A river in India, flowing brown and wide through the city of Varanasi. Along its banks, stone steps descend into the water. At sunrise, thousands of pilgrims wade in, submerging themselves, praying, filling bottles with the sacred water to carry home.

The Ganges River is a temple without walls. No architects designed it. No construction crew built it. Yet for Hindus, it's one of the holiest places on earth.

Sacred space doesn't require buildings. Rivers, mountains, groves, and deserts can all become temples when communities perform rituals there consistently and treat them as holy.