Indian historical monuments are world famous for its thousand years of old history, which are the evidence to prove how beautiful was the era of that time in India. Ancient heritage places like Temples, Mosques, Forts, Palaces, Caves, Minarets, and some famous old historical sites make India the best historical place to visit in the world. However, if you try to pick only 10 best historical monuments in India of all time, it becomes a really tough task.

So here in the post I’ve decided to list down the detailed info about the most beautiful historical sites of India. And I believe this blog  will surely help you out to know about the uniqueness of these best historical places. Let’s go-

Best Historical Monuments of India

1. Taj Mahal, Agra

The gorgeous interior and exterior decoration of this UNESCO World Heritage site is well surrounded by the beautiful garden, lawn, an antique pond, and a dazzling main entrance. These all awesome uniqueness of Taj attracts huge crowd from all over the World to capture some lifetime unforgettable memories. Generally it can be visited anyday except Friday, but entry fee is different for Indian and overseas travelers.

So if you haven’t visited Taj Mahal yet, my recommendation is go there before any of close friends, and post your selfie with Taj on your Facebook wall…    

2. Gateway of India, Mumbai

Located at the entrance of Mumbai City, Gateway of India is some of the best historical places to visit in Mumbai. You may have seen this place various times in some Bollywood movies. But do you know why and who built this historical monument? Let me elaborate..!

Built in 1924, this historical site was founded in 1911 to welcome the visit of Queen Mary and King George V to Bombay. This 26 meter higher gorgeous architecture was designed by famous Architect ‘George Wittet’ who also designed some other popular monuments in Mumbai e.g. Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay Docks, King Edward Memorial Hospital etc.

These days, Gateway of India is famous among local and tourists as gathering & majestic nightout place.  And also as an ideal spot for rest & entertainment from days very tiring work schedules.

So if you’re searching any historical monument and modern environmental place in Mumbai; Gateway of India is just for you. It is also a perfect destination for photography and boat trip to Elephanta caves.

3. Qutub Minar, Delhi

I can bet here every Indian is well aware with this outstanding structural minaret. And no doubt it is one of the most famous historical places in India. Qutub Minar is some of oldest and finest historical monument in India which was built by Mughals very earlier in 1193. More than 800 years has been passed, but this 73-meter higher minaret has constantly held its value with the passage of time. And now it is the most visiting place in Delhi compared to any other historical sites. Some newspapers also claim Qutub Minar receives highest number of tourists compared to any other historical place in India including Taj Mahal. It is really unbelievable!

The reason of the higher popularity is its spectacular design. The minaret tilts over 60 cm. from the vertical edge, which looks glorious from a distance. In few words you can say, this is the masterpiece of architecture and truly a wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site!!

4. Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Hawa Mahal is one of the most beautiful historical buildings in India, and the symbol of glorious Rajputana history of Rajasthan. Well known as the ‘Palace of Winds’, this magical site has been designed in the shape of the crown of Lord Krishna. It is the only historical place in India which holds more than 950 windows in five floor structure. In fact, Hawa Mahal was especially designed and constructed for the ladies of royal family so that they can watch city’s lifestyle and parade in the street without being seen.

However, I can tell you all about attractiveness, importance, and its hidden treasure like other travel blogs, but my recommendation is go yourself to explore more. There is lot of historical places to see in Jaipur apart from Hawa Mahal. So plan a historical trip to Jaipur, and visit these historical monuments if you haven’t visited historical State of India yet.

5. Ajanta & Ellora, Aurangabad

No doubt the caves of Ajanta & Ellora are the most beautiful historical monuments of India. According to the facts/source of Archaeological department of India & Wikipedia- Ajanta and Ellora was structured, respectively, between the 6th and 11th centuries AD, and the 2nd century BC and 6th century AD. And the greatest thing which makes these caves extraordinary is that, all the monuments were crafted on stones & walls with only mortise chisel and hammers! This is absolutely the most incredible composition of Ajanta-Ellora historical sites.

29 finest Caves of Ajanta are the highest surviving examples of Indian art which contains the best painting & sculpture of Buddha and depictions of the Jataka tales. You can notice there Buddhism is the main center of attraction among the masterpieces of Buddhist religious art.

In lieu of Ajanta Caves, the historical caves at Ellora are the symbol of Indian rock-cut extraordinary architecture which holds the oldest caves of Buddhist, Jain, and some temples of Hindu religion (The Vishwakarma, The Kailasanatha (Lord Shiva)).

P.S. The very detailed information on this topic is available on other online resources, as I also never got a chance to visit there. So it is all what I could share with you. Don’t ignore these historical sites if you’re planning a historical trip in Maharashtra. These sites are incredibility worth to visit!

6. Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

Built very early between 1906 and 1921 in the memory of Queen Victoria, Victoria Memorial is some of the top visited tourist destinations as well as the most beautiful historical sites in Kolkata. This heritage site holds the beautiful collection of centenarian old craft and all the personal amenities of Queen Victoria, which now days act as one of the best museums in India.

However, the Indo-Saracenic revivalist styling structure is the center of attraction of this historical place, but the 64 acres wide garden and the royal collection of paintings, weapons, maps, textiles, and sculptors get more attention & value by Indian as well as foreigners.

Key Points:

Museum Timing: Between 10 AM to 5 PM (10 INR/- for Indians, 150 INR/- for Foreigners)/ Closed on Monday & Holidays

Garden Timing: 6 AM to 6 PM (No Fee  )

7. Khajuraho Temples, Madhya Pradesh

Located in Madhya Pradesh, Monuments of Khajuraho hold the most famous and ancient heritage temples of Hindu and Jain religion in India. As per some historical notes Temples of Khajuraho were formed during the Chandella period between 950 and 1050 AD. These groups of ancient temple are the India’s best historical medieval monuments. The temples at Khajuraho are spread over 6 kilometers, which is symbolized by different-different themes of ancient stone art through finest figure.

However, temples of Shiva, Vishnu, Laxmi, Surya, and Varah are the main magnetism of this heritage, but apart from these religious monuments Khajuraho temples also reveal a diversity of erotic art work throughout the temples. Some monuments show the sensual practices with amazing themes and pose which characterize the history of Indian Kamasutra.

So if you’re shying to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Khajuraho just because of the intimate monuments, come on.. It isn’t what you think! 🙂

These are just thousand years old statues which glimpse you the best of Indian fine art, craft, and unrepeatable architecturing! 

8. Mysore Palace, Mysore

I’ve never visited Mysore but I am damn sure Mysore Palace is the best heritage royal palaces in India.  Constructed by King Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV in between 1897 and 1912, Mysore Palace is the official residence of Kingdom of Mysore royal family. However, the history of this historical palace is older than 500 years but still it looks very extravagant and grand as it was reformed in 1912.

A wider garden, very prosperous interior and the imposing grandeur domes architecture is the core attention of this beautiful place. The whole palace is made & refined by gray and red stones decorated by gold and other metals, which looks unbelievable especially on Dussehra festival when more than 90000 stunning light bulbs make this palace stunning.

This attractiveness of Mysore Palace makes it the second most visited tourist places of India after Taj Mahal. (According to Wikipedia)

So if anyone is planning tip to see Mysore Stunning Palace, check below the timing and further information-

Mysore Palace Timings and Fare

• Anyday between 10 AM To 5:30 PM.
• And between 7 AM To 7:30 PM on Public Holidays & Sundays.
• Fare is different for Children, Adults, and Foreigners.
• 20/- is the minimum, and 200/- is the maximum fee according to the official source.

9. Charminar, Hyderabad

Historical tourism couldn’t be completed without visiting the beating heart of the Hyderabad City Charminar. High-tech yet historical, city of Hyderabad emerges as the globally landmark of the most recognized structure in India.

Bounded with four finest 48.7 metres (160 ft) massive minarets, this greatest Islamic monument was built by Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah in 1591. Charminar is the two-storied site which holds a small mosque at top floor and the wonderfully formalize balconies from where you can see the huge view of the surrounding areas. Also, the square shape of Charminar makes a massive road-cross with its four giant arches that open into four spacious lanes. That’s why we known this awesome monument as Charminar (Four-Towers).

The entire building is constructed and decorated by limestone, mortar, granite, and pulverised marble, which looks so attractive, so old, & so complete. However, I never visited Charminar too 🙂 but one fact is absolutely true – This historical site is truly a paradise and justify itself !

10. Hampi, Bellary -Karnataka

Located at the bank of Tungabhadra River and approx 340 km. away from Bangalore, Hampi Village is the most travelled open-air museum cum historical place in Karnataka. As per the records, Hampi was the capital of medieval Hindu state Vijayanagara Empire, who ruled during 14th to 16th century in South India. However, at very first sight it looks like a deserted city which has fallen into ruin through completely neglect. But I believe there would be a very wealthy civilization which had resided during the time.

Spread over 25 square kilometers, monuments at Hampi is thoroughly filled with innumerable surprises like temples, fortifications, gateways, bunkers, market lanes, water structures, and thousands of monument symbols in between mound and valleys. Some very famous and must go places at Hampi are-

• Vittala Temple
• Royal Enclosure
• Virupaksha Temple
• Riverside Ruins…and many more.

Hampi is not just a monument which can be explained in few lines, it is ruin yet ancient historical city that can be understood with only comprehensive travel guide. Even it isn’t possible for me to discuss all the historical facts about Hampi in this blog post, so I only shared the key points of monuments of Hampi as easier as possible.

That’s it!

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