Must-see attractions in Uttar Pradesh

  • Wat Thai Complex

    This large complex, much of it off limits to visitors, features an elaborate temple surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens with bonsai-style trees,…

  • Hanumangarhi

    This is one of the town’s most popular temples, and is the closest of Ayodhya's major temples to the main road. Walk up the 76 steps to the ornate carved…

  • Tomb of Saadat Ali Khan

    The former Kaiserbagh garden holds the tomb of Saadat Ali Khan, the fifth nawab of Oudh (ruled 1798–1814), whose body is buried in the crypt below. A ₹50 …

  • State Museum

    This overlooked museum houses sculptural masterpieces dating back to the 3rd century AD, including intricately carved Mathura sculptures ranging from…

  • Chaukhandi Stupa

    This large, ruined stupa dates back to the 5th century AD, and marks the spot where Buddha met his first disciples. The incongruous tower on top of the…

  • Ram Katha Museum

    Beyond the far northern end of the main road, this museum houses paintings and ancient sculptures. The museum is a short rickshaw ride from Ayodhya's main…

  • Gulab Bari

    This charming green space of lawns and water features is home to the imposing tomb of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula (ruled 1753–75), the third nawab of Avadh (Oudh…

  • Mathakuar Temple

    This small shrine, set among monastery ruins, marks the spot where Buddha is said to have made his final sermon. It now houses a beautiful gilded 3m-tall…

  • Clock Tower

    The 67m red-brick clock tower, said to be the tallest in India, was built in the 1880s in memory of Sir George Couper, a reform-minded Governor of UP …

  • Nidhivan Temple

    Surrounded by an orchard filled with twisted tulsi (holy basil) trees that are decorated with votive threads and red powder, it's believed that Krishna…

  • Pagal Baba Temple

    This 10-storey white marble temple, a fairy-tale-castle lookalike, has an endearingly amateurish collection of animated puppets and dioramas on the ground…

  • Durga Temple

    This temple, dedicated to the goddess Durga, was built in the 18th century by a Bengali maharani and is stained red with ochre. It's also known as the …

  • Buddha Museum

    Exhibits Buddhist relics, sculptures and terracotta, most of it from Kushan-era Mathura but some unearthed from the Kushinagar region, though it suffers…

  • Dashrath Bhavan

    Inside a colourful entrance, you'll find a peaceful courtyard where musicians play and orange-clad sadhus read scriptures.

  • Hussainabad Picture Gallery

    A run-down red-brick baradari (pavilion) built in 1842 that was once a royal summer palace. It overlooks a large artificial water tank and houses…

  • Tulsi Ghat

    Named after a 16th-century Hindu poet, Tulsi Ghat has fallen down towards the river, but in the month of Kartika (October/November) a festival devoted to…

  • Govind Dev Temple

    This cavernous, red-sandstone temple, built in 1590 by Raja Man Singh of Amber, has 'bells' carved on its pillars. The resident monkeys here are…

  • Allahabad Museum

    This extensive museum in the grounds of Allahabad's nicest park has archaeological artefacts, Nehru family items, miniatures and ancient sculptures,…

  • Sati Burj

    This four-storey (17m) tower was built by the son of Behari Mal of Jaipur in 1570 to commemorate his mother’s sati (self-immolation on her husband’s…