Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's tomb (Maqbara e Humayun) is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in
Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief consort,
Empress Bega Begum (also known as Haji Begum), in 1569-70, and designed by Mirak
Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian architect chosen by her. It was the first garden-tomb on
the Indian subcontinent,[ and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, India, close to
the Dina-panah Citadel, also known as Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun founded in
1533. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was
declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993,[11] and since then has undergone
extensive restoration work, which is complete.[ Besides the main tomb enclosure of
Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main
entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty
years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's
court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.
The complex encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun, which houses the
graves of Bega Begum herself, Hamida Begum, and also Dara Shikoh, great-great-
grandson of Humayun and son of the later Emperor Shah Jahan, as well as numerous
other subsequent Mughals, including Emperor Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-
Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat, Muhammad Kam Bakhsh and Alamgir II.[15][16] It represented a
leap in Mughal architecture, and together with its accomplished Charbagh garden,
typical of Persian gardens, but never seen before in India, it set a precedent for
subsequent Mughal architecture. It is seen as a clear departure from the fairly modest
mausoleum of his father, the first Mughal Emperor, Babur, called Bagh-e
Babur (Gardens of Babur) in Kabul(Afghanistan). Though the latter was the first
Emperor to start the tradition of being buried in a paradise garden. Modelled on Gur-e
Amir, the tomb of his ancestor and Asia's conqueror Timur in Samarkand, it created a
precedent for future Mughal architecture of royal mausolea, which reached its zenith
with the Taj Mahal, at Agra.
The site was chosen on the banks of Yamuna river, due to its proximity to Nizamuddin
Dargah, the mausoleum of the celebrated Sufisaint of Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya, who
was much revered by the rulers of Delhi, and whose residence, Chilla Nizamuddin
Auliya lies just north-east of the tomb. In later Mughal history, the last Mughal
Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar took refuge here, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857,
along with three princes, and was captured by Captain Hodson before being exiled to
Rangoon. At the time of the Slave Dynasty this land was under the 'KiloKheri Fort' which
was capital of Sultan Kequbad, son of Nasiruddin (12681287).
The Tombs of Battashewala Complex lie in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of
the Humayun Tomb Complex; the two complexes are separated by a small road but
enclosed within their own separate compound walls.
 Agra Fort

Agra Fort is a historical fort in the city of Agra in India. It was the main residence of the
emperors of the Mughal Dynasty till 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra
to Delhi. The Agra fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is about 2.5 km northwest of
its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately
described as a walled city.

After the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, the victorious Babur stayed in the fort, in the
palace of Ibrahim Lodi. He later built a baoli(step well) in it. His successor, Humayun,
was crowned in the fort in 1530. He was defeated at Bilgram in 1540 by Sher Shah Suri.
The fort remained with the Suris till 1555, when Humayun recaptured it. Adil Shah Suri's
general, Hemu, recaptured Agra in 1556 and pursued its fleeing governor to Delhi
where he met the Mughals in the Battle of Tughlaqabad.

Realising the importance of its central situation, Akbar made it his capital and arrived in
Agra in 1558. His historian, Abul Fazl, recorded that this was a brick fort known as
'Badalgarh'. It was in a ruined condition and Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone from
Barauli area in Rajasthan. Architects laid the foundation and it was built with bricks in
the inner core with sandstone on external surfaces. Some 4,000 builders worked on it
daily for eight years, completing it in 1573.
It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, that the site took on its
current state. Shah Jahan built the beautiful Taj Mahal in the memory of his
wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan tended to have buildings made
from white marble. He destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort to make his
own.
At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was deposed and restrained by his son, Aurangzeb,
in the fort. It is rumoured that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a
marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.
The fort was invaded and captured by the Maratha Empire in the early 18th century.
Thereafter, it changed hands between the Marathas and their foes many times. After
their catastrophic defeat at Third Battle of Panipat by Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761,
Marathas remained out of the region for the next decade. Finally Mahadji Shinde took
the fort in 1785. It was lost by the Marathas to the British during the Second Anglo-
Maratha War, in 1803.

Diwan-i-Aam
 Sundarban National Park

The Sundarban National Park is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere
Reserve in West Bengal, India. It is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta, and
adjacent to the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh. The delta is densely covered
by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. It is also
home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water
crocodile. The present Sundarban National Park was declared as the core area of
Sundarban Tiger Reserve in 1973 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1977. On 4 May 1984 it
was declared a National Park. It is a UNESCO world heritage site inscripted in 1987It is
considered as a World Network of Biosphere Reserve (Man and Biosphere Reserve) in
2001.
The first Forest Management Division to have jurisdiction over the Sundarbans was
established in 1869. In 1875 a large portion of the mangrove forests was declared
as reserved forests under the Forest Act, 1865 (Act VIII of 1865). The remaining
portions of the forests were declared a reserve forest the following year and the forest,
which was so far administered by the civil administration district, was placed under the
control of the Forest Department. A Forest Division, which is the basic forest
management and administration unit, was created in 1879 with the headquarters
in Khulna, Bangladesh. The first management plan was written for the period 189398.
 Brihadeeswarar Temple

'Brihadeeswarar Temple (locally known as "Big temple") is a Hindu temple dedicated

to Lord Shiva located in Thanjavur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is also known
as RajaRajeswara Temple Rajarajeswaram and Peruvudayar Temple. It is one of the
largest temples in India and is an example of Dravidian architecture during the Chola
period. Built by Raja Raja Chola I and completed in 1010 CE, the temple turned 1000
years old. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great
Living Chola Temples", with the other two being the Brihadeeswarar Temple,
Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Airavatesvara temple.
The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century.
The vimanam (temple tower) is 198 ft (60 m) high and is one of the tallest in the world.
The Kumbam (the apex or the bulbous structure on the top) weighs around 80
tons.[4] There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock
measuring about 16 ft (4.9 m) long and 13 ft (4.0 m) high at the entrance. The entire
temple structure is made out of granite, the nearest sources of which are about 60 km to
the west of temple. The temple is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Tamil
Nadu
 Keoladeo National Park

Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park formerly known as

the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India is a
famous avifauna sanctuary that hosts thousands of birds, especially during the winter
season. Over 230 species of birds are known to be resident. It is also a major tourist
centre with scores of ornithologists arriving here in the hibernal season. It was declared
a protected sanctuary in 1971. It is also a World Heritage Site.
Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a man-made and man-managed wetland and one of
the national parks of India. The reserve protects Bharatpur from frequent floods,
provides grazing grounds for village cattle, and earlier was primarily used as a waterfowl
hunting ground. The 29 km2 (11 sq mi) reserve is locally known as Ghana, and is a
mosaic of dry grasslands, woodlands, woodland swamps and wetlands. These diverse
habitats are home to 366 bird species, 379 floral species, 50 species of fish, 13 species
of snakes, 5 species of lizards, 7 amphibian species, 7 turtle species, and a variety of
other invertebrates.[4] Every year thousands of migratory waterfowl visit the park for
wintering and breeding. The sanctuary is one of the richest bird areas in the world and
is known for nesting of resident birds and visiting migratory birds including water birds.
The rare Siberian cranes used to winter in this park but this central population is now
extinct. According to founder of the World Wildlife Fund Peter Scott, Keoladeo National
Park is one of the worlds best bird areas. Along with the Loktak Lake of Manipur,
Keoladeo National Park is placed on the Montreux Record under the Ramsar
Convention.
The sanctuary was created 250 years ago and is named after a Keoladeo (Shiva)
temple within its boundaries. Initially, it was a natural depression; and was flooded after
the Ajan Bund was constructed by Maharaja Suraj Mal, then the ruler of the princely
state of Bharatpur, between 17261763. The bund was created at the confluence of two
rivers, the Gambhir and Banganga. The park was a hunting ground for the maharajas of
Bharatpur, a tradition dating back to 1850, and duck shoots were organised yearly in
honor of the British viceroys. In one shoot alone in 1938, over 4,273 birds such
as mallards and teals were killed by Lord Linlithgow, the then Governor-General of
India.[citation needed]
The park was established as a national park on 10 March 1982. Previously the private
duck shooting preserve of the Maharaja of Bharatpur since the 1850s, the area was
designated as a bird sanctuary on 13 March 1976 and a Ramsar site under the Wetland
Convention in October 1981.[5] The last big shoot was held in 1964 but the Maharajah
retained shooting rights until 1972. In 1985, the Park was declared a World Heritage
Site under the world Heritage Convention. It is a reserve forest under the Rajasthan
Forest Act, 1953 and therefore, is the property of the State of Rajasthan of the Indian
Union. In 1982, grazing was banned in the park, leading to violent clashes between
local farmers and the government. A view of Keoladeo National Park
 Basilica of Bom Jesus

The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika (Portuguese: Baslica do Bom Jesus)
is located in Goa, India, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basilica holds the mortal
remains of St. Francis Xavier. The church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in
the early days of Portuguese rules.
'Bom Jesus' (literally, 'Good (or Holy) Jesus') is the name used for the Ecce Homo in the
countries of Portuguese colonization. The Jesuit church is Indias first minor basilica, and is
considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.
The church also holds paintings of scenes taken from the life of St. Francis Xavier. The
mausoleum, on the top of which is placed the silver casket with the body of St. Francis Xavier
(1696), was the gift of the last of the Medicis, Cosimo III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany.
The Basilica of Bom Jesus is more than 408 years old and is open to the public every day. The
body of St. Francis Xavier is in a well-decorated casket, which can be seen in the photographs
below. Solemn exhibitions of the 'body' are held every ten years. Some photos taken inside the
church are attached for better understanding of the art work of that time. These art works are
called "murals"
 Gangaikonda Cholapuram

Gangaikonda Cholapuram was built during medieval India and was erected as the
capital of the Cholas by Rajendra Chola I, the son and successor of Rajaraja Chola, the
great Chola who conquered a large area in South India, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Sumatra, Kadaram (Kedah in Malaysia), Cambodia and others at
the beginning of the 11th century A.D. It occupies an important place in the history of
India. As the capital of the Cholas from about 1025 A.D. for about 250 years, the city
controlled the affairs of entire southern India, from the Tungabhadra in the north
to Ceylon in the south and other south east Asian countries. As of 2014, the ancient city
exists as a small forlorn village in the Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu, India. The great
temple of Brihadeeswarar Temple at this place is next only to the Brihadisvara
temple at Thanjavur in its monumental nature and surpasses it in sculptural quality.
The city was founded by Rajendra Chola to commemorate his victory over the Pala
Dynasty. The name means The town of the chola who took over Ganga (water from
Ganga) or who defeated (the kings near) Ganga. It is now a small village, its past
eminence only remembered by the existence of the great Siva Temple.
Rajendra Chola-I (10121044 A.D) son of the Great Rajaraja-I, established this temple
after his great victorious march to river Ganges on Northern India. He assumed the title
of Rajendra during his coronation and continued to rule along with his father Rajaraja-I
for a while. He was awarded the supreme title of the Cholas known as Parakesari.
His empire included the whole of southern India to the river Thungabadhra in the north.
For administrative and strategic purposes he built another capital and named it
Gangaikondacholapuram. The Gangaikondacholapuram temple he constructed consists
of 3 stories and was surrounded by a huge fort-like wall, the outer wall largely destroyed
during the English rule (1896) to reuse the building material (granite rocks) for
constructing the Lower Anicut the dam built across river Kollidam. He built around 10
temples at various places.

Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple Entrance

 Sanchi

Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi
Town in Raisen District of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is 46 kilometres (29 mi)
north-east of Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh. The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of
the oldest stone structure in Indiaand was originally commissioned by the
emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick
structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by the chatra, a parasol-like
structure symbolising high rank, which was intended to honour and shelter the relics.
The original construction work of this stupa was overseen by Ashoka, whose wife Devi
was the daughter of a merchant of nearby Vidisha. Sanchi was also her birthplace as
well as the venue of her and Ashoka's wedding. In the 1st century BCE, four elaborately
carved toranas (ornamental gateways) and a balustrade encircling the entire structure
were added. The sanchi stupa built during Mauryan period was made of bricks. The
complex flourished until the 11th century.
Sanchi is the center of a region with a number of stupas including Satdhara (17 km from
Sanchi, 40 stupas, the Relics of Sariputra and Mahamoggallana, now enshrined in the
new Vihara, were unearthed there), Morel Khurd (on a fortified hilltop with 60 stupas),
Andher (17 km NE of Vidisha), Mawas, Sonari etc. all within a few miles of Sanchi.
Sachin to Vidisha

Shunga balustrade and staircase, Great Stupa 1.