UNESCO had declared a list of World Heritage Sites that includes 922 sites of cultural and natural importance. Spread over 152 member countries of UNESCO, these 922 sites include 711 cultural sites, 183 natural sites and 28 sites of mixed importance. There are 28 sites in India that have been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, among which 23 sites are of historical importance while 5 sites are of natural importance.
Let us now take a detailed tour of all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India with The Other Home:
Agra Fort
Agra Fort: Not very far from Taj Mahal, Agra Fort is one of the many marvels of Mughal architecture built during the 16th century. Totally made of red sandstone, Agra Fort is often referred to as the Red Fort of Agra. The Fort has a 2.5 km long wall that surrounds the city from which the Mughal emperors used to rule. Within the Agra Fort there are several palaces like the Khas Mahal and Jahangir Palace. Not only that, the fort also houses a couple of mosques and the audience hall famously known as Diwan-i-Khas.
Ajanta Caves (Photo: Shardul Takalkal)
Ajanta Caves: The caves at Ajanta have sculptures and paintings dedicated to Lord Buddha and his teachings. The natural colours used in those religious paintings are very rich in their texture and still appear almost as new with no signs of fading. The style of the paintings and sculpture reflect artistic expertise. The original Ajanta caves date back to 1st and 2nd century BC while the ones added by the Gupta rulers date back to 5th and 6th century AD.
Ellora Caves, Aurangabad
Ellora Caves: This is a temple complex consisting of 34 monasteries and temples dedicated to various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The Ellora Caves are rock monuments built in the wall of a high cliff and cover an area of almost 2 km. Built near Aurangabad, between the period of 600 AD to 1000 AD, Ellora caves reflect architectural brilliance along with religious tolerance.
Taj Mahal – A Symbol of Love
Taj Mahal: Situated in Agra, Taj Mahal is an architectural wonder made totally of white marble by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz. Built between the period of 1631 and 1648, this mausoleum houses the tomb of Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz.
Mamallapuram – Temples galore
Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram: These are a group of rock monuments and temples made by the kings of the Pallava dynasty during the 7th and 8th centuries. Built along the South Indian Coromandel coast, this group of monuments include rock temples depicting chariots and they are known as rathas. Along with that, there are mandapas and giant sculptures such as the temple of Rivage and Descent of the Ganges. Most of the temples here are dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Sun Temple – Konark
Sun Temple, Konark: Depicting the chariot of sun god Surya, the Sun Temple at Konark from the 13thcentury is considered as one of the architectural masterpieces of Orissa. Situated along the shore of Bay of Bengal, this chariot representation of Surya consists of 24 wheels adorned with various forms of design and the chariot is shown to be pulled by 6 horses.
Churches, Goa (Photo: Wizz and Tom)
Churches and Convents of Goa: The churches and convents of Goa reflect the Portuguese style of architecture as Goa was the Portuguese capital of India. There are several famous churches in Goa that showcases the influence of Christianity on India through its Manueline, Baroque and Mannerist forms of art. Among all these churches and convents, the most renowned one is the Church of Bom Jesus and it houses the tomb of St. Francis Xavier.
Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri: Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal Empire during the rule of Emperor Akbar. This city of victory was founded by Akbarduring the latter half of the 16th century. Housing several palaces like Jodha Bai Palace, audience halls like Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas and monuments like Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri showcases the Mughal form of architecture.
Hampi
Group of Monuments at Hampi: The monuments and temples at Hampi were built by the last Hindu rulers of Vijayanagar. The temples and palaces reflect Dravidian form of architecture and highly attracted travellers during the period of 14th and 16th century.
Khajuraho Temple
Khajuraho Group of Monuments: Built by the rulers of the Chandella dynasty, Khajuraho group of temples and monuments are an architectural as well as sculptural masterpiece. The temples that remain have been divided into 3 groups and are dedicated to Hinduism and Jainism. The Temple of Kandariya had been adorned with numerous sculptures that reflect the rich artistic face of Indian art and sculpture.
Elephanta Caves
Elephanta Caves: Often referred to as the ‘City of Caves’, Elephanta Caves are rock sculptures and architectures dedicated to the cult of Shiva. Situated on an island near Bombay, these caves are famous for their high sculptural reliefs inside the monuments.
Brihadeeswarar Temple (Photo: Tamil Varalaru)
Great Living Chola Temples: These are a group of temples built by the South Indian rulers of the Chola dynasty during the 11th and 12th centuries. The most notable temples among this group include the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and Thanjavur and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The architecture of these temples reflects the achievements of the Chola kings and that has been neatly portrayed through artistic brilliance in sculptures, bronze casting and paintings.
Pattadakal Temples (Photo: Ankur P)
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal: The temple complex at Pattadakal in Karnataka was built by the Chalukya rulers during the 7th and 8th centuries. There are 9 Hindu temples and 1 Jain temple in this complex and their architectural style showcases a wonderful blend of North Indian and South Indian forms of architecture. The most notable temple among this group is the Temple of Virupaksha.
Sanchi Stupa
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi: Situated just 40 km away from Bhopal, Sanchi is one of the most ancient sites of religious importance for the Buddhists and consists of several Buddhist monasteries, sanctuaries, monolithic pillars and palaces from the 1st and 2nd centuries BC.
Humayun Tomb
Humayun’s Tomb: Built by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1570, Humayun’s Tomb is Indian subcontinent’s first garden-tomb.
Qutab Complex (Photo: Raul Read)
Qutab Complex, Delhi: This complex of monuments in South Delhi was built in the 13th century. The most renowned monument is the Qutb Minar, the 72.5 m high red sandstone tower built by Qutb-uddin Aibak. The other notable monuments in this complex include the Ala-i-Darwaza and Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. All these monuments portray Indo-Muslim form of architecture.
Nilgiri Toy Train
Mountain Railways of India: Mountain Railways of India include 3 hill passenger railway sites that are the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway and Kalka Shimla Railway.
Mahabodhi Temple – Bodhgaya
Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya: This site is one of the four holy sites for the Buddhists as Lord Buddha attained his enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. This site contains several temples and monasteries dedicated to Lord Buddha and the first temple of the complex dates back to 3rd century BC.
Bhimbetka (Photo: Yantrajaal)
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka: Located in the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains, there is a cluster of 5 natural rock shelters. These rock shelters date back to the Mesolithic period and features several rock paintings depicting the lifestyle of the people who used to live in these shelters.
Champaner & Pavagadh, Gujarat (Photo: Bipin)
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park: This site in Gujarat consists of several unexcavated archaeological and historic heritage monuments from the pre-historic period and also a hill fortress, palaces, agricultural structures, religious buildings and residential buildings from the period of 8th to 14thcenturies.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai (Photo: David)
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: This heritage site depicts the successful blending of traditional Indian architectural themes with Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. Featuring a stone dome, pointed arches and turrets, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus witnessed the fusion of Indian and British cultures as the British architects worked with the Indian craftsmen.
Red Fort
Red Fort Complex: Built as the fort of the Mughal Empire’s capital city Shahjahanabad, Red Fort is an example of Mughal architecture which reached its peak during the rule of Shah Jahan. Although the palace fort’s planning is of Islamic prototype, the architecture of several buildings in the complex reflects a strong blend of Timurid, Hindu and Persian styles.
Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar, Jaipur: Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory that was built during the 18thcentury. Featuring about 20 fixed instruments, Jantar Mantar was built for the purpose of observing astronomical positions with the naked eye.
Kaziranga National Park (Photo: Bhagyajit Bhuyān)
Kaziranga National Park: The Kaziranga National Park is home to the largest number of one-horned rhinoceros, in the whole world. Located in Assam, this national park provides a natural habitat to several animals such as panthers, elephants, bears, tigers and a large number of birds. This park is considered as one of the very few sites in India that have not been disturbed by human presence.
Keoladeo National Park (Photo: Daniel Araciti)
Keoladeo National Park: This national park once used to be the site of duck-hunting for the Maharajas. The Keoladeo National Park now acts as a wintering area for several exotic aquatic birds from various countries such as Siberia, Afghanistan, China and Turkmenistan. Among the 364 bird species that have been recorded in this park, the Siberian crane is the most notable bird to have visited this park during winters.
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (Photo: WildTigerWatch)
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary: Situated in the Himalayan foothills, the grasslands and tropical forests ofManas Wildlife Sanctuary serve as the home to several rare animal species such as the pygmy hog, Indian elephant, tigers and the Indian rhinoceros.
Sundarbans National Park
Sundarbans National Park: Home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tigers, the Sundarbans National Park is shared by India and Bangladesh. Covering an area of almost 10000 km2 including land and water, Sundarbans is the world’s largest mangrove forest and lies in the Ganges delta. Other than the tigers, crocodiles, aquatic mammals, birds and several other animals are also found here.
Valley of Flowers
Nanda Devi/Valley of Flowers National Parks: Valley of Flowers National Park offer awesome picturesque view and meadows of alpine flowers besides acting as home to several rare wild animals such as snow leopard, blue sheep, brown bear and the Asiatic black bear. Situated in the West Himalayas, this national park serves as a zone of transition between the Great Himalayas and the Zanskar ranges.
India is truly remarkable and list of heritage sites will keep increasing over the period of time. Start your journey today to see all historical monuments in this lifetime.
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