Religious structure, Buddhist
Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta Caves are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BCE, containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both "Buddhist religious art" and "universal pictorial art".
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Angkor
Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire that evolved from the 9th century north of the lake Tonle Sap.
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Bamiyan Valley
The kingdom of Bamiyan was a Buddhist state positioned at a strategic location along the trade routes that for centuries linked China and Central Asia with India and the west.
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Borobudur Temple Compounds
The Borobudur Temple Compounds is a ninth century Mahayana Buddhist monument. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
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Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
Sanchi is the location of several Buddhist monuments dating from the third century BCE to the twelfth century CE.
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Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur
The Somapura Vihara is a Buddhist Monastery dating from the late 8th century. It is located in Paharpur, in the northwest of Bangladesh.
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Dazu Rock Carvings
The Rock Carvings in Dazu, southwest China, are highly authentic, have high aesthetic qualities and show the coming together of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
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Golden Temple of Dambulla
Dambulla has been a sacred place since the second century BC. It has earned the name Golden Temple because of its gilded interior.
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Haeinsa Temple
The Haein-sa (temple) is one of the three main temples in South-Korea. Its name means "Reflection on a calm sea".
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Horyu-ji Area
The wooden monuments in the Horyu-ji area are the oldest of its kind in Japan. The history of the Horyu-ji temple started during the latter years of the Asuka Period, which spanned from 552 to 645.
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Kandy
The Sacred City of Kandy is situated on a plain, in the middle of what is called the Hill Country. Tea plantations and cool hill stations surround it.
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Kii Mountain Range
Set in the dense forests of the Kii Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, three sacred sites - Yoshino and Omine, Kumano Sanzan, and Koyasan - linked by pilgrimage routes to the ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto, reflect the fusion of Shinto, rooted in the ancient tradition of nature worship in Japan, and Buddhism, which was introduced to Japan from China and the Korean peninsula.
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Longmen Grottoes
The Longmen Grottoes are caves with Buddhist carving, dating from the end of the 5th century to the mid 8th century.
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Lumbini
Lumbini is the place where the Gautama Buddha was born. The exact year of his birth is strongly disputed, with possible dates ranging from the 11th to the 6th century BC.
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Mahabodhi Temple Complex
The Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya is one of the four holy sites of Buddhism. It is the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment.
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Mogao Caves
The Mogao Caves are a system of 492 rock-cut cells and sanctuaries near Dunhuang, in the desert landscape of Gansu Province.
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Mount Emei, including Leshan Giant Buddha
Emei Shan and Leshan are located in China’s Sichuan Province. The two nominated areas are separated from each other by about 4Okm.
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Mount Wutai
Mount Wutai is a sacred mountain, one of the Four Sacred Mountains in Chinese Buddhism. It takes its name from its unusual topography, consisting of five rounded peaks (North, South, East, West, Central).
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Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, at an elevation of 3700 m. The Potala was the administrative, religious and symbolic centre of Tibet’s theocratic government for many centuries.
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Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
Established on the slopes of Mount T'oham in the 8th century, the Sokkuram cave contains a monumental statue of Buddha looking at the sea in the bhumisparsha mudra position.
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Sigiriya
The Ancient City of Sigiriya holds the ruins of a former Sinhalese capital, including a rock fortress and palace.
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Takht-i-Bahi
Takht-i-Bahi contains the remains of a famous Buddhist monastery from the 1st century CE. Takht means "throne" and bahi, "water" or "spring" in Persian/Urdu.
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Taxila
Taxila is an archaeological site containing the ruins of the Gandhâran city of Takshashila, an important Vedic/Hindu and Buddhist centre of learning from the 6th century BCE to the 5th century CE.
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Yungang Grottoes
The Yungang Grottoes are excellent examples of Buddhist cave art, dating from the 5th and 6th centuries.
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