Tourism in India - Historic Monuments

Historic Monuments

• The Taj Mahal is one of India's best-known sites and one of the best architectural achievements in India, located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It was built between 1631 and 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his wife, Arjumand Banu, more popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal serves as her tomb.

• Fatehpur Sikri It was the first planned city of the Mughals and also the first one designed in Mughal architecture, an amalgamation of Indian architecture, Persian and Islamic architecture and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
• Varanasi The ghats of one of the oldest city of the world.
• The Mahabodhi Temple is a 2000-year-old temple dedicated to Gautam Buddha in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• The Nalanda is located in the Indian State of Bihar, was a Buddhist center of learning from 427 C.E to 1197 C.E partly under the Pala Empire. It has been called "one of the first great universities in recorded history."

According to historical studies the University of Nalanda was established 450 C.E under the patronage of the Gupta emperors, notably Kumaragupta.

• The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu built by the Cholas. The temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites.
• The Airavateswara temple is located in the town of Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu.
• The Shore Temple, along with the collection of other monuments in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• The Harmandir Sahib is one of the most respected gurudwara in India and the most sacred place for Sikhs. The gurudwara is located in Amritsar, Punjab, India.
• The Bahá'í temple in Delhi, was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. (It is also known as the Lotus Temple.)
• The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur also known as Palace of Winds.
• The Taj Mahal Palace is an icon of Mumbai.
• The Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, built during the British Raj.
• The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, built for Queen Victoria