Stupas

This storied Buddhist temple is a rare example of a stupa within a stupa.

One-of-a-kind stupa in Laos.

A pair of stupas that archaeologists believe were built to honor the parents of Siddhartha Gautama (aka Lord Buddha).

A complex of ancient Buddhist rock-cut caves with a large, well preserved prayer hall.

This mysterious tower is said to enshrine a dormant seven-headed serpent that once protected Vientiane from destruction.

Outside a hilltop monastery in India, a monument to a 20th-century Russian mystic.

The site where Sakyamuni Buddha first met his father after achieving enlightenment.

The octagonal tower at this important Buddhist site was added many years after the temple's initial construction.

A bulky, ancient stupa marks the site of Siddhartha Gautama's seminal Buddhist teaching.

An 18th-century Nepali-style chorten built to subdue demons and evil spirits.

One of the last surviving ancient Buddhist sites in the region, it escaped the brunt of several Hun invasions thanks to its remote location.

This abandoned palace and the stupas around it conceal beautiful Buddhist frescoes, statues, and silk paintings.

A grand imperial capital left to fall into magnificent ruin.

A vast, otherworldly collection of Buddhist stupas.

A mere stone's throw from Islamabad exists a spectacular display of three millennia of humanity's progress.

One of the largest Buddhist stupas in North America is built of concrete designed to last 1,000 years.

One of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world keeps an eye out in every direction.