital.

cloverdaledave

Added by cloverdaledave

Ithaca, New York

Namgyal Monastery

This peaceful gem in upstate New York was chosen as the future home of the 14th Dalai Lama's Library and Museum.

Meg

Carmel Hamlet, New York

New York's Chuang Yen Monastery

The largest Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere is just 50 miles north of NYC.

Added by pabalebo27

Bensalem, Pennsylvania

Wat Mongkoltepmunee

A glittering Thai Buddhist temple in suburban Pennsylvania.

davidwomalley

Added by davidwomalley

Staten Island, New York

New York Chinese Scholar's Garden

This small and serene place for quiet reflection on Staten Island was built in China based on the gardens of the Ming Dynasty.

lampbane

Added by lampbane

Oakland, California

Phap Duyen Tu: The Buddha Shrine of Oakland

A hardware store Buddha statue installed to deter vandalism wound up attracting Vietnamese immigrants who came to pray.

leiris

Added by leiris

Junction City, California

Chagdud Gonpa

A Tibetan Temple and Buddhist organization just off the beaten path in Northern California.

Added by Miquet

Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Great Stupa of Dharmakaya

One of the largest Buddhist stupas in North America is built of concrete designed to last 1,000 years.

Added by tglinsley

New York, New York

U Thant Island

The smallest island in Manhattan is a manmade landfill dominated by a Buddhist peace arch.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Kaneohe, Hawaii

Valley of the Temples Memorial Park

An authentic replica of an Asian temple and garden hidden amongst the natural beauty of Hawai'i.

Watlao Buddhamamakaram Temple

Ornate and vibrant, this temple is a colorful place of worship for Columbus's Thai and Laotian communities.

Oak Park, Illinois

Unity Temple

After an Illinois church was struck by lightning and burned down, Frank Lloyd Wright designed this replacement.

Added by billthomasson

Washington, D.C.

Grand Lodge Of Masons

This Masonic lodge was the first major private building to be constructed in Washington, D.C. after the Civil War.

Added by blimpcaptain

Indian Springs, Nevada

Sekhmet Temple of Goddess Spirituality

This hidden, women-built-and-operated Nevada temple on Shoshone Native American land is dedicated to the Egyptian lion goddess Sekhmet among other goddesses.

MKULTRA

Added by MKULTRA

Garden Grove, California

Cao Dai California Temple

The design of this ornately decorated place of worship closely mirrors a church in Vietnam.

Added by alebrun

Ulupō Heiau

Hidden behind a YMCA stands the remains of a ceremonial site that dates back hundreds of years, whose ground is still considered sacred to many Hawaiians.

RachelCassidy

Added by RachelCassidy

Los Angeles, California

Wat Thai Temple Food Market

Every weekend, the parking lot of this Buddhist temple turns into a Thai street-food paradise.

lukefater

Added by lukefater

Brooklyn, New York

Govinda's Vegetarian Lunch

Every dish is blessed in this basement eatery beneath a Hare Krishna temple.

lukefater

Added by lukefater

Chicago, Illinois

Hudson Chess Park

A Japanese temple, old German townhouses, and public chess tables offer a peaceful escape from the bustle of the North Side.

Anthony Settipani

Added by Anthony Settipani

Berkeley, California

Wat Mongkolratanaram

Every Sunday, this Thai temple in Berkeley serves a backyard brunch.

Alex Mayyasi

Added by Alex Mayyasi

Toronto, Ontario

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto

This Hindu temple is an architectural marvel designed and built according to ancient Indian principles.

mariellen

Added by mariellen

Palace of the Golden Orbs

An unrealized Taoist palace left abandoned in a Houston suburb.

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Added by lewblank

Wapakoneta, Ohio

The Temple of Tolerance

A gregarious Ohio resident has been building his whimsical temple to peace for decades.

GeeOJulie

Added by GeeOJulie

Lhakhang Cultural Exhibit

A Bhutanese temple gifted from the isolated Himalayan kingdom is now a surprising cultural gem located at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Michael Inscoe

Added by Michael Inscoe

Boston, Massachusetts

First Spiritualist Temple

America's original house of worship for Spiritualism, the religious movement based on communing with the dead.

Added by cstaysniak

Independence, Missouri

Independence Temple

This otherworldly church spire reaches up toward the heavens.

Hermit

Added by Hermit

Kensington, Maryland

Washington, D.C. Temple

The tallest The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in the world soars above the Beltway.

Added by evyatarguttman

Washington, D.C.

House of the Temple

This imposing Masonic temple a mile from the White House was the first public library in Washington, D.C.

Added by dtjd594

Lilburn, Georgia

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta

This intricate Hindu temple is the largest of its kind outside of India itself and was constructed like a giant puzzle.

pyynk

Montezuma, New Mexico

Dwan Light Sanctuary

A futuristic temple of light uses prisms and rainbows to create an atmosphere of peace.

rosieate

Added by rosieate

Bartlett, Illinois

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Sanstha Mandir Chicago

This elaborate Hindu temple is located in a Chicago suburb, but looks like it was transported directly from India.

Added by michele

Los Angeles, California

Templo Santa Muerte

A shrine to a skeleton saint in the city of angels.

rjhemedes

Added by rjhemedes

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Masonic Temple of Philadelphia

Huge masonic hall in Philadelphia with lavishly themed rooms.

Los Angeles, California

Angelus Temple

Church and home-museum of a 1920s female revivalist preacher with a very sordid past.

betty

Camp Etna

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

rugby007

Added by rugby007

Waianae, Hawaii

Kaneana Cave

This coastal cavern is associated with the Hawaiian god of creation.

Added by kjetzer

Mountainair, New Mexico

Salinas Pueblo Missions

The remains of Abó, Gran Quivera, and Qurai are monuments to the long, complicated history of the Indigenous people of the Southwest.

David Hammond

Added by David Hammond

Port Aransas, Texas

Chapel on the Dunes

The oldest functional consecrated church on Mustang Island.

LoneStarATC

Added by LoneStarATC

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