Thursday 4 June 2015

India Travel 12 - Extraordinary spots in India which assure time travel


source: flickr - Ishan Manjrekar
Originally constructed by a Koli chief as a wooden structure in the 15th century, this fort was captivated and rebuilt as the strongest marine fort in India by Pir Khan, general of Nizamshah of Ahmednagar. HolidayIQ traveller Shamik Mukherjee from Mumbai shares, "Janjira Fort has its history-mystery combination, and the journey on a boat to the fort was nice."
613 Ratings | 103 Reviews | 15 Sightseeing | 104 Photos

source: flickr - Ming Tong
Home to one of the seven wonders of the world, Agra attracts a lot of tourists round the year, mainly for the historic monuments built here. HolidayIQ traveller Sheetal There from Mumbai shares, "There is lots to see in Agra if you are a history enthusiast. Every tomb and every minar has a story. The Taj and Agra Fort are a must visit in the city."
9171 Ratings | 5070 Reviews | 127 Sightseeing | 552 Photos

source: wikipedia.org
The 15 kilometre-long shoreline of the ever beautiful Dal lake in Srinagar is skirted by a boulevard lined with Mughal era gardens. HolidayIQ Traveller DS Srivastava from Noida shares, "I was really pleased to see the garden which was a marvelous piece of Moghul creativeness to provide a soothing effect to mind and soul of human. Really a fantastic place to visit."
57 Ratings | 42 Reviews | 15 Photos

source: flickr - Nagarjun Kandukuru
Mandore boasts several monuments. The fort and the temple inside the now ruined walls are famous for its architecture. HolidayIQ Traveller L Shiva Babu shares, "Place has beautiful architecture. Had wonderful experience as I saw the place for the first time. Very beautifully crafted indeed."
19 Ratings | 11 Reviews | 11 Photos

source: flickr - Himanshu Sarpotdar
Discovered by then District Collector of Thane, Hugh Poyntz Malet in May 1850, this hill station was further developed by Lord Elphinstone, the then Governor of Bombay. This is one of the rarest places in the world where you still get to travel in a toy train. HolidayIQ traveller Ashish Khare from Pune shares, "The exciting thing about this place is the journey to this place i.e. from Neral to Matheran via toy train."

source: flickr - Ramnath Bhat
Mysore Palace, situated in the heart of the city, mirrors the bygone era. The Mysore Palace of today is the fourth palace constructed on the same site. The re-construction of the present day Mysore Palace took place between 1897 - 1912. HolidayIQ traveller Naseeha Machingal from Bangalore shares, "What makes Mysore Palace the most sorted out destination is the grand palace, the way it's maintained and all the history, architecture that surrounds it."
512 Ratings | 359 Reviews | 185 Photos

source: Wikimedia
The place is a significant religious centre of the Vijayanagara Empire due to the presence of the historic Virupaksha Temple along with many other monuments of the old city. UNESCO has listed the Vittal Temple and other ruins of the town of Hampi as a World Heritage Site. HolidayIQ Traveller Mahesh Gouda shares, "Hampi is a most beautiful historical place where the Vijayanagar kings ruled. The Stone Chariot, Vijaya Vittala Temple and Virupaksha Temple are among the many places to see."
888 Ratings | 659 Reviews | 36 Sightseeing | 330 Photos

source: Wikipedia
Possessing the example of Baroque architecture, the church is India's first minor basilica named after infant Jesus. Started in 1594, the construction of the church was completed in the month of May, in 1605. HolidayIQ Traveller A S shares, "This is a heritage place and one of the most popular tourist attractions of south Goa. The building and the park is really very scenic and you will find many tourist getting pictures clicked in from of the building. Ensure you take a guide to know some interesting stories around it."
11 Ratings | 7 Reviews

source: flickr - Harsha Vardhan Durugadda
The complex comprises 29 rock-cut cave monuments, which date back to around 2nd century BC. Construction of the caves was done in two phases, the first group of caves was built around 200 BC, while the second group was built in 600 AD. HolidayIQ Traveller C V Ramana Reddy from Bangalore shares, "The caves Built by Buddhism, Jainism and Brahmaism are exceptionally great remembrance. By seeing those you will surprise how people those days have done a great sculpture work."

source: flickr - Sharada Prasad CS
Built by Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya during 1899-1901, this palace was named by the Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore. HolidayIQ Traveller Chandranath Shirwaikar from Pune shares, "You have to visit this place in early morning and late evening too for the picturesque sight through vegetation, with reflection in the pond. The colourful lights, the gate across the lake has its own beauty so also the clock on the curved roof."
5 Ratings | 2 Reviews | 1 Photo

source: flickr - Dinudey Baidya
Built in the 13th century by King Narasimha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty, this temple is shaped like a giant chariot of the Sun God Surya that has four pair of wheels and is dragged by seven horses. Reflecting the Orissi and Dravidian style of architecture, the temple comprises a sanctum with a sikhara, a jagamohana and a detached nata-mandira in the same axis. HolidayIQ Traveller Abhishek Dash from Bangalore shares, "Situated near the bank of sea Konark is great example of Indian architecture and engineering of that time. Konark is the only place where sun god is worshipped. The best thing was the story related to temple construction and the thing I liked most was that the suns ray fall on every giant wheel of the temple serially in a gap of 1 hour."
32 Ratings | 10 Reviews | 12 Photos

source: flickr - David Gil
In 2007, Red Fort was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is situated in Old Delhi. The construction of this fort started in 1638 and it took over 10 years to complete the work in 1648. It was originally called as 'Qila-i-Mubarak', meaning the blessed fort, as it was the royal residence of Mughals. HolidayIQ Traveller Jannat Firdous from Srinagar shares, "Whosoever, intends to visit Delhi, will definitely pay a visit to Red fort. This place although is a historical monument but its location and the architecture speaks volumes about the skills of the people who were associated with the construction of such a grand monument, worth to be remembered for thousand more years to come. The place has its historical importance in this regard as well that the national flag is hoisted on it by the prime minister on every Independence day, on that day, the PM addresses the nation as well from Red Fort."
59 Ratings | 29 Reviews | 10 Photos

source: flickr - TANAKA Juuyoh
The Qutub Minar was commissioned by Qutbuddin Aibak , the first Muslim Sultan of Delhi, and was completed by his successor - Iltutmish. Numerous inscriptions in Parso-Arabic and Nagari characters in different sections of the Qutb Minar reveal the history of its construction. HolidayIQ Traveller Mahesh Mahi from Vishakhapatnam shares, "Attractive monument with a great historical story. The complete tower was not actually built at once. The top storey was built later when the tower was damaged. The total height was about 80 meters, which is visible from any apartment with normal height in Delhi."
57 Ratings | 24 Reviews | 10 Photos

source: flickr - Andrew Moore
Mahabodhi Temple is one of the highlights of the religious township of Bodh Gaya. The shrine is constructed around the original Bodhi Tree in the 7th century AD. HolidayIQ Traveller Donarun Das from Hyderabad shares, "The Maha Bodhi temple stands out among all the other monasteries in the area. The place is filled with tourists meditating or circling around the temple and the Bodhi Tree."
16 Ratings | 9 Reviews | 10 Photos

source: flickr - Dennis Jarvis
Khajuraho is known all over the world for its temples, which belong to the medieval Hindu and Jain period. The temples were built by the Chandel monarchs who were originally called Bargujar Rajputs of Rajasthan. Khajuraho is also recognised as the cultural capital of the Chandel Rajputs who ruled over this part of India for almost two centuries from 10 AD to 12 AD. HolidayIQ Traveller Rounak Rai from Delhi shares, "Sculptures and relief work on outer and inner wall of temples are outstanding and decorations of walls, pillars, tombs are really magical. Nature is peaceful and a Hindu-Jain religious destination which is also a picnic spot."
544 Ratings | 336 Reviews | 37 Sightseeing | 118 Photos

source: flickr - McKay Savage
Jantar Mantar was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II between 1727 and 1734. The word 'jantar' means instrument, whereas 'mantar' refers to formula or calculation. Situated in Jaipur, this monument is one of the five astronomical observatories present in India. HolidayIQ Traveller Bipul shares, "What you can say is what a marvellous monument. It has clock driven by sunshine. Which shows the correct time by shadow of monuments. Various Sun Sign shows the future and past etc Overall a mastermind creation."
70 Ratings | 47 Reviews | 4 Photos

source: flickr - Arlan Zwegers
The Gupta dynasty declined and Pallavas rose to power in south India and ruled for quite some time. The period between 650 AD and 750 AD was called as the golden age of Pallavas and they were powerful and intelligent thinkers. During their rule, great poets, saints, artisans, scholars, artists and dramatists emerged in the region. Mahabalipuram has unique and beautiful sculptures and paintings, which reflect the talent and skill artisans from the era possessed. HolidayIQ Traveller Nupur Anand from Patna shares, "The sea shore temples, Pancha Rathas, Thirukadalmallai- The temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu , Varaha Cave Temple â€" a small rock-cut temple dating back to the 7th century, The Shore Temple and Light House- built in 1894, are surely to be paid a visit."
1599 Ratings | 991 Reviews | 20 Sightseeing | 256 Photos

source: flickr - Arlan Zwegers
Sanchi, located in Raisen District, is a small village, which is renowned for its Buddha stupas and monuments. It is located at the footsteps of a hill and recognised for several Buddhist monuments. HolidayIQ Traveller Yogesh Rachwani from Bhopal shares, "It was a good monumental experience. The people interested in national heritage can go and enjoy. It was really a great architectural work. You can see the creativity and imagination. You can go at any season. Also there are lot of places around to visit."
17 Ratings | 18 Reviews | 18 Sightseeing |17 Photos

Source: flickr - Tom Bradnock
As the capital of the Cholas from about 1025 A.D. for about 250 years, the city controlled the affairs of entire southern India, from the Tungabhadra in the north to Ceylon in the south and other south east Asian countries. HolidayIQ Traveller Arjun Cibikrishna shares. "Around 990 year old temple and constructed by Rajendra Cholan son of Great Raja Raja Cholan. In this temple, linga is larger than Tanjore big temple and managed by India archaeology department."
4 Ratings | 3 Reviews
The views above are collated from reviews written by travellers on www.holidayiq.com
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