Many Hindus make the long pilgrimage to this holy city to have their remains burned on the banks of the Ganges River.

A bulky, ancient stupa marks the site of Siddhartha Gautama's seminal Buddhist teaching.

The octagonal tower at this important Buddhist site was added many years after the temple's initial construction.

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

California's own majestic geyser is powered by a subterranean volcano.

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

Thousands of crosses and markers for soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan blanket a California hillside.

The first mural ever dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

Internationally-recognized arts center housed in a century-old former military barracks.

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

Guarded by the Angel of Grief, the Stanford family tomb attracts an odd mix of halloween revelry and somber contemplation.

Rodin's famous depiction of Dante's 'Inferno', amidst a sculpture garden of many of his other works.

A sudden forest of traditional Papua New Guinean art works is hidden in a corner of Stanford University.

Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.

This precariously balanced boulder is said to be a hunk of stolen butter dropped by the gods.

The world's largest human gathering is held at the confluence of three sacred rivers, one of which is mythical.

This magnificent 18th-century hall consists of a maze of nearly a thousand interconnected passages.

An imperial fortress city that incorporated cultural elements from the entire Mughal empire, only to be abandoned the year it was finished.

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

The world's second-largest sundial, made entirely out of stone.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.