12 Temples to visit in Southeast Asia

• published: 15 Dec 2014
• views: 1869

This travel video showcases the top 12 temples worth visiting in Southeast Asia including Buddhist temples, Taoist temples and Hindu temples just to name a few. Whether you're visiting Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), Singapore or Brunei you'll see some magnificent temples. The following is a list of the best 12 temples we highly recommend you visit in SE Asia while traveling: 1) Angkor Wat Temple Angkor Wat temple is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia and is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu built by a Cambodian King who helped unify the country and to also spread the Khmer influence across Southeast Asia. 2) Wat Arun Temple Wat Arun temple is located in Bangkok, Thailand. This is the Temple of Dawn located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river. 3) Banteay Srei Temple Banteay Srei is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This happens to be a Hindu temple and it is dedicated to the God Shiva. Most of the temples of Angkor were commissioned by powerful Kings but this temple in particular was not. It was commissioned by a Brahman, which makes it quite unique. There are many temples to choose from but this one in particular Banteay Srei is considered to be the crown jewel of Angkorian art because it has some of the most exquisite and intricate carvings. 4) Kek Lok Si Temple Kek Lok Si is located in Air Itam (George Town) Penang, Malaysia. Kek Lok Si temple, also known as the Temple of Supreme Bliss, is the biggest Buddhist temple in all of Southeast Asia. The temple complex combines Mahayana Buddhism and Chinese rituals. For anyone who would like to come you can take the bus 201, 203 and 204 from the Komplex Komptar - basically the main mall from George Town and it is about a 40 minute ride to here. 5) Batu Caves Temple The Batu Caves are located 13 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As an important Hindu shrine the Batu Caves takes its name from the Batu River and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. To get to the top you'll have to climb two hundred and seventy two steps. You'll notice lots of macaques or little monkeys. 6) Preah Khan Temple Preah Khan is located in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia as part of the Temples of Angkor. The temple means 'sacred sword' and this temple is believed to have been a University that housed over a 1000 teachers. It has that kind of eerie feeling to it similar to Ta Prohm but without all of the crowds. You can be walking through and you feel like you're going through a maze. It is really quite fascinating. People who have come to this temple have picked up some rocks and stacked them into a little formation and I do believe this has a special meaning in Buddhism. 7) Golden Mount Temple Golden Mount Temple is located in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find yourself having some of the best views of Bangkok from up here. It is normally not crowded; however, on a special Buddhist holiday it is packed with people - especially local Thais. 8) Doi Suthep Temple Doi Suthep Temple is located in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Located on top of a mountain it is best reached by taking a red songthaew where you can have the best view of Chiang Mai on a clear day. 9) Angkor Thom Temple (Bayon) Bayon, also known as Angkor Thom Temple is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia an is part of the Temples of Angkor. The most fascinating thing about Bayon are the cold faces that have a hint of a smile. This massive complex has 54 towers with 216 faces on them. You can also visit the Terrace of the Elephants which is 350 meters long. 10) Cave Pagoda Temple Cave Pagoda is located in Vietnam along the Mekong Delta nearby the Vietnamese - Cambodian border in the far south near Chao Doc. To reach the summit you need to climb 400 steps and chances are you'll be sweating profusely. This temple has beautiful views. It is just rice fields as far as you can see. 11) Ta Prohm Temple Ta Prohm Temple is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia in the Angkor region. Ta Prohm is a Buddhist temple where the jungle just dominates the architecture. Indiana Jones would feel right at home here at this temple. In fact, it was used for the set of Tomb Raider staring Angelina Joli. It is decaying and it is crumbling but it is a great place to explore. This is an example of nature taking over the temple. 12) Temples to visit in Southeast Asia Transcript Playlist: This is part of our Travel in Southeast Asia series. We're making a series of videos showcasing Asian culture, Asian arts, Asian foods, Asian religion and Asia people. Proudly presented by: http://nomadicsamuel.com , http://smilingfacestravelphotos.com , http://thatbackpacker.com & http://backpacking-travel-blog.com All photos and video taken by Samuel Jeffery (Nomadic Samuel) and Audrey Bergner (That Backpacker).