Posted on 6/06/2012 03:59:00 PM
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4qaxWpkoRivRG2jkBZjYjxEoDbe0KOkvZgRjV408IgsBQWQ1Q06hB4yPKqR5XYOXluJkvD7AKDvpD1qDe1HzL2dPyT8091umN3Dpd27cs_AKezjE1XbjPKjRd_dZ7GmeJ8vR-R2QHgGU/s400/article-2150810-13524270000005DC-368_964x576.jpg) |
This
gravity-defying hanging monastery clings to the side of Mt Huashan in
China and is only accessible via steep and dangerous paths |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTxN2KLNDlcyWIpGXUYsVpNNjy48VcFdSlnSyYaCfpsJg9UhOyHCy1Hr-n4zSnDNJVPycCyy0KDHWaLtxHCYBmOOfZeXduTcTNwx94lkWL3xoclUZgoyQBbGU3f63B4xZO5jcwnBWrGsr/s400/article-2150810-134B709E000005DC-416_964x569.jpg) |
Rather than clinging to it, this temple was carved into the rock in the region of Cappadocia in Turkey. Frescoes can be seen around the entrance |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3wYmmAj2U9__3EgI3OFXcHs0laNLJ59ToheagVD_0UoVXnqoEG8VGEDWuGa88xJeSMZU6l1EMQCt9p3KdQcwUusEKEvq7Moec7tYIu43W0OeeWysvQB3zy89mBKNwF222nX8PSH_x749/s400/article-2150810-134B767A000005DC-881_964x576.jpg) |
The ruins of the Sigiriya, or Lion's Rock, in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, which was used as a monastery from around the 5th Century BC |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1OzQoAanV8NN-FcEboV2xpkJws9c-Rdn0gRcXokoqbZzsECljkHNHCG9vGXMOhI3wi8IBJ8WVYav95CTWz-8_81t0bV058EET0NfOSIDfxEN2dJJWy7PICAIQ2205OvffeGkEI0gikwF/s400/article-2150810-134B7505000005DC-393_964x595.jpg) |
Visitors ascend the stairway to the ancient structure, which contains caves prepared by devotees of the Buddhist Sangha |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyeoBknYIwdYtallpt1G-IV3DkI6bUEWWIXenDw3SGr0KL9Umpdav9dqU8FZ5GDPP8VgSWs7aO301mwiLajLZzjWeyPvZ7FrxkqcP6U1p8iDxS-3aGSUVyJyp-2S2o5Zvi08l8QJFbOKj/s400/article-2150810-134B76B5000005DC-597_964x643.jpg) |
The legs and paws of a lion still remain either side of the entrance to the fortress, but the head fell down years ago |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_eRFrQ7dHUSdGAuBQawe1FkWH_-ep2GkqZ3W1nSNQw-FscwTlsAFjeAE8Od7uTrkOPpzZl7mEmgMMY-aiNYjnGjk3tJ7PqGYZ9UzZQ7v70RiWx8tgYvYz-mlfYVLkiQcNrScJXR3_jJB/s400/article-2150810-134E4E56000005DC-710_964x584.jpg) |
A
visitor navigates the stone stairs leading up to the temple and
fortress of Sigiriya, but this path is by no means the most perilous
compared to those approaching other monasteries |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIh7GkDyh8wEMLFetEqiNZ96AN1G6cfWQ-CV_l8cj5xefIuoYYon9nEiUQG_GrZReHs-FLri6LIfmfuJ7mDphyphenhyphenbv_RZzDEsp4T2xesKYPq88VLkLXqZLuBjbINoGatorP6d41qsCh8Ih-V/s400/article-2150810-134E4EC2000005DC-202_964x572.jpg) |
Idyllic: The rock, pictured here at dawn, upon which the temple and monastery were built is a 'magma plug' |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo0Gz04uWsXAgN8xmFXFmyTjnJHWr-hJaFfmdqnceoGyNQ1cIExFWjJLa5OQvk6b48CbB_5v79XQqgsXvZYQ2bbibxrba0ZH4HW6snR8cw0byX6eSKzIJwMZrgh3gUrj9-20r9tdlIoP7/s400/article-2150810-13524F2E000005DC-645_964x576.jpg) |
The Taktshang Tiger's Nest monastery clings to a cliff 2,300ft above the Paro Valley floor in Bhutan at such a height it looks down on the clouds |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWHEUGX25LNv4gfibgW7ympa-7-tVuBkAwOwYlQE7SaFz3xp9eznx07QujJYhKoBfvcsKjatzuDKC9PAG5SpeTLe0XdfHGc7RhQkgAjvCSRUBrj6u7CwNZU4EPRJCYBn3IxNdSvGvdkjy/s400/article-2150810-134B7693000005DC-753_964x701.jpg) |
According to legend, the Tiger's Nest takes its name from the 'second Buddha', Precious Guru Padmasambhava, who travelled to the site on a tiger |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6EvcvUOdx493Y4P5bXiQi_Yy5I4WB7HwKE-301n7aIgQLO8s3h0sH2KQZ4v0p6t81ciS2aONUs7VnJcrQsVV-PxtJCdc-QZgrz_fuz-t4iD53tYT_0TOrcDZGBWIsem8XqBrG2jpnFve/s400/article-2150810-134E5124000005DC-605_964x576.jpg) |
Between a rock and a hard place: The Holy Trinity is part of the Meteora - which translates as 'suspended in the air' - complex of monasteries in Greece, one of the largest collections of such buildings in the country | | | |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtaQpSl9UgEaX4n1UJEmyoEBltpdSA1KdHN3VmiX5USqXslZUyr51NVj1RJm4i5cUJ8KxSQ7EVW7Tk2qdzzUI3hJx4R0fhRDsN26Ki-2b8Ssf8XkSfEcIc_7Fp6faiMMM3xJvYtI8HIZt/s400/article-2150810-134B759D000005DC-131_964x576.jpg) |
The
monastery of St Stephen, part of the Meteora complex in Greece, was
built in the middle of 16th and decorated in or around 1545 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghutfdr7VG9xIrlJfApiMNbbtP0TDdb4V-juBYZ__A-_uTcYwT5tq3-WBQ2CnQxltqDGbvQToeiLh2AgtL4EDkuq1rajqCxDYJm2jvx6qc1FWmLDZJnFH3KQybBi5H_kZNmRtrQbKlVhw/s400/article-2150810-134B772D000005DC-896_964x731.jpg) |
Visitors survey the incredible buildings of the Sumela monastery which was built, on southern shore of the Black Sea, during the reign of Emporer Theodosius I |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnU9HTbA7gB2Ys0o0y853O2O3dqO3UlhewIqocrXXiuTwNqbVPxE9xEDZIZCJe7Bd1wvlRDAcg2SfwhNutXR4uIkr-upYRZlwnVoGdKS-AF7kxWu25hTfSm9NQBXineMjAK3_AL1HRvFb/s400/article-2150810-134B781F000005DC-176_964x576.jpg) |
Sigiriya is framed by symmetrical water gardens which extend to the foot of the rock. It is one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQmcs6caCnxH2S5K9zKEQbtjy1ahRzkPP1kan_DVviyw1fhlXl8gi1LKPFJpzrx6BcUH5LoC6KkiAhaQ8mjxrJZDmzlGOeWv_DsBaRde3y031M3h8FYS1Jnqrvpyg077eQP9TDcwegvi4/s400/article-2150810-134B7A30000005DC-677_964x576.jpg) |
The monasteries of Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas (left) and Agia Roussanou (right) in Greece, which form part of the Meteora complex of precariously placed buildings |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYDJsHwfrQhP3vKj2WAHCJfbbesKr1jAnsvnWEEMOfDwQTgzcLw_Umi7zLKbAKROk5vuGFGCarQjvSctNgzCgvbynp4oqcoKma2RQOKfhMy5g37eh8I0sEghm1j2sojCPusfQ8XtGvffd/s400/article-2150810-134B78FE000005DC-652_964x541.jpg) |
Head for heights: French mountain climber Catherine Destivelle during her ascension of the Rocher Saint Esprit, in the Meteora, with the Monastery of Roussanou located on a parallel summit (right) |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aLYUfkYFBuEGRb7wx_kvUCHaXpnFHI6htV14DbGgmO1Tu-NGkx2Ugjl2DVo88ksxvNwfBQConGYWcDx2JK6rV0M2KeZs7YB_yztcDquSyF56SIFsF4v6iPWjuL5Fxq5PrLm3dW1Fvjq5/s400/article-2150810-134E5217000005DC-399_964x576.jpg) |
Path to enlightenment: A stunning scene showing the Monastery of Roussanou in what must one of the most serene places in the world |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_7_N2bKc0z5UE2gH136ud1YJCQmbqxTgdYKRPoAo1kPPqKrA-BqDpivtzuGjZnU458kkTc6YH2domM1wrRoAQVSN3smeqP8LWXDAlyNlceydC0BNqE-ciKIP-ydWzVn1qDoLXDZ9R2I2/s400/article-2150810-134B7AB2000005DC-248_964x563.jpg) |
Balancing act: The monastery of Roussanou at the base of a stone tower in Meteora, Greece in a picture taken in 1985 | | |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIh0ndlBJQqpbwQrOvBsDw1_lIAQ5cM4ko7A0zMD9Vr57HSOg1ygJl-_bSBSXvenLhq-lX146aZjbu9_vBmxucjR1J-t2wMlPcYzCMin0uuy4kdSefo7emT91p34UhhnnrymxHXQTZQZ0f/s400/article-2150810-134B7A02000005DC-393_964x576.jpg) |
The Holy Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas Anapausas in Meteora, Greece, which was built in the 16th Century and decorated by the Cretan painter Theophanis Strelitzas in 1527 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ8FmxKcL7JXhSrh72ub9Iix0vdpn0tkG_uagNP-mgGQFDa6B4KXklaOafr-pVS-Hs0HPce41XHN_kCBk-0rlqKSnfiUK2IDpT40o9zJpWw8yCtKNz4VsZWvlxLm0mraMjxImrxqKyc31/s400/article-2150810-134B7BC4000005DC-272_964x353.jpg) |
The monastery of St Stephen, part of the Meteora complex in Greece, was built in the middle of 16th and decorated in or around 1545 |
via dailymail.co.uk
0 comments
Post a Comment