The Wonders of India

The Wonder of India : Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that
combines elements from Persian, Ottoman, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles.
In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as
"the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces
of the world's heritage.

The central focus of the complex is the tomb. This large, white marble structure
stands on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an
arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large dome and finial. Like most Mughal
tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin.The Taj Mahal seen from the banks
of river Yamuna

The base structure is essentially a large, multi-chambered cube with chamfered

corners, forming an unequal octagon that is approximately 55 metres (180 ft) on
each of the four long sides. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on the
chamfered corner areas, making the design completely symmetrical on all sides of
the building. Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the plinth facing
the chamfered corners. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz
Mahal and Shah Jahan; the actual graves are at a lower level.Viewed from the east.

The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is the most spectacular feature. Its
height of around 35 metres (115 ft) is about the same as the length of the base, and
is accentuated as it sits on a cylindrical "drum" which is roughly 7 metres (23 ft)
high. Because of its shape, the dome is often called an onion dome or amrud
(guava dome). The top is decorated with a lotus design, which also serves to
accentuate its height. The shape of the dome is emphasised by four smaller domed
chattris (kiosks) placed at its corners, which replicate the onion shape of the main
dome. Their columned bases open through the roof of the tomb and provide light to
the interior.

The Wonder of India "Peace and Harmony" : The Golden Temple

The Golden Temple is located in Amritsar, Punjab. The door panes are decorated
with artistic style. It opens on to the bridge that leads to the main building of Sri
Harmandir Sahib. It is 202 feet in length and 21 feet in width. Its architecture
represents a unique harmony between the Muslims and the Hindu architecture. The
fourth Guru of Sikhism, [Guru Ram Das], excavated a tank in 1577 which
subsequently became known as Amritsar (meaning: Pool of the Nectar of
Immortality), giving its name to the city that grew around it. In due course, a Sikh
edifice, Harmandir Sahib ( Temple of God), was constructed in the middle of this
tank which became the supreme centre of Sikhism. The Golden Temple or Darbar
Sahib, is the most sacred temple for Sikhs. It is a symbol of the magnificence and
strength of the Sikh people all over the world.

The Spiritual Wonder of India : Tawang Monastery

Located at an elevation of 10,000 feet in Tawang Town in Arunachal Pradesh. The
assembly hall has a 8.3 m high Golden Buddha statue. Is 3 storeys high, occupies
an area of 140 sq mt and houses 65 residential buildings. The kakaling (entrance
gate) is a large hut shaped structure made of stone.
Founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1681. The Tawang Monastery is of the
Gelugpa sect of Buddhist and is the largest centre for Buddhist cultural studies.
Tawang Monastery is the largest Buddhist monastery in India. Houses the
Parkhang Library containing 400 year old Kangyur manuscripts.

7 Wonders of India
Khajuraho:

Khajuraho is a village in Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District,

about 620 kilometers southeast of Delhi.The Khajuraho temples adhere to a
northern Indian shikhara temple style and often to a Panchayatana plan or
layout. Kandariya Mahadeva, comprises eighty-four shikharas, the main being
116 feet from the ground level. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span
of a hundred years, from 950A.D. to 1050A.D. They were rediscovered
during the late 19th century. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval
Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their everyday life sculpture.

Statues and carvings

The Khajuraho temples do not contain sexual or erotic art inside the temple or near
the deities; however, some external carvings bear erotic art. Also, some of the
temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of
the inner wall. It has been suggested that these suggest tantric sexual practices.
Meanwhile, the external curvature and carvings of the temples depict humans,
human bodies, and the changes that occur in human bodies, as well as facts of life.
Some 10% of the carvings contain sexual themes; those reportedly do not show
deities, they show sexual activities between people. The rest depict the everyday
life of the common Indian of the time when the carvings were made, and of various
activities of other beings. For example, those depictions show women putting on
makeup, musicians, potters, farmers, and other folk. Those mundane scenes are all
at some distance from the temple deities. A common misconception is that, since
the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex
between deities.

Dholavira Site :

Located in Kutch district. All its buildings are almost exclusively built out of brick.
The ancient site at Dholavira, is flanked by two storm water channels; the
Mansar in the north, and the Manhar in the south.Reservoirs are cut through
stones vertically. They are about 7 meter deep and 79 meter long. The site
was occupied from about 2900 BC for about a millennium, declining slowly
after about 2100 BC, briefly abandoned and then reoccupied, finally by
villagers among its ruins, until about 1450. A sign board with ten huge Indus
signs found on the floor of a room at the North Gate was probably originally
displayed above the gateway.

Architecture and material culture

Estimated to be older than the port-city of Lothal, the city of
Dholavira has a rectangular shape and organization, and is spread over 100
hectares. The area measures 771.10 metres in length, and 616.85 metres in width.
Like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the city is composed to a pre-existing
geometrical plan, of three divisions - the citadel, the middle town and the lower
town. The acropolis and the middle town had been further furnished with their own
defence-work, gateways, built-up areas, street system, wells and large open spaces.
The acropolis is the most carefully guarded as well as impressive and imposing
complex in the city of which it appropriates the major portion of the southwestern
zone. The city within the general fortification accounts for 48 hectares. There are
extensive structure-bearing areas though outside yet intimately integral to the
fortified settlement. Beyond the walls, yet another settlement has been found. The
most striking feature of the city is that all of its buildings, at least in their present
state of preservation, are built out of stone, whereas most other Harappan sites,
including Harappa itself and Mohenjo-daro, are almost exclusively built out of
brick.

Meenakshi Temple :
Located in the second largest city of Tamil Nadu i.e Madurai. The temple complex
is within a high-walled enclosure, at the core of which are the two sanctums for
Meenakshi and Sundareshwara, surrounded by a number of smaller shrines and
grand pillared halls. The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the
credit for making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to the Nayaks. The
Nayaks ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century and left a majestic
imprint of their rule in the Meenakshi - Sundareswarar Temple.

The enormous temple complex is dedicated to Shiva, known as Sundareshvara and

his consort Parvatior Meenakshi. According to legend Madurai is the actual site
where the wedding between Shiva and Meenakshi took place.
Nalanda University :

Located 55 miles from Patna in Bihar. Nalanda was the largest residential centre
of learning in the world with a 9 storied library. The monasteries are built in old
Kushan architectural style, in a row of cells around a courtyard. It was the
Buddhist center of learning from 427 to 1197 CE partly under the Pala Empire. It
is believed that Buddha visited Nalanda during his last tour through Magadha, and
it was there that Sariputta uttered his lion`s roar, affirming his faith in the Buddha.

University of Nalanda was established in 450 CE under the patronage of the

Gupta emperors, notably Kumara Gupta. Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is devoted to
the study and research in Pali Literature and Buddhism
.

Sun Temple, Konark :

Situated at a distance from the famous religious and tourist centre of Puri (35
Km.) and the capital city of Bhubaneswar (65 Km). The entire temple was
designed in the shape of a colossalchariot with seven horses and twenty four
wheels, each about 10 feet in diameter, with a set of spokes and elaborate
carvings.It was built in red sandstone (Khandolite) and black granite.
The Sun Temple of Konark marks the highest point of achievement of Kalinga
architecture depicting the grace, the joy and the rhythm of life all in its wondrous
variety.It was built by King Raja Narasimhadeva-I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty
in the thirteenth century. It is a temple to Surya, the sun God.The Sun temple has
been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Jaiselmer Fort :

It is situated in Jaisalmer city in Rajasthan. The fort stands admist the golden
stretches of the great Thar Desert, on Trikuta Hill and had been the scene of many
battles. It is also known as the "Golden Fort".It is built of sandstone and is one of
the largest forts in Rajasthan. It was built in 1156 AD by the Bhati Rajput ruler
Rawal Jaisal, from where it derives it name. At one point of time the entire
population of Jaisalmer used to live within the fort; but with the increase in the
population, people was forced to move out and find shelter under the foot of the
Trikuta Hill. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace),
Jain temples, Laxminath temple, 4 massive gateways, Merchant Havelis.

Red Fort :

Located in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Thick red sandstone walls, bulging with
turrets and bastions, have withstood the vagaries of time and nature. The wall is
2.5 km long and the height varies from 16 meters on the river side to 33 meters
towards the city. Diwan-e-am is the large pavilion which was used for public
imperial audiences.Diwan-e-khas is the decorated hall which was used for
ministerial and court gatherings.

The Red Fort and the city of Shahjahanabad was constructed by the Emperor
Shah Jahan in 1639 A.D. Every year on Independence Day (15th August) the
Prime Minister of India hoists the national flag and addresses the nation, from the
ramparts of Red fort.