!!!India

by Dmitry Moiseenko and Stas Sedov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

29 June 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

India is one of the most ancient countries in the world: even 500,000
years from now its territory had already been inhabited. Of course, no
monuments of that time have remained till nowadays, and the architecture
of India that we got used to know and appreciate so much was born only
in the 16th-18th centuries. But still, these architectural monuments
have no equals in the whole world. And now we invite you to have a tour
over these exotic lands with their most precious cultural heritage.

Undoubtedly, the most famous landmark of India is Taj-Mahal — a
monumental complex in Agra, built by the order of the Mughal emperor and
descendant of Tamerlane, Shah Jahan, as a tomb to his favourite wife.
Around 20,000 workers were engaged in building this monument which took
place between 1632 and 1653. As a result an exquisite five-domed
construction on a platform with four minarets in the corners was
created. In the daylight the palaces looks white, at dawn it looks pink,
in the moonlight it has the shades of silver. The majestic construction
is surrounded by a park, canals and fountains. It is not just
architecture, but a wonderful love story inscribed for centuries.

[{Image src='01_Taj Mahal.jpg' caption='Taj Mahal' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='452'}]

Another crucial feature of the touristic India is Jaipur city, located
in the state of Rajasthan. During the construction of the city, which
occurred in 1727, pink coloured stones were used. All these houses are
still well preserved and thanks to them Jaipur was nicknamed "the Pink
City". Its founder, Maharaja Jai Singh II, was known not only as a
politician, but as a scientist as well. He was interested in maths,
architecture and astronomy — that's why another major landmark of the
city is the giant observatory Jantar Mantar. In addition to this, many
gardens, temples, fortresses and other monuments — such as Hawa Mahal
(the Palace of Winds) or the 18-meters high tower of Sargasuli — have
remained in this city till nowadays.

[{Image src='02_Amer Fort, Jaipur.jpg' caption='Amer Fort, Jaipur' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='528'}]

Fatehpur Sikri ("the City of Victory") probably is not so widely known,
but it has a longer and more ancient history. The name for this city
appeared when Mughal emperor Babur won at the battle of Khanwa. In
between 1571 and 1585 Fatehpur-Sikri served as the main city of the
Mughal Empire, and now it is interesting for its well-preserved
architectural monuments of that time: Panch-Mahal (the Wind Catcher),
the Gate of Padishah, the drum house Naubat Khana, the Jama Masjid
mosque and many others.

[{Image src='03_Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, India.jpg' caption='Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, India' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='619'}]

Delhi is the second largest city in the country after Mumbai and it does
not need further recommendations. During the long centuries of history
it has received the name of "the Capital of Seven Empires". More than
60,000 precious monuments are situated here; Qutb Minar, the Red Fort
and Humayun's Tomb are included into the list of UNESCO World Heritage
Sites.

[{Image src='04_Lotus Temple, Delhi.jpg' caption='Lotus Temple, Delhi' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='686'}]

But one modern landmark of Delhi definitely deserves our attention: it
is Swaminarayan Akshardham complex (translates as "the Abode of the
God"), built in 2005. The construction of the temple lasted five years;
more than seven thousand masters and three thousand builders from all
the regions of India took part in it. Together they created a temple
measuring 42 meters high, 94 meters wide and 106 meters long. It is
decorated with 234 ornately carved columns, 9 domes shining in the
sunlight, 20 four-sided towers and more than 20,000 figures of Hindu
mythology. It is also the largest Hindu temple in the world.

[{Image src='05_Swaminarayan Akshardham.jpg' caption='Swaminarayan Akshardham' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='483'}]

The ancient city of Varanasi is a landmark of another nature: it is
famous for its history and special meaning in Hinduism. For Hindu people
this city is as important as Vatican for Catholics or Mecca for Muslims.
According to the legends, Varanasi was founded by the god Shiva over
5,000 years ago. In Hindu cosmology the city is referred as "the centre
of the Earth". The main religious activity is strongly connected to
ghats — riverfront step constructions leading to the Ganges River. Every
day thousands of people from all corners of the country come here to
make ritual ablutions in the waters of the sacred river, and this
fascinating scene is one more bright illustration for the life of
incredible India.

[{Image src='06_Varanasi.jpg' caption='Varanasi' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='682'}]

You are invited to have a fabulous trip to the history and culture of
this unique country!

\\ \\
[15 Panoramas of India|Geography/Asia/India/Pictures/Panoramas_of_India]










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