Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as the village has preserved many cultural and architectural monuments. In addition, Hampi is one of the main religious centers of India, thanks to the still functioning Virupaksha temple.

The temple is the epitome of architectural art. The altar is surrounded by a complex of musical pillars that produce different sounds when tapped. A street, also surrounded by relief columns, leads to the main entrance. More in the temple you can admire the statues of gods and various animals. A distinctive feature of the temple is the presence of a chariot made of stone, which is a copy of the original chariot.

It is also worth seeing the Shiva temple, which is located underground. In Hampi, one can admire not only temples but also other architectural structures like Narasimha statue, royal scales, Mahanavami Dibba tower.

Hampi is also famous for its religious and entertainment festivals. The biggest festival is the Hampi festival. All kinds of artists, musicians, festive parade, dances and fireworks all take place at the festival. And the biggest religious celebration is the Virupaksha Chariot Festival. Here the main participants are the statues of the god and goddess, as the festival symbolizes their wedding. They are loaded onto the chariot and driven down the main street. All this is accompanied by a colorful procession.

One of the most incredible places in this country is a complex of 34 temples. They were all built before the X century AD. The unique thing is that the temples are not of one culture, but of several: Hindu, Jain, Buddhist. The earliest Ellora caves are Buddhist. They are the largest and most mesmerizing. The facade of the temples is in a solemn style. Their complete opposite are the Hindu ones. The outer walls are covered with images of sacred episodes, which were carved in several stages. There are seventeen such caves in all. They occupy the entire central part of Ellora.

The youngest temples in the rock are Jain temples. They can be reached by a paved road. The architectural tradition in which these caves are made can be called strict asceticism. The artistic decoration of the Jain temples is very skillfully designed.

The Ellora Caves are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The second name of Jaisalmer, located near the border with Pakistan, is “Golden City”. It is so called for its yellow colored stone buildings. It is one of the best attractions in India, as the city sometimes looks like it has stepped off the pages of “One Thousand and One Nights”. It is home to many landmarks and ancient architectural monuments:.

Jaisalmer Fort (Sona Qila).
One of the largest forts in the world, it was built in 1156 by the ruler of Pao Jaisalmer. The fort consists of 99 bastions, the height of the fort walls protecting the Old Town with its narrow winding streets is 9.1 meters.

Lake Gadsisar and its surroundings.
Surrounded by temples and sacred tombs, it is the source of water for the city. Near the lake, which also offers boat trips, there is a cultural center of the desert and a local history museum.

Jain Temple.
Famous for its seven beautifully carved temples built between the 12th and 15th centuries. All temples are connected by passages and corridors.

The grandiose fortification of Mehrangarh will strike your imagination.

The fort has high stone walls on the outside and a wide road that descends to the city of Jodhpur. Very close by is a memorial pavilion to the soldier who defended the fort.

The history of the landmark begins in the distant XV
century. Over time, a town appeared near the foot of the fort. Mehrangarh rises almost 120 meters above Jodhpur. The height of the walls in some places reaches 36 meters. To enter the fort, you have to overcome 7 gates. The most notable of them is the Victory Gate, which was erected in 1806.

On the territory of Mehrangarh (total area of 0.2 km) there are five luxurious palaces, as well as a unique Indian museum. The latter is especially interesting for tourists, as it contains traditional national costumes, as well as musical instruments, furniture, palanquins, miniatures.

You can learn more about Indian martial arts by visiting the Armory. There is a collection of knives, sabers, and the best armor of different periods of the principality.

If you ask the question, what to see in India, most people, except for the Taj Mahal, will not name any other attractions. In fact, there are many other interesting places, including the Red Fort in Agra above the Yamuna River. If you decide to visit the Taj Mahal, you will be on your way, because the distance between them is only two and a half kilometers.

This fortress is called red because it is made of reddish colored stone. It was erected, or rather reconstructed in 1565 by order of Akbar the Great. The building is made in the shape of a semicircle, has two entrances - these are the Lahore and Delhi main gates, and there is a 21-meter wall around it. Inside you can see several Islamic mosques, beautiful gardens and the residence of the rulers.

Earlier Agra, near which the fort is located, was the capital of India, but then this title again went to Delhi. During the Mughal dynasty, it served as the residence of the Padishah. The structure is among the most popular attractions in India and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The complex of 25 ancient temples in Khajuraho is dedicated to the gods of Hinduism and Jainism. These structures were built about a millennium ago, during the heyday of medieval architecture in North India. During Muslim rule, the entire city, along with the temples, was abandoned, but it was rediscovered in the 19th century and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The temples of Khajuraho are famous for their unique sculptural compositions - the walls depict gods, gurus, animals, musicians, episodes from life, and, of course, the famous erotic scenes of the Kama Sutra.

You can explore the sights of ancient India starting from the oldest “living” city on earth - Varanasi. It is one of the sacred places for Hindus, a city of grandiose pilgrimage. Being a contemporary of Luxor and Babylon, the city has distinguished itself from its contemporaries by its incredible resistance to the influence of time. A number of sanctuaries have been preserved here, most of which have been repeatedly ravaged but rebuilt each time. The dream of every Hindu believer is to complete his or her life journey here, to break the chain of reincarnations and thus break the proverbial wheel of Sansara.

This city is considered sacred to Buddhists, and its main attraction is the stunning Mahabodhi Temple. It is believed to stand on the very spot where the Buddha once came to enlightenment and formulated the basic principles of his teachings. Every year thousands of visitors flock here from all over the world to meditate and pray. But also those who just want to see this extraordinary building of VI century with a high pyramidal spire come here.

On the territory of the temple complex there is also a sacred Bodhi tree, grown from the seeds of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree (Sri Lanka), which, in its turn, originated from the original Mahabodhi tree, under which the Buddha found enlightenment.