Historical Places In India

Looking towards the Past Glory: There are varied historical places of India that can give us immense pleasure to visit them and enjoy a piece of history in the modern backdrop. The places can bring the aura and visual pleasure from a bygone era.

1. The Tirupati Balaji Temple in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

The temple of Tirupati Balaji is in the State of Andhra Pradesh and is one of the important pilgrimages for Indians. The sacred shrine of Sri Venkateswara is situated in the seventh peak of the Venkata Hill and is the richest temple for which Tirupati is known for. The temple is in Chittoor district and located at the lower hilly areas of the Eastern Ghat, 550 km south of Hyderabad, capital on the State.

2. Khajuraho Temples as a Gift of Love

The town of Khajuraho has the beautiful temples that were believed to be built by Chandela rulers in the 9th and 10th Century AD. The walls of the temple have got sensual and highly erotic engravings. These monuments are located in Chhatarpur district which is 620 km from the southeastern part of New Delhi. The release of mankind from the bondage of their earthly wants has been explained by the sensual depiction on the walls of Khajuraho.

3. Astronomical Monument – the Jantar Mantar

The Jantar Mantar is a monument that was built in 1724 by the King of Amber – Jai Singh II, who was an astronomer himself. This is one of few of such instruments built in five places by him. This is located in New Delhi and has got 13 instruments that help astronomy. The formation of sundial shows us the movement of sun and moon and to some extent the time of the day.

4. Umaid Bhawan Palace – turned to Heritage Palace hotel

The Umaid Bhawan is also named as Chittar Palace by local people. This is in Jodhpur in Rajasthan and now the tourists come in to see the Art Deco of the Interiors that are inlaid with conveniences of a Royal Hotel. The palace was built in 1929 by Maharaj Umaid Singh and it took 16 years for completion. The speciality is the blending of Victorian and Rajput architecture in the lawns and marbel corridors and the hunting trophies from the bygone era.

Also Read -> Daulatabad fort

5. The Hawa Mahal – Palace of Winds

The Hawa Mahal is situated in Jaipur, Rajasthan and is known for the Museum and the Sireh Deori Bazar. The five stories semi octagonal windows that are small and overhanging and are covered with different lattices gives your eyes the delicacy of the historical palace. The palace built by the poet king Maharaj Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 was dedicated to the ladies of the royal dignity to view the everyday life of city in a cool temperature.

6. Bidar Fort in Karnataka
The Bidar for is situated in North of Karnataka in the Bidar district and was built by Sultan Alla-Ud-Din in 1427, when he shifted the capital to Bidar from Gulbarga.

7. Red Fort of Agra

The fort built in Red sandstone was mainly built as military establishment in 1565 by King Akbar. This fort was converted to a partial palace by Shah Jahan and his grandsons made many more additions in the original Fort. The 2.5km long and 20 feet high walled fort is placed in the Old Delhi.

8. The Taj Mahal – Monument if Agra

The Taj Mahal is in Uttar Pradesh in Agra city, which is about 210 kms outside of New Delhi. The finest Mughal architecture has inspiration from Islamic, Persian and Indian style of architecture and it has been declared as World Heritage by UNESCO. The mausoleum in white stone was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

9. Jama Masjid in Old Delhi

The Jama Masjid is the largest Mosque in India and is situated in Old Delhi – Chawri Bazar Road, in front of Red Fort. The Jama Masjid was built within the time of 1644 and 1658 and was done by Shah Jahan as his last architecture.

10. Qutub Minar – Pole of Justice from Old Delhi

The Qutub Minar is one of the prime attractions and as “Qutub” replaces the word- the Pole of Justice, it is referred to the word often by History. The monument is tall and can be seen from any part of the city. The tallest tower is known for being a brick minaret and is listed as World Heritage by UNESCO. The red sand stone is 72.5mts high and is Mughal architecture.

Also Read -> Khajuraho Temples- Images of Eternal Love

11. Ajanta Caves – Rock Cut Monuments
The Ajanta Caves are situated in Aurangabad in Maharashtra State and are actually 30 caves that are cut off from rocks. The caves are full of paintings and different sculptures that can be said to be masterpieces in depicting the Jataka tales of Buddhist religion. The caves were started in 2nd century BC and ended around 6th century AD. These caves are also declared as World Heritage by UNESCO.

12. Lord Shiva in the Elephanta Caves
The Elephanta Island is the place where the Elephanta Caves are situated and these caves are known for the sculptures and carvings of Hindu God Shiva. These caves are located at 11 km from Mumbai. The caves are from the period of Silhara kings from the 9th to 12th century. Some say it is the Chalukya Prince Pulkesin II and some suggests it was Kalchuri king Krishnaraja who built this caves.

13. Jain Rock cut Caves of Udayagiri
The rock cut architecture is seen in the Caves of Udaygiri in Bhubaneswar and it is also a center of art and religion. The Chedi dynasty and their different records are seen on the walls. The caves are situated on the Kumari Parvat and these caves are believed to be carved out for Jain monks. The Udayagiri means sunrise and has 18 caves on the hills and Khandagiri nearby has 15 caves.

14. Nalanda University – Giver of Knowledge
The center of learning in Bihar in ancient times was named as Nalanda. It was the first university in and around Asia and was famous for higher learning too. It is 88 km to the south east of Patna and was famous as Buddhist learning center in 5th century CE. The Gupta empire was the patrons of this University.

15. Varanasi – Holy city of Hindus, Buddhist and Jains
The king of Kashi was the patron of Varanasi of the yester year and different religious ceremonies. The cultural background of Varanasi was associated with the Ganges and it is the seat of importance for various lifestyles on the bank of this river. The city in Uttar Pradesh is the oldest in India and is called “city of temples” or “the religious capital” of India.