Things to Do in Asia

Paoan Temple, one of the most popular and significant religious sites in Taipei, dates back to 1760 when immigrants from Southern China built the original wooden temple. Dedicated to the emperor-deity Paosheng, god of medicine and healing, Paoan in its current form has stood since 1805 after more than 25 years of construction.

Many local Taiwanese visit the fully functioning temple to pray for health and wellness, particularly with pregnant women. Besides Paosheng, you’ll find a shrine to the goddess of birth with her 12 aides inside the temple bell tower. All the wood and stone used to build the temple were brought from China, and the structure exhibits many of the typical characteristics of Chinese temple architecture, like the wooden dragon pillars and colorful wooden carvings.

Paoan tends to be less crowded than Longshan Temple and much more colorful than the Taipei Confucius Temple. If possible, plan your visit during a temple festival to see Paoan Temple at its best and most colorful.

Every day, thousands of Hindu pilgrims from around the globe make their way to Pashupatinath Temple to worship the god Shiva. The temple sits on the banks of the Bagmati River just outside of Kathmandu and is not just architecturally beautiful, it’s also one of the oldest and most important Shaivite temples in the world.

The complex dates back to around 400 AD, but the current temple was rebuilt during the 17th century. According to local legends, the site of the temple was where the god Shiva hid from the rest of the gods by taking the form of an antelope. When the gods caught him, they broke off one of his horns which fell to the ground on the spot where the temple currently stands. While non-Hindus aren’t always allowed inside the main temple, those who do enter can see another phallic symbol of Shiva worshiped within.

A visit to Pashupatinath may also present the opportunity to witness a fascination -- though certainly somber -- cultural ceremony. Many Hindus bring their dead to be cremated on the steps leading down to the river just outside the temple. Often you’ll see the covered bodies paraded through the temple grounds, past hordes of monkeys and sadhus, toward the river.

Work your way through centuries of the past at the Osaka Museum of History, opened in 2003. Located just across from the Osaka Castle, head to the top floor to see great views of the castle.

Exhibits chronicle Osaka's history, beginning in ancient times when Osaka served as Japan's first capital and site of the Naniwa Palace and ending with exhibits on the city's bustling shopping arcades of the early Showa Period.

Designed from top to bottom, visitors start on the 10th floor and work their way down to the 7th, passing through galleries which focus on the Age of the Naniwa Palace, the Age of the Hongan-ji Temple, and the Age of Greater Osaka. Archaeological remains are displayed in the building’s basement.

Take the Highlights Course if you’re short of time, or follow a more leisurely and detailed route with the Complete Course.

One of the world’s oldest active synagogues, and the oldest in the Commonwealth, can be found in the center of the port’s spice district, Jew Town. The district is a particularly historic reminder of Fort Cochin’s multicultural heritage.

The synagogue sits at the center of the district once inhabited by Fort Cochin’s prosperous spice trading community of Malabari Jews, who traveled here from Holland and Spain. Today, apart from the synagogue and faded street signs, reminders of the district’s once-thriving Jewish community are few.

There were once seven synagogues in this quarter of Old Cochin, but Paradesi Synagogue (also called Pardesi) is the sole survivor. It sometimes also known as the Mattancherry Synagogue, as it shares a temple wall with the neighboring Mattancherry Palace. The word ‘paradesi’ is an Indian term for foreigner.

The original synagogue built in 1568 was destroyed by the Portuguese, and the current building with its distinctive clock tower was erected under the rule of the Dutch.

Notable features include the synagogue’s floor of blue-and-white tiles, individually hand-painted in Canton in a willow pattern. Colored glass lamps and glittering Belgian-glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the gold pulpit is richly decorated.

As is traditional, there is a separate upstairs balcony for female worshipers. There are also historic Torah scrolls and copper plates inscribed with the synagogue’s charter of privileges on display.

When you visit the synagogue, make sure to come modestly dressed (no shorts or sleeveless tops allowed).

Jain temples are known for being some of the most highly decorated of any in India, and the Pareshnath Jain Temple in Kolkata (Calcutta) is one of the most resplendent. Built by art enthusiast Ray Badridas Bahadur in 1867, the temple interior is filled with intricately patterned marble, mirrors, stained glass, European chandeliers and gilded surfaces.

The pastel candy-colored buildings are subdivided into four smaller temples, set within a garden dotted with silvered statuary, fountains and mosaics. The main temple is dedicated to Sitalnathji, one of the 24 sages believed to have achieved Nirvana (tirthankaras) in the Jain religion, and houses an eternal flame in his honor.

The temple opens to non-Jains daily in the morning and afternoon with no admission charge. Give yourself an hour or two to stroll around the grounds and appreciate the detail while learning about a religion of which little is known in the Western world.