Valley of the Temples, Hawaii
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Valley of the Temples is a memorial park located on the Windward (eastern) side of the Hawaiian island of O'ahu. It is a vast area of lush, rolling green hills at the foot of the Ko'olau mountains, overlooking the sleepy town of Kāne'ohe. Thousands of Buddhist, Christian and Shinto residents of Hawai'i are laid to rest, side by side in this memorial park.
The park features the replica of a 12th. century Japanese Buddhist temple built in the late 1960s. Its name is Byodo-In Temple which translates to the Phoenix temple, because of the two majestic metal phoenixes along the top ends of the main temple. It is a recreation of the Buddhist temple in Uji, Japan. Inside the main par of the temple there is a 9-12 ft Buddha sitting on a lotus painted on gold leaf.
Also on the grounds are large Roman Catholic statues depicting the Stations of the Cross, a non-denominational chapel, crypts and mausoleums of some of the most influential people in Hawaii. Most notable of those interred at the mausoleums of the Valley of the Temples is Walter F. Dillingham, Hawaiian entrepreneur and statesman. For a time, former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos was interred at a private mausoleum overlooking the Byodo-In Temple.
