What to See in India
Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India)
According to Cheeroutdoor.com, Ahmedabad is located in the center of the Gujarat plain on the Sabarmati River. It was founded in 1411 by Ahmad Shah 1 on the site of the ancient city of Karnavati. Now its population is 3.3 million people.
The architecture of Ahmedabad is a mixture of Indo-Moorish, Hindu and Muslim styles. A striking example of this mixture of styles is the Sidi Sayyid Mosque, with double windows made of porous stone in the form of palm leaves and scrolls.
Worth seeing are the swaying minarets of the Rajpur Bibi Mosque in Gomtipur and the Sidi Bashir Mosque in Kalipur.
On Sundays, Khanmas Bazaar unfolds on the river bank, where you can find many curiosities.
Ahmedabad has an interesting textile museum. Here are presented various examples of it, starting from the 17th century.
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (India)
Bhopal is located in the central part of India. It is the capital of the largest state in the country – Madhya Pradesh. The city was founded in 1728 and later became a commercial and industrial center. The history of Bhopal is interesting because from 1819 to 1926, women from the Begum dynasty ruled the city and the region of the same name. Now its territory is divided into Old Bhopal and New Bhopal.
Bhopal is known as the city of lakes, as in the center of it there are two beautiful lakes – Upper and Lower. Tourists are invited to sail on them in boats and explore the surroundings. Nearby are the Archaeological Museum, Van Vihar Safari Park, Lakshmi Narayan Temple. On the northern shore of Lake Superior, the ruins of an ancient fort have been preserved.
Also Bhopal is world famous for its mosques. The largest mosque in the city is Taj-ul-Masjid. It was founded under Shah Jahan and has not yet been completed. Two more mosques – Jama Masjid with golden spiers and Moti Masjid – were built in the 19th century. The most popular mosques among tourists are Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil. They are located behind the walls of Old Bhopal. Shaukat Mahal was designed by a Frenchman, so it has elements of European architecture – late Renaissance and Gothic.
The Bharat Bhavan Museum is an important center of folk art. Here are paintings and sculptures of ancient masters and modern art. The Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (Museum of Humankind) is located in the open-air Shamala Hills. By visiting it, you can get acquainted with the life and culture of more than 450 Indian tribes. There are many parks within the city. The most famous of them are BHEL, Kilol, Jawaharlal Nehru, Chinar, Rose Garden and Mayur.
12 km from the Old Town there is an airport from where domestic airlines depart.
Bhubaneswar, Orissa (India)
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the state of Orissa. The city is located near the east coast of India.
Bhubaneswar is an important Hindu pilgrimage center with more than 500 temples preserved here. The walls of the temples are decorated with a variety of ornaments and have a yellow-red tint.
The most beautiful and main temple of the city is Lingaraja. It was built in the 11th century in honor of the god Shiva. It reaches a height of 55 m. Intricate carvings can be seen on every centimeter of the walls of the building. The temple tower consists of several small turrets, and under its spire stands a row of lions.
The Parshurameshwar Temple was built in the 7th century. It is one of the most ancient Hindu temples. Elephants and horses are depicted on its walls, and a strict, gloomy tower rises from above.
temples Bhubaneshwar can only be visited by Hindus, but from afar, standing on special platforms, tourists can still see their interior decoration.
Within the city is the sacred lake Bindu Sagar. In the center of it is an island where rituals are held.
In addition to temples, the city also has museums. The Bhubaneswar State Museum houses archaeological finds, local arts and crafts, and the largest collection of manuscripts and palm leaf paintings.
Calcutta, West Bengal (India)
Kolkata is the capital of the state of West Bengal. The city was founded in 1686 in the Ganges Delta. In 1833, Calcutta became the first capital of British India and remained so until 1912.
The history of the city has 3 centuries, so there are no monumental Hindu temples or Muslim mosques. In most buildings, the influence of European, in particular English, architecture can be traced. For example, the marble Victoria Memorial, which was erected in honor of Queen Victoria. The building is designed in the British style and you can see statues of the queen everywhere. Nearby is a Catholic church – St. Paul’s Cathedral. Its spire reaches a height of 60 m.
The building of the Supreme Court was built in the Gothic style at the end of the 19th century. By this time in The Zoological Garden was opened in Kolkata, where many different species of birds and animals are now kept. In the center of it is a large beautiful lake.
The oldest Indian museum – the Museum of India – was built in 1874. It has 6 sectors and contains about 40 galleries. Here are works of various types of art, exhibits from the field of archeology, geology, zoology and botany. The entrance to it is decorated with a sculpture of a lion – the national symbol of India.
The gardens of Eden are considered a wonderful place to relax. They are world famous for their cricket grounds. Shahid Minar stands out against the background of other buildings. The monument was erected in 1828. It reaches a height of 48 m and combines three different architectural styles – Egyptian, Turkish and Syrian.
Howrah Bridge is a real masterpiece of modern architecture. It was erected at the beginning of the 20th century. It is now the third largest bridge in the world and one of the busiest. At both its ends there are 2 pillars, which rise above the road by 90 m, and for 450 m there is no longer a single pillar.
The Birla Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the world, is very popular among tourists. It was opened in 1961. Educational films are shown here in both Hindi and English.
