25 Reasons UNESCO Would

Give You To Visit India

India was the motherland of our race and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages. In many ways, mother India is the mother of us all. – Will Durant

India, a land of rich heritage and culture. The nation that was called“Golden Bird” years ago, has seen its days of misery and sorrows too. But,from the days of kings’ ruling eras, many jaw-dropping and breathtakingmonuments and architectures have been made, which has remained areason of pride and honor for the country, till date!

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) has certified as much as 32 of these architectural beauties ofIndia as the World Heritage Sites; giving more than a hand full of reasonsfor you to visit and witness the great form of art yourself.

Taj MahalWhat else would you expect to begin with? The world famous Taj Mahal is one of the strongestfeature of India, which puts her proudly on the global map.

Location : Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Build in : 1653

Conceptualized By: Shah Jahan (Mughal Era)

Specialty : Completely made of white marble.

Agra FortThis marvelous piece of architect has witnessed a massive array of destruction and battle, and has undergone a lot of reconstruction. Though, the first mention of the fort has been noted from the early 11th century, it was during the 16th century, when Akbar (Mughal emperor) got it rebuild, which remains as its current form.

Location : Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Build in : First records 1080 AD; reconstructed in 1573

Conceptualized By : Akbar (Mughal Era)

Specialty : entire fort made of red bricks and stones, stretches over 2.5 kms area, and has various buildings and halls made inside the premises.

Ajanta CavesDepicting the art and craft of the ancient India, these caves are a masterpiece. Discovered by a military officer from British forces in 1819, the caves has portrays of Buddhist artifacts, carved on their walls.

Location : Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Build in : Built in 2 phases; starting around 2nd century BCE, and second phase during 400-650 CE.

Discovered By: British army officer, Madras Regiment, in 1819

Specialty : A complete 30 rock cut cave.

Ellora CavesThis is the epitome of Indian rock-cut culture, hands down! Built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty during 5th and 10th century, these caves persists the ancient temples of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religions.

Location : Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Build in : between 5th and 10th century.

Build By : Rashtrakuta dynasty

Specialty : total of 34 rock-cut cave temples.

Monuments at MahabalipuramThe scintillating piece of designs, carved out of rocks, famous for its Pancha Rathas (5 chariots), Cave Temples, and one of world’s largest open air bas-relief “The Descent of the Ganges”; this architectural grandeur is an amalgamation of 40 sanctuaries.

Location : Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu

Build in : between 630 to 728 AD.

Build By : Pallava Dynasty

Specialty : The Descent of the Ganges

Sun TempleOne of India’s most famous Brahmin sanctuaries, the Sun Temple is a artifact design of the chariot of God Surya, with carved wheels and pillars.

Location : Konark, Orissa

Build in : 1250

Conceptualized By : King Narasimhadeva I (Eastern Ganga Dynasty)

Specialty : The wheels of the temple are sundials, which can be used to calculate the accurate time.

Kaziranga National ParkKnown to achieve the most noticeable success in wildlife conservation in the entire country, Kaziranga National Park has an enormous amount of wildlife species.

Location : Golaghat and Nagaon districts,

Assam

Established in : 1905

Established By : Mary Curzon (wife of the then Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon of Kedleston)

Specialty : Hosts 2/3rd of the world’s great one-horned Rhinos.

Keoladeo National ParkThe vast forest area, which once was used for duck hunting, is one of the world’s largest and best home to a wide species of birds. Earlier known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, the park witness around 366 different species of birds migrate here every year.

Location : Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Established in : 1982

Established By : Government of India

Specialty : One of the richest bird areas in the world. A home to endangered Siberian Cranes.

Manas National ParkSpread across a wide area of 950 sq. kms., at the foothills of the great Himalayas, the national park is a home to various endangered species and a delightful wildlife.

Location : Barpeta, Assam

Established in : 1928

Established By : British Governed India

Specialty : Wild water Buffalos, Golden Langur, Pygmy Hogs.

Churches and Convents of GoaYes! it is the smallest state of the country. But, that certainly does not take away the significance it adds to the scintillating heritage of India. Imbibing a huge Portuguese influence, the region of Goa is not just known for its beaches and rave nights, but also the finely designed cathedrals.

Location : Old Goa

Established in : 16th and 17th century

Built by : Portuguese Rulers

Specialty : Se Cathedral (the largest church in India)

Fatehpur Sikri“Fateh” in Arabic means victory, and that is how this finely crafted and man-made city got its name. A brainchild of Mughal emperor Akbar, the city holds a great significance in the history of Mughal empire and Indian culture as a whole.

Location : 30kms from Agra city, Uttar Pradesh

Founded in : 1569

Conceptualized by : Akbar (Mughal Emperor)

Specialty : Houses a number of important buildings, including the largest mosque in India, Jama Masjid, and the vey famous “Buland Darwaza”.

Monuments of HampiComprising the architectural ruins from the last Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar, the monuments of Hampi holds a great religious significance even today. Interestingly, it was accounted to be the most searched historical place in Karnataka on Google.

Location : Hampi, Karnataka

Built in : 14th and 16th century

Built by : Harihara and Bukkaraya dynasty

Specialty : an array of ancient temples of God Shiva.

Temples of Khajuraho Depicting a prefect balance of architectural brilliance and sculpture, the monuments of Khajuraho are a definition to ancient traditions and learning of Hinduism and Jainism.

Location : Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Built during : 950 to 1050 AD

Built by : Rajput kings of Chandela dynasty

Specialty : Erotic sculptures and architectural symbolism.

Elephanta CavesAdorned with fine crafts of ancient and ethnic figures, these mysterious caves lie on theElephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour. Though the actual architect and timeline of these caves isnot known, it is said to be built somewhere between 5th and 8th Century.

Location : Gharapuri (Mumbai Harbour),

Maharashtra

Built during : 5th and 8th century

Built by : Not known

Specialty : Two group of caves hewn from solid basalt rock

The Great Living Chola TemplesThe successors of the Pallavan dynasty, who were responsible for the monuments ofMahabalipuram, drew the design and idea for a set of three marvelous temples, The BrihadisvaraTemple, Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram, and Airavatesvara Temple; which are now known as“The Great Living Chola Temples”.

Location : Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

Built during : 10th and 13th centuries

Built by : Kings of Chola Dynasty

Specialty : Tall Vimanas (sanctuaries) and finely crafted sculptures.

Monuments of PattadakalThis site in Pattadakal village of Bagalkot district, trace back to the Chalukya dynasty of SouthernIndia. Famously known as the “City of The Crown Rubies”, the area is an array of temples and shrines

Location : Pattadakal, Karnataka

Built during : 7th and 8th

Built by : Kings of Chola Dynasty

Specialty : The Temple of Virupaksha (stands out as the best masterpiece)

SundarbansSpread across an area of over 10,000 sq. kms. (more than half only in India and rest inBangladesh), covered with dense mangrove forests, and making a part of the world’s largest delta(formed by river Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna), the Sundarbans is a rare beauty of nature,highly unexplored and undeterred.

Location : Satkhira, West Bengal

Established in: 1984

Managed by : Government of India

Specialty : One of the largest tiger reserves in the world.

Nanda Devi and Valley of

Flowers National ParksEncompassing the majestic Himalayan valley from the east and all the way to the west, forming anadoring biosphere, the Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers national parks are the beauty spots on theface of the mountain range.

Location : Chamoli, Uttarakhand

Declared a national park in: 1982

Discovered by : Frank S. Smythe (Valley of Flowers), Eric Shipton (Nanda Devi)

Specialty : Best known for mountaineering

Buddhist Monuments in SanchiThis site is a refined showcase of some of the best architectural works of ancient India. Burgeonedwith masterpieces of stone work including Stupas, monolithic Ashokan Pillars, temples, monastries,and a dense sculptural wealth.

Location : Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh

Built in: 3rd century BCE

Conceptualized by : Ashoka The Great

Specialty : The “Great Stupa” is the oldest stone structure in India.

Humayun’s TombIf you thought that the Taj Mahal was the only ‘symbol of love’ in India, wait till you visit this place.Constructed by the wife of great Mughal emperor Humayun, the structure was the first garden-tombin the Indian sub-continent, and had perfect Persian design.

Location : Delhi

Built in: 1572

Conceptualized by : Bega Begum (Wife of Mughal Emperor Humayun)

Specialty : The first to use red sandstone at such large scale.

Qutub MinarOne of the major attractions of Delhi, Qutub Minar is the second tallest tower in India and holds acontroversial but quite significant position in the history of India. With 5 stories and 380 steps, theminaret stands almost 73 meters high and can be seen from most parts of the south of Delhi

Location : Delhi

Built in: 1173 (started), 1368 (last two stories added)

Conceptualized by : Qutub-ud-din Aibak/Firoz Shah Tughlaq

Specialty : Surrounded by other medieval structures and ruins.

Mountain Railways of IndiaThe Indian railways has one of the longest networks in the world,

and making a part of this is a pack of three miniscule railway lines

that encompasses the valleys and the mountain regions of the country;

it’s the Mountain Railways of India.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (NE),

Nilgiri Mountain Railway (South),

and the Kalka-Shimla Railway (North), contributes to the network.

Location : NE line - Siliguri to Darjeeling, West Bengal

South line - Mettupalayam to Ooty, Tamil Nadu

Northline – Kalka to Shimla, North-West of India

Built in : NE line – 1879, South line – 1908, North line - 1903

Conceptualized by : Sir John Lawrence , the then Viceroy of India

Specialty: A journey through the mountains is a special experience in itself.

Mahabodhi TempleThe city of origin for one of the largest followed religion, Buddhism; the Mahabodhi Temple in BodhGaya is said to be the place where the transformation of prince Siddhartha to Gautama Buddhahappened.

Location : Gaya, Bihar

Built in: 250 BCE

Conceptualized by : Ashoka the Great

Specialty : The “birth place” of Buddha

Rock Shelter of BhimbetkaThis archeology is a depiction of early life of human race in Indian subcontinent. The area is coveredwith rich flora and fauna, and the shelter caves have scriptures showcasing the dance forms and otherlifestyle designs of human race, traced back to around 30,000 years ago.

Location : Raisen, Madhya Pradesh

Discovered in: 1957

Discovered by : V.S. Wakankar

Specialty : a set of 750 shelters showcasing the culture of Stone Age.

Red Fort ComplexAn iconic symbol of India, the Red Fort holds a huge significance in the history of India, as Jawaharlal Nehru,the first PM of Independent India hoisted the national flag at the main gate of the fort and declared theindependence.

Location : New Delhi

Built in: 1648

Conceptualized by : Shah Jahan

Specialty : The place where Indian Independence was declared.

The other 7 sites that UNESCO has certified as the “World HeritageSites” include; Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park; ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus); Janatar Mantar, Jaipur;Western Ghats; Hill Forts of Rajasthan; Great Himalayan National ParkConservation Area; and Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan,Gujarat.

A journey to India is incomplete without exploring some of theseancient masterpieces of architectural designs. The best way to makeyour sojourn memorable is by clubbing it with a altruistic stint ofvolunteering. This will not only give you an opportunity to visit thesehistorical places, but also help in understanding and learn the actualhistory behind them, straight from the “horse’s mouth”, the locals!

To Get more Details….

Thanks for your Visit

http://www.volunteeringindia.com

Toll free – US/CAN

1-888-790-3096

Toll free – UK

0-800-123-2228

Toll free – US/CAN

1-888-790-3096

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