India is a diverse country. Its art, history, and culture date back to several thousand years BC. It has been through historical and cultural upheavels due to conquests and rebellions. For these reasons, suggesting a short list of attractions in India or things to do in India is a daunting task. The following is a list of monuments, temples, and buildings that have been identified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Make sure you visit at least one of these when in India. Any India tour is incomplete otherwise.

Agra Fort in Agra India Agra Fort an entry in Agra Things To Do
Agra Fort, a World Heritage Site, came into being in 1571. Located in the city of the marvelous Taj Mahal, Agra Fort is yet another assertion of Mughal prowess. The fort is characterized by magnificent towers, bastions, ramparts and majestic gateways that emphasize Emperor Akbar’s eminence and power during his reign. It is said that one of the battles during the rebellious Indian uprising of 1857 was staged in and around the fort site. It was ... more
Ajanta Caves in India Ajanta Caves an entry in Aurangabad Things To Do
The Ajanta caves are a series of historic rock cut caves located in a region about 100 km from the city of Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra. The caves are nestled in a horseshoe shaped ridge in a panoramic gorge in the Western Deccan. These spectacular caves are a rare specimen of Buddhist art and architecture spanning a glorious era over several centuries from 200 B.C. to 650 A.D, after which they slipped into oblivion and were discovered thousands ... more
Akshardham Temple an entry in Delhi Things To Do
The Swaminarayan Akshardham Delhi complex is a Monument to World Peace, and is nicknamed “India’s Spiritual Theme Park”. The temple complex was opened to the public on Nov 6th, 2005, and is claimed as one of the greatest Indian monuments ever constructed. It is one of the newest things to do in Delhi. The complex took about five years to complete, which is astonishing given its size and splendor… not to mention how long ... more
Sanchi Torana from an early 20th century photograph Buddhist Monuments near Sanchi an entry in Bhopal Things To Do
Sanchi is the best place to head for those seeking beauty, spirituality, history and romance all rolled in one. Situated forty-six kilometers from Bhopal in central India, it sits upon a hill, and is a mute witness to a glorious era of Buddhism in India spanning its efflorescence to its decadence. It houses the best example of Buddhist art and architecture anywhere in the world and attracts common pilgrims as well as art aficionados from the world ... more
Champaner Archeological Park. Champaner-Pavagadh Archeological Park an entry in Vadodara Things To Do
Located in the Western Indian state of Gujarat, the World Heritage site of Champaner-Pavagadh Archeological Park is a data sheet amassed in history within its ruins. This site situated forty seven kilometers northeast of Vadodara, is a grand historical confluence, displaying 1,200 years of history and culture. It is believed to bear testimony to the Indian Puranic ages, the Rajput saga, the glory of the reign of the Marathas, the Islamic influences ... more
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai India Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) an entry in Mumbai Things To Do
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) is a prominent landmark to the city of Mumbai in Western India. A historic railway station, the famous Victoria Terminus (VT) was rechristened Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and is the main link on the Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) suburban railway network. The Terminus is the junction that connects the westernmost end point of the Central Railway Network of India to the southern end point and to its branch, the Harbour ... more
Elephanta Caves in Mumbai India Elephanta Caves an entry in Mumbai Things To Do
Hewn out of solid rock face of the Gharapuri Island some eleven kilometers east of the Mumbai harbor are the Elephanta Caves, a magnificent specimen of rock cut architecture of ancient India. Originally called Gharapuri Caves, the Elephanta Caves are a Hindu cave temple complex, a legacy of the Konkan Muryas, Rashtrakuta Kings and the Gupta Dynasty. The Portuguese, who controlled the area from mid 16th to mid 17th century, named the island and the ... more
Ellora Caves an entry in Aurangabad Things To Do
One of the finest examples of rock cut architecture and amalgam of Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina styles is found in the Ellora caves, around thirty kilometers from Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra in India. Hewn out of solid basalt rock face is a complex of temples, shrines, monasteries, halls and galleries over a period of several centuries from 600 AD to 1000 AD. It is situated on the ancient North-South route of Dakshinapatha. The Ellora caves ... more
Fatepur Sikri near Agra an entry in Agra Things To Do
The royal fort city of Fatehpur Sikri is a historic town situated twenty-six miles west of Agra and was founded by the great Mughal emperor Akbar. It served as the capital of his mighty empire for twelve years (1571-1585) and was abruptly abandoned thereafter. Today it a grand and silent witness to that glorious era and a wondrous sight for tourists from world over. The story behind the founding of Fatehpur Sikri is subject to much conjecture. ... more
Goa Beaches an entry in Goa Things To Do
Goa, also popularly known as the “Riviera of the East”, is an awesome jewel box of golden sands, sparkling turquoise sea, and rich ancient architecture. Full of greenery and blessed with an amazing climate, Goa is a treat to the eyes and peace to a stressed body and soul. Goa has a long coast line of almost 60 miles along the Arabian Sea, and holds some of the most beautiful beaches in the world that are very popular things to do in Goa. ... more
Image for Goa Churches and Convents Goa Churches and Convents an entry in Goa Things To Do
The passage of Portuguese rule in Goa has earned this popular holiday retreat its name, ‘Rome of the East’. Despites images of sandy beaches and resorts, this Indian holiday destination, located in the western coast, exudes a somber mood in its history paying spiritual tribute to the innumerable shrines, cathedrals, convents and chapels around the city. The churches and chapels primarily date back to the 16th and 17th century AD when ... more
Humayun's Tomb an entry in Delhi Things To Do
The tomb of Humayun, the second in line of Mughal emperors to rule India is an amazing example of early Islamic architecture in India, which eventually culminated into the great Taj Mahal. Humayun’s Tomb is one of the most spectacular Mughal buildings in India and was deemed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in1993. The story of Humayun as Mughal emperor is filled with crests and troughs. Humayun inherited the Mughal throne when his father Babur ... more
Khajuraho Group of Monuments an entry in Khajuraho Things To Do
The Khajuraho temples were built during the reign of the Chandela dynasty over a period of one-hundred years from 950 to 1050. When the physical beauty of man and woman is carved in stone, sheer poetry is derived in the imagination, and nowhere is this exemplified more than in the Temples of Khajuraho in the state of Madhya Pradesh. A small, quiet village located six-hundred-and-twenty kilometers east of Delhi, Khajuraho used to be the glorious ... more
Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Bodh Gaya India an entry in Bodhgaya Things To Do
Mahabodhi, meaning Great Enlightenment, is a Buddhist temple located at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India. Situated near the river Niranjana, Bodh Gaya is where Lord Buddha attained his enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. Hence the area is a pilgrimage site for millions of Buddhist and Hindus who throng here through out the year. In 2002, UNESCO declared the Mahabodhi temple to be a World Heritage Site. The temple dates back to a shrine built by Emperor ... more
Monuments at Hampi an entry in Karnataka Things To Do
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state in India. It contains the ruins of the ancient city of Vijayanagara, one of the most glorious and prosperous citadels from the 3rd to the 6th century. It was the capital of the Vijayanagar Dynasty, the last of Hindu empires in India. Hampi was also the site of the Virupaksha temple, a center of religious activity in central India. The ruins of Hampi are now a World Heritage Site. Hampi is first mentioned ... more
Monuments at Mahabalipuram an entry in Chennai Things To Do
Mahabalipuram or Mamalapuram is a 7th century port city of the Pallava rulers of South India, around fifty-eight kilometers from Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. It was named after King Narasimhavarman I, or Mamalla as he was known, the greatest of the Pallava kings. Mahabalipuram has hundreds of ancient monuments built between the 7th and 9th centuries and is a World Heritage site. The monuments are mostly rock cut and monolithic, reflecting the ... more
Monuments at Pattadakal an entry in Karnataka Things To Do
Situated around five-hundred kilometers away from Bangalore and thirty kilometers from Badami in the southern state of Karnataka is Pattadakal, the ancient capital city of the Chalukya Dynasty. It houses some of the finest monuments, sculptures and buildings in South Indian history, and was deemed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. Pattadakal is a corruption of “pattada kisuvolal”, and means “stone of coronation”. It was the auspicious site ... more
Qutub Minar an entry in Delhi Things To Do
Towering over the landscape of the city of Delhi is the tallest brick minaret in the world – the Qutub Minar, meaning “Axis Minaret”. The Qutub Minar is unique product of Indo-Islamic architecture dating back to the 13th century. UNESCO now demarcates the Qutub complex as a World Heritage Site. Standing five stories and seventy-two-and-a-half meters high, the red and buff sandstone minaret has a long history attached to it. The construction began ... more
Rock Shelters of Bhimbhetka an entry in Madhya Pradesh Things To Do
Down the ages, men have liked to leave artistic impressions of their beliefs, thoughts, dreams, everyday life, and flora and fauna of their period. Prehistoric man was the trend setter with his beautiful, elegantly etched figures of humans, plants, and animals adorning their living places and a wonderful example of such art in India are the rock shelters of Bhimbhetka in Central India. Here rock paintings covering a vast spread of periods still exist, ... more
Taj Mahal at sunrise in Agra India Taj Mahal an entry in Agra Things To Do
A visit to India is incomplete without a glimpse of the eternal souvenir of love – the Taj Mahal. Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, North India, Agra spells out the ultimate reminder of love in its famed mausoleum, the Taj Mahal – an architectural wonder that marks the glory of the Mughal Empire as it was in the 16th and 17th century when the city was indeed the capital of Hindustan, now India. Former ... more
The Great Living Chola Temples an entry in Thanjavur Things To Do
The Great Living Chola Temples in Tamil Nadu in South India consist of the 11th century Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur, the 11th century Brihadisvara temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram, and the 12th century Airavateswara temple at Darasuram. These three temples are fine examples of the spectacular Dravidian art and architecture and the glorious reign of the Cholas in South India, and have been classified as World Heritage monuments by UNESCO. The ... more
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