Some come for the beaches. Others for golf, shopping or nightlife. But increasing numbers of visitors are choosing Thailand for a spiritual journey and so the Tourism Authority of Thailand has just published a guide to 60 places that embody the Kingdom’s spiritual and cultural treasures.

“The chosen entries are both hugely popular and culturally interesting,” said an editor at the TAT in describing Connecting to Spiritual Thailand: A Guide to 60 Powerspots. “The guide covers the sites’ histories and the background on why they are sacred.”

In addition, the guide details the types of offerings and acts of worship at each site, explaining their meaning and significance. It also includes the particular requests that people pray for.

The goal, said the TAT, is to demystify Thai popular religion and make it accessible to foreign visitors.

The Travel Daily Media website said the book “is a beautifully illustrated, 100-page publication written in English by a team of veteran travel writers and researchers to foster understanding of everyday Thai religion among foreigners.”

Thailand is known for its breathtakingly beautiful Buddhist temples, but the guide also highlights various types of shrines, natural phenomena and sites for other faiths and forms of worship. It is a multicultural tome.

“Ranging from city pillars and dragon shrines to sacred caves and spectacular trees, they are famous among Thais for their life-enhancing powers and thronged by worshippers every day,” Travel Daily Media wrote.

While the sites encompass those that are ancient as well as those from recent decades, new religious sites and centers are still being built and opening in the Kingdom, where diverse religious beliefs and practices are celebrated. Recently, the Church of Latter-Day Saints, based in the United States, opened a spectacularly beautiful temple and study center in central Bangkok.

Photo courtesy of https://thailand.prd.go.th/