Must-see attractions in Uttar Pradesh

  • Top Choice
    Taj Mahal

    Poet Rabindranath Tagore described it as 'a teardrop on the cheek of eternity'; Rudyard Kipling as 'the embodiment of all things pure'; while its creator,…

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    Manikarnika Ghat

    Manikarnika Ghat, the main burning ghat, is the most auspicious place for a Hindu to be cremated. Dead bodies are handled by outcasts known as doms, and…

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    Agra Fort

    With the Taj Mahal overshadowing it, one can easily forget that Agra has one of the finest Mughal forts in India. Walking through courtyard after…

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    Mehtab Bagh

    This park, originally built by Emperor Babur as the last in a series of 11 parks on the Yamuna’s east bank (long before the Taj was conceived), fell into…

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    Assi Ghat

    The furthest south of the main ghats and one of the biggest, Assi Ghat is particularly important as the River Assi meets the Ganges near here and pilgrims…

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    Itimad-ud-Daulah

    Nicknamed the Baby Taj, the exquisite tomb of Mizra Ghiyas Beg should not be missed. This Persian nobleman was Mumtaz Mahal’s grandfather and Emperor…

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    Dashashwamedh Ghat

    Varanasi’s liveliest and most colourful ghat. The name indicates that Brahma sacrificed (medh) 10 (das) horses (aswa) here. In spite of the persistent…

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    Archaeological Museum

    This museum, renovated in 2016, houses a superb collection of religious sculptures by the Mathura school, which flourished from the 3rd century BC to the…

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    Harishchandra Ghat

    Harishchandra Ghat is a cremation ghat – smaller and secondary in importance to Manikarnika, but one of the oldest ghats in Varanasi.

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    Bara Imambara

    This colossal imambara (Shiite tomb complex) is worth seeing in its own right, but the highly unusual labyrinth of corridors inside its upper floors make…

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    Sangam

    This is the particularly auspicious point (sangam means 'river confluence') where two of India’s holiest rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna, meet one of…

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    Residency

    The large collection of gardens and ruins that makes up the Residency offers a fascinating historical glimpse of the beginning of the end for the British…

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    Akbar’s Mausoleum

    This outstanding sandstone and marble tomb commemorates the greatest of the Mughal emperors. The huge courtyard is entered through a stunning gateway…

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    Mahaparinirvana Temple

    The highlight of this modest temple, rebuilt in 1927 and set among extensive lawns and excavated monastery and stupa ruins with a circumambulatory path,…

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    Krishna Balaram Temple Complex

    The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (www.iskcon.org), also known as the Hare Krishnas, is based at the Krishna Balaram temple complex…

  • Jama Masjid

    This beautiful, immense mosque was completed in 1571 and contains elements of Persian and Indian design. The main entrance, at the top of a flight of…

  • Jehangir's Palace

    This huge red-sandstone palace inside Agra Fort, a combination of Indian and Central Asian architectural styles, was most likely built by the Mughal ruler…

  • Khas Mahal

    This beautiful marble pavillion and pool formed the living quarters of Shah Jahan, while the large attached courtyard housed the court harem.

  • Palaces & Pavilions

    The main sight at Fatehpur Sikri is the stunning imperial complex of pavilions and palaces spread amid a large, abandoned 'city' peppered with Mughal…

  • Vishwanath Temple

    There are temples at almost every turn in Varanasi, but this is the most famous of the lot. It is dedicated to Vishveswara – Shiva as lord of the universe…