Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the temples at Khajuraho are India’s unique gift to the world. These magnificent temples were built between the 9th and 10th centuries by the rulers of the Chandela dynasty, who dominated central India at that time. These temples depict the rich history, culture, architecture and mysticism of India. Of the 85 original temples, 22 have survived to constitute one of the greatest artistic wonders. The temples highlight the existential ethos in religion that venerates Yoga and Bhoga. Yoga is the union of the self with the Almighty, while bhoga is the path to God through physical pleasures. The temples at Khajuraho, dedicated to physical love and pleasure, are a testimony to this philosophy.

Jaipur or the “Pink city”, as it is popularly known, is the capital of Rajasthan, and is perhaps the ideal city to begin a historical tour of Rajasthan. It has long been established on tourist itineraries as the third corner of India’s Golden Triangle.
The city presents a unique synthesis of culture that has to be experienced to be appreciated. It has all the trappings of a modern metropolis, contrasted strongly with an age- old charm that never fails to surprise the traveler. The stunning background of ancient forts and monuments reminds one of the glory and charm of the bygone era.
The city is all about history, pageantry and color.

AMBER FORT
Amber Fort is a breathtakingly striking complex of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens and temples, all standing in a magnificent state that reflects the royal past of Rajasthan. Located atop a hill overlooking the Maota Lake, this red sandstone and marble fort looks like a fairy-tale palace.
The main entrance to this historic fort is through the imposing Suraj Pol or Sun Gate, so called because it faces the direction of the rising sun. There are two main halls , the Diwan-i-Aam and the Diwan-i-khas, and some of the other noteworthy architectural marvels in the complex are the Sheesh Mahal, Jal Mandir, Sheela Mata temple and the well-laid out garden called Kesar Kyari.

Call it what you will….Dilli or Delhi – it is a city which lives vigorously with a past that remains evocatively present. As you walk along the bylines of this imperial city, tread softly, for every crumbling wall has a story to tell. The ruins and ramparts still stand tall – and amidst them rise modern buildings and skyscrapers. It’s a breathtaking synthesis of yesterday and tomorrow, the holding on to the past and surging ahead. This mega city retains a small-town; friendliness– to holiday in Delhi is to experience India.
PURANA QILA (THE OLD FORT)
Shrouded in antiquity, the lofty walls of the Purana Qila which means the Old Fort, rise on the site of the city of Indraprastha which was supposedly founded by the Pandavas, the heroes of the epic Mahabharata, and is traditionally believed to be the site of the first Delhi.
The massive walls and graceful entrances of the Qila, are the work of Sher Shah. Energetic visitors are encouraged to climb up to the top to see the panoramic view of the city. One of the entrances lead to Sher Shah’s mosque, built in fine architectural taste and whose floral carvings are worthy of notice. A little distance away is the Sher Mandal once a library from whose steps Humayan slipped to his death.
HUMAYUN’S TOMB
The Mausoleum of Emperor Humayun is a monument of elegance and serenity and is the first example of Mughal architecture in India. It was built by his wife Hamida Bano Begum in 1556. According to the eminent historian Fergusson: “Its plan is that which was afterwards adopted at the Taj, but used here without the depth and poetry of that celebrated building. It is, however, a noble tomb, and anywhere else must be considered a wonder.”

This Mausoleum is simple in line, moderate in decoration, but foreshadowing in its grace the fairer edifices of Shah Jahan.

Apart from housing the remains of an emperor and more than a hundred members of the ruling family including the headless trunk of Dara Shikoh, this place witnessed the surrender in 1857, of the last ruler of the Mughals, the 80 years old, Bahadur Shah Zafar. With him the era of the Mughals ended and that of British rule began. Col. H. A. Newell remarks, “History records nothing stranger, nor more dramatic than the imperial tragedy enacted with the shadow tomb on that hot September afternoon. Here, by the gleaming marble sarcophagus of the first hereditary monarch of the house of Taimur, the last monarch of the famous line yielded up the sword, wherewith Humayun had cut his way to the Empire.”

QUTAB MINAR
The Qutab Minar is the first great example of Muslim architecture. In general the Sultans of Delhi were busy with internal strife and wars to have much time for architecture, and such buildings as they have left us are mostly the tombs that they raised during their own lifetime as reminders that even they would die. Qutab Minar is none of the exceptions in that it is not a tomb. Over 720 years old, Qutab Minar is the chief architectural glory of Delhi and a masterpiece of early Indian technology and art. Considered by many to be the world’s most beautiful example of a tower, it symbolizes Delhi in the same way as does the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and commands a magnificent view from the summit.

According to one belief this world famous tower is said to be the work of Maharaja Prithvi Raj Chauhan, the last Hindu King of Delhi, who build this tower to fulfill the desire of his daughter to view the sacred river Yamuna daily from its height as part of her daily worship. According to this faith the titles of Sultans and verses from the Quran inscribed on the tower were done later.

However, according to another version the Qutub Minar was built by Qutbuddin Aibak as a tower of victory, and also being attached to the Quwat-ul-Islam mosque served the purpose of the Mauzzin to call the people to prayers. He had perhaps succeeded in raising the first storey only and the remaining storeys’ being eventually completed by Iltutmash, his successor.

The Qutub Minar originally had four storeys’ only, the uppermost of which was damaged by lightning in 1378. It was replaced by two storeys’ in marble and red sandstone by Feroz Shah Tughlaq. The three lower storeys are each laid on a different plan, the first having alternate circular and angular flutings, the second with round ones and the third with angular ones. The projecting balconies with stalactite pendentives on its brackets and inscriptional decorative bands on different storeys’ heighten its decorative effect. The Minar’s fluted form tapers from a 50ft diameter at the base to just 8ft at the top. This produces an illusion of even greater height.

Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal figures on the itinerary of every tourist to India. Once the capital of the Mughal Empire, even today it seems to linger in the past. It was from here that Emperors, Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, governed their vast empire. The city flourished under Akbar and reached the pinnacle of prosperity during his grandson, Shah Jahan’s reign. With their passion for building these rulers endowed the city with some of the finest structures of the world. It is very easy to slip away here, through the centuries, into the grandeurs and intrigues of the Mughal court.

TAJ MAHAL
If this is your first visit to the Taj, there is only one thing to remember – everything that has been said about it is at best inadequate. This mausoleum is a piece of poetry in marble; you will find yourself stopping before every marble screen, every bit of inlaid wall to marvel at the craftsmanship of those who created this architectural wonder. Recently the Taj Mahal was voted amongst the Seven Wonders of the World.
The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his favorite queen, Mumtaz Mahal. A monument of marble, it is perhaps India’s most fascinating and beautiful monument. Built by the Persian architect, Ustad Isa this perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (A.D. 1630-52) of hard labor and 20,000 workers, masons and jewelers to build.
The red sandstone entrance to the Taj has verses from the Koran inscribed on it. The four minarets, its vaulted arches, the inlaid semi-precious stones are just a preamble to the central dome of the Taj. Right below this dome are the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. These are just for display, though – far below in a locked basement, hidden from the human eye, the mughal king and his queen lie in their actual tombs, united in death.