Many temples and shrines in the area surrounding Nijo Castle and Arashiyama also are lit up throughout hanami, as well as momiji-gari, when the lights seem to ignite the burnt orange and red maples.

BBC: Where to find Kyoto��s glow

Sikh separatists controlled many temples in British Columbia.

ECONOMIST: Painstaking police work��and intelligence failures

Still, it is reasonably clear that like many thriving temples in India, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy in Kerala's capital Trivandrum contains considerable wealth.

BBC: The feisty Indian kings and their temple treasure

Families, clans, villagers, royalty, fishermen and rice farmers - most are guided by a trust in karma and a set of ancient rituals followed in the many thousands of temples spread across this island, which is barely 90 miles long.

BBC: High spirits in Bali

Another is that local councils, like many other public institutions in Brazil, are rarely temples of civic virtue.

ECONOMIST: Brazil: Local loot | The

Even though these two events were more than 40 years ago, their sentiments still linger on in the minds of many minorities - including Harjab Singh, the chairman of the Sikh temples in Southampton.

BBC: The Conservatives and ethnic minority voters

The Location: Tai O is a rambling village of creaky houses, many with colonial and art-deco charm, interspersed with Taoist and Buddhist temples.

WSJ: Stays: A Boutique Hotel That Once Held Pirates

Many people had horror stories of how they cheated death by clinging on to trees or hiding within temples.

CNN: Tsunami tragedy: Your e-mails