Sights in India
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Pokaran Fort
At the junction of the Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner roads, 110km from Jaisalmer, Pokaran Fort is a dusty berry-coloured sandstone stronghold that overlooks a tangle of narrow streets lined by balconied houses. It dates from the 14th to 17th centuries and once had charge of 108 villages; part of it is now the hotel Fort Pokaran. There’s not much to see here, but a stop breaks the journey between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.
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Anand Bhavan
The picturesque two-storey Anand Bhavan is a shrine to the Nehru family, which has produced five generations of leading politicians from Motilal Nehru to the latest political figure, Rahul Gandhi. This stately home is where Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and others successfully planned the overthrow of the British Raj. It is full of books, personal effects and photos from those stirring times. Indira Gandhi was married here in 1942.
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Museum
Most sites in Vaishali surround a large tank. Dominating the skyline is a gleaming, modern Japanese Peace Pagoda, while opposite is a small museum presenting a collection of clay and terracotta figures plus an intriguing 1st- to 2nd-century AD toilet pan with appropriately sized exit holes. Nearby are the ground-floor remains of a stupa that contained Buddha’s ashes that now reside in Patna Museum.
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Tughlaqabad
Crumbling Tughlaqabad was the third city of Delhi. This mammoth fort, with 6.5km of walls and 13 gateways, was built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq. Its construction was said to have sparked a quarrel with the saint Nizam-ud-din: when the Tughlaq ruler refused the workers whom Nizam-ud-din wanted for work on his shrine, the saint cursed the king, warning that his city would be inhabited only by shepherds. Later, this was indeed the case.
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Kolhua Complex
The ruins of the Kolhua Complex, comprise of a hemispherical brick stupa guarded by a dignified lion squatting atop a 2300-year-old Ashoka pillar. The pillar is plain and contains no Ashokan edicts that were usually carved onto Ashoka pillars. Attending are the ruins of smaller stupas and monastic buildings. According to legend, Buddha was given a bowl of honey here by monkeys who also dug out a rainwater tank for his water supply.
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Tower of Victory
The glorious Tower of Victory, symbol of Chittor, was erected by Rana Kumbha between 1458 and 1468 to commemorate his victory over Mahmud Khilji of Malwa in 1440. It rises 37m in nine exquisitely carved storeys, and you can climb the 157 narrow stairs (the interior is also carved) to the 8th floor, from which there's a good view of the area. Hindu sculptures adorn the outside; its dome was damaged by lightning and repaired during the 19th century.
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Little Mount
It is believed that from around AD 58, St Thomas lived in hiding at Little Mount. The cave still bears what some believe to be Thomas’ handprint, left when he escaped through an opening that miraculously appeared. Three kilometres on, St Thomas Mount (Parangi Malai) is thought to be the site of Thomas’ martyrdom in AD 72. Both mounts are about 1km from the Saidapet and St Thomas Mount train stations, respectively.
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Tata Tea Museum
The TataTeaMuseum is, unfortunately, about as close as you’ll get to a working tea factory around Munnar. It’s a slightly sanitised version of the real thing, but it still shows the basic process. A collection of old bits and pieces from the colonial era, including photographs and a 1905 tea-roller, are also kept here. The short walk to here from town is lovely, passing some of the most accessible tea plantations from Munnar town.
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Har Mandir Takht
Behind a grand gate and sheltered from the mayhem of Patna’s Chowk area is an important Sikh shrine. Its miniature marble domes, sweeping staircases and fine latticework mark the spot where Guru Gobind Singh, last of the 10 Sikh gurus, was born in 1666. It’s 11km east of Gandhi Maidan. There is a free guide to show you around and you can show your appreciation of his services by putting a contribution in the temple donations box.
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Vivekananda Exhibition
This exhibition details the life and extensive journey across India made by the philosopher Swami Vivekananda (the ‘Wandering Monk’; 1863–1902), who developed a synthesis between the tenets of Hinduism and concepts of social justice. The storyboards are a bit over-detailed; if you’re overwhelmed, concentrate on enjoying the photos and Swamiji’s letters, which detail his growth during his prabrajya (period of wandering).
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Sun Temple
The massive SunTemple was constructed in the mid-13th century, probably by Orissan king Narasimha Dev I to celebrate his military victory over the Muslims, and was in use for maybe only three centuries. In the late 16th century marauding Mughals removed the copper over the cupola; this may have led to the partial collapse of the 40m-high sikhara (spire) , and subsequent cyclones probably compounded the damage.
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Nehru Memorial Museum
Teen Murti Bhavan is the former residence of Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first prime minister), and was previously Flagstaff House, home to the British commander-in-chief. Just off Teen Murti Rd, it has been converted into a museum, a must-see for those interested in the Independence movement. Some rooms have been preserved as Nehru left them, and there’s a wealth of photographs, though some contextualisation would come in handy.
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Rao Madho Singh Museum
The city palace houses the excellent Rao Madho Singh Museum. You’ll find all the stuff necessary for a respectable royal existence – silver furniture, ingenious weapons and a stable of palanquins. The oldest part of the palace dates from 1624. Amazing mirror work and some of Rajasthan’s best-preserved miniatures decorate the small-scale apartments – the upstairs rooms dance with exquisite paintings of hunting and court scenes.
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Lal Bagh Palace
Built between 1886 and 1921, Lal Bagh Palace is the finest building left by the Holkar dynasty. Replicas of the Buckingham Palace gates creak at the entrance to the 28-hectare garden, where there is a statue of Queen Victoria. The palace is dominated by European styles, with baroque and rococo dining rooms, an English library with leather armchairs, a Renaissance sitting room with ripped sofas and a Palladian queen’s bedroom.
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Sankar Gompa
The timeless two-storey Gelukpa Sankar Gompa takes you between stone walls and attractive Ladakhi farmhouses following little streamlets and passing a pretty rural stupa. Sankar’s small, main prayer room features a portrait of Kushok Bakula Rinpoche (died 2004), Ladakh’s former head lama. His recently identified reincarnation will eventually move to the gilt-roofed photang (official residence) opposite the monastery.
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St Thomas’ Cathedral
Recently restored to its former glory, this charming cathedral is the oldest English building standing in Mumbai (construction began in 1672, though it remained unfinished until 1718). The cathedral is an interracial marriage of Byzantine and colonial-era architecture, and its airy, whitewashed interior is full of exhibitionist colonial memorials. A look at some of the gravestones reveals many colonists died young of malaria.
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Viceregal Lodge
Built as an official residence for the British viceroys, the Viceregal Lodge looks like a cross between Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School and the Tower of London. Every brick used in its construction was hauled up here by mule. Today it houses the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, but you can take a guided tour of the buildings. Photography is not permitted inside. Tickets cost Rs20 if you just want to look around the gardens.
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Rani-ki-Vav
About 130km north-west of Ahmedabad, Patan was an ancient Hindu capital before being sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1024 – the only sign of its former glory is Rani-ki-Vav, an astoundingly beautiful step well , incongruously grand in this unassuming town. Built in 1050, the step well is the oldest and finest in Gujarat and is remarkably well preserved – it was protected by centuries of silt and restored in the 1980's.
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Velsao Beach
Velsao Beach makes for a quiet place to get away from it all in the company of just a lifeguard, a scattering of tourists and a flock or two of milling sea birds. The beach road travels through thick coconut groves past dozens of old bungalows, whilst the coastal road around this stretch makes for a delicious countryside drive, fringed with lily pad– studded lakes and paddy fields, and coconut groves stretching gently down to the sea.
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Sri Jambukeshwara Temple
Visit Sri Jambukeshwara Temple one of the five elemental temples of Shiva, dedicated to Shiva, Parvati and the medium of water. The liquid theme of the place is realised in the central shrine, which houses a partially submerged Shiva lingam. The outer chambers are full of carvings, including several of an elephant being freed from a spider web by Shiva, which provoked the pachyderm to perform puja for the Destroyer.
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Chitrasala
To get to the Chitrasala, built by Rao Umed Singh in the 18th century, you exit the elephant gate and walk further uphill to the entrance. Above the garden courtyard are several rooms covered in beautiful paintings. The back room on the right is the Sheesh Mahal; it’s badly damaged, but has beautiful inlaid glass. The morning sun lights up the interiors quite well, but bring a torch (flashlight) if visiting in the afternoon.
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City Palace
The imposing City Palace, surmounted by balconies, towers and cupolas, and towering over the lake, is Rajasthan’s largest palace, with a facade 244m long and 30.4m high. A conglomeration of buildings created by various maharajas, it almost manages to retain a uniformity of design. Construction was started by Maharana Udai Singh II, the city’s founder. There are fine views over the lake and the city from the upper terraces.
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Jallianwala Bagh
Near the Golden Temple, this poignant park commemorates those Indians killed or wounded here by the British authorities in 1919. Some of the bullet marks are still visible, as is the well into which hundreds desperately leapt to avoid the bullets. There’s an eternal (24-hour) flame of remembrance. The park also contains the Martyrs’ Gallery; a sound-and-light show was being planned at the time of research.
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Pardesi Synagogue
Originally built in 1568, the Pardesi Synagogue was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662 and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took Kochi. It features an ornate gold pulpit and hand-painted, willow-pattern floor tiles from China. It's magnificently illuminated by chandeliers and coloured-glass lamps. The graceful clock tower was built in 1760. There is an upstairs balcony for women who worshipped separately according to Orthodox rites.
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Rabdentse
The royal capital of Sikkim from 1670 to 1814, the now-ruined Rabdentse consists of chunky wall-stubs with a few inset inscription stones. These would look fairly unremarkable were they not situated on such an utterly fabulous viewpoint ridge. The entrance to the site is around 3km from Upper Pelling. From the site’s ornate yellow gateway, the ruins are a further 15-minutes’ hike around a pond then across a forested hill.
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