Majestic Historical Monuments of India-Part 2

Monuments are the grappling-irons that bind one generation to another.     

                                                                                       -Joseph Joubert

Golden Temple Located in Amritsar

Fig.1 Golden Temple of India  -Night View 

The Golden Temple is otherwise known as Harmandir Sahib, which is the holiest temple and a pilgrimage place situated in Amritsar as shown in Fig.1. This is a Sikh Gurdwara at Punjab, which is decked with a rich history and golden glided peripheral. The Golden temple is the most attractive place for visitors if they are interested in culture and history. This temple is built around the holy river for Sikh called Amritsar Sarovar. This temple consists of beautiful marble floors and walls are painted with animal and flower prints.

Interesting Facts about the Golden Temple

• The most important fact about the Golden Temple is that its foundation stone is laid by a Muslim saint Sufi Saint Sai Hazrat Mian Mir.
• It is believed that Lord Buddha meditated at the Golden Temple for some time and he declared that the sacred site is apt for doing meditation for saints.
• The entire architecture of the Golden Temple is designed and initiated by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan in the year 1581 and for completion, it took almost 8 years.
• The outer layer of the temple is fully covered with gold foil and hence the name Golden Temple.
• The four entrances of the Gurudwara spread a message that this temple is open to all faiths, regardless of caste, creed, and religion.
• The first floor of the Golden temple is only visible during Kar Sewa as it is submerged in the Amrit Sarovar. This structure of the golden temple indicates the meek living.
• The Golden Temple was attacked and destroyed by Islamic rulers after the rule of Guru Govind Singh. Later, the brave Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh rebuilt the temple with gold and marbles.
•  The largest free kitchen in the world is the langar sewa in the Golden Temple. Around 50,000 meals were served daily.

Sanchi Stupa located in Sanchi

The Sanchi Stupa consists of a Buddhist Vihara also called Great Stupa is located at Sanchi in the district of Raisen, Madhya Pradesh and it is one of the most popular Buddhists Monuments of India. As in Fig.2, the Sanchi Stupa is surrounded by four carved entrances and it is preserved for many years. The Stupa is a brick structure bounded by a wooden railing. The dome represents the wheel of Dharma. The stupa is made up of several chambers with relics of Buddha. The Sanchi Statues and carvings yet retain Mauryan polish. This Stupa was built as a Buddhist learning center.

Fig.2 Sanchi stupa 

Interesting Facts about Sanchi Stupa

• The Sanchi Stupa was built by the Mauryan King Ashoka in the 3rd Century BC.
• This ancient complex is one of the oldest stone structure in India.
• Within the complex, many stupas of Buddha made from stone can be seen.
• The Stupa is splendidly stood with a height of 21.64 m from the ground level, which is located over a scattered hill of 91 m height.
• In ancient times, it is popularly known as Kakanaya, Kakanadabota, and Bota-Sriparvata.
• In 1919, an archaeological museum has been established by Sir John Marshall called Sanchi Museum.

Thus, in this article, the two most important historical monuments of India and some of the unknown facts about it have been exemplified in detail. Further, the details about other majestic monuments of India will be explained in the next part.

Majestic Historical Monuments of India-Part 1