Archaeological site, South (East) Asian
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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Anuradhapura
The Sacred City of Anuradhapura was the first capital of Sri Lanka. Already in 380 BC it became the Singhalese capital.
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Ayutthaya
Ayuthaya succeeded Sukhothai (another World Heritage) as capital of Siam (now Thailand) during the 15th century.
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Bagerhat
Bagerhat, the historical Khalifatabad, is a lost city dating from the 15th century. It was founded by Khan Jahan, an Islamic preacher probably of Turkic origin.
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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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Champaner-Pavagadh
The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park holds a largely unexcavated city which has been built in the late 15th / early 16th century as the capital of Gujarat.
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Champasak
Wat Phou (Vat Phu) is a ruined Khmer temple complex in southern Laos. There was a temple on the site as early as the 5th century, but the surviving structures date from the 11th to 13th centuries.
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Chola Temples
The Great Living Chola Temples are testimony to the Chola Empire that once ruled southern India. The 3 designated temples are located in the state of Tamil Nadu.
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Elephanta Caves
The Elephanta Caves are located on the Elephanta Island in the Mumbai harbour. The caves, hewn from solid rock and containing beautiful reliefs, sculptures, and a temple to the Hindu god Śiva, are thought to date back to the Silhara kings of the 9th through 13th centuries (810–1260).
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Ellora Caves
Ellora is an archeological site that represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 35 "caves" – actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills – comprised of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples and monasteries, were built between the 5th century and 10th century.
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Fatehpur Sikri
Between 1570 and 1586 Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Moghul-empire. The Moghuls experienced their hey-day, and their leader Akbar wanted to construct a dreamcity where he and his large harem could live a glorious life.
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Hampi
The Group of Monuments at Hampi represent the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire.
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Moenjodaro
The Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro or Mohenjo-daro are the remains of a city of the Indus Valley Civilization, in modern Sindh, Pakistan.
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My Son Sanctuary
My Son Sanctuary was the religious centre for the capital of the Champa Kingdom. The majority of it was built in the 10th century.
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Pattadakal
The Group of Monuments at Pattadakal are the culmination of earliest experiments in vesara style of Hindu temple architecture.
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Polonnaruva
Polonnaruva succeeded Anuradhapura as capital of the island now called Sri Lanka at the end of the 10th century.
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Preah Vihear Temple
The Preah Vihear Temple is a Khmer Hindu temple situated atop a 525-meter cliff in the Dângręk Mountains.
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Sukhothai
Sukhothai was the capital of the first Kingdom of Siam in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was built by the Khmers and taken over by the Thais in 1230.
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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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Thatta
The Historical Monuments of Thatta reflect the city's importance as Sind's capital and as a centre for Islamic arts.
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