Category: Historical
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Early morning trip to the Sarnath archaeological site
Sarnath is an excavated ruin where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment under the Mahabodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. Sarnath is situated 10 km from Varanasi and its archeological museum houses the original Ashokan pillar, the national emblem of India.
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Prayagraj – History lessons and a spiritual dip at the Sangam
Prayagraj, earlier known as Allahabad is a town in north India situated at the confluence of there revered rivers of Hinduism – the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati.
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7 postcards from the ruins of irresistible Hampi
Hampi, located on the banks of River Tungabhadra was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1343 to 1565. Today all that glory lies in ruins and Hampi is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I present 7 postcards from these irresistible ruins:
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Exploring Fatehpur Sikri, the abandoned fort of Akbar the Great
Fatehpur Sikri is a desolate fort complex, originally built to serve as the residence and seat of power of the great Mughal emperor Akbar.
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Humayun Tomb: The first garden tomb of India
Humayun’s Tomb is the mausoleum of Mughal emperor Humayun and has the distinction of being the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. Strongly influenced by Persian architecture, Humayun’s Tomb is a stunning combination of red sandstone and white marble in harmonizing symmetry and scale. The site served as inspiration for later Mughal monuments, including the…
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Roaming amidst the Champaner ruins – a day full of struggles
Champaner is an abandoned city that was established in the 8th century during the reign of the Chavda dynasty. The city has been repeatedly plundered and is now obliterated. The historical ruins were accorded UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
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Walking through Ahmedabad, India’s 1st UNESCO World Heritage City
It had been two months in Ahmedabad, and I had been travelling extensively across Gujarat in these two months but somehow kept postponing my plans to explore Ahmedabad itself. In these 2 months apart from malls and restaurants, the only other place I had been is the Sabarmati Ashram. Ahmedabad is the first UNESCO World Heritage…
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Sabarmati Ashram – Where MK Gandhi became Mahatma Gandhi
Sabarmati Ashram was the residence of Mahatma Gandhi who stayed here along with his wife for 12 years. It is from this place that the Gandhiji started his famous Dandi march on 12 March 1930 to break the atrocious salt law imposed by the British. In the story of our independence, there are very few places…
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The ancient group of monuments at Mamallapuram
Mamallapuram, earlier known as Mahabalipuram, is an ancient coastal town about 60 km off Chennai along the Coromandel coast. Mahabalipuram is famous for its group of monuments and features in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. The monuments were built during the Pallava dynasty around the 7th and 8th century.
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The Excavation site of ancient Nalanda University
In India lotus is often associated with knowledge and the word Nalanda translates to “Giver of Lotus stalks“. At its prime Nalanda University was one of the best centres of excellence and attracted students from as far as China, Mongolia and Persia. Nalanda University was established in 5th century by the Gupta dynasty rulers with subsequent…
Jolly Miles 