Buddhism

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

A sacred place for ascetic training, set in a honeycomb-walled cliffside cave deep in the woods.

Local legend claims that this is the final resting place of an infamous cannibal hag.

Giant Buddhas carved into sandstone walls line this Laotian motorbike route.

This compact temple is filled with garlands of colorful balls that represent restrained monkeys.

A giant statue of the Buddhist goddess of mercy watches over the town of Ōfuna.

Time and local lore colluded to turn this fear-defeating Buddha into a man-eating demon.

An old woman cured cholera in the 1820s and now her grave is said to be the city’s most cursed object.

In the former treasury of a popular temple, a rare sculptural depiction of Kannon’s diverse avatars.

For but one summer in 1975, this rural suburb became a busy tourist spot when a local girl claimed to have seen ghostly faces on an old stele.

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

Get to know the plant-based fare of Chinese Buddhist monks.

Feast your eyes on the centuries-old statues of the judges of hell.

This Theravada Buddhist temple is a peaceful oasis steeped in history.

A rare public effigy of “the Embracing Kangiten,” the erotic Japanese equivalent of Hindu god Ganesha.

The alleged site of the months-long imprisonment of a Japanese prince.

All that remains of Okinawa's royal temple are a restored gateway and a tall banyan tree.

At a museum dedicated to the millenia-old rites and art of Buddhism, the Buddha's reputed tooth is held as an object of worship.