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As of 2023, India has a total of 40 World Cultural Heritage sites, including 32 cultural heritage sites and 8 natural (complex) cultural heritage sites.
Humayun's Tomb, which was the tomb of Humayun, the second king of the Mughal Empire, and had a great influence on the construction of the Taj Mahal, began construction by his wife, Haji Begum, nine years after his death.
It is the burial place of over 100 royal family and court figures, including Darashiko, who fought for the throne with the fifth king Aurangzeb, and is made of red sandstone and marble. The harmony is exquisite.
The first floor of Qutub Minar, a victory tower to commemorate the Islamic conquest of India, was built in 1192 by Qutub ud-Din Aibak, and the three upper floors were built by his son-in-law and successor, Iltutmish.
During the Tughlaq Dynasty, the upper part was expanded and the top floor became a dome. It was built but collapsed in an earthquake in the early 19th century.
It was later rebuilt by a British architect, but was later removed due to its incongruity.
The Red Fort, built by Shah Jahan, was the home of the Mughal emperors for over 200 years until 1857, and served as the heart of the Mughal Empire with its originality and innovative architectural style. It has had a great influence on the architecture of various regions of India, including Delhi, Rajasthan, and Punjab.
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It is such a symbolic place in Indian politics that the Prime Minister of India gave a speech at the main gate of the Red Castle on August 15, which is India's Independence Day. The Taj Mahal, also called 'Lal Qila (लाल क़िला)'
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A building that symbolizes India and was selected as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was built over 22 years by Shah Jahan, the 5th king of the Mughal Empire, to commemorate his late queen Mumtaz Mahal. He was so passionate about the Taj Mahal that he blinded the architect and cut off his hands and feet.
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The Taj Mahal, the world's greatest building built for love, is said to be the culmination of one man's mad love, but it is said that Shah Jahan's madness ultimately led to the decline of the empire. It took a long time to be completed by his grandson, Shah Jahan.
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It was initially built for military purposes, but was completed as a castle by Shah Jahan.
After Shah Jahan completed the Taj Mahal, he was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb.
It is also the unfortunate place where Mumtaz Mahal died lonely while looking at the Taj Mahal. Fatehpur Sikri, which means 'City of Victory', was the capital from 1571 to 1585.
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It is now called a ghost town, and it is difficult to find any trace of its former glory and wealth.
However, the glory of the empire remained intact in the castle, including Jama Masjid, for a short period of 14 years until Akbar moved the capital here and returned home due to water shortage.
It is a unique example of a high-level architectural ensemble constructed in the late 16th century and is evaluated as demonstrating outstanding culture and architectural technology.
The Khajuraho temple complex was built during the Chandella dynasty, which was at its peak between 950 and 1050. Initially, 85 temples were built, but many temples were destroyed due to the Islamic invasion, and currently only 22 temples remain.
The Chandela dynasty, which was greatly influenced by Tantrism, carved temples with colorful myths, detailed architectural styles and vibrant sexual sculptures.
It is receiving both positive reviews for honestly depicting humans with primal instincts and negative reviews for damaging the sanctity of religion.
Although it has no direct relationship with Buddha, Sanchi, which is greatly in the spotlight as a Buddhist historic site, was built around the 3rd century BC by Emperor Ashoka, who was an absolute believer in Buddhism.
After that, many Buddhist buildings were built until around the 11th century, but Sanchi, which was almost buried in history as Buddhism almost disappeared in India, was discovered by a British officer in the early 19th century.
The Buddhist ruins of Sanchi are divided into a stupa and a temple area, but only the ruins of the temple area remain.
Located in the southern Indian Plateau, at the foot of the Vindhya Mountains, the rock shelter of Bhimbetka consists of five natural rock formations with Mesolithic drawings among massive sandstones in a dense forest.
Rock paintings depict people, nature, and landscapes, and are known to be closely related to the hunting and gathering economy.
Founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II, Jaipur was built as an attractive trade and commercial city with an ambitious vision.
It represented a cityscape of trade and commerce unprecedented in South Asia, and the city's main thoroughfares, conceived as a center of trade, were designed as markets.
Jaipur was an important example in the history of urban planning in the Indo-subcontinent, and its urban planning represents a blend of ancient Hindu and early modern Mughal and Western cultures.
Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory built by mathematician and astronomer Maharaja Jai Singh II in the early 18th century. In addition to Jaipur, he also installed astronomical observatories in Delhi, Ujjain, and Mathura.
The largest of these, Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, was so elaborately constructed that it was actually used as an astronomical observatory until the 1940s, and is considered the best-preserved cultural property among the existing Jantar Mantars.
It consists of 19 tools for measuring time, forecasting solar eclipses, tracking the positions of major stars around the Earth, and tracking orbits around the solar system.
It is possible to observe and research various celestial bodies, such as calculating solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, and planetary inclinations, and viewing the positions of constellations and planets.
The Hill Forts of Rajasthan, built by the Rajput Kingdom in various regions (Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jaipur, and Jaisalmer) over a period of 1,000 years from the 8th century to the 18th century, demonstrate the historical independence of the Hindu kingdom against the Islamic empire.
These forts were built in consideration of Rajasthan's natural environment, including hills, rivers, dense forests, and deserts, and serve as the city center, with forts up to 20 km long still existing.
The Chandigarh Capitol Complex, designed by French architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965), a master of modern architecture after India's independence, consists of the Ministry of Justice Building, the National Assembly Building, and the Prime Minister's Residence, which he personally designed.
It greatly contributed to Chandigarh gaining attention not only in India but also around the world as a planned city.
He is not just an architect, but a pioneering figure who destroyed existing concepts and redefined modern architectural theory.
Chandigarh's buildings are designated as World Cultural Heritage sites along with works in 7 countries and 17 regions around the world.
Elephant Island, located about an hour away by boat from Mumbai on the Arabian Sea, has caves built from the 5th to 8th centuries.
This temple, called the Elephant Cave, contains carvings of Hindu gods such as Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu, which were created 1,500 years ago.
This cave, carved entirely out of rock, has important archaeological value, and the oldest ruins are said to have been created around the 2nd century BC.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, considered the most impressive Gothic building in India, was completed in 1837 by the British Indian Railway Company.
34 years later, India's first train departed from here.
It was renamed from Victoria Terminus in 1998, and its appearance alone gives it an old-fashioned feel that makes you feel like you're in Europe.
Mumbai, which was built as a global trade hub, began an ambitious schematic planning project in the late 19th century, when Britain began its full-scale expansion into India.
The buildings in Mumbai created by this project began to be constructed in the neo-Gothic style of the early Victorian era, and then to the art deco style in the early 20th century.
Some 90 historic buildings along the Arabian Sea incorporate Indian elements into their Victorian ensembles,
and blend Art Deco imagery with Indian design to create a unique style called Indian Deco.
The Ajanta Caves, made up of 29 caves dating from the 2nd century to the 7th century BC, are located on a rock wall in the 70m Wagora River Valley, which flows through the forests of the Deccan Plateau.
This 1.5 km long group of cave temples was accidentally discovered by a British soldier while hunting in 1819 and was hidden for over a thousand years.
It is a world-class treasure trove of Buddhist art and an important historical resource for the study of architecture, art, and Buddhist history, and has tremendous value in historical research on religious art.
Ellora Cave Temple, which is considered a treasure trove of religious art along with Ajanta, displays a variety of religious art through Buddhist (Cave 1 to 12), Hindu (Cave 13 to 29), and Jain (Cave 30 to 34) caves.
Most of the caves were built around the 6th to 8th centuries during the Western Chaluka Dynasty and are 2.5km long, longer than the Ajanta Caves.
While the Ajanta Caves are valued for their frescoes, the Ellora Caves are prized for their sculptures.
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park consists of religious and military facilities, as well as buildings needed for farming and water storage facilities, and was built between the 8th and 14th centuries.
The Kalikamata Temple on top of the hill is the most important shrine and attracts many pilgrims every year.
It is a perfect fusion of Hindu-Islamic architectural styles and is considered a representative example of late Indian architecture.
Rani Ki Kav, meaning ‘the queen’s tears,’ was built by Queen Udayamati to raise King Bhimdev (1022-1063) of the Solanki dynasty, who ruled Gujarat and Rajasthan from the 10th century to the mid-13th century.
This complex staircase structure consists of an inverted temple and over 500 major sculptures on a seven-story staircase. It is an elaborate multi-tiered structure decorated with sculptures of Hindu gods and mythology, and is highly regarded for its artistic value.
The historical city of Ahmadabad began construction in 1411 by Ahmad Shah of the Ahmadabad Dynasty around the southern Old City and the Sabamati River.
To this day, various architectural heritages showing the history of Gujarat remain, including forts, ramparts, Hindu and Jain temples, and the city structure was built in a tower-shaped chabutro structure.
The Indus Valley Civilization site Dholavira was one of a few urban settlements from the 3rd to the mid-2nd centuries BC.
The Indus Civilization is the 6th largest of over 1,000 Harappan civilizations and is considered an important record of the rise and fall of the Indus Civilization.
It contains rich ancient remains of urban planning, construction techniques, water management, society, and art, and represents the advanced Harappan civilization with forts, gateways, reservoirs, dwellings, workshops, and cemeteries.
The churches and convents of Goa, the former capital of Portuguese India, spread Renaissance Baroque art and architecture to Asia, where
Catholic missions were established, from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and had a great influence on the development of architecture and art.
In particular, Bom Jesus Church is one of the oldest churches in India and is considered an even more valuable heritage site as it contains the tomb of St. Francis Xavier, who spread Catholicism to India and Japan.
Hampi flourished as the capital of the Vijayanagar Dynasty, which maintained Hindu independence against Islamic forces in the 14th century, when Islam swept the Indian subcontinent.
It consists of the royal palace, fort, temples, shrines, halls, and memorial structures of the Vijayanagar Empire, the last Hindu kingdom.
Hampi, a planned city with a remarkable harmony between traditional Hindu temple architecture and the majestic natural surroundings, resulting in a unique artistic creation, has been described as an out-of-this-world landscape.
The Group of Monuments at Pattadakal consists of nine Hindu temples and Jain temples built in this place, which was the capital of the Chaluka Dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries.
Among them, the magnificent pillars of the Virupaksha Temple are composed of intricate carvings depicting scenes from the ancient Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata,
and the eastern temple has a statue of Nandi riding Shiva.
Mahabalipuram is a port city ruled by the Pallava dynasty in South India from the 6th to 9th centuries. The Pallava dynasty left various sculptures and relics here, including cave temples and mandapas (rock-carved caves).
The temple complex of Mahabalipuram is an important historical resource of South Indian classical architecture and demonstrates the high level of architecture and craftsmanship of the time.
The Chola temple complex built by the powerful Chola dynasty in the 11th and 12th centuries
consists of the Brihadiswara Temple in Thanjavur, the Brihaswara Temple in Gangaikondacholisvaram, and the Eravatheswara Temple in Darasuram.
The Chola Temple Group is a group of temples that provide a glimpse into the architecture and Tamil culture of the South Indian Empire. They demonstrate the incredible technological prowess of the Chola Empire in architecture, sculpture, painting, and bronze casting.
The world's few remaining narrow-gauge mountain railways are located in the Nilgiri Mountains of Darjeeling and Kodaikanal.
The Darjeeling train was completed in 1881 and the Nilgiri train in 1891, creating an effective railway line across the mountainous terrain.
Ingenious engineering solutions were applied and it is still in operation today as a surviving example of a late 19th and early 20th century enterprise.
The Mahabodhi Temple complex in Bodhgaya, one of the four sacred sites of Buddhism and the place where Buddha attained enlightenment, was built
by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, but the current temple was built in the 5th or 6th century.
One of the first Buddhist temples to be built of brick, dating from the late Gupta period, it had a significant influence on the development of brick architecture over the centuries.
There is a Bodhi tree at the back of the temple, and Buddhists from all over the world come to bow to this place.
The Nalanda site, the first Buddhist university in India, was used as a Buddhist monastery and other educational institutions from the 3rd century BC to the 13th century,
and as a living space for monks. 11 monastery sites and 5 temple sites are preserved.
It was most prosperous around the 4th and 5th centuries and was the center of Buddhism in India, where many monks from China and other foreign countries studied.
The legitimacy of the monasteries and educational institutions became the foundation for Buddhism to spread throughout the world.
The Sun Temple in Konarak, adjacent to the Bay of Bengal, depicts the chariot of the sun god Surya and is considered the most famous Brahmin temple in India.
At the bottom, 12 huge stone wheels and stone horses were carved to resemble a Syrian chariot, and the temple is 30 meters high.
The interior of the temple shows the characteristics of an Orissa temple with wrought iron pillars supporting the ceiling, while
the exterior is carved with a statue of a man and woman copulating, expressing a direct and material connection to the Brahmanical and Tantric belief systems.
Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple, also known as Ramappa Temple, is a temple dedicated to Shiva located in Palampet village, about 200 km northeast of Hyderabad,
Telangana.
Built during the Kakatyan period (1123–1323) in South India, it is a walled complex of sandstone temples featuring decorated beams and columns of granite and dolomite.
Built over a period of about 40 years starting in 1213, the temple's high-quality sculptures display local customs and Kakatiyan culture, with a structure made of lightweight porous bricks called 'floating bricks' that reduce the weight of the roof structure.
India's natural (mixed) heritage includes the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, Kaziranga National Park, Keoladeo National Park,
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, and Sundarbans. A total of 8 locations have been designated, including the Sundarbans National Park, the Western Ghats, and
Khangchendzonga National Park.
These natural properties preserve a diverse ecosystem of flora and fauna in the wild world and also have very important geomorphological features with unique biological and ecological processes.
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