30,000 years old Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka

The Bhimbetka rock shelters are the collection of 750 rock shelters from which 500 are inwrought by the paintings. Situated in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh of India, these Stone Age rock paintings are around 30,000 years old. It is one of the largest repositories of prehistoric art in India. The shelters were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003. In addition to the cave paintings, archaeologists have unearthed large numbers of artifacts in the caves and in the dense teak forests and cultivated fields around Bhimbetka, the oldest of which are Acheulean stone tool assemblages.

The Mysterious Ajanta Caves

Two thousand two hundred years ago work began on an extensive series of cave monuments in Maharashtra, India.  Over a period of hundreds of years, thirty one monuments were hewn piece by piece from the rock face.  Then, some speculate around the year 1000AD, they fell in to disuse. Dense jungle grew around, hiding the caves away from human eyes.

Mount Kailash - A man-made pyramid?

Kailash is a sacred Tibetan mountain shrouded in mystery and legends. With an impressive height of 6718 meters, Mount Kailash represents the axis of the world or the stairway to heaven for the people in the region. Both Buddhists and Hindus, as well as older religions, recognize Mount Kailash as an ancient holy place. Approach Kailash not only prohibited, but dangerous. In the immediate vicinity of mountains time flows much faster, and people have gone to the mountain, often not returned.

Takshashila - Worlds oldest University

India has a long and venerable history in the field of higher education. In ancient times, the country was known to have been home to the oldest formal universities in the world.

More than 2700 years back a huge university existed in that ancient India where over 10,500 students from all across the world came for higher studies.This was the Takshashila university of ancient India (wrongly spelled as Taxila today). It was an important Vedic/Hindu and Buddhist center of learning but wasn't as well organized as the University of Nalanda.

Ancient Nalanda University resumes after 800 year

Nalanda University was an ancient centre of learning in India. Established in the 5th century AD by Gupta Kings, Nalanda University was among the first great universities in recorded history, predating such institutions of higher learning like Al-Azhar in Egypt (10th century AD), the University of Bologna in Italy (11th century AD), and Oxford University in England (12th century AD). It was destroyed by the invading Turkish army of Bakhtiyar Khilji, a general of Qutbuddin Aibak. But now, for the first time in 800 years, the spirit of Nalanda University revives again as classes began from 1st Sep 2014 at its newly established campus in Rajgir, just 12 km away from the original site.

Vijay Stambh - Tower of Victory in Rajasthan

Vijay Stambha or Tower of Victory is one of the most famous monuments of India and is an important tourist attraction of Rajasthan.  Located in Chittorgarh fort in Rajasthan, India, Tower of Victory was constructed by Mewar king Rana Kumbha between 1442 AD and 1449 AD  to honour his distinguished victory over the joint attacks of Sultan Mohammad Khilji of Malva and Sultan Kutubuddin Shah of Gujarat.

Mystery of 1600 years old Iron Pillar of Delhi

The skill and the technology possessed by ancient Indians may not be agreed by present day 'secular' historians, but the truth cannot be suppressed for long. The Iron Pillar standing tall at Mehrauli, Delhi is stands proof of how advanced science was in ancient India.

Kutub Minar or Dhruv Stambh?

About the Kutub Minar itself there is overwhelming proof that it was a Hindu tower existing hundreds of years before Kutubuddin and therefore it is wrong to ascribe the tower to Kutubuddin.

Rani ki Vav - Beautiful stepwell of India

Rani Ki Vav is the oldest and the grandest stepwell in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated at Patan and is believed to have been built during 1022 to 1063 AD. Rani (Queen) Udayamati commissioned this vav or stepwell, in the memory of her husband King Bhimdev I of the Solanki dynasty. In Hindi, "Rani" means "Queen," and "Vav" means "Well."

7000 year old Ancient caves discovered in Andhra Pradesh

A group of caves containing ancient rock art have been discovered by a researcher in Akkampalli, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The discovery is archaeologically significant as the caves contain artwork that depicts the state of civilisation and culture 7,000 years ago. 

Legends of Hemkund Sahib Ji

The spiritual richness of India is adored worldwide. Being a home of various religions, India has different pilgrimage destinations. The best part is that there are numerous regions wherein sacred destinations of different religions come together. One such unique amalgamation can be seen in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand where one can visit Shri Hemkund Sahib Ji, the most sacred destination of Sikhs and Badrinath temple, the sacred shrines of Hindu religion.

2500 year old ancient city found at Chhattisgarh

In May last year, archaeologists in India unearthed evidence of a 2,500-year-old planned city in Tarighat, Chhattisgarh, complete with water reservoirs, roads, seals and coins, buried 20ft below the ground, in a discovery billed as India’s biggest archaeological find in recent memory. Now at the same site, researchers have found remnants of a “gutted settlement” which had been completely devastated by a huge fire in around the 2nd century BC, according to a new report in the Deccan Chronicle. The discovery adds to the mystery of the ancient site, as archaeologists try to piece together its ancient past.

History of Sultanpur Lodhi

Sultanpur Lodhi  is an old town in Kapurthala district of the Punjab. The city was founded in the 11th Century A.D. by Sultan Khan Lodhi, who was a general of Mahmud of Ghazni. The city was named after his founder as Sultanpur, and it is situated on the left bank of a rivulet, called Kali Bein, nearly six miles above the confluence of Beas and Sutlej.

Elephanta Caves - ancient rock-cut chambers

The Elephanta Caves are a complex of ancient cave temples on Elephanta Island, located 10 km away from the Gateway of India at Mumbai. One of the oldest rock cut structures in the country, the Elephanta Caves are the perfect expressions of archaic Indian art associated to the cult of Lord Shiva. Here, Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly the huge high reliefs in the main cave. Here you will find two categories of caves; one is the Hindu rock art and the other is the Buddhist rock art. The place is still worshipped by the locals, and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. One can spot some resemblance to the Ajanta and Ellora caves, which are around 300 km from Elephanta.

The Amazing Rock cut Kailash Temple of India

 

When most of us were growing up, we learned about a handful of man-made wonders of the world such as the pyramids in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Great Wall of China. One that may have slipped right past you could have been the Kailashnath Temple in Maharashtra, India.

Bhangarh: India's most haunted Place

How many of us believe in ghosts? Do they actually exist? Can they be felt? Believers will reply in affirmative and non-believers will perish the thought. But everybody would like to take a trip to THE den of the ghosts and such was the trip to Bhangarh, considered India's "most haunted" place.

The Ellora Caves of India

 

The Ellora Caves are an impressive complex of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples built between the 6th and 10th centuries AD near the ancient Indian village of Ellora. The caves have a slightly less dramatic setting than those at Ajanta, but more exquisite sculptures. Ellora is a World Heritage Site and the most visited ancient monument in Maharashtra State.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

 

Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam, India, is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world and one of the most famous temples in South India. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple is dedicated to Vishnu, one of the three Hindu Gods. Sri Ranganathaswamy temple is one of the most popular of the 108 prominent Vishnu temples. 105 temples out of these 108 are located in India, one in Nepal and two are supposed to be located beyond Earthly realms.

Kuldhara - A haunted village near Jaisalmer

 

Mystery and the fear of the unknown have always stirred and intensified our curiosity to know more about such topics. This is the reason why ghost towns or haunted places are one of the most visited tourist places in India, irrespective of the associated fear. Haunted places are mostly abandoned and cursed, or places that have witnessed tyranny and blood in the past.

Dwarka Mythical City Found Under Water

Dwarka, one of the best-studied underwater sites in India, has commanded much attraction, also because the site is considered as one of the four Dhamas (sacred place for pilgrimage) of the Hindu religion. According to ancient Sanskrit literature, the Lord Krishna founded the holy city of Dwarka, which subsequently got submerged under sea.