|
|
||||
| |||||
|
National Monuments of India |
||
|
Taj Mahal building is constructed of semitranslucent white marble carved with flowers and inlaid with thousands of semiprecious stones. It was completed in 22 years and employed twenty thousand workers. It is a symbol of love. The Taj is considered a must visited before death by many.
The fort has two main entrances, the Delhi Gate and the Lahori Gate. It has the Diwan-e-am, where the king would grant audience to the public to listen to their problems. The other feature is the Diwan-e-Khas (khas means special) where the king would grant audience to important people. Besides this, it has the Rang Mahal, the water-cooled apartment for the royal ladies. In the basement of the fort is a market where several traditional Indian goods can be purchased at nominal rates. Another attraction is the Light and Sound show held in the evenings.
However, the Kutub which was built in Afghan style underwent repairing and remaking for more than occasions. Revolving steps of flights are 367 in number. At the root, the radius is being 14.40 m which gradually reduced at its top to 2.44 m. In Kupee language it has been inscribed on Kutub that- The Tower was erected to cast the shadow of God over both East and West. Aayaat from Quran is also inscribed. At the foot of the Minar, a Mosque was built in 1197.
The Charminar is a beautiful and impressive square monument, with each side measuring 20 m, and each of the edges having a pointed high minaret.The four graceful minarets literally meaning 'Four Minars', soar to a height of 48.7m each, above the ground. Each minaret has four storeys, each looking like a delicately carved ring around the minaret. Each of the four arches has a clock which were put up in 1889. The top floor of the four-storeyed structure has a mosque which has 45 covered prayer spaces and some open space to accommodate more people in Friday prayers. It was built with granite and lime-mortar. It is a blend of 'Cazia' and Islamic style of architecture. Charminar is often called as "The Arc de triomphe of the East" and it exudes a charm that is more than 400 years old. The Charminar looks spectacular particularly in the nights when it is illuminated.
Known for it's beehive like structure, the Hawa Mahal is an interplay of red and pink sand stone, enthusiastically outlined with white borders and motifs. The intricately carved facades of the Hawa Mahal are as ornate as the interiors. The five storeyed facade encrusted with elegant trellis work on windows and small balconies have 953 niches. A part of the Jaipur city palace complex, the Hawa Mahal with pierced windows was purposely made to allow the royal women to watch the activities and the ceremonial processions while seated behind the small windows, without themselves being seen.
At the top of the dome is a 16-foot-tall bronze statue of Victory mounted on ball bearings. Though not a true weathervane, it rotates when the wind is strong enough. To this day, the museum at the Victoria Memorial is the best in India.Some of the marble for the Victoria Memorial is from the same quarry as the stone for the Taj Mahal.
On the east, this monument faces the Lal Quila (Red Fort) and has three gateways, four towers and two minarets. The gateways in the north and south are led by a fleet of steps. The main eastern entrance remains closed on most days of the week and was perhaps used by the Emperors.The main prayer hall is used on most days by worshippers and is made up of high cusped arches and marble domes.
Each has a garbhagriha in which the Sivalinga is housed, and a small mandapa, the whole surrounded by a heavy outer wall with little space between for circulation. At the rear are two shrines facing opposite directions. The inner shrine of Ksatriyasimnesvara is reached from the ambulatory passage while the other, dedicated to Vishnu, faces the outside. The outer wall of the shrine to Vishnu and the inner side of the boundary wall are extensively sculptured." The Shore temple is not a living temple. It is speculated that this edifice was constructed essentially as a work of art rather than as a place of worship. The Shore temple is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India.
Related : Indian National Symbols, Map of India, Famous Indian Personality, Indian Patriotic Songs
|
 | |
 | ||
 | ||
The most
important and the renowned monument in India is the Monument of
Love -The Taj Mahal- made of white marble
signifying the eternal love between emperor Shahjahan and his beloved
Mumtaz Mahal. There is no other monument in the world that can match the
beauty and grandeur of Taj Mahal. 
The Red Fort is another marvel of
architecture and it could perhaps be singled out as yet another
monument, which should not escape the tourist's eyes. Known as lal qila
(lal means red and qila means fort), it is laid out along the river Yamuna
as an irregular octagon.
The 5 storeyed Qutub Minar is a remarkable instance of sculpture in
India. The 72.5 m high Victory Pillar stands as a victory stand of a
Muslim King Kutub-ud-din-Aibak in India. In 1199 Kutub-ud-Din started its
construction and it was completed in 1236 by Iltutmish, the son-in-law of
Kutub. However, there is a 2nd opinion. Some say, the construction came to
an end around 1357-68 during the reign of Feroz Sah Tughlak.
Charminar built
by Quli Qutub Shah, in 1591 is a splendid piece of architecture
standing in the heart of the Hyderabad city.The monument was built to
commemorate the eradication of plague. Legends tell that the emperor Quli
Qutb Shah prayed for the end of plague and took the vow to build a mosque
on that very place. He ordered the construction of the mosque which became
popular as Charminar because of its four characteristic minarets.
Jaipur's landmark
building, the Hawa Mahal or the Wind Palace is
a multi layered palace, built by Sawai Pratap Singh (grand son of Sawai
Jai Singh and son of Sawai Madhoo Singh) in 1799 AD. The Palace was
designed by Mr. Lal Chand Usta, a famous architect of the time.
The
Victoria Memorial, completed in 1921, sits on the banks of the
Hugli River in the Maidan, a large park in the city of Kolkata. The domed
marble structure was built to commemorate Queen Victoria, who ruled India
from 1876 to 1901. It was erected on orders of the Viceroy of British
India, Lord Curzon. 
Jama Masjid or the Jami Masjid was built by the
Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, between 1644 and 1658 and is the final
architectural piece built by him. Situated in the ancient town of Old
Delhi, this pride of the Mughals was built by five thousand artisans. The
mosque stands on Bho Jhala, which is one of the old Mughal capital cities
of Shahjahanbad. Originally called the Masjid-i-Jahanuma, or "mosque
commanding view of the world", this magnificent structure is the largest
and most exquisite mosque in India and is made up of alternate vertical
strips of red sandstone and white marble.
The Shore Temple of the Seven Pagodas at
Mahabalipuram dates from the 8th century AD. This five-storeyed Hindu
monument is a pyramidal structure 60 ft high and 50 ft square at the
base.The temple is perched on a rocky outcrop and presides over the
shoreline. The temple served as a landmark by day and a beacon by night.
It was designed to catch the first rays of the rising sun and to
illuminate the waters after dark. Thus the temple has an unusual
layout.