India is a democratic and the second largest populous country in the World. It is a hometown of diverse culture, which has many heritage sites and attracts thousands of tourists every year. Today, India is the hometown of many tourists comes all over the World. Some sites in India are UNESCO world heritage sites (Heritage sites may be any temple, monuments, forest, or city). To know more interesting facts about the Heritages in India, read the below list of 20 heritage sites in India:
1. Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal is a jewel art of Muslims and is famous for its beautiful Architecture. It is in Agra near the Yamuna River in India. It took almost 22 years (1651 to 1653) and 20,000 artisans to complete the construction and bagged the title of one of the seven wonders of the Word.
2. Khajuraho
Khajuraho is a group of monuments situated in Madhya Pradesh. It was constructed during the chandelle dynasty and consists of 85 temples of the Hindu and Jain community; a total of 85 temples, 20 are intact today. Khajuraho is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a unique site.
3. Hampi
Hampi is a group of monuments situated in the Vijayanagar district, Karnataka. These sites consist of several temples like Krishna temple complex, Narasimha, Ganesa, Hemakuta group of temples, Achyutaraya temple complex, etc. This place is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites.
4. Ellora Caves
Ellora Caves is an Archaeological and UNESCO world heritage site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. These caves consist of Buddhist monasteries and Hindu and Jain temples; there are over 100 caves only 34 are open to the public, of which 17 belong to Hindu,12 belong to Buddhist, and five belong to Jain. These sites have giant rock-cut temples in India.
5. Ajanta Caves
Ajanta cave is an Archaeological site and a UNESCO world heritage site in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. These sites consist of over 30 rock-cut caves of Buddist monuments, and the dating of these sites began in the 2nd century BCE. The sculptures and paintings here depict the religious art and culture of Buddhism.
6. Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gaya is a sacred place situated in the Gaya district of Bihar. The name of this place was after Lord Buddha, who attained enlightenment under a tree. Then that specific tree had given a new name Bodhi Tree and that particular day had been named Buddha Purnima. Mahabodhi is the first temple in this area and is a UNESCO world heritage site. There is a great statue of Lord Buddha in Bodh Gaya.
7. Konark Sun Temple
Konark Sun Temple is a renowned heritage site near Puri city in Odisha. Under the rule of Narasimha Deva, this temple had established and marked the inspiration of the Hindu god Surya (sun). It has a unique architectural style; a chariot embedded with 24 wheels along with six horses.
8. Red Fort
Red Fort (Lal Quila) is the most popular Heritage situated in the city of Delhi. It was constructed under the rule of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan when he moved his capital from Agra to Delhi and was the main house of Mughal emperors.
9. Sanchi
Sanchi is a world heritage site situated in Madhya Pradesh. It is a place where Lord Buddha monuments had found and one of the oldest stone structures. Sanchi Stupa is a stone structure; built-in the 3rd BCE during the rule of India’s greatest emperor Ashoka Sanchi.
10. Chola Temples
Chola Temples is a group of temples situated in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Thanjavur temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple, and Airavatesvara Temple are the popular among the Chola temples. These temples were under the Rajaraja cholan 1, and the materials used in the construction were granite and bronze casting.
11. Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a famous park and a tourist place in Assam, India. This park is prominent across the country due to its one-horned rhino attracting a tourist all around the World. This park is a flood-prone area and is affected by floods every year. Gangesdolphins, water buffalo, swamp deer, capped langur, etc. are some endangered species in this park.
12. Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram is a group of monuments situated in the south of Chennai. It is an admired heritage site because of its greatest open-air rock. There are over 40 sites like Dharamaraja Ratha, Arjuna Ratha, Draupadi Ratha, Pancha Pandava Cave Temple, etc.
13. Sundarban
Royal Bengal Tiger is the most endangered species in the Sunderban National Park. It is also called a Tiger reserve and a Biosphere Reserve situated in West Bengal. The forest is filled with Mangrove trees and is famous for the rare Salt Lake crocodile.
14. Humayun Tomb
Humayun Tomb is a world heritage site UNESCO situated in Delhi. This tomb had built by the wife of Humayun, Banu Begum. The architectural style of this tomb was a fusion of Persian and Indian artists. This tomb has undergone restoration work many times.
15. Janta Mantra
Janta Mantra is a renowned heritage site in Rajasthan, India. The Janta mantra consists of two words, Janta means instrument while Mantar means to calculate. Commissioned for the construction of Janta Mantra was under the rule of Rajput king Jai Singh in the 18th century. There are over 19 astronomical instruments, and they are human-made instruments.
16. Agra Fort
Agra Fort is another historical monument constructed by Akbar, the Mughal emperor in Uttar Pradesh. The Architecture of this fort is a fusion of Persian and Indian styles. The owner of this area was Shikarwar Rajput until it was occupied by the Mughals when they shifted their capital to Agra.
17. Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri is a historic fort with many monuments established by Akbar. This fort has termed after Fateh means victory, as Akbar occupied Chittor. Monuments included in Fatehpur Sikri are the Jama Masjid, The famous Buland Darwaza, Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Panch Mahal, Birbal House, etc.
18. Rani Ki Vav
Rani ki Vav is a famous ancient site, and in 2014 it was tagged as a UNESCO world heritage site. This place has commissioned by queen Udayamati in the loving memory of her husband and King Bhimdev I. This place is famous for the stepwell in the palace situated in Gujrat.
19. Pattadakal
Pattadakal is a heritage site situated in Karnataka. The Pattadakal monuments are a fusion of two Indian architectural styles, Nagara and Dravida. Virupaksha Temple, Sangameshwara Temple, Chandrashekhara Temple, MallikarjuTemple, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Jagannath Temple, Jain Temple, etc., are some of the temples of Pattadakal.
20. Elephant Caves
The Elephanta Caves consist of temples situated on elephant island Mumbai. T. This site is now looked after by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India). Cave 1 is the most important of all caves as it is a place of Lord Shiva, and no one can enter this cave. These temples mark the inspiration of the goddess Shiva, and the caves are of rock-cut carvings and sculptures.
