Floating clouds of sulphur over a dormant volcano and a poisonous lake, Mount Osore brilliantly conjures a vision of hell enough to give goosebumps to any onlooker. Located near a sacred Buddhist temple near remote Shimokita Peninsula of Japan, the translation of Mount Osore is Mountain Horror. The popular mythology behind Mount Osore is one plain belief recognized as the gateway to hell. According to Japanese Buddhists, every soul must pass through Mount Osore before entering into the afterlife, hence the title, gateway to hell.
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The gateway to Purgatory is known as the place where souls are punished before being sent to heaven. Legend says that Christ directed Patrick to a cave in station island. During his stay in the cave, Patrick had also received visions of the torments of Hell in order to create justice. With it’s reputation as a place used to curse or punish unworthy souls, the place later became a pilgrimage spot which was then shut down due to increasing untimely incidents.
Pluto’s gate is a recently discovered entry to hell as claimed by a team of archaeologists. The place came into light after reports of several bird deaths surfaced due to its mysterious and consistent emission of poisonous gases. Located in Turkey, gate has an urban legend attached to it. The legend says that in the past many animals and birds were brought to the cave for a sacrifice to God Pluto. If you wish to visit the gate to hell then this one will surely ask for a commitment and adverse sacrifice.
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Known as the first gateway to classical hell, the Cape Matapan caves located in the southernmost tip of Greece is believed to be the entrance to the Hades cave. Another theory of Hercules digging out the caves to enter the underworld is a popular belief amongst the residents of Greece. The God of the dead aka Hades has a major linkage with the beliefs related to Cape Matapan.
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Acheron flowing through the northwest part of Greece has a strong mythology attached to it. It is noted in ancient books of Greek mythology that Circe had directed Odysseus to the underworld by telling him that there is a point where the Acheron coincides with the Pyriphlegethon and of a branch of Styx. More, it is believed that there is a ferryman named Charon who is supposed to carry the freshly dead souls through the river into the afterlife. Taking reference from Dante’s poem Inferno it is said that the souls of the uncommitted who chose neither hell or heaven are punished to stay at the banks of Acheron. Considering it only as a piece of Greek mythology, Acheron is believed to be a gateway to hell.
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