[6 Places of Indian Cultural Heritage The cultural heritage of India is very rich and prosperous. Indian as well as foreign visitors are attracted to visit the places of cultural and natural heritage of India. In this chapter, we shall study about these places. Caves of Ajanta : The famous caves of Ajanta are situated in Aurangabad district near Ajanta village. They are impor- tant from the point view of art of Vastu. These caves are divided into two divisions : (1) caves based on wall paintings (2) caves based on sculpture. Caves of number 1, 2, 10, 16 and 17 have excellecht paintings wall and have attained the highest rank in wall painting. The theme of these wall paintings is buddhist religion. Ajanta caves are divided into two categories, they are Chaityas and Viharas. Cave no. 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are Chaityas, whereas the remaining caves are Viharas. Ajanta caves were fongote ten with the passage of time but in 1819 AD. an English captain John Smith rediscovered them. Ajanta caves are the magnificient example of initial buddhist art of Vastu, art of paintings and sculpture, Human interference and impact of time have greatly damaged them. Ajanta caves are famous not only in India but also in world for their extra-ordinary rich art, The fine blending of wonderful art of painting, sculpture and architecture of Ajanta caves has eamed pride for an Indian Art. Things to know Chaityas means temple-halls for buddhist monks. Stupas are built in the interior most end of the caves. Viharas means buddhist monestories where buddhist monks reside and study. Ellora Caves : Ellora caves are situated at Aurangabad district in Maharashtra. There are 34 caves in all. There are three groups of cave temples and they are different from each other : (1) 1-12 are Buddhist caves (2) 13-29 are Hindu caves (3) 30-34 are Jain caves Hindu caves are built during the reign of Rashtrakuta dynasty. Kailias temple is situated in cave no.16, It is 50 m long, 33 m wide and 30 m high. This temple is carved out of a single massive rock, This temple is adomed with beautiful doors, balconies and series of pillars. The beauty of temple can not be described in words. They are constructed during the time of 600 AD to 1000 AD. It is a live display of ancient Indian civilization, Caves dedicated to Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions. Ellora campus is not only an example of magnificient creation of art but also best example of excellent technology. Moreover, it describes about the patience of Indians. Elephanta caves : These caves are built in the Arabian sea, 12 km away ftom Mumbai in Maharashtra. There are 7 caves in all There is a huge stone monument of an elephant, on seeing this structure the Portuguese named it elephanta. Many beautiful figures have been carved, out of them the magnificient “Trimurti Temple” (Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh) in cave no.1 is the best specimen of sculpture, In 1987 A.D, UNESCO has placed “Elephanta Cave” in the list of world heritage. Local fishermen call it ‘Dhara pu’ 6.1 Trimurti 8 Places of Indian Cultural Heritage‘Mababalipuram : Mahabalipuram is located 60 kms away from Chennai. This city of Tamilnadu is famous for its splendid temple architecture and seashore. Narsinh Varman-I, who was popularly known as Mahamalla, belonged to Pallava dynasty. 7 Chariot Temples were builthere. At present, only five chariot temples exist Two chariot temples have submerged in the sea. There is an amazing figure of Lord Vishnu in a smiling pose, Besides, there is an idol of Goddess Durga slaying Mahisasura is worth seeing. Mahabalipuram, Which has an unparalleled architectural rock sculpture, wasalso a famous harbour of ancient time. Pattadakal Memorial : Pattadakal, the capital of Chalukya dynasty is 16 kms away from Badami Nagar and Dravid style of architecture is used in the construction of temples here, These were built during the seventh and eighth century. Virupaksha temple is the biggest temple in Pattadakal ‘Temples at Khajuraho : ‘These temples are located in a small village named Khajuraho at Chattarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Khajuraho was the ancient capital city of the Chandela Rajputs of Bundelkhand, so ‘temples were built by these kings during their reign (905 to 1050 AD). Presently, 25 temples are in existence. Most of them are Shaiva (Shiva) temples, where as some of them are Vaishanav and Jain ‘temples. They all have similar type of architecture and sculpture. The 64 yoginis temples is the main temple, The toran(Arch) of the temple is the best example of omamental style of architecture. All of the temples were contructed with granite stone. Khajuraho temples were constructed in Naagar style Art of sculpture and art of vastu of Khajuraho temples spell-bound the visitor Sun Temple of Konark : It is situated near the bay of Bengal at Puri district in Odisha. It was constructed in 13th century during the reign of King Narsinh Varman-I, who belonged to the Garg Dynasty. This chariot temple drawn by seven horses took the form of chariot of Sun God. It has 12 massive wheels, providing beauty to the pedatal of temple. These wheels reflect twelve months and each wheel has eight spokes which shows eight prahars of the day. Details of motif and subject di- 6.2 Wheel of Sun Temple of versity of this temple is unparalleled. This temple has been built Konark by black stones. Henee, it is called as “black pagoda” Odisha. These remains reflects the sculpture and civilization of 13% century Odisha Bruhdeshwar Temple : This temple is located at Tanjur in Tamilnadu, This temple was built during 1003 AD to 1010 AD. It is a Shiva Temple so it is called Bruhadeshwar. It is built by king RajrajaT of Chola dynasty. It is known as Rajrajeshwar temple. The height of this temple is 500 feet, its width is 250 feet. It is spread in a vast area surrounded by the wall, Its summit is 200 feet high above the ground hence this temple attained the place in the temples of 6.3 Bruhdeshwar Temple Social Science, Standard 10 Go)high pinnacless. This is a marvelous heritage of architectural art of India due to its gorgeous and huge size of pinnacle and artistic decoration. In the same way, it has secured a place among the best temples of South India, It has been constructed in Dravidian style of art. Qutub Minar : Qutub Minar is located at Delhi, It was built in the 12th century by Qutubbudin Aibak, who was the founder of Gulam dynasty. After his death the remaining work was completed by his son-indaw Tutmish. This 725 m tall sky scraper is made out of round red stone and marble, Its circumference is 13.75 m at its base and it is reduced to 2.75 m at its top. Verses of Quran have been engraved on it, It is the tallest stone minaret of India, Hampi = This town is situated on the bank of river Tungabhadra of Hospet, in Bellary district of Kamataka. Hampi was the capital city of Vijaynagar Kingdom. The rulers of Vijaynagar kingdom were lovers of art. Peculiar type of architecture was developed in Vijaynagar during their reign. The period of Krishnadevaraya was considered to be the golden period of this art, as it reached to its highest peak. The main feature of architecture style of Vijaynagar was to carve out huge and magnificent pillars, from the stones, Pillars and columns made were artistically adomed with the figures of Gods, Goddesses, humans, animals, warriors and dancers. In Hampi village of Vijaynagar kingdom, during the reigns of Krishnadevaraya the Vithala temple and Hajra temples were built besides it, Virupaksha temple Achyutaray temple of Lord Krishna are the best examples of architecture, ——— Humayun’s Tomb : 6.4 Qutub Minar The tomb of Humayun at Delhi is the best specimen of the Mughal architecture. After the death of Humayun, it was built by his wife queen “Hammeda begum”. This tomb was made in Iranian style of art. Red and white stones were skillfully used in it. Fort of Agra : ‘Fort of Agra’ is in the Agra city of Uttar Pradesh. It is made up of red stones, hence it is known as red fort, It was built by Akbar in 1565 AD. We can see the reflection of Hindu and Ira- nian style of art in it, The fort has 70 feet tall wall with 1.5 mile circumference, Red stones are skill fully embeded on the wall in such a way that no cracks can be seen on the wall. Jahangir palace was built by Akbar in this fort, The architec- tural style of Bengal and Gujarat on Jahangir Palace can be seen clearly. Sahajahan had spent the last days of his life in this fort ‘Taj Mahal : Taj Mahal is located at Agra in UP on the bank of river. Taj Mahal is ‘one of the seven wonders of the world. It was constructed by Mughal King Shahajahan in the memory of his queen Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal died in 1630 AD. After her death the construction of Taj Mahal started in 6.5 Taj Mahal Places of Indian Cultural Heritage1631 AD. It was completed in 1653 AD after 22 years. Shahajahan used expert Indian sculptors besides Iranian, Arabian, Turkish and European sculptors/artisans were also engaged in the construc~ tion of Taj Mahal. Tj Mahal is counted as one of the best tombs of the world. Due to this tomb, the name of Mumtaz Mahal has become immortal; this was the innermost wish of Shahajahan:The building of Taj Mahal is spread in rectangular shape fiom North to South, The grave of Mumtaz, lies in the centre of Taj. It is surounded by beautiful artistic octagonal fence, carved out of stone. A beautiful saying is inscribed on one of its archs. “Pious hearts are welcomed in the garden of para- ise”, The architecture of Taj glorifies the rich heritage of India, The grandeur of the Taj attracts thousands of people every year. Red Fort : Red Fort located at Delhi was built by Shahajahan in 1638 AD. This fort is made of red stone. Shahajahan founded city namely Shahajahanabad in the same fort, which was named after him. This fort includes Diwan-e- Aam, Diwan-e-khas, Rang Mahal ete, Diwan-e-Khas is more magnificientlly decorated than 6.6 Red Fort other buildings. It is decorated with an amalgamation of gold and silver, embedded with precious stones. The other buildings of Red fort are Rang Mahal, Mirror palace (Aaina Mahal) of Mumtaz, Lahori gate, ‘Meena bazar and Mughal Garden etc. which are the centre of attraction of RedFort. Peacock throne is the best exquisite creation of this fort, which Nadirshah took along with him to Iran. Red fort is one of ar our Indian flag is hoisted on the outstanding buildings among the mughal art of architecture, Every the Red fort on national festivals. Fatehpur Sikri : Itis 26 miles away from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Akbar has founded this city in the ‘memory of sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chisti,he made ithis own capital city. The building construction of Sikri was started in 1569 AD and completed till 1572 AD. The best buildings among them are palace of Birbal, Golden palace of Bibi Mariam, palace of Turkey Sultan, Jama Masjid and Buland Darwaza. Buland Darwaza of Fatehapur Sikri is 41 m wide and 50 m high. The other well-known and remarkablebuildings of 6.7 Buland Darwaza Sikri are palace of Jodhabai, Panch Mahal, Tomb of Saikh Salim Chisti, Diwan-e-aam, Diwan-e-khas and Jyotish Mahal. Soca Seng Nae)Churches of Goa : The Christian missionaries eame to India with the Portuguese to spread Christianity. Goa was the capital of the Portuguese, Many churches were built in joa like church of Besalika of Bom Jesus and Besalika of God Jesus are in old Goa ‘The relics of St. Francis Xavier is keptin a coffin in a church of Goa. His dead body has not decayed even after so many years. Beside there are many churches in Goa. Itis well renowned for its beautiful beaches andits artistic churches, 6.8 Besalika of Bom Jesus Church-Goa Champaner : Champaneris situated in the foothills of Pavagadh at Halol taluka in Panchmahal district of Gujarat. After the victory of Champaner, Mahmud Begada gave it the position of capital and named it Muhammadabad. Moti Masjid, Jama Masjid and Historical fort are different buildings in Champaner. Considering art of architecture and historieal importance of Champaner, UNESCO has declared this town as assite of world heritage. 6.9 Jama masjid-Champaner Places (Monuments) of Cultural Heritage of Gujarat : Gujarat has the foremost place in the field of sculpture and architecture. Many beautiful architectural sites can be seen here for eg. cave architectures, temples, forts, vav (step-wells), archs etc. Now let us know about the places of cultural heritage of Gujarat. Dholaveera and Lothal : Dholaveera and Lothal were the main cities of Indus Valley civilization. Dholaveera is situated in Khadirbet at Bhachau taluka in Kuchchh district. Dholaveera is known for its ideal town planning whereas Harappan culture was renowned as a cen- tre of trade and commerce. 5000 years ago from today, bead making factories and omament making shell were found out from at Dholaveera. Lothal : Lothal is situated near Ahmedabad- = > Bhavnagar highway is an architectural place, which 6.10 Tomb of Bahanddin Va ‘was main centre of trade and commerce and well facilitated port of Harappan culture in the ancient times Junagadh : In Junagadh, stone inscription of Ashoka, Buddhist caves of Khapra Kodiya, Vav (Step-well), old Rajmahal, Navghan Well, tomb of Mahabatkhan and Tomb of Bahauddin Vazir’s ete. places are worth seeing. Bhavnath fair is held in the foot hills of Gimar on Mahashivratri. a Places of Indian Cultural HeritageAhmedabad could be known as a historical city. Fort of Bhadra, Jama |, Mosque of Queen Sipri, Roza of Sarkhej, Kankariya Lake, Shaking Minaret (Jhulta-Minara), Sidi Saiyed Jali (Grill, Temples of Hathi Sinh, Mosque of Queen Roopmati are worth seeing architectures of Ahmedabad. The shak- ing Minarets outside Sarangpur darwaza in Raipur-Gomtipur are well known for its unsolved secret of vibration. The SidisSaiyed Grill is famous for its veg tational and geomettical creation and ‘minute carving, Sahastralinga lake in Patan, step-well of Queen (Rani ni vav) and Rudra Mahalaya of Siddhapur are worth seeing architectures, ‘The ruins of Rudra Mahalaya in Siddhpur suggests the grandeur of palace which is situated 26 km away from Patan, 6.12 Step-well of Queen (Rani ni vay) Jdaymati, queen of Bhimdev-I built vav (step-well to cater the need of water to her subjects (public) which is known as step-well of queen (Rani ni vav). UNESCO included this vav as a world heritage monument in 2014. This vav indicates the beautiful amangement of water harvesting for public usage in ancient time. Siddhraj Jaysingh built a lake named Sahastralinga lake in 1140 A.D. ‘Apart from the fort at Vadnagar, Sharmishta lake and Kirti Arches are worth seeing monuments. Arches are created on the two erected pillars; creating shape like bow. Shamlaji Temple situated on the bank of Meshwo river is an ancient place for pilgrimages. This art of architecture is marvelous. Socal Sines, andar 10om co Bete INDIA National Heritage Places se alka Shi PAKISTAN CChateapath Nathan Heritage Pass © Caiturat Heritage Paces pO 40600 Kin 6.13 Places of National Heritage Many Stupas and Viharas were built in Gujarat during Kshatrap period. The remains of Buddhist Stupas are found from Bordevi of Junagadh district, Dev ni mori near Shamlaji, Intva stupa in Gimar near Junagadh etc. Besides these many other architectures of Dev ni mori Bavapyara, Uparkot, Khapra Kodiya, Khambhaliya, Talaja, Sana, Dhank, Jhinjhurijhar, Kadiya Dungar etc. are seen in Gujarat. * Places of Indian Cultural HeritageThings to know : ‘av is a well with steps having one, two, three or four openings and three, six, nine or twelv loors. Nanda, Bhadra, Jaya and Vijaya are the main types of vav. Step-well of Adalaj near Gandhinagar, Step-well of Queen of Patan, Adi-Kadi step-well at Junagadh, apart from this Nadiad, Mehmedabad, Umrath, Kapadwanj, Vadhwan and Kaleshwari (Mahisagar district) ete. are the examples of Vav Architecture There are many Jain temples on Shetrunjya mountains at Palitana in Bhavnagar district. Few of the temples were built in 11® century. Taranga Pilgrim is situated on the hills near Timba village at Kheralu taluka in Mehsana district. The temple of Taramati is also situated here, Somnath temple at Gir Somnath district and Dwarkadhish temple of Devbhoomi, Dwarka has gorgeous historical heritage. The list of Gujarat’s cultural heritage has not been completed yet. Many such places are there in Gujarat which makes our cultural heritage rich and prosperous. South Indian Temples of Ancient India : Temples of South India are famous for their different style. They were made in Dravid Style of art. They are in Pyramidal shaped with multistoreys. One attractive stone is placed on its top. ‘Yard of temple was very huge. Many South Indian temples built in ancient time are as given below : Name of Temple Place Mahabalipuram Mahabalipuram-Tamilnadu Kailash Temple Kanchipuram-Tamilnadu Bruhdeshwar Temple Tanjavur-Tamilnadu Virupaksha Temple Pattadakal-Karnataka Parashurameshwar Temple Bhuvneshwar-Odisha ‘Vaikuntha Perumal Temple Kanchipuram-Tamilnadu Places of Pilgrimages in India : India has been a land of pilgrimages since ancient time, People of India go on pilgrimages. The journey of chardham and twelve jyotirlingas includes Badrinath (Uttarakhand), Rameshwar (Tamilnadu), Dwarka (Gujarat), Jagannathpuri (Odisha). Moreover pilgrimage of $1 Shaktipeeths and Amamath yatra are considered as one of the most important. Gimar (Lili Parikrama), Shetrunjya Pradakshina and Narmada Pradakshina have great impor- tance, India is a treasure house of rich cultural heritage. In this way places of Indian cultural heri- tage gave India a unique identity in the world. The tourists from India and abroad visit Indian art of architecture regularly. This accelerates economical benefits of accelerated economical benefit of ‘tourism industry in India, Thus 32 monuments of Indian cultural and natural heritage have been in- cluded in the world heritage site by the UNESCO. ‘ocial Science, Standard 10 C0}Exercise Answer the following questions in detail : (1). Describe architectural style of ‘Taj Mahal. (2). Write a note on the places of cultural heritage of Gujarat. (3) Write a note on the Red Fort of Delhi. Answer the following questions pointwise : (1). Explain art ofarchitecture of Hampi. (2). Write about Khajuraho Temples. (3) Write a note on the Sun Temple of Konark. (4) Write about Bruhdeshwar Temple. (5) Write a note on Fatehpur Sikri |. Answer the following questions in short : (1) Write a brief note on the Kailash Temple at Ellora. (2) Write a brief note on elephanta caves. (3) Write a short note on Qutub Minar. (4) Write a short note on the cathedrals (churches) of Goa. (5) Make a list of the places (monuments) of Cultural heritage of Gujarat. (©) India has been a land of pilgrimages since ancient time. Explain the statement. Choose a correct option from the options given below : (1) In which state are Ajanta caves located ? (A) Madhya pradesh (B) Maharashtra (C) Odisha (D) Gujarat (2). Which is not a correct statement ? (A) Kailash temple is located at Ellora caves. (B) There are 34 caves in Ellora. (C) Hindu caves were built during Rashtrakuta dynasty. (D) Ellora caves are divided into four sections. ED Places of Indian Cultural Heritage(3) Match the pairs and choose the correct order, ‘Temple State (1) Sun Temple of Konark (A) Madhya pradesh. (2) Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal —_ (B) Tamilnadu (3) Bruhadeshwar Temple (©) Kamataka (4) Khajuraho Temple (D) Orissa (LD 20 3B 4A ®Lre 2D 3A 4B (LC 2D 3B 4A (D)1-C 2B 3D 4A (4) Taj Mahal : Shahajahan ; Tomb of Humayun (A) Jahangir (B) Shahajahan (©) Babar (D) Akbar (5) Who founded city named Fatehpur Sikri? (A) Humayun (B) Shabjahan (©) Babar (D) Akbar (6) Which is the correct option if we arrange these historical places of India in the sequence, from North to South. (A) Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, Bruhadeshwar, Ellora (B) Ellora caves, Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, Bruhadeshwar (C) Taj Mahal, Bruhadeshwar, Khajuraho, Ellora (D) Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, Ellora, Bruhadeshwar (D)_Join the given pair and find out the correct pair. Temple State (1) Uparkot (A) Ahmedabad (2) Sidi Saiyad Grill (B) Patan (3) Step-well of Queen Sipri_—_ (C) Khadirbet (4) Dholaveera (D) Junagadh (1D 20 3B 4A ®)ID 2A 3B 4¢ (LC 2D FB 4A (DLC 2B 3D 4A (8) Which is not a type of step-well ? (A) Nanda (B) Bhadra (©) Tada (D) Vijaya ‘Activity © Show the places of Indian cultural heritage in the outline map of India. © Arrange a picnic to the place of heritage in Gujarat. © Prepare a hand written magazine of the places of Indian Cultural heritage. © Collect more information about Queen Udaymati e Seience, Standard 10 Cs)