[M1zdL0hh]

Nerve-wracking: A man is hoisted 250ft in a net, the only way to access the Monastery of St Barlaam (right), which also forms part of the Meteora complex in Greece


In Bhutan, the Taktshang Tiger's Nest monastery clings to a cliff 2,300ft above the Paro Valley floor.
According to legend, it takes its name from the 'second Buddha', Precious Guru Padmasambhava, who travelled to the site on a tiger.
Some visitors have reportedly fallen to their death on the way up after apparently losing their footing.
But the desire to build in such vertigo-inducing places isn't just confined to Asia. Turkey has its own, the monastery of Sumela, perched at an altitude of 3,900ft.

Rich heritage: 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



Magnificent: Visitors ascend the stairway to the ancient structure, which contains caves prepared by devotees of the Buddhist Sangha

Steeped in history: The legs and paws of a lion still remain either side of the entrance to the fortress, but the head fell down years ago






Idyllic: The rock, pictured here at dawn, upon which the temple and monastery were built is a 'magma plug'

Easy does it: 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




Beautiful: 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

It was created in 386AD during the reign of Emporer Theodosius I apparently after two priests discovered a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave on the mountain.
As with most of these great buildings, they aren't the easiest to access. In Greece, the Roussanou Monastery could only be accessed by baskets lifted by pulleys, until roads, steps and bridges were contructed in the 1920s.
It is one of six active monasteries in the Meteora complex, one the largest and most important developments of its kind, only behind Mount Athos.
The monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pinnacles near the Pinios.

Panoramic: 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



A cut above: 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






Another stunning piece of architecture, which also places a rock at the heart of its construction, is Sigiriya, or Lion's Rock, in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka.
Built on a 'magma plug', the sacred city contains the ruins of the original temple, which dates back to 500AD.
The legs and paws of a lion still remain either side of the entrance, but the head fell down years ago. It is one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.

Up on high: 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



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1w7NUs2Mz