Sacred Places of Buddhism
Vinaya, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna: monasteries and stūpas worldwide.
Buddhism spans Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna lineages, with sacred sites including monasteries, stupas, and meditation retreats across Asia and the world.
On Adisthan, places of Buddhism are catalogued with the same care given to every other tradition. Each page is community-maintained until claimed by a verified custodian. We welcome corrections, additions, and the steady hand of those who know these places best.
Featured places of Buddhism
A curated selection from the directory.
BuddhismAngkor Wat
Siem Reap · Cambodia · temple
The largest religious monument on earth, built for Lord Vishnu by Suryavarman II in the 12th century and in continuous worship ever since: a living Theravada Buddhist Temple whose five towers stand on the Cambodian flag.
BuddhismBangka Lungshan Temple
Taipei (Wanhua) · Taiwan · temple
Taipei's mother Temple to Guanshiyin, founded by Fujian settlers in 1738 in the old Bangka quarter: a front hall to the bodhisattva of compassion and a rear hall of more than a hundred Taoist and folk gods, whose Guanyin statue survived the 1945 bombing intact.
BuddhismBengal Buddhist Association
Kolkata · India · monastery
Founded in Kolkata in 1892 by Kripasaran Mahasthavir, the Bengal Buddhist Association, known in Bengali as Bauddha Dharmankur Sabha, raised the Dharmankur Vihara at Bow Barracks in 1903 and has worked for over a century to revive the Dharma in eastern India.
BuddhismBhot Bagan Math
Ghusuri · India · monastery
A brick monastery on the Hooghly riverside at Ghusuri, Howrah, founded in 1776 as the first Tibetan Buddhist religious foundation on the plains of India and still known popularly as Mahakal Math for the Tibetan deity images once installed in its sanctum.
BuddhismBorobudur
Magelang · Indonesia · temple
The world's largest Buddhist Temple: a ninth-century mandala in stone on Java's Kedu Plain, nine terraces rising through the three realms to 72 latticed stupas, each sheltering a seated Buddha.
BuddhismBoudhanath Stupa
Kathmandu · Nepal · stupa
The largest spherical stupa in Nepal, its all-seeing Buddha eyes watching over the kora walked daily by the Tibetan Buddhist community of Boudha, the heart of Vajrayana practice in the Kathmandu Valley.
BuddhismBuddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa
Vaishali · India · stupa
A newly completed museum and memorial stupa at Vaishaligarh in Bihar, raised entirely in pink sandstone beside the ancient Pushkarni pond to enshrine bodily relics of Gautama Buddha and to house a museum of Buddhist heritage.
BuddhismBuddha Temple, Buddhamangalam
· India · monastery
A modest Buddhist shrine in the village of Buddhamangalam, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu, housing a seated Buddha image, one of the early centres of the Buddhist tradition in this coastal region of South India.
Engage through the pathways
Every place on Adisthan offers four ways to engage — beyond visiting.
Seva सेवा
Service
Offer time, presence, or skill to a sacred place or community.
Explore →Sādhana साधना
Practice
Take up a practice guided by a tradition: meditation, mantra, study.
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Wisdom
Read teachings, scripture, and commentary held by sacred places.
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Giving
Give to upkeep, custodians, communities, and ongoing work.
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