Heads carved into rocks at Enchanted Castle, Sciacca, Agrigento district, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Heads carved into rocks at Enchanted Castle, Sciacca, Agrigento district, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Interior of the Holy Monastery of Varlaam, Meteora, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thessaly, Greece, Europe

Cathedral of Bunia, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Inuit memorial, Grise Fjord, most northern community in America, Nunavut, Canadian Arctic, Canada, North America

San Gimignano entrance with iconic tower and stone buildings street, San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy, Europe

Kinpusenji Temple framed by red autumn leaves of maple trees, Yoshino Yama holy temple mountain near Nara, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Buddha statues in a Zen Buddhist temple in Yoshino, Nara, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Fisherman's Statue, Ibiza Town, Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain, Mediterranean, Europe

Complex of Saqqara, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

Entrance of Ramses III temple, Temple complex of Karnak, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thebes, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

Temple of Amun, Temple complex of Karnak, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thebes, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

The Temple of Ramesses II (The Ramesseum), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thebes, Luxor, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

Temple of Philae, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Aswan, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

Sculpture exhibits, Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, Estonia, Europe

View of stone engarvings at Nishikubo Hachiman Shinto Shrine, 5 Chome, Toranomon, Minato City, Tokyo, Honshu, Japan

Elevated view of Cusco (Cuzco) Cathedral and Church of the Society of Jesus, UNESCO, Cusco (Cuzco), Cusco Province, Cusco Region, Peru, South America

View of Japanese lamp in Kenrokumachi Japanese Garden, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan

A stone lion guarding the traditional village of Lucignano d'Asso, comune of Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

View of Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, Shimogyo Ward, Higashishiokoji Kamadonocho, Kyoto, Honshu, Japan

View of Shoseien Garden in early Autumn, Shimogyo Ward, Higashitamamizucho, Kyoto, Honshu, Japan

View of the Ozaki Shrine on a sunny day, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan

Karnak, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Luxor, Thebes, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

Siena Cathedral unfinished facade, Siena, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tuscany, Italy, Europe

Stone gate guardian (dvarapala) of Sewu Temple Compound, 8th century Buddhist temple located at the north of Prambanan Temple Compounds, UNESCO World Heritage Site, region of Yogyakarta, Java island, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Central nave and ceiling, Church and Monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora, Lisbon, Portugal

Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Bas-reliefs of Hindu epic Ramayana and Bhagavata Purana, Prambanan, 9th century Hindu temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Stone guardian statue, Candi Sewu, part of Prambanan, 9th-century Hindu temple compound, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Stone Buddha statue, Borobudur, 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Jain sculpture in Daulatabad fort, Maharashtra, India

View of Nezumita-mon Gate, entrance to Kanazawa Castle and Park, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan

View of Hashizume-mon Gate at Gojikken Nagaya-Kanazawa Castle at dusk, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan

La Feuille sculpture by Germaine Richier, Musee Picasso, above Baie des Anges, Cap d'Antibes, Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes, French Riviera, France

Egyptian-style lion sculpture of Fontana dell'Obelisco on Piazza del Popolo, UNESCO, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Arabian Peninsula

West facade of the Chateau de Maintenon, Eure-et-Loir department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France, Europe

Red section of Cloister and Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Arequipa, Peru, South America

Ceiling of Church of the Company, Arequipa, Peru, South America

Owl, symbol of Athens, at display at the Acropolis Museum, an archaeological museum located in the historic center of Athens, Greece, Europe

Temple of Kom Ombo, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

Temple of Kom Ombo, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

The Terrace of the Elephants, part of the walled city of Angkor Thom, a ruined temple complex in Angkor, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Stone gate guardian (dvarapala) of Sewu Temple Compound, 8th century Buddhist temple located at the north of Prambanan Temple Compounds, UNESCO World Heritage Site, region of Yogyakarta, Java island, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Stone gate guardian (dvarapala) of Sewu Temple Compound, 8th century Buddhist temple located at the north of Prambanan Temple Compounds, UNESCO World Heritage Site, region of Yogyakarta, Java island, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Narthex (porch) sculptures, 12th century Benedictine Abbey, UNESCO, Vezelay, Yonne, Burgundy, France

Decorated capitals, John the Baptist, 12th century Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary Magdalene, UNESCO, Vezelay, Yonne, Burgundy, France

Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Stone Buddha statue, Borobudur, 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Stone Buddha statue, Borobudur, 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Prambanan, 9th century Hindu temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Stone Buddha statue, Borobudur, 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Stone Buddha statue, Borobudur, 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Stone Buddha statue, Borobudur, 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple, UNESCO, Java, Indonesia

Romanesque 12th century Collegiata di San Quirico (Collegiate Church of San Quirico and Santa Giulietta), San Quirico d'Orcia, UNESCO, Tuscany, Italy

View of Golden Temple (Kinkaku-ji) (Temple of the Golden Pavilion), UNESCO, Kyoto, Honshu, Japan

Rinconoda Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

West facade of the Cathedral seen from the forecourt, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chartres, Eure-et-Loir department, Centre region, France, Europe

Wells Cathedral, a 12th century Anglican cathedral dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle, seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Wells, Somerset, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Naga is the Sanskrit and Pali word for a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a very large snake, found in Hinduism and Buddhism. In India, nagas are considered nature spirits and the protectors of springs, wells and rivers. They bring rain, and thus fertility, but are also thought to bring disasters such as floods and drought. According to traditions nagas are only malevolent to humans when they have been mistreated. They are susceptible to mankind's disrespectful actions in relation to the environment. They are also associated with waters &33; rivers, lakes, seas, and wells &33; and are generally regarded as guardians of treasure.They are objects of great reverence in some parts of southern India where it is believe that they bring fertility and prosperity to their venerators. Expensive and grand rituals are conducted in their honour.