Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Parvati, known as Meenakshi, and her consort, Shiva, here named Sundareswarar. Ancient mythology has it that Lord Shiva came down in the form of Sundareswarar … Read more
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a cathedral in Moscow, Russia. A building, much like a person, can be unique and possess a fate all its own. The life of some buildings is uncommonly successful and happy, some have an even and peaceful keel, while the life of other buildings can only be described … Read more
A masterpiece of Romanticism, the nineteenth century Pena National Palace tops a hill in Sintra, Portugal. Legend has it that while hunting at the top of the mountain, King Manuel I saw Vasco da Gama’s fleet enter the River Tagus on return from his pioneering sea voyage to India. On that very same spot where … Read more
Paro Taktsang is the popular name of Taktsang Palphug Monastery also known as Tiger’s Nest, a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex, located in the cliffside of the upper Paro valley, in Bhutan. Monastery itself is located in a dramatic setting, perched on a high cliff some 900 meters (3,000 ft) above Paro … Read more
The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles , is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France, approximately 15 miles southwest of Paris. It is also known as the Château de Versailles. The Palace of Versailles cover an area of 8,150,265 square meters (87,728,720 square feet), or 2,014 acres, making it the … Read more
The Meteora is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The Meteora literally means “middle of the sky“, “suspended in the air” or “in the heavens above” In the Byzantine times, monks had the inspiration to construct monasteries on top of these rocks … Read more
The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a high rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance. The name derives from the Greek Akro, high or extreme/extremity or edge, and Polis, city, translated as ‘High City‘, ‘City on the … Read more
Located in the municipality of Tinum, in the Mexican state of Yucatán is the archaeological site of Chichen Itza, an ancient Maya city. The Maya name “Chichen Itza” means “At the mouth of the well of the Itza.” Chichen Itza was one of the largest Mayan cities and was often referred to in later literature … Read more
Hagia Sophia, Turkish Ayasofya, Latin Sancta Sophia, also called Church of the Holy Wisdom or Church of the Divine Wisdom , cathedral built at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the 6th century A.D. (532–537) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Hagia Sophia is a former Christian patriarchal basilica (church), later an imperial mosque, … Read more