India is full of spectacular monuments and historic buildings that depict history, art, culture, religion, and ancient India. These monuments are the pride of India. The list includes the top 15 monuments of India.
Top 15 Monuments Of India You Need To Visit!
1. Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal is an Islamic mausoleum made up of ivory-white marble. It is situated on the bank of the Yamuna in Agra city. It is a symbol of an epic love story between Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. It houses the tomb of both Shah Jahan and his wife. The cost of this monument was around 32 million rupees in 1653. This monument was built by the architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri and 20,000 artisans. It attracts around 7-8 million visitors per year. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and among the seven wonders of the world.
2. Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal refers to the Palace of winds. It is located in Jaipur and made up of red and pink sandstone. Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh built it in 1799. It was inspired by the unique structure of Khetri Mahal. It was designed by Lal Chand Ustad and has unique five floors. It has a honeycomb structure with 953 small windows called Jharokhas decorated with intricate latticework.
3. Lotus temple
The Lotus Temple is located in Delhi. It is a Baháʼí House of Worship. It has a flower-like shape and it is open to all, irrespective of their religion. The building consists of 27 free-standing marble-clad petals. They are arranged in three clusters with nine doors opening onto a central hall of 34.27 meters. This building has a capacity to hold 2500 people.
4. Mysore Palace
Mysore Palace is the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and it is a historical palace. This palace is in the center of Mysore city in Karnataka and it faces Chamundi Hills eastwards. The land of this palace was actually known as puragiri and now it is known as Old Fort. This palace was built by Yaduraya. It is visited by around 6 million people every year.
5. Sanchi Stupa
It is located on the hilltop of Sanchi town in Raisen district in Madhya Pradesh, which is 46 km away from Bhopal. It is a Buddhist complex made by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. The stupa of Sanchi has a diameter of approximately 36.6 meters and the height is 16.46 meters. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
6. Qutub Minar
It is a UNESCO world heritage site located in Delhi. It is a 73 metres tower of five stories with 14.3 metres diameter. The diameter of the top is 2.7 meters and it has spiralled 379 steps. It is made up of red stone and marble. The lowest three have fluted cylindrical shafts or columns of light red sandstones, the fourth is made up of marble and the fifth is of marble and sandstone. Qutb-ud-din Aibak started the construction and his son-in-law Iltutmish completed it.
7. Victoria Memorial
It is a marble building that is situated on the bank of the Hooghly river in memory of Queen Victoria in the city of Kolkata. Today it is a museum and tourist destination under the Ministry of culture. The building is 103 metres by 69 metres and rises to a height of 56 metres. It is constructed of white Makrana marble. The architect of this building is William Emerson. Its gardens were designed by Lord Redesdale and David Prain.
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8. Gateway of India
The gateway of an arch monument built in Mumbai city in the early twentieth century. It faces towards Mumbai Harbor. This monument is made up of yellow basalt and reinforced concrete. It is 26 metres in height with the central dome of 15 metres diameter. The monument has intricate stone latticework with four turrets. There are steps behind the arch built which lead to the Arabian sea. It combines indigenous architectural elements with Islamic architecture or Indo-Saracenic elements.
9. Charminar
The Charminar is situated in Hyderabad, Telangana. It is a monument with a square structure and has four sides, each of them being 20 metres long with one grand arch. 149 winding steps are present. The structure is famous for its profusion of stucco decoration and arrangement of balustrades and balconies. The structure is made of granite, limestone, mortar, and pulverized marble which weighs approximately 14,000 tons apiece.
10. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is one of the 32 heritage sites of UNESCO, the headquarters of Indian railways and among the busiest railway stations. It was designed by Fedrick William Stevens. The construction started in 1878 and finished in 1887.
11. India Gate
It is a war memorial to 70000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in the First world war. The memorial gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is situated in Delhi. It is 42 metres tall. It stands on a low base of red Bharatpur stones.
12. Konark Sun Temple
It is situated on the coastline of Odisha, 35 kilometres northeast of Puri. King Narasimhadeva I built this temple for the Hindu Sun God ‘Surya’. This temple has an appearance of a 30 metres high chariot with wheels and horses and all this is carved from stone. It is also called Surya Devalaya.
13. Bara Imambara
It includes the Bhul-bhulaiya (the labyrinth) and the large Asif mosque. It also has a Bowli, which is a stepwell with running water. There are two main gateways which lead to the main hall. There are 1024 ways to reach the terrace but only first or the last gate is used to come back. It was built by Asaf-ud-Daula.
14. Khajuraho Temples
It is a group of Hindu and Jain temples and is situated in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh which is 175 kilometres from Jhansi. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and the temples are famous for its nagara style architecture and erotic sculptures. It was built between 950 AD and 1050AD by the Chandela dynasty. Out of 85, 25 temples have survived.
15. Jaisalmer Fort
It is situated in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and is the second-largest fort in Rajasthan. The Rajput Rawal Jaisal built this fort in 1156 AD. The inner-wall perimeter of the fort is about 4 kilometres long. It is also one of the few ‘living forts’ in the world i.e. people reside inside the fort.
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