Beitou (北投) is a district of Taipei City at the foot of Yangmingshan (陽明山 or Yangming Mountain), a collection of mountain peaks that make up Yangminshan National Park. These include Seven Star Mountain (七星山 or Qixingshan), a dormant volcano that last erupted around 700,000 years ago.
Xinbeitou (新北投), the hot spring village around Xinbeitou MRT station, occupies a lush valley that is home to 1200 species of plants, 110 species of bird, and 160 varieties of butterflies.
Beitou Thermal Valley (also called Beitou Geothermal Valley or Hell Valley) is a second, highly acidic “green sulfur” hot spring that is a major tourist attraction in Beitou and the source of the hot creek running through Beitou Hot Spring Park.
The spring water is high in radium, which in the past underwent a corrosive reaction with the andesite rocks on the river bed about 150 meters downstream, creating layers of cream and white diamond-shaped crystals named Hokutolite or “Beitou stone”, ...
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception อาสนวิหารพระนางมารีอาปฏิสนธินิรมล is a Catholic church and is located in the city of Chanthaburi, in the province of the same name, in Thailand.
The cathedral, visible from most of the city, was formally inaugurated in 1909 as one of the largest Catholic churches in Thailand. It was built on a previous structure of more than 300 years. It was constructed in Gothic style during the 10 years of occupation by France on this territory although it remained unfinished at that time (1893–1904). There is a statue of the Virgin Mary in front of the Cathedral.
The center piece of the inside of the cathedral is the statue of the Virgin Mary. It is covered by semi precious gems donated by the local congregation – estimates of the number of gems range from 200,000 to 500,000.
It serves as the Roman or Latin rite seat of the Diocese of Chanthaburi (Dioecesis Chanthaburiensis, ...
Wat Bamrung Tham (วัดบำรุงธรรม)
Wat Bamrung Tham or the Monastery of Keeping up the Dharma is an active monastery located off the city island in the northern area of Ayutthaya in Ban Mai Sub-district.
On site is a new monastic complex and an old de-consecrated ordination hall built in the Early Ayutthaya style (1351 - 1488 AD). The old ubosot has a single elevated porch with two entries in the east and a back door on the western side. There are three rectangular windows on the northern and southern sides. The roof is two-tiered, which is an architecture feature which took root in the Middle Ayutthaya period (1488 - 1629 AD). On the western side of the ubosot stands a two-rabbeted angled chedi. The old monastic structures are surrounded by a wall (Kamphaeng kaeo or crystal wall), separating the monastic world from the secular world.
The new ubosot was built in the Late Ayutthaya style (1629 - 1767 AD). It is a very slender hall with a three-tiered roof. The gable is beautifully ...
Wat Phukhao Thong
Wat Phu Khao Thong, also known as the "Golden Mount Pagoda," is a historic temple located in Ayutthaya, Thailand. It was originally built in 1387 and features a chedi that stands approximately 80 meters tall.
The site originally housed a large Mon-style chedi built by King Hongsawadi of Burma to commemorate his victory in Ayutthaya in 1569.
During the reign of King Boromakot, a new Thai-style chedi was built on the base of the former chedi. The chedi has a gold ball at the top weighing around 2 kilograms and a Buddha footprint from Saraburi. The temple is slightly off the beaten track and is easily accessible by Tuk-Tuk.
The temple features a clash of two unique architectural styles, with the pagoda initially sanctioned by a Burmese commander to commemorate a successful siege of Ayutthaya but only managing to complete the base structure before he left. After Ayutthaya regained its independence, a Thai-style pagoda was superimposed on the Mon-style base.
Buddhist law prohibited ...
