Wat Tham Khao Prang, Thailand

Wat Tham Khao Prang, Thailand

© worldpitou/YAY Images/SuperStock

A chrome-topped temple

About 67 million Buddhists call Thailand home—more than 90% of the country's population. Buddhism has been present in Southeast Asia for at least two millennia, building a vast architectural legacy from ancient to modern. Wat Tham Khao Prang, completed in the late 1990s, lacks the rough, intricate sandstone carvings typical of older Thai temples, instead featuring clean lines and polished metal. The temple's designers didn't skimp on the iconography, though: A massive, chalk-white Buddha statue also graces the grounds.

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