Places alexisbeardg Wants to Go

The painted and decorated towers of this Hindu shrine were once the tallest structures in one of the oldest cities in India.

Siddhartha Gautama sat here and received enlightenment.

15 monolithic temples emulate an eroding sand castle.

These Nubian pyramids are strange and unique, even by pyramid standards.

This hilltop warren of monastic dwellings is the result of centuries worth of Mongol attacks.

This ancient Hindu temple is covered in thousands of colorful statues and has a long mythological history.

A centuries-old fortress city lies in ruin.

A complex of six forts embedded in the Rajasthan hills.

An extraordinary "City of Caves" carved from solid stone.

Rock-cut cave complex filled with ancient Buddhist artwork.

The remains of what was, not so long ago, the world's largest city.

This complex of vertically-excavated Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu monolithic temples in India's Maharashtra providence illustrates a spirit of tolerance characteristic of ancient India.

This otherworldly palace-mausoleum complex is the stuff eternal dreams are made of.

A mecca for India's Jains.

The headquarters of the Mahanikai school of Buddhism, Thailand's largest monastic order.

During the rainy season, this temple is almost entirely submerged, accessible only by boat.

The giant Siberian crater known locally as the "doorway to the underworld" is expanding every year.

Church built on the site where the last tsar of Russia and his family were killed.

Monastery, army base, and infamous Soviet Gulag in the far Russian north.

Moscow's other, lesser known kremlin is a fairytale-like cultural complex modeled after Old Russia.

A little church on a tiny island looks like something from a fairy tale.

This Russian religious complex is a Frankenstein's chapel that includes influence from almost all the major faiths.

The villagers of the coldest inhabited place on Earth adjust to unique challenges presented by day-to-day living.

Stunning examples of Russia's 18th-century wooden architecture.