List of Top 18 UNESCO Heritage sites in India

Pikme Travel
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UNESCO World Heritage Convention which was established in 1972 recognized numerous sites of cultural and natural importance around the world. There can be many architectural prodigies in a country however solely a couple of them hold universal importance.

Taj Mahal, Agra

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, White Marble Mughal architecture, the Taj Mahal was designed by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaj Mahal. It’s reviewed as the most effective example of Mughal design worldwide and is termed the “Jewel of Muslim Art in India”. It’s one of the foremost visited heritage traveler attractions in India. The construction was completed in 1653.

Qutub Minar, Delhi

Located within the capital town, Qutub Minar is the tall architectural beauty that adorns Old Delhi with its magnificence. It’s the second tallest Minar in the country. The Qutub Minar was inbuilt in 1193 by the primary Muslim ruler of Old Delhi, Qutub-ud-din Aibak of the Mamluk dynasty, succeeding the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu Kingdom. It’s 73 meters tall and features a diameter of 15 m at the bottom and 2.5 m at the highest.

Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Khajuraho is a special heritage site famous for a bunch of Hindu and religious Temples located 175 KM southeast of Jhansi. These temples were designed by the Chandella rulers between AD 900 and 1130. They’re renowned for their Nagara-style symbolism and sensual figures and sculptures. It consists of 85 Temples extending across a region of 20 sq. kilometers. The Kandariya temple is the most outstanding of all of those temples within the Khajuraho compound.

Hampi, Karnataka

Hampi is a vital historical site in India that conveys messages concerning well-planned ancient cities and talks about one of the best Hindu kingdoms in Indian history. Hampi includes primarily the remnants of the Capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire (14th-16th Cent CE), the last pronounced Hindu Kingdom. The ruins at Hampi are a group of heritage sites portraying the superb Dravidian form of art and design. Many alternative monuments are a region of this heritage site; jointly, they’re together referred to as the ‘Group of Monuments at Hampi’.

Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra

The Elephanta caves are settled on an island within the Arabian town, not extremely far away from the town of Mumbai urban center. It’s admired for its Buddhist and Hindu caves and has Basal Rock Caves and Shiva Temples. Various archeological remains supply us with a glimpse into the wealthy, cultural past of Indian civilization.

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

Humayun’s tomb is the 1st of the grand dynastic mausoleums that were to become synonyms of Mughal design with the style of architecture reaching its celestial point eighty years later at the later taj mahal. This World Heritage site in India was designed by begum Bega, the first wife of Humayun between 1565-1572. It constitutes a grave, a Pavilion, any Water Channels, and A Bath. The Mughal type of garden place was 1st introduced during this tomb that was accustomed to containing causeways and channels around it.

Group of Monuments, Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram was the capital region throughout the reign of the Pallava dynasty within the seventh century AD. Open-air Rock Relief, Mandapas, and Chariot Temples, it is a Pallava dynasty designs. These World Heritage Sites in India constitute the art of Pallava time with sites like Pancha Rathas, Dharamaraja Ratha, Arjuna Ratha, Draupadi Ratha, etc. The Cave temples of Mahabalipuram represent quite half a dozen caves.

Konark Sun Temple, Odisha

The Sun Temple at Konark is a 13th-century temple located in Konark, Odisha. This temple is known for the conservative form of Kalinga design. it had been designed by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in around AD 1250. The word ‘Konark‘ is considered to be a combination of 2 words ‘Kona’ and ‘Arka’. ‘Kona’ means ‘Corner’ and ‘Arka’ means ‘Sun’, therefore once combined it becomes ‘Sun of the Corner’.

Buddhist Monastery, Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh

The Great Stupa at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure in India and was initially announced by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, the great in the third century BCE. It is the second largest Sanchi Stupa, it was built to represent the life and journey of Lord Buddha.  Its center core was a hemispherical brick structure designed over the relics of Buddha and it was surmounted by the Chatra that symbolizes rank. Besides the Sanchi stupa, many different structures exist here, like monolithic pillars, temples, palaces, and monasteries.

Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya

An important spiritual center for the Buddhists was the place where Prince Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha by attaining spiritual knowledge. The sacred Bodhi tree beneath which the Buddha meditated and earned religious information is settled on the west side of the temple. The renowned Mahabodhi Temple has established during the reign of Ashoka the great in the third century B.C. and the current temple dates from the 5th–6th centuries.

Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad, Maharastra

It is one of the primary World Heritage sites in India. It was created from the 2d century BCE to 480 or 650 CE. Ajanta caves have thirty rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments, paintings, and sculptures. Having chiefly carvings and sculptures associated with the lifetime of Buddha, one will say that this marks the start of Indian Classical Art.

Ellora Caves, Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Ellora caves were designed by the Kalachuri, Chalukya, and Rashtrakuta dynasties in the course of (the sixth and ninth centuries). There are thirty-four rock-cut temples and caves which might be dated to around 600 to 1000 AD. These caves are manmade temples cut into a vast incline, made by generations of Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist monks.

Agra Fort, Agra

It is labeled a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1983. It was planned and constructed by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in the year 1565 A.D. Although established in Mughal Era, throughout the time of Akbar, the Agra Fort may be a fusion of the Persian art of the Timurid and also the Indian styles of design. One of the foremost placing facts that create Agra Fort a must-visit destination in Agra is the sensational vision of the TajMahal and also the gleaming Yamuna watercourse from the Balcony of this fort.

Fatehpur Sikri, Agra

Its construction represents four main Monuments. The Buland Darwaza, Panch Mahal or Jada Baai ka Mahal, Diwane-Khas, and Diwan-eaam. Akbar shifted his capital of the Mughal Empire from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri after constructing the town in the middle of the sixteenth century to honor the Sufi Saint sheik Salim Chishti, who lived here.

Rani Ki Vav, Patan, Gujarat

Rani-ki-Vav, located on the banks of the river Saraswati, was first designed as a memorial to a king in the 11th century AD. It was built in the time of the Solanki dynasty, legend says that it had been constructed in honor and memory of Bhimdev-I, the son of the founding father of the family, by his widowed queen Udayamati. This construction is embraced with four compartmented multi-storied pavilions that have circular pillars. Rani-ki-vav is accepted for its Stepped Corridors, Sculptures, and Stone Carvings within the Well. the stepwell was commissioned in 1063 and took 20 years to complete.

Mountain Railways of India

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalki-Shimla Railway all three comprise the mountain railways of India and are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. North Bengal is one of the foremost lovely scenic temptations on Earth. Fun Toy Train, lovely Tea Plantations, and long tunnels or the Tiger Hills, all can cater to your delight. It was constructed between the 19th and 20th centuries.

Great Living Chola Temples, Tamil Nadu

Chola temples are admired for Sculpture, Bronze Casting, Chola Architecture, and Painting. This place has three great temples from the 11th and 12th centuries: The Brihadiswara Temple, The Temple of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and the Airavateswara Temple are the most supreme temples among all the temples. Brihadiswara temple is also popularly known as the ‘Big Temple. In the year 2010, this temple completed its 1000 years. These three temples give a throwback to the ancient culture and heritage of the Tamilians and tell us about their ancient history.

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, Rajasthan

It is an astronomical observation site constructed in the early 18th century by the Rajpur king Sawai Jai Singh II. The interesting structure of the Jantar Mantar is fully made up of marble and stone.  It is a group of 19 astronomical instruments as well as the world’s largest stone Sundial. These are man-made instruments. These are the best-preserved observatories in India, this monument is a superb example of the scientific furthermore the cultural heritage of India.

Srilalitha

cr@pikme.org

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