Floating within the ruins of Klungkung Palace, Bale Kambang rises like a defiant island, a silent witness to centuries of ambition, devotion and blood soaked politics. Built when Bali’s unified kingdom splintered into warring courts, it is more than a royal relic, a fusion of power, spirituality and symbolic mastery. Its ceiling murals depict kings and gods walking the line between the mortal and the divine, while the surrounding waters reflect the cosmic ocean and the fragil

Radiant in white and adorned with shimmering mirrors, the White Temple embodies the journey toward spiritual purity and enlightenment. Its gleaming surfaces symbolise Buddha’s divine wisdom, while the mirrored mosaics reflect the light of truth that dispels ignorance. Conceived as a visual meditation on the path to nirvana, Wat Rong Khun invites reflection on the struggle between temptation and purity that lies at the heart of the human experience.

Tucked away in the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai, Wat Phra Kaew is a temple steeped in legend, royal heritage and spiritual significance. Once called Wat Pa Yeah or the "Bamboo Forest Temple," it was renamed after its association with the famed Emerald Buddha, now enshrined in Bangkok. Established as a royal temple during the Lanna Kingdom in the late 14th century, it stands as one of Chiang Rai’s oldest religious sites still in operation today.

First established in the 17th century, Pura Batur is one of Bali’s most venerated temples, second only to Pura Besakih on the sacred slopes of Mount Agung. Perched at roughly 900 metres above sea level, this mountain sanctuary overlooks the dramatic caldera of Mount Batur, an active volcano steeped in myth and raw geological power.

Dating back to 1297, Chiang Mai’s oldest standing temple, Wat Chiang Man, was originally founded by King Mengrai as a royal encampment during the construction of his new capital. As the first temple within the city walls, it soon became a central hub for the emerging Lanna Kingdom, hosting religious ceremonies, political gatherings and significant social events, intertwining both spiritual devotion and civic life at the heart of the city.

Nestled in the eastern highlands of Bali, in the quiet village of Ababi at the foot of Mount Agung, Tirta Gangga is a royal water palace steeped in beauty and spiritual reverence. Commissioned by the last Raja of Karangasem in 1946, this sacred estate pays homage to Balinese Hindu devotion. Its name, meaning “blessed water from the Ganges,” reflects its role as both a royal retreat and a site for spiritual purification and ceremonial bathing.

Relatively young compared to many of Japan’s ancient temples and shrines, Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingū) holds deep symbolic and national significance. Completed in 1920, it was constructed to honour the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his beloved consort, Empress Shōken. Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) presided over one of the most turbulent and transformative periods in Japanese history, overseeing the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the rapid modernisation of the nation.

Established in 1236 by an imperial chancellor with ambitions to rival Nara’s grand temples, Tōfuku-ji rose as a monumental testament to Kyoto’s spiritual and architectural aspirations. At its helm was Enni Ben’en (1202–1280), a revered monk fresh from China, where he had immersed himself in Rinzai Zen teachings. Under his guidance, Tōfuku-ji became one of Kyoto’s Five Great Zen Temples, an enduring symbol of Zen’s deep roots in Japan.

Nestled along the banks of the Perfume River in the southwest corner of Hué, King Minh Mạng’s funeral complex was the result of a grand vision and an extensive building program. Guided by the ancient practice of geomancy, which aligns structures with natural forces, the complex was designed to harmonise with the environment, blending the spiritual with the earthly.

Founded more than 1700 years ago during the Han Dynasty, Huanglongxi began as a vital Silk Road trade settlement nestled on the banks of the winding Huanglong River in Chengdu. Legend says the town earned its name from a fierce yellow dragon that once guarded the serpentine stream weaving through its cobbled alleyways, a guardian spirit as mysterious and enduring as the town itself.

Bursting with an impressive collection of ancient cultural treasures, Eikan-dō is a sprawling complex of gardens and halls, most famous for its crimson maple leaves in Autumn. Established in 853 at the northern foot of Mount Higashiyama, this temple was a place of learning that nurtured the Pure Land sect it now belongs to.