INDIA

In India tourism is like a dream to visit. It has many tourist attractions like waterfalls, deserts, rivers, festivals, temples, churches, mosques and many more. India has a wide range of ethnic and cultural diversity. It is less a nation and more a collection of countries. India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition. India has an area of about 3.2 million square kilometres (1.2 million square miles),

throughout central and southern India there are tribal populations such as Mundas, Oraons and Santals, and there are Dravidian groups in southern India such as Tamils and the Malayalam-speaking peoples in Kerala. In the north, Bengalis, Kashmiris, Punjabis, Gujaratis, Rajputs, and Marathas are among the prominent groups. India shares many of its cultural groups with Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Each region has its mix of religion, caste (social class), language, and literary, cultural and historical traditions. These traditions existed long before modern nations were created, and many people identify strongly with them.

With a population of 1407 million India has an area of about 3.2 million square kilometres (1.2 million square miles) stretching from cape Comorin (Kanyakumari) south, to Kashmir north, to Gujarat west, and Arunachal Pradesh to east, India shares borders with China, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. India has three geographic zones. In the north lie the majestic Himalayas, which run for more than 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometres) and contain many of the world’s highest peaks. Below the mountains lie the Indo-Gangetic plains. These lands run from the Arabian sea to the Bay of Bengal and along the Indus and Ganges river valleys.

The plains receive plenty of rain during the monsoon season and support much of India’s agriculture. The Deccan plateau forms the third geographical region. These are the uplands bordered by the eastern and western ghats (mountains) that make up the interior of the Indian peninsula. India is a country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is a constitutional republic consisting of 29 states, each with a substantial degree of control over its affairs; six less fully empowered union territories; and the Delhi national capital territory, which includes New Delhi, India’s capital. With roughly one-sixth of the world’s total population, India is the second most-populous country, after China.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Why Travel In India?

Delicious

Food in India is wide ranging in variety, taste and flavour. Being so diverse geographically, each region has its own cuisine and style of preparation. Indian cuisine, renowned for its exotic gravies seems complicated for any newcomer. The Mughlai cuisine of North differs sharply from the preparations of the south. The Wazwan style of Kashmir is luxurious but the same can be said about Bengal's Macher Jhol, Rajasthan's Dal Bati, Uttar Pradesh's Kebabs and Punjab's Sarson Ka Saag and Makki di Roti. In India, recipes are handed down from generation to generation. So the next time you are in India you are assured of a vast selection on your menu.

REGIONS

India is administratively divided into 28 states and 8 union territories. The states are broadly demarcated on linguistic lines. They vary in size; the larger ones are bigger and more diverse than some countries in Europe. The union territories are smaller than the states, sometimes they are just one city, and they have much less autonomy. These states and union territories are grouped by convention into the following regions:

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Southern India

Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu. South India features famous and historical temples, tropical forests, backwaters, beaches hill stations, and the vibrant cities of Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi and Hyderabad. The island groups of Andaman & Nicobar (on the east) and Lakshadweep on the west are included in this region for convenience, but they are far from the mainland and have their unique characteristics.

Eastern India

Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Sikkim, and West Bengal are economically less developed, but culturally rich and perhaps the most welcoming of outsiders. Features Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), once the capital of British India, and the temple cities of Puri, Bhubaneswar and Konark. Geographically it stretches from the mountains to the coast, resulting in fascinating variations in climate. It is also the mineral storehouse of India, having the country's largest and richest mines.

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UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage. India accepted the convention on 14 November 1977, making its sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2022, there are 40 World Heritage Sites located in India. Out of these, 32 are cultural, 7 are natural, and one, The Khangchendzonga National Park, is of mixed type. India has the sixth-largest number of sites in the world. The first sites to be listed were the Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Agra Fort, and Taj Mahal, all of which were inscribed in the 1983 session of the World Heritage Committee. The most recent site listed was Dholavira, in 2021.

1. Red Fort of Agra.

Agra Fort is a historical fort in the city of Agra. It was built during 1565-1573 for Mughal Emperor Akbar. It was the main residence of the rulers of The Sikarwar clan of Rajputs until The Mughals occupied it and Mughal Dynasty until 1638 when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. It was also known as the “Lal-Qila”, “Fort Rouge” or “Qila-i-Akbari”. Before its capture by the British, the last Indian rulers to have occupied it were the Marathas. In 1983, the Agra fort was life inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city. Like the rest of Agra, the history of Agra Fort before Mahmud Ghaznavi’s invasion is unclear. However, in the 15th century, the Chauhan Rajputs occupied it. Soon after, Agra assumed the status of capital when Sikandar Lodi (A.D. 1487–1517) shifted his capital from Delhi and constructed a few buildings in the pre-existing Fort at Agra. After the first battle of Panipat (A.D. 1526) Mughals captured the fort and ruled from it. In A.D. 1530, Humayun was crowned in it. The Fort got its present appearance during the reign of Akbar (A.D. 1556–1605).

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2. Ajanta Caves.

The Ajanta Caves are approximately 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state. The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotions through gesture, pose and form. They are universally regarded as masterpieces of Buddhist religious art. The caves were built in two phases, the first starting around the 2nd century BCE and the second occurring from 400 to 650 CE, according to older accounts, or in a brief period of 460–480 CE according to later scholarship. The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries and worship halls of different Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-metre (246 ft) wall of rock. The caves also present paintings depicting past lives and rebirths of the Buddha, pictorial tales from Aryasura’s Jatakamala, and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist deities. Textual records suggest that these caves served as a monsoon retreat for monks, as well as a resting site for merchants and pilgrims in ancient India. While vivid colours and mural wall-painting were abundant in Indian history as evidenced by historical records, Caves 16, 17, 1 and 2 of Ajanta form the largest corpus of surviving ancient Indian wall-painting.

The Ajanta Caves are mentioned in the memoirs of several medieval-era Chinese Buddhist travellers to India and by a Mughal-era official of the Akbar era in the early 17th century. They were covered by jungle until accidentally “discovered” and brought to Western attention in 1819 by a colonial British officer Captain John Smith at a tiger-hunting party. The caves are in the rocky northern wall of the U-shaped gorge of the river Waghur, in the Deccan plateau. Within the gorge are several waterfalls, audible from outside the caves when the river is high.

Ajanta is one of the major tourist attractions of Maharashtra. It is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Ellora Caves, which contain Hindu, Jain and Buddhist caves, the last dating from a period similar to Ajanta. The Ajanta style is also found in the Ellora Caves and other sites such as the Elephanta Caves, Aurangabad Caves, Shivleni Caves and the cave temples of Karnataka.

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3. Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal. ’Crown of the Palace’, is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.

Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643, but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around ₹32 million, which in 2020 would be approximately ₹70 billion (about US $1 billion). The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Various types of symbolism have been employed in the Taj to reflect natural beauty and divinity.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts more than 6 million visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000 – 2007) initiative.

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4. Ellora Caves.

Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Sambhaji Nagar district of Maharashtra. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600 – 1000 CE. Cave 16 features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailash temple, a chariot shaped monument dedicated to the god Shiva. The Kailash temple excavation also features sculptures depicting various Hindu deities as well as relief panels summarizing the two major Hindu epics.

There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from the basalt cliffs in the Charanandri Hills, 34 of which are open to the public. These consist of 17 Hindu (caves 13–29), 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves, each group representing deities and mythologies prevalent in the 1st millennium CE, as well as monasteries of each respective religion. They were built close to one another and illustrate the religious harmony that existed in ancient India. All of the Ellora monuments were built during the Rashtrakuta dynasty, which constructed part of the Hindu and Buddhist caves, and the Yadava dynasty, which constructed a number of the Jain caves. Funding for the construction of the monuments was provided by royals, traders and the wealthy of the region.

Although the caves served as temples and a rest stop for pilgrims, the site’s location on an ancient South Asian trade route also made it an important commercial centre in the Deccan region. It is 29 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of Sambhaji Nagar and about 300 kilometres (190 miles) east-northeast of Mumbai. Today, the Ellora Caves, along with the nearby Ajanta Caves, are a major tourist attraction in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

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5. Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram.

The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram is a collection of 7th and 8th century CE religious monuments in the coastal resort town of Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Chennai. The site has 40 ancient monuments and Hindu temples, including one of the largest open-air rock reliefs in the world: the Descent of the Ganges or Arjuna’s Penance. The group contains several categories of monuments: ratha temples with monolithic processional chariots, built between 630 and 668; mandapa viharas (cave temples) with narratives from the Mahabharata and Shaivic, Shakti and Vaishna inscriptions in several Indian languages and scripts; rock reliefs (particularly bas-reliefs); stone-cut temples built between 695 and 722, and archaeological excavations dated to the 6th century and earlier. The monuments were built during the Pallava dynasty. Known as the Seven Pagodas in many colonial-era publications, they are also called the Mamallapuram temples or Mahabalipuram temples in contemporary literature. The site, restored after 1960, has been managed by the Archaeological Survey of India.

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6. Konark Sun Temple.

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE (the year 1250) Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 miles) northeast of Puri city on the coastline in Puri district, Odisha. The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE. Dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot (30 meters) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone. Once over 200 feet (61 meters) high, much of the temple is now in ruins, in particular, the large shikara tower over the sanctuary; at one time this rose much higher than the mandapa that remains. The structures and elements that have survived are famed for their intricate artwork, iconography, and themes, including erotic kama and mithuna scenes. Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga architecture.

The cause of the destruction of the Konark temple is unclear and remains a source of controversy. Theories range from natural damage to deliberate destruction of the temple in the course of being sacked several times by Muslim armies between the 15th and 17th centuries. This temple was called the “Black Pagoda” in European sailor accounts as early as 1676 because it looked like a great tiered tower which appeared black. Similarly, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the “White Pagoda”. Both temples served as important landmarks for sailors in the Bay of Bengal. The temple that exists today was partially restored by the conservation efforts of British India-era archaeological teams. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984, it remains a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, who gather here every year for the Chandrabhaga Mela around February. Konark Sun Temple is depicted on the reverse side of the Indian currency note of 10 rupees to signify its importance to Indian cultural heritage.

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7. Kaziranga National Park.

Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam. The park, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site. In 2015, the rhino population stood at 2401. Kaziranga National Park was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species. When compared with other protected areas in India, Kaziranga has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility.

Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, crisscrossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the park includes numerous small bodies of water. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, songs, and documentaries. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.

In 2017, Kaziranga came under severe criticism after a BBC News documentary revealed a hardliner strategy for conservation, reporting the killing of 20 people a year in the name of rhino conservation. As a consequence of this reporting, BBC News was banned from filming in protected areas in India for 5 years. While several news reports claimed that BBC had apologized for the documentary, the BBC stood by its report, with its Director General, Tony Hall, writing in a letter to Survival International that “the letter“ in no way constitutes an apology for our journalism. As a response to the report, researchers in India have provided a more nuanced understanding of the matter, calling out BBC for the carelessness of its journalism, but also pointing to the problems of conservation in Kaziranga and questioning whether shoot-at-sight has been a useful conservation strategy at all.

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8. Keoladeo National Park.

Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park (formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary) is a famous avifauna sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, that hosts thousands of birds, especially during the winter season. Over 350 species of birds are known to be residents. It is also a major tourist centre with scores of ornithologists arriving here in the hibernal season. It was declared a protected sanctuary in 1971 and established as a national park on 10 March 1982. It is also a World Heritage Site. Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a man-made and man-managed wetland and one of the national parks of India. The reserve protects Bharatpur from frequent floods, provides grazing grounds for village cattle, and earlier was primarily used as a waterfowl hunting ground. The 29 Square Kilometers (11 Square Miles) reserve is locally known as Ghana and is a mosaic of dry grasslands, woodlands, woodland swamps and wetlands. These diverse habitats are home to 366 bird species, 379 floral species, 50 species of fish, 13 species of snakes, 5 species of lizards, 7 amphibian species, 7 turtle species and a variety of other invertebrates.

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9. Manas National Park.

Manas National Park is a Project Tiger reserve, biosphere reserve and elephant reserve in Assam. Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous with Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur and Pygmy Hog. Manas is famous for its population of wild water buffalo. The name of the park is originated from the Manas River. The Manas river is a major tributary of Brahmaputra River, which passes through the heart of the national park. It was declared a World Heritage Site in December 1985 by UNESCO.

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10. Churches and Convents of Goa.

Churches and Convents of Goa is the name given by UNESCO to a set of religious monuments located in Goa Velha (or Old Goa), in the state of Goa. which were declared a World Heritage Site in 1986.

Goa was the capital of Portuguese India and Asia and an evangelization center from the sixteenth century. The justifications for the inclusion of religious monuments in Goa in the World Heritage List are…

Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário.
Sé Catedral of Goa.
Basilica of Bom Jesus.
Church of St. Francis of Assisi.
Chapel of Santa Catarina.
Ruins of the Church of St. Augustine.
Church of Divine Providence (São Caetano or Saint Cajetan)

The city of Goa was founded in the fifteenth century by the Muslim Sultanate of Bijapur as a port on the banks of the Mandovi river. The city was taken in 1510 by Afonso de Albuquerque with the help of the Goan Hindu privateer Timoja, remaining continuously under Portuguese rule until the twentieth century. The city was recorded as having over 200,000 inhabitants at its peak and was known by the title ‘Rome of the East’, specifically for its splendid and numerous Catholic religious buildings.

The first converts to Christianity in Goa were native Goan women who married Portuguese men that arrived with Afonso de Albuquerque during the Portuguese conquest of Goa in 1510. During the mid-16th century, the city of Goa, was the center of Christianization in the East. Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans and other Catholic religious orders settled in Goa from the sixteenth century. They used the city as their base for the spread of Catholicism in India. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were the Golden Age of Goa, which ran a flourishing trade and came to have administrative privileges similar to those of Lisbon.

In the first two centuries of the Portuguese presence most of the churches and monasteries were erected that still populate the city, earning the admiration of travelers who pass through Goa. These monuments reflect the cultural exchange and legacy of the Portuguese: while the architectural forms follow the European canon, the internal decoration of altars, altarpieces, paintings and furniture reflect the labour, the work of local artists. This was made possible by the presence of native Goan artists and labourers, which made it not necessary to import European artists or African slave labour (unlike in contemporary colonial Brazil).

From the late seventeenth century, trade competition with Dutch and British led to the economic decline of the city of Goa. Several epidemics ravaged the city and the river Mandovi became inadequate for the more modern ships. The Viceroy moved to Pangim (Nova Goa) in 1759, and Velha Goa lost its capital status officially in 1843.

The Republic of India invaded and annexed Goa in 1961, ending more than 451 years of continuous Portuguese rule. However, the cultural influence continues to this day and it is evident in the religious monuments of Goa, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1986.

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11. Fatehpur Sikri.

Fatehpur Sikri is a town in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh. Situated 35.7 kilometres from the district headquarters Agra, Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar, serving this role from 1571 to 1585, when Akbar abandoned it due to a campaign in Punjab and was later completely abandoned in 1610.

The name of the city is derived from the village called Sikri which occupied the spot before. An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavation from 1999 to 2000 indicated that there was habitation, temples and commercial centres here before Akbar built his capital. The region was settled by Sungas following their expansion. It was controlled by Sikarwar Rajputs from the 7th to 16th century CE till the Battle of Khanwa (1527).

The Khanqah of Sheikh Salim Chishti existed earlier at this place. Akbar’s son Jahangir was born in the village of Sikri to his consort Mariam-uz-Zamani in 1569 and that year Akbar began the construction of a religious compound to commemorate the Sheikh who had predicted the birth. After Jahangir’s second birthday, he began the construction of a walled city and imperial palace here. The city came to be known as Fatehpur Sikri, the “City of Victory”, after Akbar’s victorious Gujarat campaign in 1573.

After occupying Agra in 1803, the East India Company established an administrative centre here and it remained so until 1850. In 1815, the Marquess of Hastings ordered the repair of monuments at Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri was awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

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12. Group of Monuments at Hampi.

Hampi, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka.

Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century. It is a fortified city. Chronicles left by Persian and European travellers, particularly the Portuguese, say that Hampi was a prosperous, wealthy and grand city near the Tungabhadra River, with numerous temples, farms and trading markets. By 1500 CE, Hampi – Vijayanagara was the world’s second largest medieval era city after Beijing, and probably India’s richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal. The Vijayanagara Empire was defeated by a coalition of Muslim sultanates; its capital was conquered, pillaged and destroyed by sultanate armies in 1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins.

Located in Karnataka near the modern-era city of Hosapete, Hampi’s ruins are spread over 4,100 hectares (16 sq miles) and it has been described by UNESCO as an “austere, grandiose site” of more than 1,600 surviving remains of the last great Hindu kingdom in South India that includes “forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, mandapas, memorial structures, water structures and others”.

Hampi predates the Vijayanagara Empire, it is mentioned in the Ramayana and the Puranas of Hinduism as Pampaa Devi Tirtha Kshetra. Hampi continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, an active Adi Shankara-linked monastery and various monuments belonging to the old city.

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13. Khajuraho Group of Monuments.

The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, about 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and a few erotic sculptures.

Most Khajuraho temples were built between 885 AD and 1000 AD by the Chandela dynasty. Historical records note that the Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by the 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometres. Of these, only about 25 temples have survived, spread over six square kilometres. Of the surviving temples, the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.

When these monuments were built, the boys in the place lived in hermitages, by being brahmachari (bachelor) until they attained manhood and these sculptures helped them to learn about the worldly role of ‘householder’. The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions, Hinduism and Jainism, suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains in the region.

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14. Elephanta Caves.

The Elephanta Caves are a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. They are on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri (literally “the city of caves”), in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) east of Mumbai in the Indian state of Mahārāshtra. The island, about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) west of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, consists of five Hindu caves, a few Buddhist stupa mounds that date back to the 2nd century BCE, and two Buddhist caves with water tanks.

The Elephanta Caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, mostly in high relief, that show syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist ideas and iconography. The caves are hewn from solid basalt rock. Except for a few exceptions, much of the artwork is defaced and damaged. The main temple’s orientation as well as the relative location of other temples are placed in a mandala pattern. The carvings narrate Hindu mythologies, with the large monolithic 20 feet (6.1 meters) Trimurti Sadashiva (three-faced Shiva), Nataraja (Lord of dance) and Yogishvara (Lord of Yoga) being the most celebrated.

These date to between the 5th and 9th centuries, and scholars attribute them to various Hindu dynasties. They are most commonly placed between the 5th and 7th centuries. Many scholars consider them to have been completed by about 550 CE.

They were named Elefante – which morphed to Elephanta – by the colonial Portuguese who found elephant statues on the caves. They established a base on the island. The main cave (Cave 1, or the Great Cave) was a Hindu place of worship until the Portuguese arrived, where-upon the island ceased to be an active place of worship. The earliest attempts to prevent further damage to the caves were started by British India officials in 1909. The monuments were restored in the 1970s. In 1987, the restored Elephanta Caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

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15. Great Living Chola Temples.

The Great Living Chola Temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for a group of Chola dynasty-era Hindu temples in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Completed between the early 11th and the 12th century CE, the monuments include:

Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur.
The Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is one of the largest South Indian temples and an exemplary example of fully realized Tamil architecture. Built by Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD. The original monuments of this 11th-century temple were built around a moat. It included gopura, the main temple, its massive tower, inscriptions, frescoes and sculptures predominantly related to Shaivism, but also Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism. The temple was damaged in its history and some artwork is now missing. Additional mandapam and monuments were added in centuries that followed. The temple now stands amidst fortified walls that were added after the 16th century.
Built out of granite, the vimanam tower above the sanctum is one of the tallest in South India. The temple has a massive collonaded prakara (corridor) and is one of the largest Shiva linga in India. It is also famed for the quality of its sculpture, as well as being the location that commissioned the brass Nataraja – Shiva as the lord of dance, in the 11th century. The complex includes shrines for Nandi, Amman, Subrahmanyam, Ganesha, Sabhapati, Dakshinamurti, Chandesrvarar, Varahi and others. The temple is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Tamil Nadu.
Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
The Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram is a Hindu temple located at Gangaikonda Cholapuram about 70 kilometres (43 miles) from the Thanjavur Brihadisvara Temple. Completed in 1035 AD by Rajendra Chola I as a part of his new capital, this Chola dynasty era temple is similar in design and has a similar name as the 11th century, and sometimes just called the Gangaikondacholapuram temple.
It is dedicated to Shiva and based on a square plan, but the temple reverentially displays Vaishnavism, Shaktism and syncretic equivalence themes of Hinduism with statues of Vishnu, Durga, Surya, Harihara, Ardhanishvara, and others. In addition to the main shrine with linga, the temple complex has several smaller shrines, gopura, and other monuments, with some partially ruined or restored in later centuries. The temple is famed for its bronze sculptures, artwork on its walls, the Nandi and the scale of its curvilinear tower.
Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram.
The Airavatesvara Temple is in the town of Darasuram, near Kumbakonam South India completed in 1166 AD. It is one among a cluster of eighteen medieval-era large Hindu temples in the Kumbakonam area. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It also reverentially displays Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism, along with the legends associated with sixty-three Nayanars – the Bhakti movement saints of Shaivism.
Named after the White Elephant of Indra, this temple is a testimony to the grand temple architecture of the Cholan Empire. It is the last of the three great Cholan temples built by successive generations of kings starting from Rajaraja I. Airavateswara temple was built by Rajaraja II around 1150 AD. One of the striking features of this temple is Rajagambhira Thirumandapam – Royal Courtyard, with intricately carved pillars, long steps made of granite stones and elegant chariots drawn by horse – again hewn out of stone. You will see finer workmanship in this time than in the earlier temples. Darasuram is a stone’s throw away from Kumbakonam.
The stone temple incorporates a chariot structure and includes major Vedic and Puranic deities such as Indra, Agni, Varuna, Vayu, Brahma, Surya, Vishnu, Saptamtrikas, Durga, Saraswati, Sri Devi (Lakshmi), Ganga, Yamuna, Subrahmanya, Ganesha, Kama, Rati and others. The temple was much larger and once had seven courtyards according to inscriptions. Only one courtyard survives; parts of the temple such as the gopuram are in ruins, and the main temple and the main temple and associated shrines stand alone. The temple continues to attract large gatherings of Hindu pilgrims every year.

The Temple Complex at Thanjavur was recognised in 1987. The Temple Complex at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple Complex was added as extensions to the site in 2004. The criteria for inclusion in the “Great Living Chola Temples” site are:

Criterion (i): The three Chola temples of Southern India represent outstanding creative achievement in the architectural conception of the pure form of the Dravidian type of temple.
Criterion (ii): The Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur became the first great example of the Chola temples, followed by a development of which the other two properties also bear witness.
Criterion (iii): The three Great Chola Temples are the most outstanding testimony to the development of the architecture of the Chola Empire and the Tamil civilization in Southern India.
Criterion (iv): The Great Chola temples at Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram are outstanding examples of the architecture and the representation of the Chola ideology.

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16. Group of Monuments at Pattadakal.

Pattadakal, also called Paṭṭadakallu or Raktapura, is a complex of 7th and 8th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka. Located on the west bank of the Mallaprabha River in the Bagalakote district, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 14 miles (23 km) from Badami and about 6 miles (9.7 km) from Aihole, both of which are historically significant centres of Chalukya monuments. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

UNESCO has described Pattadakal as “a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India” and an illustration of “eclectic art” at its height. The Hindu temples are generally dedicated to Shiva, but elements of Vaishnavism and Shaktism theology and legends are also featured. The friezes in the Hindu temples display various Vedic and Puranic concepts and depict stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, as well as elements of other Hindu texts, such as the Panchatantra and the Kirātārjunīya. The Jain temple is only dedicated to a single Jina. The most sophisticated temples, with complex friezes and a fusion of Northern and Southern styles, are found in the Papanatha and Virupaksha temples. The Virupaksha temple is an active house of Hindu worship.

The river Mallaprabha, a tributary of the Krishna river cutting across the valley of mountains surrounding and the plains has great importance and place in the history of south India. The origin of this river is from Kanakumbi, Belagavi district in the western ghats region flows towards the eastern side. Just 1km before reaching Pattadakkal it starts flowing from south to north. As per the Hindu tradition, a river that flows in the north direction is also called Uttaravahini.

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17. Sundarbans National Park.

The Sundarbans National Park is a national park, tiger reserve and biosphere reserve in West Bengal. It is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta and adjacent to the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh. It is located in southwest Bangladesh. The delta is densely covered by mangrove forests and is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. It is also home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile. The present Sundarban National Park was declared as the core area of Sundarban Tiger Reserve in 1973 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1977. On 4 May 1984, it was declared a national park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987, and it has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2019. It is considered as a World Network of Biosphere Reserve (Man and Biosphere Reserve) since 1989.

The first forest management division to have jurisdiction over the Sundarbans was established in 1869. In 1875 a large portion of the mangrove forests was declared as reserved forests under the Forest Act, 1865 (Act VIII of 1865). The remaining portions of the forests were declared a reserve forest the following year and the forest, which was so far administered by the civil administration district, was placed under the control of the Forest Department. A forest division, which is the basic forest management and administration unit, was created in 1879 with headquarters in Khulna, Bangladesh. The first management plan was written for the period 1893–1898.

In 1911, it was described as a tract of unexamined waste country and was excluded from the census. It then stretched for about 266 kilometres (165 mi) from the mouth of the Hugli to the mouth of the Meghna river and was bordered inland by the three settled districts of the 24 Parganas, Khulna and Bakerganj. The total area (including water) was estimated at 16,900 square kilometres (6,526 sq mi). It was a water-logged jungle, in which tigers and other wild beasts abounded. Attempts at reclamation had not been very successful. The Sundarbans were everywhere intersected by river channels and creeks, some of which afforded water communication throughout the Bengal region both for steamers and for native ships. The maximum part of the delta is located in Bangladesh.

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18. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks.

The Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Parks is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Uttarakhand. It possesses two core areas about 20 km apart, made up of the Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers National Park, plus an encompassing Combined Buffer Zone.

In 1988 the site was inscribed as Nanda Devi National Park (India). In 2005 it was expanded to encompass the Valley of Flowers National Park and a larger buffer zone and it was renamed Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks. The areas of the site are 630.33 sq km (243.37 sq mi) Nanda Devi National Park core area of 87.50 sq km (33.78 sq mi) Valley of Flowers National Park core area of 5,148.57 sq km (1,987.87 sq mi).

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19. Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi.

Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen town, the district headquarter and 46 kilometres (29 mi) northeast of Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the oldest stone structures in India and an important monument of Indian Architecture. It was originally commissioned by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by the ‘chhatra’, a parasol-like structure symbolising high rank, which was intended to honour and shelter the relics. The original construction work of this stupa was overseen by Ashoka, whose wife Devi was the daughter of a merchant of nearby Vidisha. Sanchi was also her birthplace as well as the venue of her and Ashoka’s wedding. In the 1st century BCE, four elaborately carved toranas (ornamental gateways) and a balustrade encircling the entire structure were added. The Sanchi Stupa built during the Mauryan period was made of bricks. The composite flourished until the 11th century.

Sanchi is the centre of a region with a number of stupas, all within a few miles of Sanchi, including Satdhara (9 km to the W of Sanchi, 40 stupas, the Relics of Sariputra and Mahamoggallana, now enshrined in the new Vihara, were unearthed there), Bhojpur (also called Morel Khurd, a fortified hilltop with 60 stupas) and Andher (respectively 11 km and 17 km SE of Sanchi), as well as Sonari (10 km SW of Sanchi). Further south, about 100 km away, is Saru Maru. Bharhut is 300 km to the northeast. Sanchi Stupa is depicted on the reverse side of the Indian currency note of ₹200 to signify its importance to Indian cultural heritage.

Since Sanchi remained mostly intact, however, only a few artefacts of Sanchi can be found in Western museums: for example, the Gupta statue of Padmapani is at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and one of the Yashinis can be seen at the British Museum. Today, around fifty monuments remain on the hill of Sanchi, including three main stupas and several temples. The monuments have been listed among other famous monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1989.

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20. Humayun's Tomb, Delhi.

Humayun’s tomb (Hindustani: Maqbara-i Humayun) is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun’s chief consort, Empress Bega Begum (also known as Haji Begum), under the patronage of her step-son Akbar, in 1558, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son, Sayyid Muhammad, Persian architects chosen by her. It was the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, India, close to the Dina-Panah Citadel, also known as Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun found in 1533. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is complete. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri’s court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.

The complex encompasses the main tomb of Emperor Humayun, which houses the graves of Empress Bega Begum, Hamida Begum, and also Dara Shikoh, great-great-grandson of Humayun and son of the later Emperor Shah Jahan, as well as numerous other subsequent Mughals, including Emperor Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat, Muhammad Kam Bakhsh and Alamgir II. It represented a leap in Mughal architecture, and together with its accomplished Charbagh garden, typical of Persian gardens, but never seen before in India, it set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture. It is seen as a clear departure from the fairly modest mausoleum of his father, the first Mughal Emperor, Babur, called Bagh-e Babur (Gardens of Babur) in Kabul (Afghanistan). Though the latter was the first Emperor to start the tradition of being buried in a paradise garden. Modelled on Gur-e Amir, the tomb of his ancestor and Asia’s conqueror Timur in Samarkand, it created a precedent for the future Mughal architecture of royal mausolea, which reached its zenith with the Taj Mahal, at Agra.

The site was chosen on the banks of the Yamuna river, due to its proximity to Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum of the celebrated Sufi saint of Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya, who was much revered by the rulers of Delhi, and whose residence, Chilla Nizamuddin Auliya lies just north-east of the tomb. In later Mughal history, the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar took refuge here, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, along with three princes, and was captured by Captain Hodson before being exiled to Rangoon. At the time of the Slave Dynasty, this land was under the ‘KiloKheri Fort’ which was the capital of Sultan Qaiqabad, son of Nasiruddin (1268–1287). The Tombs of Battashewala Complex lie in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of the Humayun Tomb Complex; the two complexes are separated by a small road but enclosed within their own separate compound wall.

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21. Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi.

The Qutb Minar complexes are monuments and buildings from the Delhi Sultanate at Mehrauli in Delhi, India. Construction of the Qutub Minar “victory tower” in the complex, named after the religious figure Sufi Saint Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, was begun by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who later became the first Sultan of Delhi of the Mamluk dynasty (Gulam Vansh). It was continued by his successor Iltutmish (a.k.a. Altamash) and finally completed much later by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, a Sultan of Delhi from the Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1412) in 1368 AD. The Qubbat-ul-Islam Mosque (Dome of Islam), later corrupted into Quwwat-ul Islam, stands next to the Qutb Minar.

Many subsequent rulers, including the Tughlaqs, Alauddin Khalji and the British added structures to the complex. Apart from the Qutb Minar and the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, other structures in the complex include the Alai Darwaza Gate, the Alai Minar and the Iron pillar. The Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque was originally built from the remains of 27 older Hindu and Jain temples. The pillars of the temples were reused and the original images plastered over. Inside the complex lie the tombs of Iltutmish, Alauddin Khalji and Imam Zamin.

Today, the adjoining area spread over with a host of old monuments, including Balban’s tomb, has been developed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and INTACH has restored some 40 monuments in the Park. It is also the venue of the annual ‘Qutub Festival’, held in November–December, where artists, musicians and dancers perform over three days.

The Qutb Minar is inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan, it is an important example of early Afghan architecture, which later evolved into Indo-Islamic Architecture. The Qutb Minar is 72.5 metres (239 ft) high, making it the tallest minaret in the world built of bricks. It has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony carried on muqarnas corbel and tapers from a diameter of 14.3 metres at the base to 2.7 metres at the top, which is 379 steps away. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with surrounding buildings and monuments.

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22. Mountain Railways of India.

The Mountain Railways of India are the narrow-gauge railway lines that were built in the mountains of India. Three railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka–Shimla Railway, are collectively designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Mountain Railways of India. The fourth railway, the Matheran Hill Railway, is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The basis of UNESCO’s designation of the Mountain Railways of India as a World Heritage Site is “outstanding examples of bold, ingenious engineering solutions for the problem of establishing an effective rail link through rugged, mountainous terrain.” The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway received the honour first in 1999 by UNESCO followed by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in 2005. The Kalka–Shimla Railway received the designation in 2008. The three routes together have been titled the Mountain Railways of India under UNESCO World Heritage Site criteria ii and iv, within the Asia-Pacific region. The Matheran Hill Railway, a fourth mountain line, has been nominated and is pending approval by the international body.

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23. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya.

The Mahabodhi Temple (literally: “Great Awakening Temple”) or the Mahābodhi Mahāvihāra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an ancient, but much rebuilt and restored, a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, marking the location where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya (in Gaya district) is about 96 km (60 mi) from Patna, Bihar state.

The site contains a descendant of the Bodhi Tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment and has been a major pilgrimage destination of Buddhists for well over two thousand years, and some elements date to the period of Ashoka (died c. 232 BCE). What is now visible on the ground essentially dates from the 5th century CE, or possibly earlier, as well as several major restorations since the 19th century. But the structure now may well incorporate large parts of earlier work, possibly from the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Archaeological finds from the site, however, indicate that the place was a site of veneration for Buddhists since at least the Mauryan period. In particular, the Vajrasana, which is located within the temple itself has been dated to the third century BCE.

Many of the oldest sculptural elements have been moved to the museum beside the temple, and some, such as the carved stone railing wall around the main structure, have been replaced by replicas. The main temple’s survival is especially impressive, as it was mostly made of brick covered with stucco, materials that are much less durable than stone. However, it is understood that very little of the original sculptural decoration has survived.

The temple complex includes two large straight-sided shikhara towers, the largest over 55 metres (180 feet) high. This is a stylistic feature that has continued in Jain and Hindu temples to the present day, and influenced Buddhist architecture in other countries, in forms like the pagoda.

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24. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka.

Bhimbetka meaning “Bhima’s resting place” or “Bhima’s lounge”, is a compound word made of Bhima (second brother among the five Pandavas of Mahabharata) and Baithaka (seat or lounge). According to the native belief, Bhima during his exile used to rest here to interact with the locals.

The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site in central India that spans the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period. It exhibits the earliest traces of human life in India and evidence of the Stone Age starting at the site in Acheulian times. It is located in the Raisen District in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh about 45 kilometres (28 mi) southeast of Bhopal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters distributed over 10 km (6.2 mi). At least some of the shelters were inhabited more than 100,000 years ago. The rock shelters and caves provide evidence of, according to Encyclopædia Britannica, a “rare glimpse” into human settlement and cultural evolution from hunter-gatherers, to agriculture, and expressions of prehistoric spirituality.

Some of the Bhimbetka rock shelters feature prehistoric cave paintings and the earliest are about 10,000 years old (c. 8,000 BCE), corresponding to the Indian Mesolithic. These cave paintings show themes such as animals, early evidence of dance and hunting from the Stone Age as well as warriors on horseback from a later time (perhaps the Bronze Age). The Bhimbetka site has the oldest-known rock art in India, as well as one of the largest prehistoric complexes.

Bhimbetka rock art is considered the oldest petroglyphs in the world, some of these similar to aboriginal rock art in Australia and the palaeolithic Lascaux cave paintings in France. Of the 750 rock shelters, only 12 to 15 are open to visitors. The Bhimbetka shelters also contain fossils from the Precambrian, hundreds of millions of years before the human era, including the enigmatic basal animal Dickinsonia.

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25. Champaner - Pavagadh Archaeological Park.

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the Panchmahal district in Gujarat. It is located around the historical city of Champaner, a city which was founded by Vanraj Chavda, the most prominent king of the Chavda Dynasty, in the eighth century. He named it after the name of his friend and general Champa, also known later as Champaran. The heritage site is studded with forts with bastions starting from the hills of Pavagadh and extending into the city of Champaner. The park’s landscape includes archaeological, historic and living cultural heritage monuments such as chalcolithic sites, a hill fortress of early Hindu capital, and remains of the 16th-century capital of the state of Gujarat. There are palaces, entrance gates and arches, mosques, tombs and temples, residential complexes, agricultural structures and water installations such as step wells and tanks, dating from the eighth to the 14th centuries. The Kalika Mata Temple, located on top of the 800 metres (2,600 ft) high Pavagadh Hill, is an important Hindu shrine in the region, attracting large numbers of pilgrims throughout the year. The transition between Hindu and Muslim culture and architecture in the late 15th to early 16th century is documented in the park, particularly in the early Islamic and pre-Mughal city that has remained without any change. It was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

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26. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus).

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), is a historic railway terminus and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The terminus was designed by British-born architectural engineer Frederick William Stevens from an initial design by Axel Haig, in an exuberant Italian Gothic style. Its construction began in 1878, in a location south of the old Bori Bunder railway station, and was completed in 1887, the year marking 50 years of Queen Victoria’s rule. In March 1996 the station name was changed from Victoria Terminus to “Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus” (with station code CST) after Shivaji, the 17th-century warrior king who employed guerrilla tactics to contest the Mughal Empire and found a new state in the western Marathi-speaking regions of the Deccan Plateau.

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27. Red Fort Complex.

The Red Fort or Lal Qila is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi. Originally red and white, its design is credited to architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori, who also constructed the Taj Mahal. The fort represents the peak in Mughal architecture under Shah Jahan and combines Persianate palace architecture with Indian traditions. The fort was plundered of its artwork and jewels during Nadir Shah’s invasion of the Mughal Empire in 1739. Most of the fort’s marble structures were subsequently demolished by the British following the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The fort’s defensive walls were largely undamaged, and the fortress was subsequently used as a garrison. On 15 August 1947, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, raised the Indian flag above the Lahori Gate. Every year on India’s Independence Day (15 August), the Prime Minister hoists the Indian tricolour flag at the fort’s main gate and delivers a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts. The Red Fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 as part of the Red Fort Complex.

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28. The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur.

The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur is a collection of 19 astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur, Rajasthan. The monument was completed in 1734. It features the world’s largest stone sundial and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is near City Palace and Hawa Mahal. The instruments allow the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye. The observatory is an example of the Ptolemaic positional astronomy which was shared by many civilizations.

The monument features instruments operating in each of the three main classical celestial coordinate systems: the horizon-zenith local system, the equatorial system, and the ecliptic system. The Kamala Yantraprakara is one that works in two systems and allows the transformation of the coordinates directly from one system to the other. It has the biggest sundial in the world. The monument was damaged in the 19th century. Early restoration work was undertaken under the supervision of Major Arthur Garrett, a keen amateur astronomer, during his appointment as Assistant State Engineer for the Jaipur District.

The name Jantar is derived from yantra a Sanskrit word, meaning “instrument, machine”, and mantar from mantrana also a Sanskrit word (“consult, calculate”). Therefore, Jantar Mantar literally means ‘calculating instrument’. Jai Singh noticed that the Zij, which was used for determining the position of celestial objects, did not match the positions calculated on the table. He constructed five new observatories in different cities in order to create a more accurate Zij. The astronomical tables Jai Singh created, known as the Zij-i Muhammad Shahi, were continuously used in India for a century. (However, the table had little significance outside of India.) Also, it was used to measure time.

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29. Western Ghats.

The Western Ghats or the Western Mountain range is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the state of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight biodiversity hotspots in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. It contains a very large proportion of the country’s flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to this region. According to UNESCO, the Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the southwest during late summer. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain called Konkan along the Arabian Sea. A total of 39 areas in the Western Ghats, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests, were designated as world heritage sites in 2012 – twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, six in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.

The range starts near south of the Tapti river and runs approximately 1,600 km (990 mi) through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu ending at Marunthuvazh Malai near the southern tip of India. These hills cover 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) and form the catchment area for complex riverine drainage systems that drain almost 40% of India. The Western Ghats block the southwest monsoon winds from reaching the Deccan Plateau. The average elevation is around 1,200 m (3,900 ft). The area is one of the world’s ten “hottest biodiversity hotspots.” It has over 7,402 species of flowering plants, 1,814 species of non-flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species, 227 reptile species, 179 amphibian species, 290 freshwater fish species, and 6,000 insect species. It is likely that many undiscovered species live in the Western Ghats. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats.

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30. Hill Forts of Rajasthan.

The North Western Indian State of Rajasthan has over one hundred fortifications on hills and mountainous terrain. Six Hill Forts of Rajasthan, spread across Rajasthan state in northern India, have been clustered as a series and designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ‘Hill Forts of Rajasthan’ was initially submitted to UNESCO as a serial property formed by five Rajput forts in the Aravalli Range, and were built and enhanced between the 5th and 18th centuries CE by several Rajput kings of different kingdoms. The UNESCO series has been increased to six forts. They consist of:

Chittor Fort at Chittorgarh.
Kumbhalgarh Fort at Kumbhalgarh.
Ranthambore Fort at Sawai Madhopur.
Gagron Fort at Jhalawar.
Amer Fort at Jaipur.
Jaisalmer Fort at Jaisalmer

Some of these forts have defensive fortification walls up to 20 km long, still survive urban centres and are still in use water harvesting mechanisms.

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31. Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area.

The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is a national park in India, located in the Kullu region in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The park was established in 1984 and is spread over an area of 1171 sq km; altitudes within the park range between 1500 and 6000 meters. The Great Himalayan National Park is a habitat to numerous flora and more than 375 fauna species, including approximately 31 mammals, 181 birds, 3 reptiles, 9 amphibians, 11 annelids, 17 molluscs and 127 insects. They are protected under the strict guidelines of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972; hence any sort of hunting is not permitted. In June 2014, the Great Himalayan National Park was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, under the criterion of “outstanding significance for biodiversity conservation”.

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32. Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat.

Rani Ki Vav (lit. ’The Queen’s Stepwell’) is a stepwell situated in the town of Patan in the Gujarat state of India. It is located on the banks of the Saraswati river. Its construction is attributed to Udayamati, daughter of Khengara of Saurashtra, queen and spouse of the 11th-century Chaulukya king Bhima I. Silted over, it was rediscovered in the 1940s and restored in the 1980s by the Archaeological Survey of India. It has been listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites since 2014.

The finest and one of the largest examples of its kind and designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water, the stepwell is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels; more than 500 principal sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery.

Rani ki vav was constructed during the rule of the Chalukyas dynasty. It is located on the banks of the Saraswati river. Prabandha-Chintamani, composed by the Jain monk Merutunga in 1304, mentions: “Udayamati, the daughter of Naravaraha Khengara, built this novel stepwell at Shripattana (Patan) surpassing the glory of the Sahastralinga Tank”. According to it, the stepwell was commissioned in 1063 and was completed after 20 years. It is generally assumed that it was built in the memory of Bhima I (r. c. 1022 – 1064) by his queen Udayamati and probably completed by Udayamati and Karna after his death but whether she was a widow when she commissioned it is disputed. Commissariat puts the date of construction to 1032 based on the architectural similarity to the Vimalavasahi temple on Mount Abu built in the same year.

The stepwell was later flooded by the Saraswati river and silted over. In the 1890s, Henry Cousens and James Burgess visited it when it was completely buried under the earth and only a well shaft and a few pillars were visible. They described it as being a huge pit measuring 87 metres (285 ft). In Travels in Western India, James Tod mentioned that the material from the stepwell was reused in the other stepwell built in modern Patan, probably Trikam Barot ni Vav (Bahadur Singh stepwell). In the 1940s, excavations carried out under the Baroda State revealed the stepwell. In 1986, major excavation and restoration were carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). An image of Udayamati was also recovered during the excavation. The restoration was carried out from 1981 to 1987.

Rani ki vav has been declared a Monument of National Importance and protected by the ASI. It was added to the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites on 22 June 2014. It was named India’s “Cleanest Iconic Place” at the 2016 Indian Sanitation Conference.

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33. Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar.

Nalanda was a renowned Buddhist monastic university in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India. Considered by historians to be the world’s very first residential university, and among the greatest centres of learning in the ancient world, it was located near the city of Rajagriha (now Rajgir) and about 90 kilometres (56 miles) southeast of Pataliputra (now Patna), operating from 427CE to 1197 CE. Nalanda played a vital role in promoting the patronage of arts and academics during the 5th and 6th century CE, a period that has since been described as the “Golden Age of India” by scholars.

Nalanda was established during the Gupta Empire era, and was supported by numerous Indian and Javanese patrons – both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. Over some 750 years, its faculty included some of the most revered scholars of Mahayana Buddhism. Nalanda Mahavihara taught six major Buddhist schools and philosophies such as Yogacara and Sarvastivada as well as subjects such as grammar, medicine, logic and mathematics. The university was also a major source of the 657 Sanskrit texts carried by pilgrim Xuanzang and the 400 Sanskrit texts carried by Yijing to China in the 7th century, which influenced East Asian Buddhism. Many of the texts composed at Nalanda played an important role in the development of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism including the Mahavairocana Tantra and the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra of Shantideva. It was sacked and destroyed by the troops of Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, partly restored thereafter, and continued to exist till about 1400 CE. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 2010, the Government of India passed a resolution to revive the famous university, and a contemporary institute, Nalanda University, was established at Rajgir. It has been listed as an “Institute of National Importance” by the Government of India.

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34. Khangchendzonga National Park.

Khangchendzonga National Park, also Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve, is a national park and a biosphere reserve located in Sikkim. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in July 2016, becoming the first “Mixed Heritage” site in India. It was included in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The park is named after the mountain Kangchenjunga (alternative spelling Khangchendzonga), which is the third-highest peak in the world at 8,586 metres (28,169 feet) tall. The total area of the park is 849.5 sq km (328.0 sq mi).

Human History
There are a few Lepcha tribal settlements inside the park. The park contains Tholung Monastery, a gompa located in the park’s buffer zone. It is considered one of the most sacred monasteries in Sikkim.

Geography
The Kanchenjunga Park is situated in the North and West Sikkim districts in the Indian state of Sikkim. It has an elevation of 1,829 meters (6,001 feet) to over 8,550 meters (28,050 feet) and has an area of 849.50 sq km (327.99 sq mi). It is one of the few high-altitude National parks in India and was recently included as a mixed-criteria UNESCO World Heritage site. In the north it adjoins the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve in Tibet and in the west the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal.

Climate
Snowfall is heavy during the winter months and monsoon showers occur from May to mid-October.

Trekking
Most of the trekking routes start from Yuksom 145 km (90 mi) from Gangtok in West Sikkim. A necessary Permit can be obtained from the Wildlife Education and Interpretation centre at Yuksom or from the check post. State Tourism Department along with other travel agents organize treks to Dzongri 4,050 metres (13,290 feet) and other places. The popular trek routes are:

Yuksom – Tshoka – Dzongri.
Bakim – Dzongri – Thangshing – Samuteng – Goechala.
Dzongri Base Camp – Rathong – Khangerteng.
Thangshing – Lam Pokhari – Kasturi Orar – Labdang – Tashiding.

Another popular trekking point includes a path to the Green Lake with Lachen, a village in North Sikkim as the starting point. Foreign nationals require a restricted area permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Delhi to visit the park and the associated region. Indian nationals are required to obtain an Inner Line Permit from the State Home Department. Permission of the State Chief Wildlife Warden is also mandatory for everybody visiting the park. The important and popular routes are:

Lucanes Jakchen-Yabuk-Rest Camp (Marco Polo Camp) – Green Lake.
Lachen-Thasngu 13,695 feet (4,174 meters) – Muguthang 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) – Thay La 17,000 feet (5,200 m) – Khyoksa La 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) – Rest Camp – Green Lake.

Most of these trekking routes pass through the Kanchenjunga National Park and are shown in the film Singalila in the Himalayas.

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35. The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement.

Chandigarh Capitol Complex, located in sector-1 of Chandigarh city, is a government compound designed by the architect Le Corbusier and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is spread over an area of around 100 acres and is a prime manifestation of Chandigarh’s architecture. It comprises three buildings: the Palace of Assembly or Legislative Assembly, Secretariat Building and the High Court plus four monuments (Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill, Tower of Shadows and the Martyrs Monument) and a lake. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 2016 along with sixteen other works by Le Corbusier for its contribution to the development of modernist architecture.

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36. Historic City of Ahmadabad.

The Historic City of Ahmadabad or Old Ahmedabad, the walled city of Ahmedabad in India, was founded by Ahmad Shah I of Gujarat Sultanate in 1411. It remained the capital of the Gujarat Sultanate and later an important political and commercial centre of Gujarat. Today, despite having become extremely crowded and dilapidated, it still serves as the symbolic heart of metropolitan Ahmedabad. It was inscribed as a World Heritage City by UNESCO in July 2017.

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37. Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai.

The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Bombay is a collection of 19th-century Victorian Revival public and 20th-century Mumbai Art Deco private buildings in the Fort precinct of Mumbai, Maharashtra. This ensemble was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018.

These buildings are set around the Oval Maidan, a large recreational ground that was once known as the Esplanade. The east of the Oval is flanked by the Victorian Gothic public buildings and the western side is flanked by the Art Deco buildings of Back bay Reclamation and Marine Drive. This nomination aims to safeguard a total of 94 buildings.

The 19th-century Victorian Gothic buildings that lie to the east of the Oval are mainly the Mumbai High Court, The University of Mumbai (Fort Campus) and The City Civil and Sessions Court (Housed in the Old Secretariat Building). This stretch also houses one of the landmarks of Mumbai, the Rajabai Clock Tower. The 20th-century Art Deco buildings flank the western stretch of the Oval and consist mainly of privately owned residential buildings and the Eros Cinema among others.

This ensemble of Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings was added to the list of World Heritage Sites on 30 June 2018 during the 42nd session of The World Heritage Committee at Manama, Bahrain.

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38. Jaipur City, Rajasthan.

Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. As of 2011, the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known as the Pink City, due to the dominant colour scheme of its buildings. It is also known as the Paris of India, and C. V. Raman called it the Island of Glory. It is located 268 kilometers (167 miles) from the national capital New Delhi. Jaipur was founded in 1727 by the Kachhwaha Rajput ruler Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amer, after whom the city is named. It was one of the earliest planned cities of modern India, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. During the British Colonial period, the city served as the capital of Jaipur State. After independence in 1947, Jaipur was made the capital of the newly formed state of Rajasthan.

Jaipur is a popular tourist destination in India and forms a part of the west Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Delhi and Agra (240 kilometers, 149 miles). It also serves as a gateway to other tourist destinations in Rajasthan such as Jodhpur (348 km, 216 mi), Jaisalmer (571 km, 355 mi), Bharatpur (186 km, 116 mi), Udaipur (421 km, 262 mi), Kota (252 km, 156 mi) and Mount Abu (520 km, 323 mi).

On 6 July 2019, UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed Jaipur as the “Pink City of India” among its World Heritage Sites. The city is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Amer Fort and Jantar Mantar.

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39. Dholavira: a Harappan City.

Dholavira is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat in western India, which has taken its name from a modern-day village 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) south of it. This village is 165 kilometres (103 miles) from Radhanpur. Also known locally as Kotada timba, the site contains ruins of a city of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. Earthquakes have repeatedly affected Dholavira, including a particularly severe one around 2600 BC.

Dholavira’s location is on the Tropic of Cancer. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and the most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time. It is located on Khadir bet island in the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kutch. The 120 acres of the quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The site was thought to be occupied from 2650 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE, and to have been briefly abandoned and then reoccupied until 1450 BCE, however, recent research suggests the beginning of occupation around 3500 BCE (pre-Harappan) and continuity until around 1800 BCE (early part of Late Harappan period).

The site was initially discovered by a resident of Dholavira village, Shambhudan Gadhvi, in the early 1960s who made efforts to bring government attention to the location. The site was “officially” discovered in 1967-68 by J. P. Joshi, of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites. It has been under excavation since 1990 by the ASI, which opined that “Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to the personality of Indus Valley Civilisation.” The other major Harappan sites discovered so far are Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupnagar and Lothal. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Dholavira: a Harappan City on 27 July 2021.

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40. Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana.

Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Kakatiya-style Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, located in Telangana, India. It is 15 Kilometers (9.3 miles) from Mulugu, 66 Kilometers (41 miles) from Warangal, and 209 Kilometers (130 miles) from Hyderabad. An inscription in the temple says it was constructed in the year 1213 CE by Recharla Rudra alias Recharla Rudri Reddi- a General of Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva 1199–1262. Located in the vicinity of Ramappa Lake, the Ramappa Temple complex which consists of three temples was constructed between 1212 and 1234, designed and architect by Ramappa after whom the temple complex is named.

Marco Polo, during his visit to the Kakatiya empire, supposedly called the temple “the brightest star in the galaxy of temples”. Ramappa Temple stands majestically on a 6-foot (1.8 meters) high star-shaped platform. The hall in front of the sanctum has numerous carved pillars that have been positioned to create an effect that combines light and space wonderfully. The temple is named after the sculptor Ramappa, who built it, making it the only temple in India to be named after its craftsman.

The main structure is in a reddish sandstone, but the columns around the outside have large brackets of black basalt which is rich in iron, magnesium and silica. These are carved as mythical animals or female dancers or musicians, and are “the masterpieces of Kakatiya art, notable for their delicate carving, sensuous postures and elongated bodies and heads”. On 25 July 2021, the temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as “Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana”.

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Festivals Of India

India is a land of diversification. Every state has its unique art, culture and tradition. The one thing that is common for all states is the celebration of individual cultures and traditions. Indians celebrate their beliefs, culture and tradition in the form of festivals. Every festival has its own specific characteristics. Festivals in India are celebrated season-wise and state-wise.

The main reason for the celebration of these festivals is to spread happiness and strengthen the bond between friends and family. Many festivals are local and are held on different dates each year. A few are set according to the lunar calendar. The relevance of festivals in India is to honour a deity at a particular temple, celebrate the agricultural cycle or a religious story or event. Here are some important festivals listed below…

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Maharaja Express Train

In 1844, the Indian Railways in its earlier avatar was called the East Indian Railway Company, it was founded by the then Governor of India, Lord Hardinge. Under his supervision several experimental trains were introduced from Bombay to Calcutta, but the real breakthrough came in 1853, when the first passenger train service was inaugurated between Bombay and Thane. The year following that witnessed Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India, formulating a plan to have a network of trunk lines connecting the principal regions of India. Today, the Indian Railway stands as one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world. Catering to over 18 million passengers and carrying more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily, it traverses the length and breadth of the country and covers 6,909 stations – a gigantic route of more than 63,327 kms. With a workforce of 1.5 million, it is the single largest employer in the world.

Welcome aboard the Maharajas’ Express, bestowed the “World’s Leading Luxury Train” award at the World Travel Awards for seven consecutive years from 2012 to 2018. The Maharajas’ Express has redefined the luxury travel experience by offering guests the opportunity to explore fabled destinations providing a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of Incredible India which will leave you with fond memories of this train journey to be cherished.

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Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites

Buddha was the greatest sage and mystic of the East and one of the greatest spiritual teachers of the world. On his preachings, philosophy and 4 noble truths were founded Buddhism, the 4th largest religion in the world today. He was called ‘the Awakened One’ or ‘the Enlightened one’

Buddha was born in 563 BCE in the part of India which is now Nepal, and set in motion the Wheel of Dhamma in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and all of Southeast Asia, including Japan and China. There are several important Buddhist sites in India to embark on a spiritual journey like no other. We’ve divided them into Buddhist spiritual sites, Buddhist monasteries and ancient Buddhist cave sites. In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or to a shrine of importance to a person’s beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim. There is a number of historical Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India.

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Jain Pilgrimage Sites

One of the ancient religions of India, Jainism focuses on conquering passions and attaining moksha. One who succeeds in overpowering their inner passions and achieving omniscience is known as Jina (conqueror). Jains are those who follow the path of the jinas, fighting a spiritual battle with their senses and passions.

Jainism focuses on non-violence, non-possessiveness, and non-absolutism. It postulates that soul is pure and immortal but gets burdened by karma based on the body’s senses. It needs to be purified and liberated by learning to detach oneself with the right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct. Jainism views every facet of the world as equal, in which every being and object must be respected and treated with care.

There is no god in Jainism, as it is believed that every human can achieve enlightenment and omniscience. According to Jainism, the universe is eternal and the world has two-time cycles. In every half cycle, there are 24 Tirthankaras. While there can be many jinas, Tirthankaras (ford makers) are those who attain liberation and guide others on the path to freedom from the cycle of life and death. The last Tirthankara was Mahavir, a contemporary of Gautam Buddha.

The cardinal principle of Jainism is ahimsa (non-violence). Jains also follow 5 mahavratas (great vows), one of which is non-violence. The others are not cheating, non-attachment to possessions, not lying, and sexual restraint. Devout followers of Jainism become ascetics. There are more than 4 million Jains in India and thousands in the rest of the world.

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Hindu Pilgrimage Sites

In Hinduism, the yatra (pilgrimage) to the tirthas (sacred places) has special significance for earning the Punya (spiritual merit) needed to attain the moksha (salvation) by performing the darśana (viewing of deity), the parikrama (circumambulation), the yajna (sacrificial fire offering), the Dhyana (spiritual contemplation), the puja (worship), the Prarthana (prayer, which could be in the form of mantra – sacred chants, bhajan – prayer singing, or kirtan – collective musical prayer performance), the Dakshina (alms and donation for a worthy cause), the Seva (selfless service towards community, devotees or temple), the Bhandara (running volunteer community kitchen for pilgrims), etc. These sacred places are usually located on the banks of sacred water bodies, such as sacred rivers or their tributaries (among the Rigvedic rivers of Sapta Sindhu the trio Ganges-Yamuna-Saraswati are considered most scared), the Kunda (pond or lake, among these the Lake Manasarovar, is considered most scared), the ghats (water bodies with stairs such as Ghats in Varanasi), or the step-wells (among these the rani ki vav in the form of inverted temple is considered most spectacular), or the temple tanks.

In order of importance, in India there are 7 Sapta Puri holy cities, 4 Dhams (Char Dham) and 12 Jyotirlings devoted to Lord Shiva, 51 Shakti Pithas devoted to the feminine manifestation of the god, and the important Lord Rama circuit (Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Hampi and Rameswaram) and Lord Krishna circuit (Braj, Kurukshetra and Dwarka).

Holy Places: Himalayan Chota Char Dham – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Varanasi, Prayagraj, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Dwarka and Rameswaram.

Holy Fairs: The Kumbh Mela (the “pitcher festival”) is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held four times every twelve years; the location is rotated among the four cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. The Mahamaham in the temple town of Kumbakonam is also celebrated once in 12 years. Annual Gita Mahotsav at Kurukshetra, Shravani Mela at Deoghar, and Pitrapaksha Mela at Gaya are also notable holy fairs.

Holy Temples: the Char Dham of Rameswaram, Dwarka, Puri and Badrinath. Katra, home to the Vaishno Devi temple; Puri home to Vaishnava Jagannath temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Tirumala – Tirupati, home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; Sabarimala home to Swami Ayyappan; the 108 Divya Desams; the Shakti Peethas; the twelve Jyotirlingas; the seven Sapta Puri; the Pancha Bhoota Stalam.

Holy Deity: Kuladaivat Hindu families have their own family patron deity. This deity is common to a lineage, a clan or a locality.

Samadhis (shrines) of Saints: Alandi, Samadhi of Dnyaneshwar: Mantralayam, the samadhi of Raghavendra Tirtha, Belur Math which enshrine the Holy remains of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda Puri, and other direct Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Tulsi Ghat, Varanasi where Saint Tulsidas left his mortal coil, Samadhi Mandir of Saint Kabir at Gorakhpur, near Varanasi, Panchaganga Ghat, Varanasi where Trailanga Swami lived and left his mortal body, Karar Ashram, Puri where Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, attained the Mahasamadhi.

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Wildlife Sanctuaries Of India

India is home to some unique flora and fauna species which make wildlife sanctuaries in India a paradise for nature and wildlife lovers. India boasts rich biodiversity, as the geography of the country is dotted with thick forests, serving as the habitat of a huge number of wildlife species. From The Great Himalayan National Park in the north to Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary in the south, India has a plethora of wildlife sanctuaries all over it. Rare and exotic species that can be sighted on Indian territory are the Asiatic Lion, Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, One-Horned Rhinoceros and many more.

The hope of spotting a rare, wild animal in its natural habitat is the most exciting kind of hope. The feeling of taking a safari in these dense forests accommodating such rare wildlife species makes adrenaline rush through your blood. Sanctuaries in India and the animals that can be spotted there make it a popular choice among wildlife enthusiasts all over the world. Some of the most popular sanctuaries in India where you can witness tigers in their natural habitat are Corbett National Park, Ranthambhore National park and Sundarbans National Park. If you wish to witness endangered one-horned Rhinos, Kaziranga National Park is the only place in the world. And, if you want to see an Asiatic Lion roar, Gir National Park is a great choice. If you get lucky, you may also spot a gorgeous Black Panther in Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka. There is so much more to explore in the wild spaces of India which you can find only when you visit these amazing sanctuaries.

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Hill Stations In India

India has abundant hill stations spread all over the country which makes for a tranquil and picturesque destination for tourists. Kashmir has some of the most beautiful hill stations in India which include Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Srinagar and Sonmarg. In Himachal Pradesh also tourists can be spoilt for choices which include Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie. Mussoorie and Nainital are among the most popular hill stations in north India. Coorg, Ooty and Kodaikanal are the most popular ones in South India. Matheran, Almora, McLeodganj, Gangtok, and Coonoor among others are the lesser crowded hill station in India.

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Islands Of India

When you ask the question: “How many islands are there in India?” you may or may not be shocked to hear that there are over 1,000. In fact, there are 1,208 islands in India, and quite many few of these are uninhabited. The country is made up of landforms of various kinds — lush plains, dense marshes, soaring mountains, verdant deltas, stunning plateaus, velvety backwaters, and of course beautiful islands. While the country is not specifically known only for its islands, there are many islands in India that are popular tourist magnets, like the Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Many islands in India are quite unique and attract visitors not just for their beauty, but also for religious purposes. Want to know “which is the smallest island in India”, or “which is the biggest island in India?” Ask us. However, the answer to the question “which is the best island in India?” is entirely up to you.

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INDIA

TABLE OF CONTENT

Why Travel In India?

Beautiful

Vibrant

Delicious

REGIONS

Himalayan North

The Plains

Western India

Southern India

Eastern India

North Eastern India

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UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

1. Red Fort of Agra.

2. Ajanta Caves.

3. Taj Mahal.

4. Ellora Caves.

5. Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram.

6. Konark Sun Temple.

7. Kaziranga National Park.

8. Keoladeo National Park.

9. Manas National Park.

10. Churches and Convents of Goa.

11. Fatehpur Sikri.

12. Group of Monuments at Hampi.

13. Khajuraho Group of Monuments.

14. Elephanta Caves.

15. Great Living Chola Temples.

16. Group of Monuments at Pattadakal.

17. Sundarbans National Park.

18. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks.

19. Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi.

20. Humayun's Tomb, Delhi.

21. Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi.

22. Mountain Railways of India.

23. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya.

24. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka.

25. Champaner - Pavagadh Archaeological Park.

26. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus).

27. Red Fort Complex.

28. The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur.

29. Western Ghats.

30. Hill Forts of Rajasthan.

31. Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area.

32. Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat.

33. Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar.

34. Khangchendzonga National Park.

35. The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement.

36. Historic City of Ahmadabad.

37. Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai.

38. Jaipur City, Rajasthan.

39. Dholavira: a Harappan City.

40. Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana.

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Festivals Of India

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Maharaja Express Train

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Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites

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Jain Pilgrimage Sites

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Hindu Pilgrimage Sites

Wildlife Sanctuaries Of India

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Hill Stations In India

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Islands Of India

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