भारत की वास्तुकला विरासत का विकास काफी हद तक मण्डली के धार्मिक स्थानों की अवधारणा के कारण है। हरमंदिर साहिब एक ऐसा प्रतिष्ठित स्थान है, जो कई लोगों की वास्तुकला की सिख शैली को स्थापित करता है। अपार उदात्तता और भव्यता की पूजा का एक मंदिर, ऐसा कहा जाता है कि इसकी उत्पत्ति 14 वीं…
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Fatehpur Sikri was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great and completed in 1585. This fort city is one of the best-enduring examples of the Mughal architectural legacy, even though it was only occupied for about 15 years. Situated on the top of a rocky outcrop, it has been…
The Brihadishvara Temple is just as much a symbol of power and wealth as it is a shrine to the Hindu god Shiva. Inscriptions—made on the walls detailing the ruler Rajaraja I’s lavish gifts to the temple—are evidence enough of the wealth of the Chola empire. They list jewels, gold, silver, attendants, and 400 female…
Lake Palace Lake Palace (formerly known as Jag Niwas Palace) is a former summer palace of the royal dynasty of Mewar, it is now turned into a hotel. The Lake Palace is located on the island of Jag Niwas in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India, and its natural foundation spans 4 acres (16,000 m2). Popularly described…
Jaisalmer Fort Jaisalmer Fort is situated in the city of Jaisalmer, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of the very few “living forts” in the world (such as Carcassonne, France), as nearly one fourth of the old city’s population still resides within the fort. For the better part of its 860-year history, the fort was the city of Jaisalmer.…
Regarded as one of the iconic symbols of the state of Rajasthan, the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) sits peacefully in the center of the busy city of Jaipur. Built as an extension to the women’s chambers of the city palace, it was intended as a viewing screen. Through this screen—a kind of architectural veil—women…
There are 33 shrines dug from the volcanic rock at Ellora. Twelve are Buddhist from the Gupta Period, four are Jain, and 17 are Hindu. Undoubtedly the most striking, and one of the best stone temples in all of India, is the Kailashnath temple. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and symbolizes Mount Kailash, the…
Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece…
Quite a few islands around the world are very large, and many of them are countries. Australia is technically an island because it is unconnected to any other body of land, but it is more commonly considered a continental landmass. Of the seven continents, Australia is the smallest, at 2,969,976 square miles, or 7,692,202 square…