The painted and decorated towers of this Hindu shrine were once the tallest structures in one of the oldest cities in India.

Siddhartha Gautama sat here and received enlightenment.

The second-longest continuous wall on the planet protects a hidden secret in the deserts of India.

A mecca for India's Jains.

Scholar, adventurer, saint, and instigator of the Goa Inquisition.

A peculiar idol to the Hindu King of Ghosts demands fine leather footwear in exchange for warding off evil.

The world's largest banyan tree is followed by a community of worshippers.

A nearly unconquerable island-fort in the Indian Ocean.

A Zoroastrian funerary tower where excarnation rituals are carried out is threatened by the area's dwindling vulture population.

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

A complex of six forts embedded in the Rajasthan hills.

The remains of what was, not so long ago, the world's largest city.

No cyclone yet has been able to topple this rugged Indian lighthouse.

A centuries-old lookout post still sits atop a natural stone spire.

This 17th-century mausoleum is topped with an acoustic marvel.

Temples adorned with intricate, erotic sculptures make up one of the "seven wonders" of India.

The largest tiger reserve in India is a vast expanse dotted with ancient ruins of Nagarjuna Viswa Vidyalayam.

A centuries-old fortress city lies in ruin.

This complex of vertically-excavated Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu monolithic temples in India's Maharashtra providence illustrates a spirit of tolerance characteristic of ancient India.

A centuries-old shrine where Indians pray for U.S. visas.

Rock-cut cave complex filled with ancient Buddhist artwork.

Rippling sand dunes frozen in the Arizona rock.

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.

The mysterious, fantastical woodland inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings."