Famous Historical Places, Cities in India and their Features

Major Historical Places and Cities of India:

• Mysore Palace: Mysore Palace is also known as Amba Vilas Mahal. Mysore is the second largest city in the Karnataka state of India. It is situated on the border of Tamil Nadu, about 150 km south of the state capital Bangalore. Indo-Saracenic, Dravidian, Roman and Oriental styles of architecture are seen in this palace. Along with the palace, there is also a five storey tower 44.2 meters high, whose dome is made of gold.
• Red Fort: It is located in the city of Old Delhi, adjacent to the capital of India, New Delhi. The Red Fort is a Mughal period building, which was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century. It is selected in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Hawa Mahal: Hawa Mahal is a majestic-palace in Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1798 and was designed by architect Lal Chand Usta like a 'Rajmukut'.
• Taj Mahal is a world heritage mausoleum located in the city of Agra, India. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a masterpiece of Mughal architecture. Its architectural style is a unique amalgamation of components of Persian, Ottoman, Indian and Islamic architecture. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Qutub Minar: Qutub Minar is located in the Mehrauli part of the southern city of Delhi, India. Qutub Minar is the world's tallest minaret made of brick. It has a height of 72.5 m (237.86 ft) and a diameter of 17.3 m, which rises to 2.75 m (9.02 ft) at the summit. It has 379 steps. This complex has been approved by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
• Amaravati: Amaravati is located in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh on the right bank of the Krishna River near modern Vijayawada. The city was the center of Hindu culture during the reign of the Satavahana kings. Its ancient name is Dhanyaghat or Dhanyakatak or Dharnikote. Being situated on the banks of the river Krishna, this place was of great importance, because the merchant ships reached here from the sea via the Krishna river. A huge amount of punch-marked coins, which are the oldest, have been found from here.
• Ahichhatra : Located in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. This place was once the capital of the Panchalas. According to the Mahabharata, the Kurus snatched the capital of Uttara Panchala, Ahichchhatra, from the kingdom and gave it to Drona. It is said that Drona had defeated Drupada with the help of his disciples and had divided half of his kingdom.
• Aihole: Aihole located in Karnataka is famous for the stone temples built by the Chalukyas.
• Ajanta Caves: The Ajanta Caves are located near the village of Ajanta, which is in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. There are 29 Buddhist caves in it. These caves are famous for their paintings. Their period is 2nd century BC. to 7 century AD. Here excellent specimens of depiction and craftsmanship related to Buddhism are found. The Ajanta Caves have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
• Arikamedu: It was a sea port located near Pondicherry during the Chola period. Arikamedu is called Peduk in the Periplus.
• Badamiavatapi: This place in Karnataka is famous for Chalukya sculpture which is found in Guha temples. This place is a fine example of Dravidian architecture.
• Chidambaram: This place is located 150 miles south of Chennai and was once the capital of the Chola kingdom. The temples here are among the oldest temples in India and they represent the Dravidian architecture and architecture very well.
• Bodh Gaya: Located about 100 km to the southeast of Patna, the capital of Bihar, Bodh Gaya is a small town adjacent to the Gaya district. It is said that Gautam Buddha, who was doing penance under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, attained enlightenment. Since then this site is very important for the followers of Buddhism. The city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 200.
• Elephanta Caves: Elephanta Caves are located on the coastal hills about 11 km north-east of Mumbai and are spread over an area of ​​about seven kilometres. Elephanta Caves are famous for their magnificent sculptures of mythological deities. The name of this bay is also Gharapuri which means city of caves. There are two types of caves at this place, one which depicts the Hindu religion and the other which are for the followers of Buddhism. Elephanta Caves were included in the list of World Heritage Site in 1987.
• Ayodhya: Ayodhya is a very ancient religious city in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. It comes under Faizabad district. It is situated on the right bank of the Saryu River (Ghaghra River). In ancient times it was called 'Kaushal Desh'. Ayodhya is one of the ancient and seven holy pilgrimage sites of the Hindus. This is the birth place of Lord Rama.
• Ellora Caves: This place is located in the north-west of Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state. Nestled in the lush green valleys of nature, 34 caves carved out of stone in the shape of a horseshoe are situated on the banks of the Baghera River.
• Fatehpur Sikri: Fatehpur Sikri is located at a distance of 23 miles from Agra, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It was founded by Akbar in 1569. Fatehpur Sikri is the best example of a mixture of Hindu and Muslim architecture. There is a 176 feet high Buland Darwaza.
• Harappa: Harappa is an archaeological site in the Punjab province of northeastern Pakistan. It is situated 20 km west of Sahiwal city. Many remains of the Indus Valley Civilization have been received from here. The Indus Valley Civilization is also called Harappan Civilization because of the name of this city.
• Hampi: Hampi was the capital of the medieval Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagara Empire. Situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra river, this city is now known as 'Hampi'. This ancient magnificent city is now present only in the form of ruins in the remnant part. Looking at the ruins here, it is easy to see that once upon a time a prosperous civilization lived in Hampi. Located in the Indian state of Karnataka, this city is also included in the list of 'World Heritage Sites' by UNESCO.
• Agra: The foundation of this city was laid by the emperor of Lodi dynasty, Sikandar Lodi in 1509. Later the Mughal emperors made it their capital. It was here that Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
• Amritsar: Amritsar is a city in the Indian state of Punjab. Amritsar is considered to be the most important and holy city of Punjab, as the largest Sikh Gurudwara Golden Temple is located in Amritsar. After the Taj Mahal, most tourists come to see the Golden Temple of Amritsar. It was built by Ramdas, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs.
• Avanti: In the Puranas, Avanti was one of the 16 Mahajanapadas of ancient India. Under it was modern Malwa. Ujjain was its capital.
• Indraprastha: Indraprastha was one of the kingdoms of ancient India. According to the great Indian epic Mahabharata, it was the capital of the Pandavas. The city was situated on the banks of river Yamuna, which is situated in the present capital of India, Delhi.
• Ujjayini: The present city of Ujjain, which is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, was called Ujjayoni in ancient times. Hence the present name Ujjain has been derived. It comes in seven Mokshadayini cities, Saptpuris. 6th century BC In AD the city was the capital of northern Avanti.
• Kannauj: This city located in Uttar Pradesh was the capital of Harsha. Kannauj is an ancient city and once revered as the capital of the Hindu Empire. Kanyakubja Brahmins are believed to have originally belonged to this place.
• Kanyakumari: Kanyakumari is a town on the far south coast of Tamil Nadu province mentioned in the Padma Purana. It is the confluence of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, where different oceans spread their captivating shade with their different colors. Kanyakumari, situated at the southernmost tip of India, has been a symbol of art, culture and civilization for years.
• Kapilavastu: Kapilvastu was the capital of Shakya Gana. The early period of Gautam Buddha's life was distressed here. Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini, 10 km east of this place.
• Kancheepuram: Kancheepuram is located on the banks of the Palar River in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. This is a city of temples. It was also known as Kanchi or Kachiampathi in the past. Kanchipuram was the capital of the ancient Chola and Pallava kings. There are many large temples here, such as the Varadaraja Perumal Temple to Lord Vishnu, the Ekambernath Temple dedicated to one of the five forms of Lord Shiva, the Kamakshi Amma Temple, Kumarakottam, the Kachhapeswara Temple, the Kailashnath Temple, etc. The city is also famous for its silk sarees.
• Kushinagar: The Mahaparinirvana of Mahatma Buddha took place at this place in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh.
• Khajuraho: Famous for the temples built by the Chandela rulers between the 10th and 12th centuries, Khajuraho is located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
• Gaya: This city located in Bihar is counted among the holy cities. This is where Buddha attained enlightenment.
• Jaipur: Kachwaha ruler Sawai Jai Singh founded this city in 1721.
• Jhansi: This city of Uttar Pradesh is famous because of Rani Laxmi Bai.
• Daulatabad: This city, known as Devgiri in ancient times, is located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Muhammad bin Tughlaq made it his capital.
• Patliputra: Patliputra located in Bihar is currently famous as Patna. It was the capital of the Mauryas.
• Pune: The capital of Maratha Sardar Shivaji and his son Shambhaji, Pune is considered to be a major city of Maharashtra.
• Purushapur: 1st century BC Purushapur, founded by Kanishka in AD, is located in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is presently known as Peshawar.
• Plassey: Plassey is famous for the war of 1757 between the East India Company and the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daula.
• Prayag: This city, which is called Tirthraj, is situated at the confluence of Ganga: Yamuna. Since ancient times, this place is counted among the holy cities. Later Akbar changed its name to Allahabad.
• Bijapur: Founded by Yusuf Adilshah, this city is located in Karnataka. Here is the tomb of Gol Gumbaz Muhammad Adilshah.
• Bhubaneswar: The present-day capital of Odisha, Bhubaneswar was famous as the capital of Utkal in ancient times. The temples here are particularly famous.
• Rameshwaram: Located in Tamil Nadu, this place is famous for the Ramanatha Swamy Temple.
• Madurai: The capital of the Pandya kings and located in Tamil Nadu, this city is famous for temples.
• Bhitargaon: Situated in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, this site is famous for the temple made of Gupta bricks.
• Mount Abu: Famous for the Jain temple of Dilwara, this place is situated on the Aravalli mountain.
• Mathura: This city located in Uttar Pradesh is famous for being the birth place of Lord Krishna.
• Mamallapuram: Built by the Pallava king Narasimha Varman near Chennai, this town is presently known as Mahabalipuram. The temples here are particularly famous.
• Vijayanagara: The foundation of this kingdom was laid by Harihara and Bukka on the banks of Tungabhadra river in 1336.
• Shravanabelagola: Shravanabelagola located in Hassan district of Karnataka is famous as the main center of Jainism. There is a huge idol of Jain Tirthankar Bahubali here.
• Sarnath: This place is located near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh where Buddha gave his first sermon.
• Konark Sun Temple: The Sun Temple of Konark is located in the city of Puri in Puri district of the state of Orissa, India. It was built from red sandstone and black granite stone in 1236-1264 BC. It was built by King Narasimhadeva of the Ganga dynasty. This temple is one of the most famous places in India. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.

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☞ Major Places in India GK Questions and Answers 🔗

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