Lost cities of India (11 photos). ancient temples in india big temple in india

A country with an ancient history, deep national traditions, many religions and rituals - India is still considered one of the most interesting places on the planet. The Indian culture of antiquity gave rise to a number of wonderful, completely unique temples, among which there are buildings with a thousand-year past and temples built during the Middle Ages. There are quite modern masterpieces built in the second half of the 20th century. Without exception, all the temples of India have an enduring religious value; they contain shrines revered by the Indian people.

Undoubtedly, all the temples of India begin with the Palace-mausoleum built in the 17th century by Shah Jahan for the untimely deceased wife, whom he loved more than life itself. Allah gave the Shah and the beautiful Mumtaz 17 happy years of marriage, but the woman died at the birth of the last child. For more than twenty years, the palace in Agra was built from expensive translucent marble, precious stones and pearls. Huge were made of pure silver, the inner chambers breathed oriental luxury. After his death, Shah Jahan was buried next to his beloved Mumtaz. The Taj Mahal is the main temple in India, but there are many more masterpieces worth seeing.

In the Indian city of Armitsar, right in the middle with the same name, stands the golden temple of Harmandir Sahib - the shrine of the Sikhs. Approached pilgrims, before entering, perform the obligatory ritual of immersion in the waters of Armitsar. Sikhs are religiously tolerant enough, so a representative of any religion is allowed to enter their temple, but only after washing their feet. You must also wear a hat when entering. The temple is richly decorated with gold plates and many precious stones both outside and inside.

The stunning temple complex is located in the Indian village of Ellora in the state of Maharashtra. The temples of India in Ellora united as many as three religions: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. In total, there are 34 monasteries in the complex, in which monks have lived for centuries. And the most significant in the Ellora complex has always been and remains common to all religions, carved in a monolithic rock, the temple of Kailasanath - the abode of Shiva. This temple was carved for a hundred years by several generations of stonemasons.

In the Indian state of Orissa, in the city of Puri, there is a temple of Jagannath, a deity personifying Krishna. This temple is extremely isolated, the entrance to it is possible only for Hindus. A Hindu of any other religion cannot enter, and Europeans even more so. Hindus have a suspicion that people of the white race have long dreamed of stealing a wooden statue of Jagannath from the temple. In order to see this unique attraction, it is enough to climb onto the roof of a nearby building. And the deity of Jagannath and other gods from the temple can be observed during the chariot festival, which takes place in Puri every year.

The temples of India are also reflected in the state of Madhya Pradesh - a wonderful complex called "Khajuraho". It consists of 22 buildings, some of which are dedicated to Lord Shiva. One of the temples - Kandarya-Mahadeva - began to be built in the 9th century and was built for about a hundred years. It so happened that after two hundred years the temple was forgotten and for a long 700 years it disappeared into the dense Indian jungle. When the European colonialists discovered the temple, they tried not to advertise their find, since all the walls of the building were covered with sculptures of a frankly erotic nature. However, nowadays Kandarya Mahadeva is one of the most visited temples.

Vishvanath Kashi Temple (which means located on the banks of the Ganges in the city of Varanasi. The temple houses one of the shrines of the god Shiva. All the Hindus of the country dream of getting into the Kashi temple, it’s impossible for a non-Hindu to get into the temple, this is very strict. Hindus consider swimming in the Ganges with followed by a visit to the temple, the possibility of complete purification of the soul.Kashi Vishwanath is very richly decorated with real gold.About a ton of precious metal was spent on numerous domes.

And a magnificent Prayer House in Delhi. A masterpiece of sacral architecture of the second half of the 20th century. It is a huge lotus flower of 27 petals, built of white marble. The temple is surrounded by 9 pools. At the entrance, each visitor is seized by a feeling of peace, I want to talk in a whisper, even the thought does not arise to get a camera and click the shutter. One feels the harmony of unity with the Lotus Temple. I want this feeling to last as long as possible. India does not end there, but more than one article will be required to fully describe them.

Traveling through this wonderful country, be sure to pay attention to the lost ancient cities of India. The ruins of these once majestic places are imbued with the energy of bygone times. In many ghost towns, architectural masterpieces and ancient temples have been preserved.

Fatehpur Sikri

In the 18th century, this city was the capital of the Great Mughal Empire. Fatehpur Sikri had a lot of architectural masterpieces and its population was constantly growing.

However, the builders made a gross mistake in the planning of water supply, which gradually led to an acute shortage of water in the city. People were forced to leave their homes. And in their place came monkeys. Now this ghost town is a real monkey paradise. .

Vijayanagara

This is the most famous of the abandoned cities. Until the middle of the 16th century, it was the capital of the Vijayanagar Empire. Beautiful Vijayanagara was captured and destroyed by Islamic warriors. Gradually, the remains of the former capital were overgrown with jungle. Today, among the ruins is the small village of Hampi. This abandoned place is located seventy kilometers from Bellary.

Harappa

Ancient ruins of Harappa

It is the oldest known city in India. It was founded over three thousand years BC. Just imagine - when the Egyptians were just starting to build their pyramids, this glorious city already existed.

Mandu

The ancient name of this city is Shadiabad, which literally means "city of joy." It is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Now only ruins remain of it, and until the 17th century it was a fabulous city with magnificent Islamic monuments. He was famous throughout Asia for his splendor. Although the city has long been abandoned, fortresses still remain among its ruins, overgrown with jungle. And its mausoleums, like palaces, are majestic and beautiful.

Lothal

The remains of this ancient city of Lothal is located in the state of Gujatat. It was discovered in 1954. Today it is a very important property of Indian archaeologists, since its age dates back to 2400 BC. It is believed that at one time it was a very large trading port.

Prayaga

The city of Prayaga has existed since the time of King Ashot, who ruled in the 3rd century BC. The city was founded at the junction of the Ganges and Jamin rivers, and subsequently Allahabad appeared in its place. The ancient Hindus considered Prayag sacred. Unfortunately, history is silent about the reasons for its desolation.

Pataliputra

Pataliputra was the capital and cultural center of several empires. Under the rule of the Gupta Empire, the city fell into decay. Today, the big city of Patna is built here, but on its outskirts you can touch the ruins of the glorious capital.

Ayodhya

At one time, Ayodhya was located in the Faizabad district and was the capital of Oudh. This ancient city was considered the center of pilgrimage, since legends announce it as the birthplace of the great Rama and the main city of the legendary Kosala. The remains of this city are considered one of the 7 sacred places of Hinduism.

mohenjo-daro

In translation, the name of the city of Mohenjo-Daro means "hill of the dead." The ruins of this ancient city discovered in 1922 leave contemporaries with many questions. Archaeologists cannot establish the cause of the death of the local population and the destruction of the city itself. In addition, the very name of the mysterious city makes you think.

madurai

Its age is 2.5 thousand years. Madurai is the oldest city in India continuously inhabited by people. Located in the state of Tamil Nadu. It has been an important center of trade and economy since the time of trade with Greece and Rome.

Khajuraho

A magnificent city was built by the Chandela dynasty. It was a complex consisting of 85 magnificent temples. This turned Khajuraho into a religious capital.

Unfortunately, today only 25 can be observed, the rest of the masterpieces of architecture rest in ruins. The city was abandoned in the 18th century and accidentally discovered in 1838. You can read more about the temples of Khajuraho at.

The oldest architecture of India, dating back at least five millennia, has found its most perfect embodiment in the majestic temple buildings located throughout this vast country ...

The ancient temples of India embody all the diversity of religious traditions, either replacing one another, or coexisting side by side for many centuries, supporting and complementing each other. It was these traditions that created the colorful and so impressive for Europeans many-sided image of Indian civilization.

In this article, we have tried to describe the most famous and revered ancient temples in India. Almost all of them are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and are cultural treasures of all mankind.

Big stupa in Sanchi

The stupa, or burial place of the remains of the Buddha, is of great importance in the religious life of many Hindus. The most famous and revered of them is located in Sanchi, located in Central India. It was built in the third century BC. and perfectly preserved its appearance.

Today, the Sanchi stupa has undergone restoration. The dome in the form of a hemisphere symbolizes the vault of the sky, and the upper part symbolizes Mount Meru, sacred to Buddhists. Inside the building, according to legend, is part of the remains of the Buddha.

The sanctuary is surrounded by a massive stone wall with four elaborately carved ceremonial gates, which are one of the most famous symbols of India.

Ajanta temple complex

The Ajanta temple complex is one of the most ancient cave temples in India, where not only stone-carved columns and wall decorations have been preserved, but also numerous frescoes with magnificent colorful images.

It consists of 29 cave halls, the most ancient of which were built in the 1st-3rd centuries AD. Temple buildings here coexist with monastic cells, as they were created by monks who sought solitude from the bustle of the world.

Each of the halls has a square shape, the ceiling is supported by stone columns decorated with rich carvings. On the sides of the central hall are small cells in which the monks lived.

Cave temples of Ellora

The most beautiful temple complex, including Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples, is located near the village of Ellora (Maharashtra).

Impressive stone structures are carved from a single rock in the middle of a mountain range that surrounds them from all sides like the walls of a giant bowl.

One of the most revered examples of Dravidian architecture is located here - the Kailash temple, where you can see giant statues of the gods Vishnu, Shiva, the goddess Lakshmi and other representatives of the Hindu pantheon carved from stone.

Khajuraho Temple

One of the most famous and visited temples by Europeans is Khajuraho, dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva the destroyer. It is located in the state of Madhya Pradesh and bears the name of Kandarya Mahadeva.

This temple is famous for its stone carvings, representing thousands of different subjects of erotic content, made with amazing art and naturalism.

The temple buildings themselves are amazingly beautiful, and the spicy stone carvings attract tens of thousands of tourists here who want to see the famous "stone Kama Sutra" with their own eyes.

In February and March, the annual festival of Indian traditional dance is held here - this is the best time to visit the Khajuraho temple complex.

Lingaraja Temple

The Lingaraja temple in Orissa is one of the most impressive buildings of the phallic cult of Shiva. Built in the 9th century AD, today it is a grandiose temple complex, the central tower of which is 55 meters high and shaped like an ear of corn.

The tower is covered with carvings depicting female figures intertwined with figures of various animals. A granite lingam about 8 meters high is installed in the main sanctuary.

Hindus believe that it belongs not only to Shiva, but also to Vishnu - this feature makes the Lingaraja temple unique and one of the most revered in India.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Varanasi)

Located in the ancient Indian city of Varanasi (Benares), the temple of Kashi Vishthwanath was repeatedly destroyed, but each time it was restored again. Today it is one of the most sacred places for every Hindu.

The walls of the temple are covered with gilding, on which about 800 kg of gold was spent. Unfortunately, the temple is located in the middle of dense urban development, and in order to see its golden roof, tourists need to climb to the third floor of a neighboring building.

Inside the temple, in a recess trimmed with pure silver, is its main shrine - the Adi Visheshvara lingam, guarded by a silver cobra.

Temple of Venkateswara

The Temple of Venkateshwara, which is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in Southeast India, covers an area of ​​more than two hectares. This is one of the most visited sanctuaries in the world, called the Hindu Vatican and dedicated to the god Vishnu.

The temple was erected over a thousand years ago on one of the seven hills of Tirumala (the Sacred Mountain). At least once in a lifetime, every adherent of the Hindu religion must visit it.

The luxury of decorations and decoration of the temple amazes not only believers, but also tourists: the central vimana tower is covered with pure gold, the interior decoration is also made of gold and precious stones.

The Temple of Venkateswara is distinguished not only by the exceptional wealth of donations, but also by their originality. Believers sacrifice their own hair to Vishnu, the total weight of which reaches about 15 tons per year.

Temples of India: Buddhist and Jain temples of India, Ajanta temples, Ellora temples, Mahabodhi temple, Golden Temple.

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Ajanta

State of Maharashtra, Ajanta

Ajanta is a man-made cave monastery, consisting of twenty-nine temples and the cells of hermit monks adjacent to them. It is located in the very heart of the country, but at the same time, even in our time, it is difficult to access, because you need to walk more than ten kilometers from here to the nearest settlement.

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Pattadakal

Karnataka State, Pattadakal

Few monuments in Karnataka can boast of being included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are only two of them - the ruins of Vijayanagara and the temples of Pattadakal. Pattadakal has a rich past - at the beginning of the 7th century, it took over from Aihole and became the capital of the young and powerful Chalukya kingdom.

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Humpy

Karnataka State, Hampi

Hampi is a set of buildings headed by the Virupaksha temple. This is a fairly well-known place, which is mentioned in the Ramayana. This work tells about the events that took place in Hampi. Why go here? To see sculptures, temples, statues representing the history of India at its best. This is quite a significant piece of the history of the country.

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Mahabodhi Temple

Bihar, Bodhgaya

Mahabodhi Temple is a world famous Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. It is located exactly on the very spot where Gautama Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. The temple complex includes the holy Bodhi tree, which grew from the seed of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka.

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Meenakshi Temple

State of Tamil Nadu, Madurai, Tamil Nadu

Shiva is one of the main deities of the Trimurti triad (along with Vishnu and Brahma). He is the supreme god in Shaivism and one of the central characters in the pantheon of Hindu deities. Once Shiva married the goddess Parvati, and together they began to personify the male and female aspects of creative energy.

For more than one thousand years, almost all confessions in the world have peacefully coexisted in the ancient lands of India. In matters of religious tolerance, the country can only be envied. That is why the temples of India, as the main confirmation of this, are so diverse and unique. Whether it be modest Himalayan sanctuaries, cave monasteries of Ajanta, golden-domed temples of Varanasi or architectural masterpieces of Hampi, they are still beautiful and original.

The largest complex of cave temples in India is located in the village of Ellora, Maharashtra. The main value of the complex is the monolithic temple of Kailasanath, dedicated to the god Shiva. For more than a century, the temple has been carved into the rock using primitive tools. And it turned out to be a delightful masterpiece, graceful and skillful - just a feast for the eyes. By the way, besides him, there are about a few dozen temples in Ellora.

On the coast of the Arabian Sea rises one of the oldest temples in the country - Somnath - "Temple of the Moon". According to legend, the god of the moon himself erected it to Shiva in glory. In fact, the temple was destroyed several times and rebuilt again. Somnath is very valuable in Hinduism. They say that a spiritually developed person in the process of prayer, instead of carved stone walls, can see pillars of fire penetrating heaven and earth.

The medieval Shaivist temple of Khajuraho, better known as the "Temple of Love", was in oblivion for about 700 years, shrouded in impenetrable jungle. It was first discovered by European colonizers. They opened it and were horrified: the outer and inner walls of the temple were completely decorated with erotic sculptures of the most obscene nature. Nowadays, the beauty of Khajuraho is not only admired, but also called a World Heritage Site.

The most visited religious building in the world is also in India. This is the temple of Tirumala Venkateswara, the so-called Hindu Vatican.

The decoration of the domes of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi took almost a ton of gold. Every self-respecting Hindu dreams of visiting the Golden Temple and swimming in the sacred waters of the Ganges (on the western bank of which the temple is located). And it is very problematic for representatives of other religions to get inside. It remains to be content with the external decoration of Kashi Vishwanath, which, in general, is also quite a lot. By the way, the situation is similar with the Jagannath temple in Puri. There is a belief here that every white-skinned, barely getting into the temple, will immediately try to steal its main shrine - the statue of the god Jagannatha - one of the forms of Krishna.

One of the most modern temples in India is located right in the capital. The temple has a rather original design imitating a lotus flower. So the sanctuary is called - the temple of the Lotus. Unlike its more strict counterparts, this temple is open to everyone and absolutely free.

The most visited religious building in the world is also in India. This is the temple of Tirumala Venkateswara, the so-called Hindu Vatican. Surprisingly, temple visitors often leave their hair here as a donation. And since tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the temple every year, there is plenty of hair here: 15 tons per year, to summarize. In total, the income from the sale of hair is at least a million USD.

Lost cities should not be forgotten when enjoying the beauty and cultural treasures of India.
These cities fell as a result of wars and natural disasters, but still survived to this day.
Let's enjoy the journey and see the surviving art, temples and museums.

Virupaksha temple in Hampi.
The dynasties of princes Harihara and Bukka Raya founded Vijayanagara in 1336. This mighty city was the capital of the empire. The golden years of this Indian region fell on the years 1509-1529. The city was surrounded by hills on three sides, and the Tungabhadra River flowed on the fourth. Like many other powerful empires, the empire eventually fell under the onslaught of the Deccan Sultan in 1565. Agricultural wealth brought great material benefits to the empire through international trade. The ruins of the city now have World Heritage status and surround modern-day Hampi in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

A tree in the courtyard of the Vitthala temple.

Puhar.
The seven-storied building in the photo is now the Sillappathikara Art Gallery. Puhar is a city in the Nagapattinami district, in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu. In ancient times, this city was called the prosperous capital of kings. Located at the mouth of the Kaveri River, the city served as a large trading center, where goods brought from afar were unloaded. The legendary city is mentioned in many songs, in poetry, in the heroic epic. The history of the city is well described in the epics Silapathikaram and Manimekalai. Scientists believe that the cause of the destruction of the city was the tsunami.

Muziris.
Muziris is the Greco-Roman name of an ancient port city located off the coast of Malabar (South India). Excavations in 2004 proved that trade was carried out from this port with Western Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It is believed that the city was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century AD.

Lothal.
The ancient city of Lothal, or rather its remains, can be found in the state of Gujatat. Known since 2400 BC, this lost city is one of the most important archaeological sites in India. It was discovered in 1954 and excavated between 1955 and 1960. The city was also a major trading port.

Kalibangan.
Kalibangan is located on the south bank of the Ghaggar district in the state of Rajasthan. Known as the site of the earliest system of plowing an agricultural field (c. 2800 BC). Scientists came to the conclusion that the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 2600 BC, but after that the 2nd stage of the settlement took place, which was unsuccessful due to the gradual and irreversible drying up of the river.