These 34 World Heritage Sites Will Make You Fall in Love with India Again PART 1

These 34 World Heritage Sites Will Make You Fall in Love with India Again

India is a country resplendent with a beautiful heritage. The sites listed below are widely known around the world, but there are still facts about them that you may not know. Are you ready to be utterly stunned by some of the most famous heritage sites of the world?

1. Qutb Minar in Delhi

Credit: Wikimedia

• It took 75 years to complete the construction of the Qutb Minar.
• There are 379 stairs inside it and it stands tall at 237 ft.
• Seeing this, it should come as no surprise that it is the world’s tallest brick minaret.
• The inscriptions on the walls of this Minar, which are in Urdu and Nagari characters, actually narrate the story of how it was built.

2. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks in the Himalayas

Credit: Wikimedia

• The Nanda Devi National Park travels through an otherwise barely accessible gorge of Rishi Ganga.
• Both parks remained unexplored till the 1930s.
• In 1931, F. Smith wrote a book called Valley of Flowers, which brought the region into notice.
• However, curiosity meant invasion of the parks by hunters, adventure seekers, et al. As a result, since 1983, very little human intervention is allowed, with eco-tourism in pockets being an exception.

3. Great Himalayan National Park

Credit: Wikipedia

• This park is home to 25 of the Internal Union Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red-listed plant species.
• It is also home to a massive 180 species of rare birds and mammals, including the stunning snow leopard.
• The National Park supports the livelihood of many villages situated at the peripheries.
• It is one of India’s most famous trekking and exploration sites.

4. Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi

Credit: Wikimedia

• It has over 100 graves and is called the ‘Dormitory of Mughals’, because most of the graves have not been inscribed with any identification.
• The architecture for Humayun’s Tomb was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal, which was built a century later.
• Unlike the Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb was built by the wife of Humayun, Hamida Banu Begum, in his memory.
• It cost 1.5 million rupees to build the Tomb.

5. Red Fort in Delhi

Credit: Wikimedia

• It was originally named the ‘Quila-e-Mubarak.’
• Bahadur Shah Zafar was declared an emperor by the revolutionaries of 1857. When they failed, Zafar was tried for treason and killed in his very home, the Red Fort. He was the last Mughal emperor.
• The Red Fort has breathtaking architecture and several rooms and buildings within it, one of which contains the Peacock Throne – the emperor’s throne. The Kohinoor Diamond used to be one of the lavish jewels decorating it.
• The Rang-e-Mahal (or the Palace of Colours) in the Red Fort was the home of the wives and mistresses of the emperors.

6. Mountain Railway Kalka-Shimla in the Himalayas

Credit: Wikipedia

• Kalka-Shimla is one of the three World Heritage mountain railways in India.
• It comprises a massive number of tunnels and bridges, with 102 of the former and 864 of the latter.
• The longest tunnel, called the ‘Barog Tunnel,’ is named after Col. Barog, the engineer who began its construction. Only after he was long into the construction from both ends of the mountain did he realise that the tunnel was not aligned. After paying a mocking fine of Rs. 1, he committed suicide in the incomplete tunnel which he had built.
• The estimated cost when the construction began was Rs. 90 lakhs, which doubled during the course of it.

7. Fatehpur Sikri near Agra

Credit: Wikimedia

• Fatehpur Sikri was planned by the Mughal emperor Akbar himself.
• Originally named Fatehabad, it was to be a symbol of Akbar’s victory (fateh means victorious).
• Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal Empire for some time.
• The capital was changed in 1586 due to lack of proper water supply in Fatehpur Sikri.

8. Taj Mahal in Agra

Credit: Pixabay

• Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan to provide a home in paradise for his wife, Mumtaz, who died giving birth to their 14th child.
• The myth that Shah Jahan cut off the hands of all the workers after they built the Taj Mahal is, in fact, a myth.
• The four sides of the Taj Mahal are completely symmetrical, which is highly commendable given the period it was built in.
• The Taj Mahal is under threat of falling due to cracks caused by the groundwater under it.

9. Agra Fort in Agra

Credit: HD Wallpapers

• The brick fort was apparently in a broken condition originally and was known as ‘Badalgarh.’
• The Agra Fort is an important part of the plot of ‘The Sign of the Four,’ the Sherlock Holmes story, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
• Unlike most other architectural constructions of its time, the walls of the Agra Fort portray pictures of various birds, dragons, and elephants.
• It used to be the largest state treasury and mint of its time.

10. Sanchi Stupa

Credit: Wikipedia

• It was created in the 3rd century BC in the honour of Lord Buddha, by Emperor Ashoka who dedicated his life to Buddhism, after he witnessed the atrocities of war, sans all its ‘conquest’ glories.
• The Stupa is surrounded by four gateways which garner carvings depicting the life of Lord Buddha and also the Jataka tales.
• Our national emblem is inspired from the Ashoka pillar at the Sanchi Stupa.
• The Stupa symbolises the life of Lord Buddha and his final moksha.

11. Bhimbetka Rock Shelters

Credit: Wikimedia

• These were accidentally discovered by renowned archaeologist Dr. V.S. Wakankar, who happened to stumble upon them while on his way to Bhopal. However, the first mention in Indian archaeological records was in 1888, based on the Adivasis claiming that the caves were a Buddhist site.
• It is estimated to be about 100,000 years old, whereas, the rock paintings made by the prehistoric human inhabitants are estimated to be about 30,000 years old.
• These paintings exhibit seven historic periods – from Upper Paleolithic to Medieval.
• The paintings at Bhimbetka are a repository of the way of living across the seven periods through their depictions.

WATCH  NEXT  MORE 17 HERE - https://informative200.blogspot.com/2020/07/these-34-world-heritage-sites-will-make_12.html

12. Ajanta Caves

Credit: Commons.Wikimedia

• They were built in order to serve as a retreat for the Buddhist monks.
• The earliest cave, which is Cave 10, dates back to the 2nd century BC.
• The caves were initially connected to the stream through a flight of stairs, most of which has been obliterated.
• The fabulous carvings on the stones have been done by simple hammers and chisels.

13. Ellora Caves

Credit: Wikipedia

• They represent three religions – Hinduism, Jainism, Bhuddhism. The caves numbered 1 to 12 belong to Buddhism, 13-29 are dedicated to Hinduism, and 30-34 depict Jainism.
• It took 5 centuries to build the 15-foot statue of Lord Buddha situated in the Carpenter’s Cave (cave 10).
• It is believed, due to the style of inscriptions and executions, that the caves were built by the Rashtrakuta rulers.
• Most of the caves dedicated to Hinduism are adorned with carvings,  depicting the wedding rituals of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

14. Elephanta Caves

Credit: Wikipedia

• Originally called ‘Gharapuri’, the island was renamed as ‘Elephanta’ by the Portuguese – who got off the sail to find a giant stone elephant.
• Most of the sculptures have been defiled by the Portuguese, who turned the caves into their target practice grounds.
• Once the British captured the island from the Portuguese, they tried to send the elephant structure back to England, but failed to lift it at all.
• The temple has an enormous hall its centre, which inhabits nine sculptured panels representing Lord Shiva in his nine separate temperaments.

15. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

Credit: Wikipedia

• When originally built in the 19th century, it was named the ‘Victoria Terminus’.
• It took ten years to complete the structure and was inaugurated on the date of Queen Victoria’s silver jubilee.
• F.W.Stevens, who was the architecture of the terminus, has been described as the ‘High priest of the Indian gothic style of architecture’, owing to the gothic element in the architecture.
• Originally the land was called ‘Bori Bandar’ and the first train to Thane departed from here.

16. Khajuraho

Credit: Wikipedia

• The temple is renowned for its erotic sculptures and carvings.
• Although created between 950-1050 AD, it was only in the 20th century that they were rediscovered.
• Of the 85 temples built, only 22 remain today.
• The temples of Khajuraho, through its carvings and sculptures, represent an elevated level of philosophical development of the civilization.

WATCH  NEXT  MORE 17 HERE - https://informative200.blogspot.com/2020/07/these-34-world-heritage-sites-will-make_12.html