If you are interested in the mysterious and ancient sites scattered around the world, there’s a new book out that you’ll likely want to see. “Secret Sacred Sites” by Martin Gray, published by Jonglez, is a beautiful coffee table book filled with information and gorgeous images.
“Sacred sites are among the world’s most visited and venerated places,” the book’s description says…and it’s true. They offer another level of experience to visitors and pilgrims, full of intensity, presence, and, for some, higher vibration levels and consciousness.
“The drawback is often overcrowded places, full of tourists whose presence will ruin this privileged moment,” the description continues. “In his forty years of pilgrimage, renowned National Geographic photographer Martin Gray has visited 160 countries and photographed hundreds of these lesser-known sacred sites.”
Luckily, he selected his favorite hidden holy places for his book. We, too, can visit these locations without crowds of people spoiling the beauty of these remarkable locations in person or through the pages of this book.
Naturally, after glancing at the book, I went to the contents section to see if I had visited any sites. I guess I am a creature of seeing the most famous of sites, unlike these treasures because I had only visited two: White Sands in New Mexico and Batu Caves Temple in Malaysia.
I was interested to learn that the dunes are the fabled site for indigenous populations throughout the Southwest United States and Northern Mexico. The author points out, too, that hundreds of UFOs have been observed at the National Park over the past 50 years.
Batu Caves Temple is famous for its limestone caves and 141-foot-high Hindu statue of Muruga, the son of Shiva and Parvati and brother of the elephant-headed Ganesh.
The only other American site in the book is Chaco Canyon, which is also in New Mexico. Here are extensive ruins of the most outstanding architectural achievements of Native Americans. Abandoned because of drought, it was the Anasazi culture’s leading social and ceremonial center between 700 and 1150.
The book continues through Mexico, Cuba, South America, and Europe, including the Anundshog Stones in Sweden. This site is the one chosen by Gray for his cover image. The book continues through Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
In Assam, India, for example, is Surya Pahar. The site was an important Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain pilgrimage site from the 1st century B.C. until its decline in the 13th century A.D. Gray dedicates four pages to the beauty of the uncovered ruins.
The last entry features Mount Wollumbin in Australia. The site has been considered a sacred place of the Bundjalung Aboriginal people. According to lore, the mountain is the earthly abode of the Creator, Nguthungulli.
I can highly recommend this beautiful book for avid explorers or armchair travelers. It is interesting and, in many cases, fascinating.
For more information, click here and here.
