Welcome to a journey through 10 strange terrifying shrines across Asia, where ancient rites, ghostly legends, and jaw‑dropping architecture collide. From subterranean tunnels that plunge you into darkness to cliff‑side tea houses that test your courage, each stop on this list will make you question what lies beyond the ordinary.
10 Strange Terrifying Highlights
10 Dongyue Temple China
Dating back to 1319, Dongyue Temple stands as one of Beijing’s grandest Taoist complexes, and perhaps its most unsettling. Home to the Beijing Folklore Museum since 1999, the site buzzes with year‑round festivals, blessing ceremonies, and cultural demonstrations that draw crowds seeking good fortune.
While the blessings are generous, the temple also offers a stark reminder of what awaits the wayward. The main courtyard, reachable via Happiness Road, features two towering pavilions honoring Qing Dynasty emperors, plus 72 miniature chambers representing the various departments of hell. The very name “Dongyue” refers to the deity overseeing all 18 layers of the underworld and its 76 subdivisions.
Inside, bureaucracy meets the supernatural: visitors can peek into the Department of Pity and Sympathy, where tiny clay beggars wait for appeals, or the Department of Accumulating Wealth, and even the Department for Implementing 15 Kinds of Violent Death. Each cubicle is guarded by garishly painted, terrifying statues, and donation boxes sit outside, inviting you to contribute a token for the overseers’ goodwill.
9 Goa Lawah Temple Indonesia
If the sound of fluttering wings makes you uneasy, you’ll want to steer clear of Bali’s Goa Lawah Temple, better known as the Bat Cave. Established in the 11th century, this Hindu sanctuary is among the island’s earliest, expanding over centuries into a sprawling complex where travelers offer fruit and prayers before embarking on journeys.
The legend tells of a hidden prince who escaped pursuers by seeking refuge within the cave’s labyrinthine tunnels, later emerging at Mount Agung’s Besakih Temple. Supposedly, every time Mount Agung erupts, ash rains down from Goa Lawah. Beyond the bats, the cavern is rumored to house the serpent Vasuki, Shiva’s companion, who guards a pool of healing waters deep within the darkness and occasionally feasts on the resident bats.
8 Wat Phumin Thailand
Wat Phumin, nestled in Nan, Thailand, dazzles visitors with four Buddha‑flanked entrances, intricate murals, and a two‑story library of sacred texts. Yet hidden behind its serene façade lies a squat, domed chamber that feels like a portal to the underworld.
Inside, life‑size dioramas depict vivid scenes of Buddhist hell: animal‑headed figures boiled in cauldrons, victims drenched in scorching oil, and a woman impaled on a tree while a bird gnaws at her severed head. An overseer perched atop a pile of skulls watches the torment. These macabre displays starkly contrast the heavenly murals elsewhere in the temple, which portray everyday life, music, and love, sending a clear message about the consequences of straying from the path.
7 Huashan Teahouse China
While Huashan Teahouse lacks graphic depictions of damnation, its terror lies in the climb itself. Mount Huashan, a sacred Taoist site for centuries, hosts a series of shrines and temples that celebrate wealth through the diversity of its flora and fauna—474 species of medicinal plants alone.
The ascent begins with gentle stairs, but quickly devolves into a heart‑pounding scramble across broken planks nailed to sheer cliff faces, held only by a single chain. In some sections, there are no boards at all—just narrow iron bars or sheer rock faces with chiseled footholds. Those who survive the climb are rewarded with tea in a converted monastery atop the southern peak, offering arguably the most breathtaking views in China. The descent, however, remains a perilous challenge.
6 Zenkoji Temple Japan
Dating back to the 6th century, Nagano’s Zenkoji Temple witnessed Buddhism’s early, clandestine days. In 654, a statue carved in India was secretly installed as a “hibutsu” (hidden Buddha). Over time, the original was replaced by a replica displayed every seven years, while the authentic figure remains concealed.
The mystery deepens beneath the altar: a pitch‑black tunnel, symbolizing the soul’s journey through death and rebirth, offers laypeople a chance to experience the induction of new priests. After removing shoes, visitors crawl through the darkness, searching for a hidden “key to paradise.” The experience is unnerving, especially for those unaccustomed to total sensory deprivation.
5 The Snake Pagoda Myanmar
Snakes not your thing? The pagoda at Paleik, officially Yadana Labamuni Hsu‑taungpye Paya, will test your resolve. Though its origins trace back to the 11th or 15th century, the true spectacle began in the 1970s when three pythons slithered into the sanctuary, coiling around Buddha images.
Monks embraced the serpents, especially a massive five‑meter python revered as the reincarnation of an abbot. Today, the snakes are a major tourist draw among the 325 stupas surrounding the site. They are well‑fed, harmless, and visitors can pose for photos or watch daily ceremonies where the reptiles are bathed and fed.
4 Mount Osore Japan
Mount Osore, a volcanic plain in Japan, serves as a literal gateway to the afterlife. Sulfur‑laden air, steaming vents, and lakes tinged with sickly hues echo classic depictions of hell. The site is ringed by a river and eight mountains, with pebbles along the banks said to be placed by the souls of deceased infants attempting to construct a bridge to the afterworld.
Statues of Jizo, the protector of children, dot the area, while parents leave offerings—pinwheels, coins, candy, toys, and shoes—to aid the spirits. During festivals, women known as itako act as mediums, channeling the dead’s messages despite lacking formal religious training. Tradition holds that the bridge across the river determines one’s destiny: the virtuous cross easily, while the wicked cannot see it.
3 Tanah Lot Indonesia
Tanah Lot, perched on a rocky outcrop off Bali’s coast, is a stunning Hindu shrine—if you can tolerate its resident sea snakes. Legend says wanderer Danghyang Nirartha, after being expelled by a jealous king, transformed his shawl into a legion of silver‑and‑black sea snakes to guard the temple.
Today, daring visitors can approach the snakes during low tide, but the snakes remain potentially lethal. The temple also faces a slow erosion battle; in the 1980s, engineers reinforced the site with artificial rock to prevent it from slipping into the sea.
2 Preah Vihear Cambodia
Preah Vihear, perched near the Thailand‑Cambodia border, is a pristine 11th‑century Khmer masterpiece dedicated to Shiva. Though a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its location sparked a deadly dispute between the two nations, with gunfire echoing around the temple and casualties reported in 2011.
The contention stems from vague 1904 border demarcations, leading to a century‑long tug‑of‑war that even reached The Hague. In 2013, the International Court awarded the site to Cambodia, but the peace remains fragile. The temple’s intricate stone carvings and architectural grandeur rival Angkor Wat, making it an awe‑inspiring yet perilous destination.
1 Awashima Jinja Japan
Dolls hold a sacred place in Japanese culture, serving as ritual objects for purification, prayer, and gifts ranging from newborns to diplomats. At Awashima Jinja, women pray for health and fertility, often leaving behind dolls their daughters have outgrown, fearing that improperly discarded dolls may haunt families.
The shrine is a sea of dolls, statues, and figurines—thousands in total—each believed to house a human spirit. Annually, some dolls are placed in boats and set adrift, sinking to the ocean floor and, according to belief, taking misfortune with them. Others are offered for blessings related to childbirth, while many are ceremonially burned after priests absolve them of sin.
+ Bullet Baba India
Since its creation in 1988, the Bullet Baba shrine has attracted thousands. The story began when Om Singh Rathore died in a motorcycle crash; his Royal Enfield Bullet mysteriously returned to the crash site, prompting locals to erect a shrine. Om’s pride in his bike turned into a spiritual legend, with the bike’s “spirit” refusing to be separated from its metal steed.
Today, the shrine—featuring the Bullet and a tree adorned with offerings—hosts pilgrimages and an annual celebration on Om’s birthday, complete with opium and alcohol. The shrine also serves a sobering purpose: a reminder of the region’s high traffic‑fatality rate, reportedly helping to reduce accidents. Om’s son, born two months after his death, frequently visits, underscoring the shrine’s lasting impact.