Important Monuments Part 1 by Dr. Gaurav Garg
Nalanda Mahavihara : Bihar
● The archaeological site of Nalanda is located about 15 kms south of Biharsharif the
district headquarter of Nalanda and about 95 kms south-east of Patna.
● Nalanda Mahavihara, regarded as one of the greatest universities of the ancient
world, was founded by Kumaragupta I (CE 413-455) of the great Gupta dynasty.
● It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
● History of Nalanda goes back to the days of Mahavira and Buddha in the 6th Century
BCE.
● It was the place of birth and nirvana of Sariputta, one of the most famous disciples of
Buddha.
● But the place rose into prominence in 5th Century CE as a great monastic-cum-educational institution.
Relic Stupa Vaishali : Bihar
● This is one among the eight relic stupas built over the corporeal remains of Buddha.
The remains were distributed among eight claimants, one being the Lichchavis of
Vaishali .
● During the rule of the Mauryans and later under Sungas and Kushanas the stupa was
successively enlarged by brick encasing and by raising the plinth and height of the
structure.
Laxman Temple and Old Sites : Sirpur, Chhattisgarh
● Sirpur is a village in Mahasamund district in the state of Chhattisgarh on the banks of
the river Mahanadi .
● It was built by queen Vasata , daughter of Maukhari king Surya Verma of Magadha
and the widowed mother of the Panduvamsi King Mahasiv Gupta Balarjuna
(AD:595-655).
● The brick temple dedicated to lord Vishnu stands on a prominent platform and
consists of a Garbhagriha, antarala and remnants of an enclosed pillared mandapa.
Humayun's Tomb : Delhi
● Humayun died in 1556, and his widow Hamida Banu Begam , also known as Haji
Begam , commenced the construction of his tomb in 1569, fourteen years after his
death.
● The site was chosen on the banks of 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
● It is the first distinct example of proper Mughal style, which was inspired by Persian
architecture .
● The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 .
Tomb of Khan-I-Khana : Delhi
● Khanzada Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana (17 December 1556 – 1627),
also known as Rahim, was a poet who lived during the rule of Mughal emperor
Akbar.
● He was one of the nine important ministers (dewan) in his court, also known as the
Navaratnas .
● His tomb is situated in Nizamuddin East on the Mathura road near Humayun's Tomb
in New Delhi.
● It was built by him for his wife in 1598 , and his body was placed in it in 1627.
● In 1753-4, marble and sandstone from this tomb was used in the construction of
Safdarjung's Tomb , also in New Delhi.
Qutub Minar : Delhi
● Qutub-Minar in red and buff sandstone is one of the highest tower in India. It is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
● It has a diameter of 14.32 m at the base and about 2.75 m on the top with a height of
72.5 m.
● Qutbu'd-Din Aibak laid the foundation of Minar in AD 1199 for the use of the
mu'azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were
added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law , Shamsu'd-Din Iltutmish
(AD 1211-36).
Red Fort : Delhi
● The Red Fort is a historic fort in the city of Delhi in India that served as the main
residence of the Mughal Emperors.
● Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned reconstruction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638,
when he decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi.
● Its design is credited to architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori , who also constructed the Taj
Mahal.
● The fort lies along the Yamuna River , which fed the moats surrounding most of the
walls.
● It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 as part of the Red Fort Complex.
Sultan Ghari Tomb : Delhi
● Sultan e Garhi was the first Islamic Mausoleum (tomb) built in 1231 AD for Prince
Nasiru'd-Din Mahmud , eldest son of Iltumish , in Delhi
● Iltumish was the third Sultan of the Slave Dynasty who ruled in Delhi from 1210 to
1236 AD.
● This area is now part of the Qutb complex .
Tughlaqabad Fort : Delhi
● Tughlaqabad Fort is a ruined fort in Delhi, built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq , the
founder of Tughlaq dynasty , of the Delhi Sultanate of India in 1321, as he
established the third historic city of Delhi, which was later abandoned in 1327.
Aguada Fort (Upper) : Goa
● The fort was constructed in 1612 to guard against the Dutch (People of Netherlands) and the Marathas. The fort is
situated on top of a hill of Aguada Plateau .
● It was a reference point for the vessels coming from Europe at that time. This old
Portuguese fort stands on the beach south of Candolim, at the shore of the Mandovi
River .
● It was initially tasked with defense of shipping and the nearby Bardez sub-district of
Portuguese colony.
● A freshwater spring within the fort provided water supply to the ships that used to
stop by. This is how the fort got its name: Aguada, meaning watery in the Portuguese language.
● This fort is divided in two segments : the upper part acted as a fort and watering station, while the lower part served as
a safe berth for Portuguese ships.
Churches and convents of Goa
● Churches and convents of Old Goa is the name given by
UNESCO to a set of religious monuments located in
Goa Velha (or Old Goa), which were declared a World
Heritage Site in 1986 .
● Monuments
1. The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary - built in
1543, is the oldest of the Old Goa churches still
standing.
2. Sé Catedral of Goa - is the largest building built by
the Portuguese in Asia
3. Basilica of Bom Jesus - contains the tomb of St Francis-Xavier
4. Church of St. Francis of Assisi
5. Chapel of Santa Catarina
6. Ruins of the Church of St. Augustine
7. Church of Divine Providence (São Caetano or Saint Cajetan)
Ashokan Rock Edicts : Junagadh, Gujarat
● The 3 rd Century B.C. saw extension of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka's rule over
Saurashtra as attested to by his famous fourteen rock edicts at Girnar, Junagadh .
● Ashoka, the great (273-232 B.C.), chose slopes of the Girnar hill , and got his
fourteen rock edicts engraved on the North-East face of a granite boulder at the foot
of the hill.
● Besides these rock edicts the same boulder also contains two more inscriptions of
two other illustrious rulers of Ancient Indian history, namely Mahakshatrappa
Rudradaman (130-150A.D.), and Skandgupta (455-467 A.D.)
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park : Gujarat
● Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site , is
located in 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 8th century.
● The park's landscape includes archaeological, historic and living cultural heritage
monuments such as chalcolithic sites , a hill fortress of an early Hindu capital, and
remains of the 16th-century capital of the state of Gujarat
Rani-ki-Vav : Patan, Gujarat
● Rani ki Vav or Ranki vav (lit. 'Queen’s stepwell') is a stepwell situated in the town of
Patan in Gujarat .
● It is located on the banks of Saraswati river .
● Its construction is attributed to Udayamati, daughter of King Khengara of Saurashtra,
queen of the 11th-century Chalukya dynasty and spouse of Bhima I.
● It is generally assumed that it was built in the memory of Bhima I.
● It has been listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites since 2014 .
Sun Temple at Modhera : Gujarat
● The Sun Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the solar deity Surya located at
Modhera village of Mehsana district, Gujarat.
● It is situated on the bank of the river Pushpavati .
● It was built after 1026-27 CE during the reign of Bhima I of the Chalukya dynasty .
● No worship is offered now and is a protected monument maintained by the
Archaeological Survey of India.
Sheikh Chilli's Tomb : Haryana
● Sheikh Chilli's Tomb is a complex of structures located in Thanesar, Haryana , India,
near Kurukshetra.
● It includes two tombs , a madarsa , mughal gardens and various subsequent features.
● The main tomb belongs to Sufi Abd-ur-Rahim Abdul-Karim Abd-ur-Razak ,
popularly known by the name of Sheikh Chelli .
● He was Qadiriyya Sufi master of Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh. The architectural plan
of the tomb shows considerable Persian influence . There is another tomb in the
complex, believed to be of Sheikh Chilli's wife.
Surajkund : Haryana
● Surajkund is an ancient reservoir of the 10 th century located on Southern Delhi Ridge
of Aravalli range in Faridabad city of Haryana.
● Surajkund (literal meaning is 'Lake of the Sun') is an artificial Kund ('Kund' means
"lake" or reservoir) built in the backdrop of the Aravalli hills with an amphitheatre
shaped embankment constructed in semicircular form.
● It is said to have been built by the king Surajpal of the Tomara dynasty in the 10th
century.
Katarmal Sun Temple : Uttarakhand
● Katarmal Sun Temple is at an altitude of 2116 meters above sea level, in the Kumaon
Division (Almora District) of Uttarakhand , India.
● It is locally known as “Bara Aditya” or the great Sun God.
● Sun temple in Katarmal built in the 9th century in Katarmal nearby Almora has the
Second important Sun Temple in the country, the first Sun temple being the Konark
Sun Temple in Orissa.
● Katarmal Sun temple was built by KATARMALLA, a Katyuri Raja , in the 9th
century. In the early medieval period, Kumaon was ruled by the Katyuri dynasty.
● The first rays of the sun fall straight on this Sun Temple.
● The main deity of the Sun temple in Katarmal is called Burhadita or Vraddhaditya (the old Sun God).
● The idols of Shiva-Parvati and Lakshmi-Narayana are also found in this temple.
Baijnath Group of Temples : Uttarakhand
● Baijnath Temple Complex is a cluster of 18 Hindu temples which are situated in the
town of Baijnath in Uttarakhand, India.
● The complex is located in Bageshwar district along the banks of Gomati river at an
elevation of 1,125 m (3,691 ft) above the mean sea level.
● These temples are renowned for possibly being one of the very few temples in the
world where Parvati is depicted with her husband Shiva
● Baijnath identified as ancient Karttikayapura often is believed to be the seat the
Katyuries , earliest ruling dynasty of central Himalayan region who had shifted their
capital from Joshimath (District Chamoli) to this place sometime in 8th Century AD.
Jageshwar Group of Temples : Uttarakhand
● Jageshwar Temples are a group of over 100 Hindu temples dated between 7th and 12th century near Almora, in the
Himalayan Indian state of Uttarakhand.
● They predominantly illustrate North Indian Nagara style of architecture with a few
exceptions that show South and Central Indian style designs, many are dedicated to
god Shiva , while others in immediate vicinity are dedicated to god Vishnu, Shakti
goddesses and Surya traditions of Hinduism.
● Jageshwar is considered as one of the ancient route of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra .
● The site is protected under Indian laws, and managed by the Archaeological Survey
of India (ASI).
● It includes Dandeshwar Temple, Chandi-ka-Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Kuber Temple, Mrityunjaya Temple, Nanda
Devi or Nau Durga, Nava-grah temple, a Pyramidal shrine, and Surya Temple.
0 Comments