Important Historical Places

Ahichhatra: Originally Ahikshetra in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh was once the capital of Panchalas.

Aihole: Situated in Karnataka contains chief sites of Chalukyan architecture—nearly 50 structural stone temples. Ajanta Caves: Situated 66 miles north of Aurangabad in Maharashtra State. These are rock-cut Buddhist caves. These caves represent a record of unique painting, sculpture and architecture of the period from about the 2nd century B.C. to about 7th century A.D.

Amaravati: A historical site near modern Vijaywada, believed to have flourished under the Satavahana dynasty.

Arikamedu: It was a seaport near Pondicherry during Chola times.

Ayodhya: Situated in modern Faizabad (UP), was capital of the Kosala. Birth place of Lord Rama.

Badami (or Vatapi): Situated in Karnataka is wellknown for Chalukyan sculpture found in the cave temples here. These are groups of Hindu temples dating back to 7th or 8th century and are examples of pure Dravidian architecture.

Bodh Gaya: It is situated six miles south of Gaya in Bihar State. It is famous as the place where Buddha got enlightenment.

Belur: Situated in Karnataka is famous for its elaborately sculptured Cheena Kesava temple of the Hoysala period.

Bhubaneswar: Situated in Orissa and is known for ancient temples viz., Rajarani; Lingraja; Brahmesvara.

Chidambaram: A town 150 miles south of Chennai was once the capital of the Chola kingdom. Its temples are among the oldest in India and are gems of Dravidian architecture. It is famous as the abode of Natraja, the Dancing Siva.

Elephanta Caves: Situated on the island of the same name about 6 miles from Mumbai harbour are rock-cut caves of the 7th and 8th century.

 Ellora Caves: Situated about 15 miles north west of Aurangabad in Maharashtra State are about 34 caves excavated in the face of a hill.

Halebid: Situated in Karnataka, 10 miles from Belur, is well-known for its elaborately sculptured temples of the Hoysala period. The monuments rank among the masterpieces of Hindu art.

Harappa: Situated in Montgomery district of Punjab, now in West Pakistan, is known for excavations carried out here showing signs of Indus Valley Civilization.

Junagadh: Situated in Gujarat State is one of the most ancient cities of India. It is situated below the Girnar Hill. The temples on the Hill are known for their architecture and paintings.

Kalibangan: Situated in Rajasthan where recent excavations brought to light the varied achievements of Indus Valley Civilisation—town planning and use of burnt bricks.

Kanauj: It was the Capital of Harshavardhan.

Kanchipuram: Situated 45 miles south-west of Chennai is known for Kailashnath temple. It was the capital of successive dynasties of Hindu rulers.

Kapilvastu: a small ancient kingdom in the north of India; associated with Mahatma Buddha.

Khajuraho: in Chhattarpur in Madhya Pradesh is famous for its group of highly ornate mediaeval Hindu temples. Kusinagar: in the district of modern Gorakhpur, is the place where Buddha died.

Lothal: ancient town, situated on the sea-plain of former Saurashtra, 450 miles south-east of Mohenjo-Daro. The excavation made here represent the Indus Valley Civilization.

Mamallapuram (now Mahabalipuram) : Situated 53 miles from Chennai, it is known for rock-cut temples, monolithic figures and carvings of the 7th and 8th centuries A.D.

Mithila: was the home of the three scholar sages—Gargi, Maitreya and Kapila. It was the capital town of Raja Janak’s territory.

Madurai: popularly known as the “City of Festivals”, was till the 14th century the capital of the Pandyan kingdom which had sea-borne trade with Rome and Greece. It is famous for Minakshi temple.

Mohenjo-daro: in the Larkana district of Sind (now in Pakistan) is the site of excavation revealing pre-Aryan Indus Valley Civilization.

Nalanda: in Bihar was the seat of an ancient Buddhist University. It contains a group of Buddhist temples and monasteries.

Patan: (or Som Nath) in Gujarat State is the site of the famous Som Nath temple which was destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni.

Pragjyotishpur: was the capital of an ancient tribal kingdom in Kamarupa or modern Assam. (It is the new capital of Assam State).

Rajgir: 8 miles south-west of Nalanda by road is an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists. It was the capital of Bimbisara in ancient times. The Buddha preached at Rajgir, and so did Mahavir, the great preceptor of the Jains.

Sanchi: in Madhya Pradesh is famous for the largest and the most well-preserved Buddhist Stupa (108-foot in diameter and 42-foot in height).

Sarnath: near Varanasi is the place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after he became the “Enlightened One”. The place is known for Buddhist temples and remains.

Seringapatam: in Karnataka was the ancient capital of Tipu Sultan.

Sravanabelgola: in Karnataka is famous for its Jain temples and the colossal statue of Gomateswara—65-foot high erected in A.D. 983, the tallest monolithic in the world.

Srirangam: an island on the Cauvery river two miles north of Tiruchirapalli. It contains one of the largest temples in south India of the Vijayanagar period.

Tamralipti: A flourishing sea port in ancient India.

Tanjore: was the capital of Cholas. It is situated in the delta of the Cauvery in Tamil Nadu.
Also known for Brihadeeswara temple.

Taxila: ancient capital of Gandhara and one of the most renowned cities of ancient north west India.

Tirupati: in Andhra State, situated about 100 miles to the north-west of Chennai is one of the holiest places in South India. This hill temple of Sri Venkateswara is an example of early Dravidian architecture and is one of the finest in the south.

Ujjain: known to be the seat of king Vikrama, is situated on the Sipra in Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the seven sacred cities also known as Avanti. Mahakaleshwar temple here is known as a pilgrimage centre.

Vikramasila: was a great Tantrik University established by the Pala King Dharampala in AD 810. It was a hotbed of moral corruption, sorcery and idolatry. In AD 1198, the soldiers of Ikhtiar Khilji razed the structure to the ground and killed all the monks in the university.

Vaishali: Modern Besarch in the district of Muzzaffarpur in Bihar. It was the capital of the famous Vaishali clan in ancient India.

Kanyakumari  It is situated in Tamil Nadu and is famous for temple (the virgin goddess) . It is situated at Cape Comorin on the extreme southern tip of India where the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean meet. It is also a picturesque spot which is frequented by tourists. Also famous for Vivekanand Rock Memorial, where Swami Vivekanand meditated.