Category: Places of Interest in India

The Gateway of India in the days when most visitors came to India by ship and when Bombay was India's most important harbor, this was certainly the 'gateway' to India. Today it's only Bombay's principal familiar sight. The gateway was conceived  following the visit of King George in 1911 and officially opened in 1924.

The emblem of Delhi, the 72.55 meter high Qutab Minar was erected in the 13th century by Qutab-Ud-Din Aibak. The monument tapers from a 15-meter diameter base to just 2½ metres at the top. Beautiful calligraphy adorns the adjacent edifices. The tower has five distinct stories, each marked by a projecting balcony. The first three stories are made of red sandstone, the fourth and fifth of marble and sandstone

The Taj Mahal, arguably the most attractive mausoleum in the globe is a symbol of immortal love. Built by the 5th Mughal emperor Shahjahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, this monument in white marble is also said to be a noble tribute to the grace of Indian womanhood. The beauty and grandeur that the Taj possesses could hardly be surpassed by any other monument in the world. The Taj is also said to be one of the largest and most expensive mausoleum built by any man on earth. Reaching the TajAir : Agra is easily accessible by air from all major destinations of India. Rail : Express train services connect Agra to many destinations of India. India's premier luxury train The Palace on Wheels also covers Agra. Road : Deluxe bus services are available to Agra from many destinations of northern India. Agra is situated at a distance of 203 kms from national capital Delhi. HistoryIt is widely believed that the name 'Taj Mahal' is an abbreviated version of Mumtaz Mahal's name. Just before her death in the year 1630, Mumtaz Mahal had wished before Shahjahan that he build such a tomb in her memory that the world had never seen before. . The construction of Taj Mahal began in 1631 A.D and completed in1648 AD. It is estimated that twenty thousand workmen toiled day and night for full 17 years to complete this magnificent monument. According to the inscriptions found in the Taj, Amanat Khan Shirazi was the calligrapher while Ustad Ahmad Lahauri was the designer of this great monument. ArhitectureThe Taj Mahal is a massive complex consisting of a main gateway, an elaborately laid beautiful garden, a mosque and a prayer house, outer enclosures and the enclosing walls. The main monument covers an area of

The Victoria Memorial, with its formal gardens and water courses was conceived by Lord Curzon to commemorate the British Empire at its peak.The Memorial consists of numerous hybrid features: it has Italian-style statues over its entrances, Mughal domes in its corners and tall elegant open colonnades along its sides. The building was designed by Sir William Emerson and its construction was completed in 1921. The main attraction at the memorial is the huge sombre statue of the Queen, which is flanked by two ornamental tanks. Made of Makrana marble from Jodhpur, the Memorial is capped by a dome bearing a revolving bronze figurine symbolizing victory.

The Hawa Mahal built in 1799, the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds, is one of the major landmarks of Jaipur. . It was in the beginning built to enable ladies of the royal household, to fob watch the everyday life and processions of the city. This five storey building, which looks out over the main street of the old city, is a stunning example of Rajput artistry, with its pink semi octagonal and delicately honeycombed sandstone windows The palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, and is part of the City Palace complex.

The largest of Old Delhi's monuments is Lal Quila or Red Fort. The Lal Quila rises above a wide dry moat in the northeast corner of the original city of Shahjahanabad. Mughal Emperor Shahjahan started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and work was completed in 1648.The Fort houses the Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences where the Emperor would sit and hear complaints of the common folks. His alcove in the wall was marble-paneled and was set with precious stones. The Diwan-i-Khas is the hall of private audiences. This hall is made of marble and its centre-piece used to be the Peacock Throne. The largest of Old Delhi's monuments is Lal Quila or Red Fort whose thick red sandstone walls, bulging with turrets and bastions, have withstood the vagaries of time and nature. The Lal Quila rises above a wide dry moat in the northeast corner of the original city of Shahjahanabad. Its walls extend from two kilometers and vary in height from 18 metres on the river side to 33 metres on the city side. Mughal Emperor Shahjahan started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and work was completed in 1648. The fort contains all the expected trappings of the centre of Mughal government: halls of public and private audience, domed and arched marble palaces, plush private apartments, a mosque and elaborately designed gardens. Even today, the fort remains an impressive testimony to Mughal grandeur, despite being attacked by the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739 and by the British soldiers during the war of independence in 1857. Entrance to the fort is through the imposing Lahore Gate, which takes its name from the fact that it faces Lahore, now in Pakistan. This gate has a special significance for India since the first war of

The high red sandstone ramparts of this great monument stretch for almost 2.5 kilometres, dominating a bend in the river Yamuna, northwest of the Taj Mahal. The curved bastions of the huge walls are interrupted by impressive gates of which only the Amar Singh gate is now open to the public. The foundation of this majestic citadel was laid by the Emperor Akbarand it developed as a stronghold of the Mughal Empire under successive generations. The original and grandest entrance was through the Delhi Gate, which leads to the inner portal called the Hathi Pol or Elephant Gate. The curved bastions of the huge walls are interrupted by impressive gates of which only the Amar Singh gate is now open to the public. The original and grandest entrance was through the Delhi Gate, which leads to the inner portal called the Hathi Pol or Elephant Gate. The graceful Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences, made of red sandstone, was constructed by Shahjahan in 1628. Three rows of white polished stucco pillars topped by peacock arches support the flat roof. Today, this Hall is bereft of brocade decorations, silk carpets and satin canopies which would have enhanced the elegance of the settings when the Emperor sat down with his subjects to hear their complaints. The Agra Fort houses the Royal Pavilions, which were designed to catch the cool breeze wafting across the river. Other attractions comprise the Macchi Bhawan or the Fish Palace, the Hammam-i-Shahi or the Royal Bath, the Nagina Masjid or the Gem Mosque, and the Zenana Meena Bazaar, where the ladies of the court would browse through goods like silk, jewellery and brocade. Past the Chitor gate, installed in 1568, is the Diwan-i-Khas, or the Hall of Private Audience. Here, the emperor would receive kings, dignitaries and

Mormugao Harbour: It is 34 Kms. from Panaji and 4 Kms. from Vasco-da-Gama. It is one of the fine natural anchorages on the West coast of India and the hub of intense maritime activity. Panaji: The capital of Goa and headquarters of North Goa District, a small a charming city on the left bank of silvery Mandovi River, with beautiful red-roofed houses, built in Latin style, also boasts of many modern houses, well laid garden, statues and avenue's lined with Gulmohar, Acassia and other trees. It was a small fishing village with lots of coconut trees, creeks and fields. For centuries it remained so and was a neglected ward of Taleigao village with the only massive structure, the Adil Shah Fort by the Mandovi river. in 1632 the then Viceroy, Count de Linhares, Dom Miguel de Noronha built the 3.2km causeway linking Panjim with Ribandar village. It exists even today and is known as the "Pointe de Linhares" and at the time it was constructed, was the longest bridge in existence. Around this time, against the backdrop of the decline of Old Goa, the idea of Panjim becoming the Capital of Goa slowly gained momentum. On December 1 1759, the then Viceroy, Dom Manuel de Saldanha de Albuquerque, Count of Ega, shifted his residence from Panelim (near Old Goa) to Panjim. He moved to the newly re-modeled Adil Shah Fort, since known as "Idalcao's Palace" . The "Father of Panjim" is a title that is said to belong to the Viceroy, Dom Manuel de Castro de Portugal ( 1826-1835 ). HOW TO GET THERERail: Mapusa is the pass through point for all buses travelling to and from Goa to Mumbai, Pune and a number of other destinations. So the bus stand near the main square at the entrance to the