INDIA'S HERITAGE MONUMENTS

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Hawa Mahal, Jaipur : It is a multi layered palace built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. The palace is famous for its beehive like structure, the Mahal is an interplay of red and pink sandstone, carefully and painstakingly outlined with white borders and motifs. 'The palace of winds' is a fantasia of 953 ornate windows set in a rose coloured five storied facade. The palace is tier upon tier of curved arch surmounting fairy casements with 'jali' (lattice work) that screened the ladies from common people. From here the ladies of the court could look out at festive processions without jeopardising their modest seclusion.

Jantar Mantar Observatory and City palace are nearby. Jantar Mantar is a famous observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh which best reflects the passion of its founder for astronomy and his scientific genius. In the city palace is housed a rich and rare collection of ornaments, arms, royal costumes, carpets and decorative objects.

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Humayun's tomb, Delhi : Built by Humayun's senior widow Bega Begum, nine years after his death in 1565. It is a garden tomb with high arches and a double dome. Two lofty double storeyed gateways, one on the west and the other on the east leads to the monument. A baradari (pavilion) occupies the center of the eastern wall of the enclosure and a bath chamber that of the northern wall. Several rulers of the Mughal dynasty lie buried in the mausoleum, though it is not possible to identify their graves. The last Mughal emperor of Delhi had taken shelter in this tomb with the three princes during the mutiny and was captured here in 1857 by Lieutenanat Hodson.

Not far from here are Purana Qila and Nizamuddin Aulia's Dargah. The dargah lies opposite to the Mausoleum. It is the shrine of the Nizamuddin Chisthi, a fourth in the line of Chisthi saints. It is a Muslim pilgrim centre.

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India Gate, New Delhi : The 42 m high gateway in the middle of a crossraod commemorates the 70 000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British army during the first world war and bears the names of more than 13 516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the north western frontier in the Afghan war of 1919.

The foundation stone was laid by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Connaught, in 1921 and was designed by Edwin Lutyens. Another memorial, Amar Jawan Jyoti was added much later after India got its independence. It is in the form of a flame that burns day and night under the arch to remind the nation of the soldiers who laid down their lives in the Indo - Pakistan war in 1971. The entire arch stands on a low base of red Bharatpur stone.

Opposite to the Inida Gate, at the other end of Raj Path, stands the magnificent residence of the President of India on Raisina hill. The palace like spacious building was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1929.

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Jahaz Mahal or the Ship palace was built at Mandu in Madhya Pradesh by Sultan Ghias ud din Khilji to maintain his large harem, a place where the ladies of the rulers lived. This palace is 120 m long and 15 m wide and is in the shape of a ship, located between Munj Talao and Kapur Talao (pond).

Jahaz Mahal is a double storeyed structure with domes and turrets. The balconies hanging over the water and the open terraced appear as a royal pleasure craft. The hidden motive of building this palace might have been to carve out a pleasure ship from stone. Another beautiful palace with sloping side walls in the same enclave - Hindola Mahal or the swinging palace - is worth a visit.

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Jantar Mantar, one of the several observatories raised by Maharaja Jai Singh II of jaipur, is a unique structure raised in 1724 in the heart of Delhi's comercioal centre near Connaught place. The various abstract structures within are, in fact, instruments that were used for keeping track of celestial bodies. The monument is dominat3ed by a huge sundial known as Samrat Yantra or 'Prince of Dials', meant to measure acurate time of the day. The two pillars on the south west of Mishra Yantra are meant to dermine the shortest and longest days of the year. Interestingly, in December one pillar completely covers the other with its shadow while in June it does not cast any such shadow at all.

After completion of the first Jantar Mantar and with a view to verifying astronomical observations made at Delhi, Jai Singh built similar observatories at other important cities like Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. ai Singh himself was a noted scholar of mathematics and astronomy.

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Junagadh fort, Bikaner : Raja Rai Singh, one of the most trusted Generals of Akbar, constructed Junagadh fort at Bikaner in 1587. One of the finest of Rajput monuments, the fort has a 986 m long wall with 37 bastions and two entrances. The palaces with in the fort are on the southern side and make a picturesque ensemble of courtyards, balconies, towers and windows.

Junagadh is one of the few forts in India, which has been never been conquered, though it was often attacked. Thirty seven palces, pavilions and temples built by various kings stand protected by massive ramparts and round towers. The Suraj Pol or the Sun gate is the main gateway. Anoop Mahal or the Unique palace and the Rang Mahal or the palace of colours have slender massive coloumns, cusped arches and delicate stone screens. Chandra Mahal or the Moon palace and Phool Mahal or the Flower palace are distingushed by their fascinating mirror work, carvings and paintings.

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Mehrangarh fort, Jodhpur : It is a majestic fort (of 1806) with three gates, each built to commemorate a particular victory as well as to reinforce the fort. Carved panels and porches, elaborately adorned walls and windows of Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Sileh Khana and Daulat Khana seem to make the medieval magnificence come alive. The
palaces in the fort have their own peculiar style, with narrow staircases, serving as the only means to access to the royal residences within.

A collection of musical instruments, palanquins, furniture and cannons on the fort's ramparts are perserved. Mehrangarh appears impenetrable with its battlements soaring 123 m above a hill that rises sharply from the surrounding countryside. Mehrangarh has its own architectural appeal such as brilliant stained glass that creates vibrant mosaics on the floors, with the passage of the sun through the day. A serpentine road leads up to the entrance of the fort which then passes through six more gates. Close to the Raj Mahal, on the banks of the Gulab sagar, stand the Kunj Behari and Chamunda temples. Chamunda, the goddess Kali, is the presiding deity of the royal house of Jodhpur.

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Mysore palace is a treasure house of exqusite carvings and works of art from all over the world. It is built in Indo - Saracenic style with domes, turrets, arches and colonnades. The tastefully decorated and intricately carved doors open into luxuriously decorated rooms. Tha palace has been now converted into a museum, which treasures the paintings, jewellery, roayal costumes and other items once possessed by the Wodeyar kings.

The palace is said to display the largest collection of gold iems. The Durbar hall of the palace has an ornate ceiling and many sculpted pillars, which are said to have been painted with gold. The walls of the palace are covered with pictures of Dussehra processions and these paintings are done in such a manner that from any angle you can see the procession.
This palace complex, is one of the biggest of its kind in India, is a marvel in construction and ornamentation. Only the four segments of the complex are open to the public. They include Gombi Totti, Kalyan Mandap, Durbar hall and Amba Vilas. On festive occasions the palace is illuminated and then it is transformed into a veritable fairy land.

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Qutb Minar, Delhi : The 13 th century red sandstone tower of Qutb Minar is 72.5 m high, tapering from 2.75 m in diameter at its peak to 14.32 m at its base. The founde of the slave dynasty, Qutb ud din Aibak started the construction of this huge tower but unfortunately didnot live to complete it. The sultan's successor and son in law, Altmash, complete it.

The surrounding archelogical area contains funeral buildings, notably the magnificent Alai Darwaza, the masterpiece of Indo - Muslim art built in 1311, and two mosques including, Quwwat ul Islam, the oldest in Northern India. The tower has striking carvings and is inscribed with verses from the Holy Koran. Qutb Minar is still the highest stone tower in India and is the recognised landmark of Delhi. Aibak began building this mosque in 1192 and was completed in 1198 by using the stones of the 27 Hindu and Jain temples demolished here.

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Sri Virupaksha temple, Hampi : Hampi is a world heritage centre by UNESCO. The ruined temple city has this temple dedicated to Shiva, known here as Virupaksha. The Tungabhadra river is known as the Pambanadi. The Pambapati temple is located north of Hemkuta hill. The temple is in a long rectangular enclosure with a 50 m high gateway. The
main entrance to the temple is a nine storeyed 52 m high made with brick. The Pampapati and Vitthala temples are two architectural wonders which testify the glory of the Vijayanagar empire founded by Harihatra and Bukka in 136 which reached its zenith under he reign of Krishnadeva Raya. Hampi is near Hospet, which is on the Guntakkal - Gadag road,
in Karnataka.

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Tawang monastery, Arunachal Pradesh : The 400 year old world renowned Buddhist monastery (1643) was founded by a monk Mera Lama, a contemporary of the fifth Dalai Lama. It has modern sloped houses, a thriving bazaar, satellite communication and other amenities of modern life. It is one of the biggest Mahayana monasteries at 2760 m surrounded on all sides by towering mountains. The fortified monastery spread over 140 sq m having a 5.5 m high gilded statue of Buddha.

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St Aloysius Chapel, Mangalore : Located near Nehru Maidan bus stand, the Chapel is a must see architectural gem for anybody visiting Mangalore. The church built in 1899 - 1900 and the walls are covered with paintings of Anthony Moscheni of Italy. The church has wonderful series of paintings which cover every inch of the interior roof and walls. A series of the upper arches depict saints of the church while the lower arches depict Jesuit saints.

St Aloysius was born near Brescia, Italy. He was canonised in 1726, and is the Italian saint of the youth. His feast day is on June 21.

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The most impressive structure in Bhopal is the Taj-ul-Masjid, one of the largest and most elegant mosques in India. Work on the mosque was commenced during the reign of Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal, who ruled from 1868 to 1901.

Taj-ul-Masjid literally translates as 'The Crown of Mosques', and the construction of the monument was characterised by sporadic bursts of activity alternating with spans of inactivity during the reigns of successive Begums. However, the monument was never completed due to lack of money, and after a long lay-off, construction was resumed in 1971. The building really presents a spectacular sight and is worth taking a bow to. It's pink facade is topped by two huge white-domed minarets pointing upwards to the heavens, as if seeking its blessings. The monument also has three huge bulbous domes, an impressive main hallway with attractive pillars, marble flooring and a spacious courtyard. The mosque is one of the most important landmarks in the city of Bhopal, and is multi-purpose as it is used as a madarsa (Islamic religious school) during the day.

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Red Fort (Lal Qila), Delhi, India

The sandstone walls of the Red Fort (Indian Rs 11/ foreigner US $2, Monday closed) extend for 2 km and vary in height from 18 m on the river side to 33 m on the city side. Shah Jahan began construcion of the massive fort in 1638 and it was completed in 1648. Shah Jahan never completely moved his capital from Agra to his new ciy of Shahjahanabad in Delhi because he was deposed and imprisoned in Agra fort by his son Aurangazeb.

The Red fort dates from the very peak of Mughal power. The Mughal reign from Delhi was short one, however; Aurangazeb was the first and the last great Mughal emperor to rule from here. Tickets to the fort are available at the main entrance of the fort - Lahore gate. The fort has Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audiences), Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences), Khas Mahal, Rang Mahal, Royal baths, Shahi Buruj, Moti Masjid and gardens.

The nearby attractions are Jama Masjid, Chandini Chowk, Digambara Jain temple, Fatehpuri masjid, Sunehri masjid and Raj Ghat.

Delhi Metro operates from Barwala to Shahdara. A second line is operational from Delhi University to the ISBT and to the Central secretariat. The work is expected to be completing by 2010. Tickets are available at Metro stations, more info visit www.delhimetrorail.com

Cycle rickshaws are best way of short distance cheap travel in the city.