Seven wonders of India : The countdown to the finale begins

1. 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.

2. Shravanabelagola

• Situated in the Hassan District, 157 km from Bangalore.
• The statue of Gomateshwara Bhagwaan Bahubali is located atop Vindhyagiri mountain.
• At 57 feet, it is the tallest monolithic statue in the world.
• There are 650 steps to the top of the platform.
• Is the place where Chandragupta, the founder of the Mauryan dynasty, became a Jain ascetic after relinquishing his throne.
• The statue of Gomateshwara is 1026 years old.
• Shravanabelagola is the seat of the ancient Bhattaraka Math, belonging to the Desiya Gana lineage of Mula Sangh, from the Digambar monastic tradition.
• Mahamastakabhisheka is held in Sravanbelagola once in 12 years and attracts a huge number of devout worshipers from all over the world.

3. 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.

4. Charminar

• Charminar is in the city of Hyderabad, capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.
• Charminar is a squarish structure with four towers on the four corners of the square, each of whose sides is 20 metres in length.
• Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah built the monument in 1591 shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golkonda to what now is known as Hyderabad.
• The great monument is a synonym for Hyderabad and the pivot around which the glory and history of the city have developed.
• A thriving market lies around the Charminar, attracting people and merchandise of every description. In its heyday, the Charminar market had some 14,000 shops; today the market around the Charminar is crowded with shops which sell glass bangles in rainbow colours.
• Charminar is the world’s largest Talisman.

5. 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.

6. Brahmaputra

• Located in Assam.
• The biggest and the smallest river islands in the world, Majuli and Umandana are in the river.
• Originates from the Mansarovar of the Himalayas and flows through Tibet, China, Burma, India and joins with River Ganges in Bangladesh.
• One of the largest rivers in Asia.
• Total length of river is 2900 kms.

7. 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.

8. Fatehpur Sikri

• Fatehpur Sikri is a city and a municipal board in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
• The buildings of Fatehpur Sikri show a synthesis of various regional schools of architectural craftsmanship.
• Built during the second half of the 16th century by the
Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) near Agra was the capital of the Mughal Empire for some 10 years.
• The complex of monuments, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid.

9. Silent Valley National Park

• Located in Palakkad district, Kerala.
• Home to the largest population of Lion-tailed Macaque.
• Ceylon Frog Moth, Great Indian Hornbill, the Nilgiri Laughing Thrush can be found here.
• The river Kunthi that passes through, never turns brown and is always crystal clear.
• Spread over 89 sq km, located in the Nilgiri hills.

10. Taj Mahal

• Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra.
• The Taj Mahal (also "the Taj") is considered the finest example of
Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from
Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles.
• The focus of the Taj Mahal is the white marble tomb, which stands on a square plinth consisting of a symmetrical building with an iwan, an arch-shaped doorway, topped by a large dome.
• Was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658), grandson of Akbar the great, in the memory of his queen Arjumand Bano Begum, entitled ‘Mumtaz Mahal’.
• The plinth and tomb took roughly 12 years to complete. The
remaining parts of the complex took an additional 10 years and
were completed in order of minarets, mosque and jawab and
gateway.
• A labour force of twenty thousand workers was recruited across northern India.

11. 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.

12. 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 colossal
chariot 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.

13. 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
• Is of the Gelugpa sect of Buddhist.
• Is the largest centre for Buddhist cultural studies.
• Is the largest Buddhist monastery in India.
• Houses the Parkhang Library containing 400 year old Kangyur
manuscripts.

14. Jaisalmer 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.

15. Victoria Memorial

• It is situated in Kolkata.
• Designed by Sir William Emerson in an architectural style similar to Belfast City Hall.
• Built in the Italian Renaissance style with elements of Mughal architecture incorporated in it.
• Is a white marble building surrounded by a sprawling garden.
• A black bronze Angel of Victory, holding a bugle in her hand sits at the apex of the dome above the Memorial.
• Built by British Viceroy Lord Curzon in the memory of Queen Victoria.
• It currently serves as a museum and a tourist attraction.
• Built between 1906 and 1921, it is situated at the southern end of the Maidan.

16. Hampi

• Located in 50 kms off Bellary, near Hospet.
• The ruins of Hampi lies scattered in about 26 sq. km area, amidst giant boulders and vegetation.
• Protected by the Tungabhadra river in the north and rocky granite ridges on the other three sides.
• Was the seat of the Vijayanagara empire.
• The first historical settlements in Hampi date back to 1 BC.
• The Virupaksha Temple, the Hazari Rama Temple, the Vittala Temple and the ruins of the King’s Court and Queens’Bath are represent the history and culture of the Vijaynagar Empire.
• The Hampi festival attracts multitudes of tourists every year.
• There is a huge statue of Hanuman.
• Originally the chariot was drawn by horses which have been replaced by elephants.

17. Ajanta - Ellora Caves

• Located near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
• The 29 caves at Ajanta are situated in a horseshoe-shaped ravine.
• The cave walls are covered with painted narratives of the Jataka tales.
• The 34 caves at Ellora are excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills.
• The exterior of the Kailasha temple is carved with niches, plasters, windows and images of deities and mithunas (erotic male and female figures).
• The oldest caves at Ajanta date back to 200 BC.
• Some caves were built in the Gupta period in 5th century AD.
• Built as secluded retreats of the Buddhist monks.
• Carved during 350 AD and 700 AD, the rock temples and monasteries at Ellora represent three faiths - Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
• The caves depict the story of Buddhism and are popular tourist sites.
• Ellora has the largest single monolithic excavation in the world.

18. Alchi

• 65 km from Leh in the barren mountain valley of river Indus, the monasteries of Alchi are fine examples of traditional Tibetan architecture.
• Solid square and rectangular structures with flat roofs and with elaborate murals is a landmark of Buddhist art and architecture in the Himalayan region.
• Monastic complex of Alchi mainly comprises the following shrines:
1. Lha-Khang Soma (New Temple)
2. Sumstek (Triple storied shrine)
3. Dukhang (Assembly Hall)
4. Lotsava Lhakhang
5. Manjushri Lhakhang (Temple of Manjushri)
6. Three Chhortens (Stupas)
• The murals depicted in the above shrines and stucco images enshrined therein are ascribable to period between 11th to 13th century A.D.

19. 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.

20. Sunderbans

• Situated at the mouth of the Ganges and is spread across areas of West Bengal.
• Known for the Royal Bengal Tigerand numerous fauna including species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes.
• It is estimated that there are 500 Bengal tigers and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area.
• Is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.
• The forest spreads over 10,000 sq.km of which about 6,000 sq.km is in Bangladesh.
• Is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mud flats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests.
• The name Sundarbans is derived from the Sundari trees growing in the area.