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India is a huge country with vast and
beautiful landscapes. Everyone has heard of the exquisite Taj Mahal but
have you heard about the colorful Meenaksi Amman Temple or the Blue
City of Jodhpur? India has scores of hidden treasures. I was amazed to
learn about some of these eye-popping temples and monuments. I can’t
wait to visit...
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| Meenakshi Amman Temple |
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If you travel to the city of Madurai,
you can lay your eyes on the colorful Meenaksi Amman Temple. This
towered temple is a vast complex of ten gateway towers, guarding the
Hindu temple to the Goddess Parvati, and Shiva, her husband consort.
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| Jantar Mantar |
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This colorful complex is an astronomical observatory in New Deli, built by orders of the Mahajara Jai Singh II in the 18th century.
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| Root Bridges of Meghalaya |
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Surprisingly India is home to one of
the wettest places on earth. The Meghalayan jungle is a mountainous
subtropical forest with steady rain. The rivers are dangerous to cross
so the locals creatively used nature to form a root bridge.
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| Karni Mata Temple |
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Also known as the Temple of Rats,
this beautiful Hindu temple in Deshnoke is home to 20,000 black rats.
The rat infestation is encouraged by the locals as their presence is in
memory of the Karni Mata, a Hindu sage.
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| The Ajanta Caves |
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These cave monuments were hewn over
22 centuries ago. Historians speculate that about a millennium ago the
caves fell into disuse and a jungle sprung up around it. The monuments
were undisturbed until 1819 when a British officer stumbled upon the
caves while hunting tigers.
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| Haunted City of Bhangarh |
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This deserted city is said to be the
most haunted place in India and, for this reason, the gates are closed
to visitors after twilight. No-one knows why the city was abandoned, but
it features many exquisite temples dedicated to Hindu gods.
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May also interest you: |
| Leh Palace |
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This abandoned palace rests atop the
Himalayan city of Leh, and has been empty since its inhabitants were
exiled in the 19th century. This nine-story palace is modeled after the
Tibetan Polata Palace. The upper levels used to be home to the Namgyal
royal family and their courtiers while the lower floors were kept for
storage and army horses.
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Kumbhalgarh: The Great Wall of India
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Few people outside India know it is
home to the second largest continuous wall in the world. Some people
refer to the 36 kilometer (22.3 mi.) long wall as the Great Wall of India, but it is called after the fort it surrounds, Kumbhalgarh.
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| Blue City of Jodhpur |
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This fortress city in the Thar Desert
is a popular tourist destination with many forts, palaces and temples
to explore along with its majestic blue painted houses.
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Wednesday, 29 April 2015
The Incredible Sights of India
