Taj Mahal is the most famous building in India that attracts millions of tourists from every corners of the

Globe. Taj Mahal is famous monuments for its architectural significance among the most wonderful buildings in the world. Situated on the west bank of river the Yamuna at the city of Agra, The most famous poet and painter Rabindranath Tagore quotes Let the splendour of the diamond, pearl and ruby vanish like the magic shimmer of the rainbow. Only let this one teardrop, the Taj Mahal, glist en spotlessly bright on the cheek of time. The shimmering splendour of Taj Mahal makes it the most desirable building in the world.

The Palace of Mysore (also known as the Amba Vilas Palace) is a palace situated in the city of Mysore in southern India. It is the official residence of the Wodeyars - the erstwhile royal family of Mysore that ruled the princely state of Mysore for over seven centuries, and also houses two durbar halls (ceremonial meeting hall of the royal court). Mysore is commonly described as the City of Palaces, however, the term "Mysore Palace" specifically refers to one within the old fort. TheWodeyar kings first built a palace in Mysore in the 14th century, it was demolished and constructed multiple times. The current palace construction was commissioned in 1897, and it was completed in 1912 and expanded later around 1940. Mysore palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India after Taj Mahal with more than 2.7 million visitors.[1] Although tourists are allowed to visit the palace, they are not allowed to take photographs inside the palace. Price of admission for foreign tourists is 200 INR., and for Indians 40 INR. All visitors must remove their footwear to enter the palace.

The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho, a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 620 kilometres (385 mi) southeast of New Delhi, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Khajuraho has the largest group ofmedieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculptures.

The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern. The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone. The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons

Konark Sun Temple (Oriya: [koark]; also Konrak) is a 13th century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda),[1] atKonark, in Odisha, India. It was supposedly built by king Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around 1250.[2] It has been built in the shape of a gigantic chariot with elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins. The temple is aUNESCO World Heritage Site.[3] It is also featured on NDTV's list of Seven Wonders of India and Times of India's list of Seven Wonders of India.

The Lotus Temple, located in New Delhi, India, is a Bah' House of Worship completed in 1986. Notable for its flowerlike shape, it serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent and has become a prominent attraction in the city. The Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.
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Amer Fort (Hindi: , also spelled and pronounced as Amber Fort) is located in Amer (a town with an area of 4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi)[1]), 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India. It is one of the principal tourist attractions in the Jaipur area, located high on a hill. [2][3]Amer Fort was built by Raja Man Singh I. Amer Fort is known for its artistic style of Hindu elements. With its large ramparts, series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks the Maota Lake, at its forefront.[3][4][5][6][7] The aesthetic ambiance of this formidable fort is seen within its walls on a four level layout plan (each with a courtyard) in a well turned out opulent palace complex built with red sandstone and marble consisting of the Diwan-e-Aam or the "Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-e-Khas or the "Hall of Private Audience", the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace) or Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over the water cascade within the palace. Hence, the Amer Fort is also popularly known as the Amer Palace.[4] The palace was lived in by the Rajput Maharajas and their families. At the entrance to the palace near the forts Ganesh Gate, there is also a temple dedicated to Sila Devi, a goddess of the Chaitanya cult which was given to Raja Man Singh when he had defeated the Raja of Jessore, Bengal in 1604. (Jessore is now in Bangladesh).

Over the seven centuries of its evolution, ikebanahas developed many different styles of arrangement. Among the most common are the rikka (standing flowers), seika orshoka (living flowers), and nageire (flung flowers) styles when making arrangements in bowl-shaped vases and the moribana (piled-up flowers) style when using dish-like containers. Ikebana is the art of beautifully arranging cut stems, leaves, and flowers in vases and other containers that evolved in Japan over seven centuries. To arrange the stems and flowers exactly as one wishes, a familiarity with many different ways of fastening and positioning them is necessary. These techniques are what people attend ikebana classes to learn. Usually, three to five years are required to acquire these technical and expressive skills.

Types of Ikebana: Heika

Heika (also called rikka, shoka, or seika) is a basic style of ikebana arrangement that uses a tall vase and highlights vertical lines. The biggest feature is the emphasis on bringing out the flowers' natural charms and arranging them in a tasteful and elegant manner. Vases with a narrow opening or tall, jar-shaped containers are used, with the stems being bundled tightly together at the mouth. Crosspieces are used to fasten the stems to the vase. Heika arrangements consist of three main elements--the primary, secondary, and ornamental stems; their lengths, positions, and angles differ depending on the type of heika style used. In the slanting style, one of the most popular heika arrangements, the length of the primary stem is one and a half times the height of the vase, and the secondary and ornamental stems are around half the length of the primary branch.

The primary stem is tilted forward around 70 degrees and scattered across a 45-degree area to the front and left. The secondary stem is placed behind and to the left of the primary one to give depth. The ornamental stem is arranged so that it slants forward at a 60-degree angle across a 30-degree area to the right of the primary and secondary elements.

Types of Ikebana: Moribana

Moribana uses a shallow container and a kenzan, a holder with many sharp points into which flowers are inserted. The big feature of moribana is the broad expanse of natural-looking shapes and a mound of beautiful flowers. While the heika style was developed many centuries ago and has a lot of rules, moribana is only about a hundred years old and is not as fussy. Western flowers can be used, for instance, and the arranged flowers may be placed in Western-style rooms and entranceways--not just in the tokonoma, the alcove of traditional Japanese-style rooms.

There are different types of moribana depending on the length and angle of the primary, secondary, and ornamental stems. The upright style is the most common; it exudes a feeling of stability and gravity. In this style, the primary stem is about as long as the diameter and depth of the container combined, with the secondary stem being around two-thirds and and the ornamental stem about half the length of the primary branch. The primary stem is placed vertically, while the secondary stem is tilted 45 degrees and scattered over a 30-degree area to the front and left. The ornamental stem is tilted 60 degrees and placed across a 45degree area to the front and right. Seen from above, the three stems form a right triangle. Flowers are placed inside this triangle to fill out the shape.

Virtual Ikebana
There are a number of different ways of arranging flowers. Two of the most common styles are heika (also called rikka, shoka or seika) and moribana.Heika are arranged in tall, thin vases, while moribana use low, shallow containers. A distinguishing feature of these and other styles is the use of three main elements--primary, secondary, and ornamental stems--that are said to represent heaven, humans, and earth.

Virtual Heika START