A Historical Retreat

Mahabalipuram is located close to Chennai (Madras) on the shores of the Bay of Bengal,along the Indian eastern coast. Known for its rocks carvings and monolithic sculptures it has the famous shore temple,the only one to have survived the ravages of nature. Also known as the Seven Pagodas (temples),six now lie submerged in the sea. Mahabalipuram temples whose architecture was inspired by the Pallava Art were built during the period 830 - 1100 AD.

Mahabalipuram contains nearly forty monuments of different types including an "open air bas relief" which is the largest in the world. For centuries it has been a centre of pilgrimage,and even today it attracts devotees and foreigners in large numbers. There are two low hills in Mahabalipuram,about 400m from the sea whose both sides have 11 excavated temples,called Mandapas. Out of a big rock standing free nearby there is a "cut out" temple,called a "Ratha". This type is unique to Mahabalipuram.

Out of the other hill,much smaller and standing about 200m to the south,are fashioned five more rathas,and three big sculptures of a Nandi,a Loin and an Elephant. On the top of the bigger hill there is a structural temple,and a little distance the magnificent beginnings of a Vijayanagar Gopura and also survivals of what is believed to be a palace.

The five Rathas include The Dharmaraja,The Bhima,The Arjuna,The Draupadi and The Sahadeva. The Five Rathas,about 200 m south of the main hill,were fashioned out of a smaller hill sloping down from the south. From the largest part was made the biggest of the five rathas,the Dharmaraja. Then followed onwards north,in the descending order of height,the Bhima,the Arjuna and the Draupadi.

A little to the west of Draupadi there was a comparatively large rock and out of it the Sahadeva Ratha was made. Immediately in front of the Draupadi again two smaller rocks were sculptured into an elephant and a lion. Behind the Draupadi and the Arjuna,which stand on a common base,there is a Nandi.

The Shore Temple occupies a most extraordinary site at the very margin of the Bay of Bengal so that at high tide the waves sweep into it and the walls. For this reason their sculptures,have been eroded by the winds and waves of thirteen centuries.

Source : historicaltemples.blogspot.in/2008/05/mahabalipuram.html

Beautiful Monuments

Some buildings are famous for their magnificence, some for their beautiful paintings and sculptures and some because of their historical back­ground. These places and buildings tell us country's history and rich heritage.

Taj Mahal :

It is the most beautiful monument of Mughal period in Indian history. It stands on the bank of the river Yamuna at Agra. It was built by Emperor Shahjahan in the memory of his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal. It is a grand monument of white, marble. It is considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the world due to its matchless beauty.

The main building has'a huge dome which stands at the centre of rectangular platform. On all the four corners of the platform stand long minarets of white marble. It is said that it took about 20 years and crores of rupees to complete this building.

Qutab Minar :

The Qutub Minor is situated at Mehrauli in Delhi. It was built by Qutub-ud-din-Aibak, the first ruler of Slave Dynasty about 750 years ago. Unluckily he Qutub Minar and the Iron Pillar died before its completion and it was completed by his successor lltutmish. It is a huge minaret with a winding staircase running inside it. Its height is 230 feet. It has about 300 steps. Originally the Minar had seven storeys. It is the highest stone tower in the world. Near the Qutub Minar there is an old iron pillar. It is about 1500 years old and has no signs of rusting.

Red Fort :

Shahjahan, the Mughal Emperor was a great builder. Red Fort, built on the bank of the river Yamuna is one of his most important buildings. It is called Red Fort because it is made of red stone. Inside the fort there are some buildings worth seeing.

Red Fort is an historical monument. When India became independent in 1947, our first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the National Flag at the Red Fort on the mid-night of 14th August 1947. Now every year on our Independence Day the Prime Minister hoists the National Flag and addresses the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort.

Source : www.preservearticles.com/201101062675/nine-most-popular-historical-monuments-of-india.html