Great Temples

Tiger's Nest Monastery, perched on the edge of a 3,000-feet-high cliff in Paro Valley in Bhutan

In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a massive ancient ruin deep in the jungles of Java. What they discovered was the complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m³) of stones. The temple has nearly 2,700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.

Golden Temple (Amritsar)


Wat Rong Khun (a Buddhist temple) in Chiang Mai, Thailand

No one knows exactly when the Shwedagon Paya (or Pagoda) in Myanmar was built. Legend has it that it is 2,500 years old though archaeologists estimate that it was built between the 6th and 10th century.

Chion-in Temple was built in 1234 CE to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism.

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirapalli (or Trichy), is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. Ankor Wat is the largest of all temple, but it is currently non-functioning as a temple.