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1. Khajuraho :
Khajuraho is a village in Madhya
Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 620 kilometers
southeast of Delhi.
The Khajuraho temples adhere to a
northern Indian shikhara temple style and often to a
Panchayatana plan or layout.
Kandariya Mahadeva, comprises
eighty-four shikharas, the main being 116 feet from the ground
level.
The Khajuraho temples were built
over a span of a hundred years, from 950A.D. to 1050A.D. They
were rediscovered during the late 19th century.
Khajuraho has the largest group of
medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their everyday life
sculpture.
2.Dholavira Site :
• Located in Kutch district
• All its buildings are almost exclusively built out of brick.
• The ancient site at Dholavira, is flanked by two storm water
channels; the Mansar in the north, and the Manhar in the south.
• Reservoirs are cut through stones vertically. They are about 7
meter deep and 79 meter long.
• The site was occupied from about 2900 BC for about a
millennium, declining slowly after about 2100 BC, briefly
abandoned and then reoccupied, finally by villagers among its
ruins, until about 1450.
• A sign board with ten huge Indus signs found on the floor of a
room at the North Gate was probably originally displayed above
the gateway.
3. Meenakshi Temple :
• Located in the second largest city of Tamil Nadu i.e Madurai.
• The temple complex is within a high-walled enclosure, at the
core of which are the two sanctums for Meenakshi and
Sundareshwara, surrounded by a number of smaller shrines and
grand pillared halls.
• The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the
credit for making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to
the Nayaks.
• The Nayaks ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century and
left a majestic imprint of their rule in the Meenakshi -
Sundareswarar Temple.
• The enormous temple complex is dedicated to Shiva, known as
Sundareshvara and his consort Parvatior Meenakshi.
• According to legend Madurai is the actual site where the
wedding between Shiva and Meenakshi took place.
4. Nalanda University :
• Located 55 miles from Patna in Bihar.
• Nalanda was the largest residential centre of learning in the
world with a 9 storied library.
• The monasteries are built in old Kushan architectural style,
in a row of cells around a courtyard.
• It was the Buddhist center of learning from 427 to 1197 CE
partly under the Pala Empire.
• It is believed that Buddha visited Nalanda during his last
tour through Magadha, and it was there that Sariputta uttered
his lion`s roar, affirming his faith in the Buddha.
• University of Nalanda was established in 450 CE under the
patronage of the Gupta emperors, notably Kumara Gupta.
• Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is devoted to the study and research
in Pali Literature and Buddhism.
5. Sun Temple, Konark :
• Situated at a distance from the famous religious and tourist
centre of Puri (35 Km.) and the capital city of Bhubaneswar (65
Km).
• The entire temple was designed in the shape of a colossal
chariot with seven horses and twenty four wheels, each about 10
feet in diameter, with a set of spokes and elaborate carvings.
• It was built in red sandstone (Khandolite) and black granite.
• The Sun Temple of Konark marks the highest point of
achievement of Kalinga architecture depicting the grace, the joy
and the rhythm of
life all in its wondrous variety.
• It was built by King Raja Narasimhadeva-I of the Eastern Ganga
Dynasty in the thirteenth century.
• It is a temple to Surya, the sun God.
• The Sun temple has been declared a world heritage site by
UNESCO.
6. Jaiselmer Fort :
• It is situated in Jaisalmer city in Rajasthan.
• The fort stands admist the golden stretches of the great Thar
Desert, on Trikuta Hill and had been the scene of many battles.
• It is also known as the "Golden Fort".
• It is built of sandstone and is one of the largest forts in
Rajasthan.
• It was built in 1156 AD by the Bhati Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal,
from where it derives it name.
• At one point of time the entire population of Jaisalmer used
to live within the fort; but with the increase in the
population, people was forced to move out and find shelter under
the foot of the Trikuta Hill.
• The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal
palace), Jain temples, Laxminath temple, 4 massive gateways,
Merchant Havelis.
7. Red Fort :
• Located in Chandni Chowk, Delhi.
• Thick red sandstone walls, bulging with turrets and bastions,
have withstood the vagaries of time and nature.
• The wall is 2.5 km long and the height varies from 16 meters
on the river side to 33 meters towards the city.
• Diwan-e-am is the large pavilion which was used for public
imperial audiences.
• Diwan-e-khas is the decorated hall which was used for
ministerial and court gatherings.
• The Red Fort and the city of Shahjahanabad was constructed by
the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 A.D.
• Every year on Independence Day (15th August) the Prime
Minister
of India hoists the national flag and addresses the nation, from
the ramparts of Red fort.
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