South Asia is one of the birthplaces of human civilization, with diverse and unique architectural styles. The dense population and diverse and pious religious beliefs have promoted the construction of a series of architectural wonders in South Asia. After the 8th century, with the spread of Islam, South Asian architecture was increasingly influenced by Persian . The local and Persian styles merged with each other, creating the most famous landmark in India - the Taj Mahal . Some South Asian Persian-style buildings are as large as Even more so than their counterparts in Iran and Central Asia.
*. The following architectural wonders are classified according to region and sorted by time. Only the wonders that were built before 1800, have archaeological remains and are relatively large-scale are selected.
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Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro, the buildings in this city are built of standardized fired bricks
Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro
Great Bath (Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro) is located The ruins of Mohenjodaro in Sindh are one of the most famous buildings of the Indus Valley Civilization. The large bathhouse is 12 meters long, 7 meters wide, and has a maximum depth of 2.4 meters. It is equipped with two large stairs, one in the south and one in the north, as entrances. The bathhouse walls are coated with waterproof asphalt and laid with custom-fired bricks. The Great Bath is one of the wonders that can be built soon after the start of Civilization 6. Most scholars believe that the Great Bath may have a religious role. People can bathe in the pool to clean and purify their bodies.
Dholavira step well
Similar buildings have been found in several Indus Valley Civilization sites. At the Dholavira ruins in Gujarat, India, people discovered a bathhouse that was comparable in size to the Great Baths of Mohenjodaro, and also found the oldest step well. The largest stepwell in Dholavira is 73.4 meters long, 29.3 meters wide and 10 meters deep. It is much larger than the Great Baths of Mohenjodaro in both area and capacity. Dholavira is located on the edge of the Kutch Desert. The construction of such step wells can store large amounts of water to cope with drought. This tradition was also followed by subsequent Indians.
Kanishka Stupa
Year of construction: 2nd to 5th century AD
Restored view of the stupa after reconstruction
Foundation ruins of the stupa
Plan of the stupa restored based on archaeological excavation
Kanishka Stupa (Kanishka Stupa) is located Near Peshawar , it was built during the Kushan Empire era. The first pagoda here was probably built shortly after Kanishaka's death, and its shape was probably similar to the pagoda at the Loriyan Tangai site. In the 4th century, the base of the pagoda was rebuilt into a cross shape. The base of the rebuilt pagoda was 53 meters wide, with 4 stairs and 4 turrets. Including the stairs, the width of the base was about 82 meters. On the stone base is a wooden tower body and a gold-plated copper tower brake on the top.
A pagoda-shaped relic box
A copper relic box from the Kushan Empire period
The Kanishaka Pagoda once contained the relics of the Buddha, and now these relics have been transferred to Mandalay, Myanmar. It is said that the Great Pagoda was struck by lightning at least three times and was rebuilt each time. The great Kanisaka Pagoda has been destroyed long ago. Its description mainly comes from the Chinese practitioners Faxian, Song Yun and Xuanzang. According to Faxian records, the Kanishekya Pagoda is the tallest of all towers in the world. According to Song Yun's description, the Great Pagoda is 170 meters high, which will make it the tallest building in the world before the Eiffel Tower was built. Modern archaeologists estimate that the height of the Great Pagoda is about 120 meters, which is shorter than the Great Pyramid.
Lahore Fort and Shalimar Garden
Construction period: 15th to 17th century AD
Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque
Aerial view of Lahore Fort from Alamgiri Gate
The courtyard between Badshahi Mosque and Alamgiri Gate
fortress The elephant pillars reflect the influence of Indian vernacular architecture during Akbar period
Lahore Fort (Shahī Qilā) and Shalimar Garden (Shālāmār Bāgh) are both in Lahore of Punjab.Lahore's geographical location is very important. As early as the 11th century, Mahmud of the Ghaznavid dynasty built a fortress here. During the Mongol invasion, the fort was destroyed. Later, the Delhi Sultanate also built a fort here. It was destroyed by Timur invasion. The fort was rebuilt again and fell into the hands of Babur in 1526. In 1575, Akbar decided to build a strong brick fortress in Lahore, and thereafter built palaces, gardens, etc. one after another. Shalimar Garden is a Persian-style garden not far from Lahore Fort. It was built in the era of Shah Jahan and is known as the pinnacle of Mughal gardens.
Overlooking the Alamgiri Gate from the entrance garden
Alamgiri Gate
Naulakha Pavilion, with a Bengal-style curved roof shape and built of marble
The Privy Council Palace that handles government affairs
The white marble Moti Mosque
The Sanmen Pavilion built during the rule of the Sikh Empire
mirror The walls inlaid with glass mirrors in the palace
inlaid details
painted walls are the characteristics of Lahore Fort compared with other Mughal palaces. But the maintenance condition is very poor
Indian-specific colored stone inlaid
Lahore Fort is the birthplace of Shah Jahan and is quite popular with him. The fortress is built on artificial mounds and covers an area of more than 30,000 square meters. It is smaller than Agra and the Red Fort in Delhi, but its palaces are not inferior in exquisiteness. Outside the fort are entrances such as Akbar Gate and Alamgiri Gate. The most famous one is the Alamgiri Gate built by Aurangzeb , which is one of the most iconic buildings in Lahore. The interior of the fort can be divided into the administrative area and the harem, with representative buildings such as Naulakha Pavilion, Mirror Palace, Privy Palace, Black Pavilion, and Moti Mosque. The most distinctive feature of Lahore Fort is the painted wall, which was built in the Jahangir period. It is 440 meters long and 48 meters wide. It is decorated with painted pottery, painted glazed bricks and murals, including 116 painting panels with various themes. The state of preservation is very poor.
The central axis of the garden
The marble pavilion of the garden
Shalimar Garden is a Persian paradise garden (Charbagh). Paradise gardens generally adopt a cross-shaped layout, dividing the space with water or corridors, symbolizing the poetic connection between heaven and earth. The Shalimar Garden is a place where the Mughal emperor entertained guests. It is 658 meters long and 258 meters wide. The garden is covered with marble hollow decorations. There are 5 artificial waterfalls and 410 fountains. In order to provide water for the garden, Shah Jahan also ordered people to build it. A canal was built to divert water from the mountains of Kashmir to Lahore.
Badshahi Mosque
Year of construction: 17th century AD
The iconic 3 marble domes
Badshahi Mosque (Badshahi Mosque), meaning Royal Mosque, is also in Lahore, facing Lahore Fort. The mosque was built during the reign of Aurangzeb, the last powerful ruler of the Mughal Empire. As a devout and frugal Muslim, Aurangzeb did not build as much as previous Mughal emperors. This mosque, built to commemorate the war against the Maratha League, was the largest building built during Aurangzeb's reign. . The mosque was built in 1671 and opened two years later. Until 1986, it was the largest mosque in the world.
Mosque gate, strong Mughal style
Multiple arches at the entrance
Badshahi Mosque is famous for its exquisite Dali city decoration
Stalactites that are not common in Indian mosques Cornice
Stalactites Cornice details adopt unique Indian Colored stone inlays instead of Persian mosque tiles
The Badshahi Mosque was deeply influenced by Persian architecture. It was one of the few buildings in India at that time to be decorated with gorgeous stalactite cornices (Muqarnas).The Grand Mosque is mainly built with red sandstone commonly used in Indian architecture, supplemented by white marble. Its courtyard is roughly square, with each side about 162 meters long, and can accommodate 60,000 people for worship. The main building is 84.1 meters long, 25.5 meters wide and 15.4 meters high. It has three white marble domes above its head, which is in sharp contrast with the red sandstone main building. There are 8 minarets in the mosque. The minarets at the four corners of the courtyard are 62 meters high. The other 4 are located at the four corners of the main building and are slightly lower in height.
North IndiaCentral India
Kajuraho temple complex
Era of construction: 7th to 11th century AD
The orientation of the Khajuraho temple and the names of its parts
KajurahoThe largest and most complete existing Kandariya Mahadeva temple, 31 meters high meters, the base is 4 meters high, and the shape reflects the shape of Mount Sumeru in Indian religion.
Detail of the main tower of Kandariya Mahadeva Temple. There are 84 small spiers on the main tower with rich carvings. , dedicated to the goddess Jagadambika
Jain Adinatha Temple
The Khajuraho temple complex (Khajuraho) is located near Mahoba in Madhya Pradesh and is famous for its nagara style Hindu and Jain temples and erotic sculptures. As early as when Tang Monk was studying for Buddhist scriptures, there were dozens of Buddhist and Hindu temples in Khajuraho. Hindu temples have always been associated with water. Legend has it that gods such as Shiva like to travel to the hills and rivers of Galinjal, and Khajuraho is at the center of this region. During the Chandela Dynasty from the 9th to the 11th century, people built nearly a hundred temples in Khajuraho. The temples belonged to the Hindu Shiva sect, Vaishnavite sect, and Jain sect. Most of them followed the square and circular customs. The Dulu layout includes some large temples and small temples surrounding the large temples.
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple Reliefs
Jagadambi Temple Reliefs
Lovely statuettes
The fourth-order magic square of the Parshvanatha Jain temple
The Khajuraho temple complex Ranked 7th in the Times of India's Seven Wonders poll, the temple There are 25 existing temples spread over an area of about 20 square kilometers. These temples basically face the sunrise direction and are built with sandstones of different sizes. The stones are connected by tenons instead of mortar. The stones used to build pillars and lintels are relatively large, with the heaviest ones reaching 20 tons. The local sandstone in Khajuraho has a fine texture and can be carved with statues with rich details. Therefore, most local temples are densely covered with reliefs. The most famous Kandarya Mahadeva temple has 870 statues. Although famous for its erotic sculptures, these sculptures account for only about one-tenth of the Khajuraho temples.
Qutb Minar Complex
Construction period: 12th to 14th century AD
Minaret complex, including the entrance to the mosque, the tomb of a certain Delhi Sultan and the minaret
Qutb Minar Complex (Qutb Minar Complex) complex) located in Delhi, named after Qutbuddin Aybaik, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate dynasty. The architectural complex includes the famous Qutb Minaret, mosque, tomb, Delhi Iron Pillar, etc., and has always been accompanied by the history of Delhi Sultanate. The Qutb Minaret complex was built on Hindu and Jain ruins and was built using materials from previous buildings.
Qutb Minaret
Minaret decoration details
The most famous building in the entire complex is the Qutb Minaret. It commemorates the victory of Mohammad Gul of the Gur Dynasty against Rajput. Built especially for the king. The minaret has a diameter of 14.3 meters at the bottom, a diameter of 2.7 meters at the top, and a height of 72.5 meters. It was the tallest minaret in the world at that time. Its shape was inherited from the Jam Minaret of Afghanistan and blended with Indian architectural style.From the Qutb Minaret, you can see the changes in architectural styles in different periods of the Delhi Sultanate, because it was not built at one time.
Mosque colonnade, the stone pillars are probably removed from the previous Jain temple
Alai Darwaza
Alai Darwaza’s real arch
The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque next to the minaret was built at about the same time as the minaret. It is the first mosque in Delhi and the oldest surviving Gur-style building in India. It is said that the original site of the mosque was a Jain temple. In order to build the mosque and minaret, 27 Hindu and Jain temples were demolished and used as a source of materials. The main entrance of the mosque, the Alai Darwaza, was built in 1311. It is one of the earliest true arches in India (previous Indian buildings were basically stacked arches, including the old arches of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque).
The Delhi Iron Pillar and the mosque arch behind it (still a stacked arch)
The surface of the iron pillar has inscriptions from the Super Sun era
In addition to the minaret, the most famous item in the building complex should be the Delhi Iron Pillar. This iron pillar is 7.21 meters high and weighs more than 6 tons. It was built during the reign of King Chaori in the 5th century. The iron pillar was originally erected near a Vishnu temple and was moved to its current location in the 10th century. The most amazing thing about this iron pillar is that after more than a thousand years of wind and sun, it has not rusted much and has been well preserved.
Agra Red Fort
Year of construction: 16th-17th century AD
Amar Singh Gate
Agra Red Fort (Agra Fort) is located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It was built during the reign of Sikandar Lodi. After the Battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur captured the fort and made it his administrative center. In 1558, Akbar officially designated Agra as his capital and ordered its reconstruction. The rebuilt fort is built with bricks and covered with red sandstone from Rajasthan and other places, giving it a red appearance, hence the name Red Fort . The overall structure of the Red Fort was finalized in the era of Shah Jahan. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan preferred to use white marble for buildings.
Jahangir Palace
Shah Jahan Palace
Castle Garden and Marble Audience Hall
Marble Colonnade
The Octagonal Pavilion where Shah Jahan was imprisoned in his later years
The Red Fort of Agra Semi-circular, covering an area of 380,000 square meters, much larger than Lahore fort. The outer wall of the castle is 21 meters high and has a circumference of 2.4 kilometers. There are huge circular towers at regular intervals. There are 4 gates in total, of which Delhi Gate is the most magnificent. The castle contains palaces, gardens, mosques and other buildings built during the periods of Akbar and Shah Jahan, which combine Persian and Indian architectural styles. In his later years, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in the Red Fort of Agra. He could only spend the rest of his life looking at his beloved Taj Mahal from the octagonal pavilion of the Red Fort.
Fatpur Sikri
Year of construction: 16th century AD
Partial layout of Fatpur Sikri palace
Audience hall
Courtyard view
The five-story palace (Panch Mahal) where the emperor relaxed
Five-story palace and Garden
The red sandstone stone pillars are shaped like wooden beams and use stone to imitate the shape of the wooden structure. This is a major feature of Indian architecture
Fatehpur Sikri is located near Agra. In 1569, Akbar's son Jahangir was born here. In order to commemorate the Sufi saint Salim Chishti who had predicted Jahangir's birth, Akbar built a lot of construction here and named the city Fatehpur Sikri, which means the place of victory. city. After about 15 years of construction, Akbar abandoned the city. The reasons for abandonment may have been war or water supply difficulties.Fatpur Sikri was not completely deserted and was occupied by other Mughal emperors and later British troops.
Front of the gate
Looking up at the Gate of Victory
Back of the gate
Fatpur Sikri is built on a stone wall 3 kilometers long and 1 kilometers wide. One side of the city faces the river and is surrounded by three walls. The city is mainly built of red sandstone and is known as one of the three red forts in India. The buildings in the city are arranged in an orderly manner on the flat ground, like a Central Asian tent camp. The architecture of Fatpur Sikri is mostly in Timurid-Persian style, incorporating elements of Gujarati architecture. Buland Darwaza, the Gate of Victory, is the most conspicuous building in the city, with a height of 54 meters, leading to the Jumuji Mosque.
Panoramic view of the Juli Mosque, with the tomb of Saint Salim Chishti in the middle
The mausoleum of Saint Salim Chishti
The dome of the mosque hall
The flower window
The Juli Mosque is the oldest building in the city, with a long courtyard of 1 65 meters wide, 130 meters wide, and the prayer hall is 89 meters long , 20 meters wide, is one of the largest mosques in India. It combines Islamic, Hindu and Jain architectural styles and is known as a symbol of Mughal tradition and pride. In addition, there are gardens, audience halls, drum towers, palaces and other buildings in the city of Fatpur Sikri, as well as a worship hall built by Akbar for the fusion of beliefs he created.
Chaturbhuj Temple
Era of construction: 16th century AD
View of Chaturbhuj Temple from the palace
Chaturbhuj Temple is located in Orachha, Madhya Pradesh. It was originally built to worship Rama, the incarnation of VishnuRama. The temple was built during the reign of Akbar. Legend has it that the queen of the local ruler Madhukar Shah was inspired in a dream to build a temple dedicated to Rama. After the temple was built, the queen refused to move the Rama statue out of the palace, so the palace was later converted into a Rama temple, but the temple originally dedicated to Rama did not have a Rama statue.
Among Hindu temples, the decoration of the Chaturbhuj Temple can be considered simple.
The temple entrance is influenced by Mughal-style architecture.
The Chaturbhuj Temple was the tallest temple in India before the 20th century, with its spire as high as 105 meters. The layout of the temple is modeled after the four arms of Vishnu, with a tall, wide entrance and fortifications. The shape of the temple combines the architectural styles of fortresses and Hindu temples. The exterior is decorated with many lotus symbols, but there is little decoration inside. It is said that when the temple was first built, the tower was covered with gold foil and was magnificent, but now, these gold foils have been stolen.
The Red Fort of Delhi
Year of construction: 17th century AD
The city of Delhi from the perspective of the Red Fort of Delhi
The layout of the Red Fort of Delhi
The Red Fort of Delhi (Lal Qila) is located in the old city of Delhi and is the largest monument in the capital of India. In 1638, Shah Jahan decided to move the capital to Delhi and built this palace city with red sandstone. The Red Fort in Delhi was built for about 10 years and was designed by Ustad Ahmad Lahori, the designer of the Taj Mahal. In order to accommodate the previously built fort, the Red Fort in Delhi has an irregular shape. The wall is 2.41 kilometers long and has multiple towers. The height of the wall Ranging from 18-33 meters.
Lahore Gate
The wall in front of Lahore Gate was built by Aurangzeb. At that time, his father Shah Jahan even complained about it.
The main palace rooms in the Red Fort of Delhi
The Red Fort of Delhi has three main entrances. They are the Delhi Gate, the Lahore Gate and the Khizrabad Gate dedicated to the emperor. The Lahore Gate is connected to the road leading to Lahore. It is the largest gate of the Red Fort in Delhi, and its status is roughly equivalent to China's Tiananmen Gate. Every year since India's independence in 1947, the Prime Minister of India has delivered a speech here and hoisted the Indian flag on the Lahore Gate.
The arcade near Lahore Gate has a market inside to meet the needs of women in the palace.
Waiting Hall (Naubat Khana), which doubles as a drum tower. Except for members of the royal family, everyone who passes through this gate must dismount. Every day at the scheduled time , there will be music played in the waiting hall
The audience hall (Diwan-i-Am), 30.5 meters long and 18.3 meters wide, is the place where the emperor accepted petitions from the people. The Emperor's Palace (Khas Mahal) Bedroom decoration, scales represent justice Government Affairs Office (Diwan I Khas) Government Affairs Office Interior After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire declined rapidly. After that, Delhi was successively occupied by Nader Shah, Marathas, Du Ranni dynasty, Rajputs, Sikh empire, British occupation. Most of the valuable collections and furniture in the castle were looted, and many buildings were demolished. During the British rule, the Red Fort in Delhi once became a military camp. To this day, a large part of the Red Fort in Delhi still belongs to the Indian army. Year of construction: 17th century AD Classic view of the Taj Mahal Yamuna River Overlooking the Taj Mahal Bird's eye view of the Taj Mahal complex Sectional view of the main hall The Taj Mahal is located in The banks of the Yamuna River in Agra, probably India's most well-known landmark to the world, ranked 4th in the Times of India's Seven Wonders poll. The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Construction of the mausoleum began in 1632 and was largely completed in 1643. The surrounding buildings and gardens were completed in 1653. The entire project cost 32 million rupees, which is approximately $1 billion in 2020 dollars. The shape of the Taj Mahal is similar to Humayun's Tomb . It is built of white marble and has reached the pinnacle of the Mughal Empire in terms of technology and aesthetics. The door leading to the Taj Mahal The entrance to the Great Ewan The large dome The exquisite reliefs on the marble exterior wall The Taj Mahal complex is built around a Persian-style garden with a side length of 300 meters. The base of the main hall is 7 meters high, and the sides are It is 95 meters long, and above it is the main hall with a Persian-style eight-layered heavenly palace layout. The main hall is about 55 meters long on each side, with an iwang on each side. The south gate facing the garden is 25 meters high, and four 40-meter-high minarets stand on the outside. The iconic double-layered dome in the center is built on a 7-meter-high drum base. The inner diameter of the dome is 17.7 meters and the outer diameter is 31.9 meters. It was one of the largest domes in the world at that time. Together with the decoration, the highest point of the dome was 73 meters above the ground, which was the largest in Asia at that time. The highest dome. Inside the dome Internal decoration and hollow carvings Flower decorations inlaid with colored stones The Taj Mahal complex covers an area of 17,000 square meters, and its foundation is 50 meters above the bank of the Yamuna River. The construction of the Taj Mahal took 22,000 workers and artists, more than 1,000 elephants, and used marble from Rajasthan, jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China, lapis lazuli and carnelian , Sri Lanka's sapphire and other precious materials. Craftsmen used a combination of painting, stucco, colored stones and gem inlays, carvings and other methods to decorate the building, making it one of the most beautifully decorated Mughal buildings. Construction era: 5th-6th century AD The Mahabodhi Temple before restoration in the 119th century The spire and pagoda Mahabodhi Temple ( Mahabodhi Mahavihar) is located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, where legend has it It is the place where Sakyamuni became enlightened and became a Buddha.More than two hundred years later, King Ashoka visited this place and built a temple and a Vajra Throne, which were also built by subsequent generations of dynasties. Most of the early architectural remains of Mahabodhi have been destroyed. The existing iconic pyramid-shaped tower was built during the Gupta Empire. However, based on the unearthed coin patterns, it is inferred that the earliest tower may be traced back to the 2nd-3rd century, perhaps influenced by Jian The product of the influence of Tuoluo style architecture. The stone guardrail of the Mahabodhi Temple in old photos The guardrail in the museum The reconstructed guardrail and decoration The pyramid-shaped tower of the Mahabodhi Temple had a great influence on later Buddhist and Hindu temples. The tower is made of fired bricks, with a base length of 15 meters and a height of 55 meters. It is one of the most magnificent buildings in the Gupta Empire. In the 12th century, Bodhgaya was ravaged by the army of the Delhi Sultanate, and Mahabodhi was gradually abandoned. Myanmar Buddhists have restored the Mahabodhi twice. The Mahabodhi we see today is inseparable from their efforts. Construction period: 6th to 10th century AD Overall view of the Nalanda Temple ruins excavated by archeology Restoration of the Nalanda Temple pagoda Nalanda Temple (Nālandā) is located near the former capital of Magadha Kingdom, Rajagaha. , ranked 6th in the Times of India's Seven Wonders poll. The Nalanda Temple was built during the Gupta Empire. According to the records of Xuanzang and Yijing, the Nalanda Temple has more than 100 lectures every day, teaching the five subjects of Yin Ming, Dharma, Vinaya, Madhyamaka and Yoga. Corresponds to today's Buddhism , astronomy, mathematics, medicine, etc. Nalanda Temple once had tens of thousands of students and hundreds of thousands of volumes of books. The students were spread all over Asia. In order to support the monks in the temple, King Harsha had instructed 100 nearby villages to provide them with daily necessities. Details of the ruins of Nalanda Temple The Bodhisattva statue unearthed from Nalanda Temple The ruins of Nalanda Temple today are 488 meters long and 244 meters wide. The area is far smaller than that of the ancient Nalanda Temple. At that time, Nalanda Temple had pagodas, temples, viharas, dormitories and other buildings as well as a large number of works of art. It was one of the largest and most prosperous academic centers in the world at that time. The Nalanda Temple was destroyed three times and rebuilt twice. In 1193, Bakhtiyar Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate destroyed the Nalanda Temple, and a large number of monks fled. Since then, North India was basically under the rule of the Islamic kingdom, and the Nalanda Temple was never rebuilt. Construction period: 8th to 10th century AD Bird's eye view of Somapuri Temple "Mount Sumeru" in the center of the temple, the original appearance is still controversial Details of the reliefs in the temple Somapura Mahavihara Located in the northern part of , Bangladesh, it was built during the Baltic Dynasty. It was one of the five largest academic centers in India at that time and the largest one among them. The Somapuri Temple ruins cover an area of about 110,000 square meters and include 177 temples, pagodas, viharas and other buildings. The overall layout of the temple is rectangular, with a cross-shaped tower in the middle. It looks like Mount Sumeru in Indian religion. This layout has a great influence on Southeast Asian architecture. From the 9th to the 12th century, the Somapuri Temple was a very active academic center for Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. However, due to the war, after the 12th century, the Somapuri Temple fell into decline like the Nalanda Temple and was Forget. Year of construction: 12th-13th century AD There is always no shortage of people in holy places Jagannath Temple is located in Orissa, one of the four major pilgrimage sites in Hinduism. inside. The existing temple was built during the reign of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in the 12th and 13th centuries. The temple is dedicated to the three gods Jagannath, Rama and Subhadra. It holds a grand car festival every year and is one of the most sacred temples for Vaishnavism believers.The Jagannath Temple houses the world's largest public kitchen, which provides food to visitors six times a day. The main entrance of the temple The Lion Gate The grand scene of the ride festival The Jagannath Temple is about 215 meters long and 210 meters wide. There are about 120 small temples inside, and it is surrounded by a 6-meter high and 2-meter wide temple. The walled temple is one of the largest temples in India. The main tower of the temple together with the foundation is 65 meters high, making it the tallest main tower of the temple in Orissa. This temple is an outstanding example of Kalinga style architecture. Year of construction: 13th century AD Panorama of Konark Temple The main temple of Konark Sun Temple In order to facilitate carving, Konark Temple used a large amount of loose texture Kunz Rock, the price is that the temple is very susceptible to weathering damage Sun Temple Restoration The Konark Sun Temple is located in Orissa and ranks 5th in the Times of India's Seven Wonders poll. . The temple was built around 1250 and is a typical example of Kalinga style architecture. The temple complex is about 264 meters long and 160 meters wide, and includes multiple temples. The Konark Sun Temple was one of the largest buildings in South Asia at that time. Its main temple was built on a 4-meter-high platform. The original spire of about 70 meters high has now collapsed. The temple was abandoned around the 16th century and has been hidden in the jungle for many years. Sun God's chariot wheel, the 12 pairs of wheels represent the 12 months of the year wheel carving details, it is said that this wheel can also be used as sundial reading with wearing boots Sun God Suriya Konark The Sun Temple looks like a giant chariot of the Sun God Surya, equipped with 12 pairs of 3-meter-high wheels. The eight spokes of the wheels are carved with scenes of daily life. The temple is built of chlorite, konzi rock, brick red soil , and is densely covered with sculptures with rich details. There are three rows of reliefs at the base of the main temple. The bottom row is carved with 1,452 elephants of different shapes, depicting scenes of kings and armies fighting; the middle row is carved with various strange-looking monsters and men and women of different shapes; the top row is carved with various strange-looking monsters and men and women of different shapes. One row is filled with erotic scenes that everyone loves to see. Year of construction: 14th century AD Remaining facade Remaining prayer hall Middle East Early mosque style arcades Mihrab (prayer wall) of the mosque To obtain materials for building a mosque, rule The rebels demolished many Hindu temples. This Ganesha relief confirms this. The Adina Mosque (Adina Mosque) is located in West Bengal. In the mid-14th century, to commemorate its two victories over the Delhi Sultanate, the Bengal Sultanate ruled The founder built the largest mosque in South Asia at the time in the capital city of Pandua. The Adina Mosque is 172 meters long and 97 meters wide, with 280 columns and 36 domes. It had the largest Persian-style dome in South Asia at the time. The mosque is modeled on the Umayyad Mosque in Syria. Its style combines Sasanian Persian, Eastern Roman, Arabic, and Bengali architectural elements. During the construction process, a large number of red bricks commonly used in Bangladeshi architecture were used. It is the only column-style mosque in Bangladesh. In the 19th century, the mosque was severely damaged by earthquakes and subsequently abandoned. Construction period: 2nd century BC - 10th century AD Ajanta Caves cave distribution html Entrance to Cave No. 119 Taj Mahal
East India and Bengal
Mahabodhi Temple
Nalanda Temple
Somapuri Temple
Jagannath Temple (Puri)
Konark Sun Temple
Adina Mosque
West India
Ajanta Caves
html Interior of Cave No. 119
htmlThe Buddha statue in Cave No. 19
htmlThe mural in Cave No. 12, you can see the painted caisson
Ajanta Caves, located near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, is the largest Buddhist cave in India. Ancient India Buddhists have always had a tradition of practicing in caves. Around the 2nd century BC, people began to build grottoes in Ajanta. The early grottoes were completed around the 1st century AD, probably with the funding of the Maurya Empire and the Baiyana Dynasty. built. The late grottoes were probably built in the late 5th century with funding from the Vagādaka dynasty.
html The Buddhist seal mural in Cave No. 16
html The "Persian Envoy" scene in the mural of Cave No. 117
The "Persian Envoy" mural in the mural
The Persian Envoy Mural
The Ajanta Caves were excavated in a horseshoe-shaped valley in the Vindya Mountains. , there are 30 different sizes scattered along the way. Numbered Grotto. The grottoes were excavated on torrent basalt cliffs. Most of the grottoes are square in shape, with the largest covering an area of nearly a thousand square meters. Many monks may have lived there at that time. The Ajanta Caves preserve some of the oldest mural paintings in India. The painters used dry mural techniques to depict various scenes of the Buddha's life story and ancient Indian social life. This is important information for us to understand ancient Indian society, culture, and history. It is also a precious example of ancient Indian painting and sculpture.
Karla Caves
Construction period: 2nd century BC - 5th century AD
Karla Caves
Cave 19, built imitating Cave 8
Reliefs in the caves
Karla Caves (Karla Caves) are located in Pune, Maharashtra. On the basalt cliff to the east is one of the oldest caves in western India. The oldest caves in Kala Caves can be traced back to around 160 BC. The Satavahana dynasty that ruled western India contributed a lot of financial and material resources to the construction of the caves. The overall scale of the Kala Caves is not outstanding in India, but its caves are extremely large in size and well-preserved, making them of great research value.
Entrance to Cave 8
Structure diagram of Cave 8
Interior view of Cave 8
Stigma details
Rock wall reliefs
Indian stone Among the caves, there is one called Zhiti Cave, which has a spacious space for believers to roam around and enjoy. Cave 8 of Kala Caves is the largest chaitya in India, 45 meters long and 14 meters high. It was built around the 1st to 2nd centuries. Most of the early Indian buildings were made of wood. Although Cave 8 of Kala Grottoes is carved out of rock, many of its architectural forms were imitated from previous wooden buildings. In the eyes of Western researchers, its layout is somewhat similar to that of early Christian churches.
Ellora Caves
Construction period: 6th century to 10th century AD
Ellora Caves
html The three-story Buddhist temple in Cave 111
html Interior view of Cave 110
In the Jain Caves Temple
Cave interior
Ellora Caves ), located near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, is one of the largest caves in India. These grottoes were built in approximately three eras, first the Hindu grottoes around the 7th century; then the Buddhist grottoes from the 7th to 8th century; and finally the Jain grottoes from the 8th to 10th century. The Ellora Caves were excavated on the basalt cliffs of the Charanandri Hills. Archaeologists have discovered more than 100 caves here. Currently, 34 are open to the public, including 17 Hindu caves, 12 Buddhist caves and 5 Jain caves. Teaching Grotto.
Overall view of Kailasha Temple
Looking down at Kailasha Temple
Kailasha Temple from a high perspective
Looking at Kailasha Temple from a distance
Kailasha Temple Courtyard
Elo The Ra Grottoes are famous for their carvings, and the overall construction volume is as large as that of Jordan. It is even better than the Tela and Ethiopian monolithic churches. The most breathtaking of all the caves is Cave 16, the Kailāśanātha Temple. It is the largest structure carved out of rock in human history. The temple was built around the mid-8th century. The courtyard is 82 meters long and 46 meters wide. The central temple is 32.6 meters high and covers an area approximately equal to two Parthenons. In order to carve the temple, workers removed approximately 85,000 cubic meters, or approximately 200,000 tons of stone.
Moon Well
Construction era: 8th-9th century AD
Moon Well (Chand Baori), a diving resort, is located in Rajasthan, India. It is one of the deepest and largest step wells in India. Rajasthan has an arid and hot climate, and there has been a tradition of building stepwells to store water since ancient times. The Moon Well was built in the 8th century, and the surrounding superstructure with arcades was built in the Mughal era in the 18th century. This stepwell includes 3,500 steps on 13 floors and is as deep as 30 meters. Its unique shape has made it a filming location for movies such as Batman. During the hot summer season, Moon Well is a summer resort for locals, because the temperature at the bottom of Moon Well is often 5-6 degrees Celsius lower than the surface.
Looking down at the Queen's Step Well
Step Well Relief Wall
In Gujarat next to Rajasthan, there is a Queen's Step Well (Rani ki vav), which is also very famous. This stepwell was completed in 1063 and is said to have been built by the king's widow in memory of the late king. The Queen's Stepwell looks like an inverted temple. It has seven floors, with a side length of about 10 meters and a depth of about 30 meters. Each floor has a large number of exquisite carvings. It is estimated that there are more than 500 large sculptures and more than 1,000 small sculptures in this step well, which is an outstanding example of Māru-Gurjara style architecture.
Rajasthan fort architecture
Construction period: 8th to 18th century AD
Rajasthan is India's frontline facing the northwest invaders. Rulers of all dynasties have built a series of magnificent fortresses here, which are not only solidly defended, but also beautifully decorated and of great artistic and historical value. UNESCO has listed the following six forts as World Heritage Sites, namely:
Chittorgarh Fort with abundant water storage
The water storage tank from the temple view
Chittorgarh Fort was built around the 8th century and was originally the capital of the Kingdom of Mewar. The fortress is built on a 180-meter hill and covers an area of 2.8 square kilometers. It includes 4 palaces, 19 large temples, 20 large water conservancy projects and some monumental buildings. The city wall is 13 kilometers long. The water storage facility at Chittorgarh Fort can store 4 billion liters of water, which is enough for 50,000 troops for four years.
The legendary Great Wall of India
The thick walls of Kumbhalgarh Fort
Kumbhalgarh Fort was built in the 15th century and was also built by the Mewar Kingdom. The fortress is built on a high mountain of 1,100 meters and covers an area of 2.68 square kilometers. Kumbhalgarh Fort is famous for its continuous walls. The fort wall is about 36 kilometers long and is known as the Great Wall of India.
Ranthambore Fort was probably built in the 13th century. It was originally built by the Chauhan dynasty and was transferred to the Kingdom of Jaipur after the 17th century. The castle is built on a 481-meter-high mountain and covers an area of about 1.02 square kilometers. It has one of the oldest existing palaces in India.
Gagron Fort was built in the 12th century and was later conquered by Akbar. This castle is surrounded by water on three sides, a moat on one side, and has three walls. It is the only fortress in North India that is completely surrounded by water, and is also known as the water castle.
Palace entrance
Mirror Palace
Mirror Palace
Amber Fort (Amer Fort) was built in the late 16th century and was the capital of the Kingdom of Jaipur. Amber Fort is mainly built of red sandstone and marble, covering an area of about 4 square kilometers. It is famous for its spacious courtyard and beautifully decorated palace. The Amber Fort is the location for many Bollywood movies, and the beautiful dance scenes in the Palace of Mirrors in the Empire's Double Wall were filmed here.
Jaisalmer Fort and the city under the mountain
Jaisalmer Fort was built in the 12th century, located in the center of the Thar Desert. It was built on a 76-meter-high hill, 460 meters long, 230 meters wide, with city walls. The total length is about 4 kilometers. The castle is built of yellow sandstone and is known as the Golden Castle. Currently, about 1/4 of the residents of Jaisalmer live in the castle, so this is one of the few living castles in India.
*. Many forts in India often include palaces, temples, residential areas and other facilities, and the criteria for judging the size of forts in Europe are different.
Palitana temple complex
Construction period: 11th to 19th century AD
The temples of Palitana
The Palitana temple complex (Palitana temples) is located in Shatrunjaya near Palitana, Rajasthan Mountain. The entire city of Palitana is dominated by Jains, and it is said to be the first city in the world where all residents are vegetarians. The Shatrunjaya Mountain outside the city is one of the most important holy sites of Jainism. There are nearly a thousand Jain temples on the mountain. Temples (some of which were originally Hindu temples). The first temple here was built around the 11th century, and most of the early temples were built of wood. After the 12th century, the local Jain community gradually switched to using marble and other stones to build temples. Due to the destruction by the Turks, many early temples on the mountain have been destroyed. Most of the ones seen today were built between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Various temples in Balitana
Deep reliefs on the temples
The nearly a thousand temples in Balitana can be divided into 9 clusters. There are 108 relatively large temples and the rest are relatively small. Most of these temples reflect the Māru-Gurjara architectural style of northwest India, which is related to the Gurjara and Solanki dynasties that once ruled Rajasthan. The base of the Balitana temple is generally square or round, built of marble and other stones, and full of gorgeous decorations.
Ranakpur Thousand Pillar Temple
Year of construction: 14th-15th century AD
Panoramic view of Ranakpur Thousand Pillar Temple
Ceiling caisson (the earliest real caisson in China seems to be found in Buddhist architecture)
Ranakpur Thousand Pillars Temple is located northwest of Udaipur, Rajasthan In the mountains is the largest Jain temple in the world and one of the five holy sites of Jainism. The idea of building this temple is said to have originated from a dream of local Jain businessman Darna Shah (in order to prevent harm to small animals when farming, most Jains are engaged in business). He funded it by Rana Kumbha, the ruler of Mewar. It took 20 years (some say 50 years) to build this gorgeously decorated white marble temple.
A colonnade composed of different stone pillars
Stone carvings in the temple
The Ranakpur Thousand Pillar Temple is built on a 62-meter-long and 60-meter-wide foundation, and its shape is quite similar to the mandala shape in Buddhism. There are 1,444 beautifully carved marble pillars in the temple. Each pillar is carved differently, so it is also known as the Temple of Thousand Pillars. The temple has 4 large prayer halls, 4 worship halls, 80 domes, and 84 basements (used to worship the gods and prevent damage by the Mughal army). It is surrounded by complex and exquisite stone carvings in the Māru-Gurjara style. An outstanding representative of architecture.
Jaipur Old City
Construction period: 18th to 20th century AD
Jaipur Old City
At the beginning of the 118th century, in order to cope with water shortage and population increase, the ruler of Rajasthan Amber decided to move the capital to Jaipur (Jaipur). The new city was designed in accordance with the traditional Indian architectural code vāstu śāstra and the artistic code śilpa śāstra and was divided into 9 blocks. It later developed into the most populous city in Rajasthan. In 1876, in order to welcome the visit of the Prince of Wales, the ruler of Jaipur decided to paint the entire city pink. Since then, the city has become one of the most famous tourist cities in India with its exquisite ancient architecture and unique aesthetic style.
The oldest building in the City Palace, Chandra Mahal
The main entrance and clock tower of the City Palace
The main large-scale buildings in the old city of Jaipur are concentrated in 2 blocks with palaces and governments. The largest of them is Jaipur City Palace. This is one of the best preserved traditional palaces in India and is still inhabited by descendants of the rulers of Jaipur. The City Palace is mainly built of red sandstone and marble and has palaces, galleries, courtyards, gardens, etc. Its architecture combines Rajasthani and Mughal styles.
Morning in the Wind Palace
Night in the Wind Palace
Window in the Wind Palace
On the edge of the city palace, connected to the harem, is the famous Wind Palace (Hawa Mahal). Although it is called a palace, the building actually looks more like a wall. The Palace of Winds is 15 meters high and has 953 small windows (Jharokha) protruding from the outer wall. Taking advantage of the Venturi effect, these small windows can bring cool breezes to the palace. The hollow design of the small windows not only protects the privacy of the women in the palace, but also allows them to observe the activities of passers-by on the street through the gaps.
Jantar Mantar Observatory in Jaipur, one of the 40 World Cultural Heritage Sites in India
Panoramic view of the observatory. The largest instrument in the picture is the Samrat Yantra, which is 27 meters high. It is actually an equatorial sundial
Jantar Mantar in Jaipur Tower Observatory is located near the City Palace. The main building and clock tower of the City Palace can be seen in the background of the picture.
Jai Prakash Yantra is one of the largest hemispherical sundial in the world and second only to similar instruments in Delhi's Jantar Mantar Observatory in India.
Jai The founder of Jaipur, Jai Singh II, was keen on astronomy. During his reign, he built 5 astronomical observatories (Jantar Mantar) across India. The largest and best-preserved one is located in Jaipur, which is the largest existing one in India. The best preserved ancient observatory. In order to obtain more accurate observations than the common metal instruments at the time, Jai Singh II decided to build astronomical instruments out of masonry, exchanging size for more accurate scales. Some of the observatory's instruments are still in use today.
South India
Colossus of Baahubali
Year of construction: 10th century AD
The Colossus of Baahubali (Gommateshwara statue) is located on a mountain in Kannada. It is carved from a single piece of granite and is 17 meters high. This is one of the largest stone sculptures ever erected by ancient humans. It received nearly half of the votes and ranked first in the Times of India's public selection of the Seven Wonders of India.
The Colossal Statue of Baahubali was built during the reign of the Western Ganga Dynasty. The statue is dedicated to Baahubali, the son of the founder of Jainism, the founder of Diathina. Until 2016, the statue was the tallest Jain statue in India. Every year, a large number of Jains from all over the world come here to worship and anoint the statues with milk, saffron, ghee and sugar cane juice.
Brihadishwara Temple (Thanjavur)
Year of construction: 11th century AD
Detail of the tower
The grand entrance of the temple
The dome decoration on the top of the temple tower, weighing 25 tons, is placed on On an 80-ton granite base (some say it is made up of several huge stones)
Brihadishvara Temple is located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest temples in India. One, it is also an example of Tamil architecture. The Brihadeshwara Temple adopts a geometrically symmetrical axial layout, continuing the architectural tradition of South Indian temples, but its scale greatly exceeds the temples built before it. The temple was built in 1003 and completed in 1010, reflecting the strong national power of the Chola dynasty in South India during the reign of Luocha.
*. Luocha Luocha’s son also built a Brihadeshwara temple, which was slightly smaller in scale.
The second largest Nandi statue in India enshrined in the temple
Temple murals, which are said to depict the image of Luocha Racha
Bronze Shiva dancing statues used for temple decoration
Brihadi Shivara Temple was built in On a platform of 240.79 meters long and 121.92 meters wide, the temple's iconic pyramid-shaped tower is 16 stories high. It is built of granite and masonry, with a base length of 30.18 meters and a height of 63.4 meters. It was the tallest temple in India at that time. The temple is decorated with exquisite murals and numerous reliefs and houses the largest Shiva Linga in India. There is a colonnade with a circumference of 450 meters in the temple courtyard, which is used for worship rituals. It is worth mentioning that many boulders were used in the construction of the temple. The largest boulder is 14 meters long. The top of the tower is also built with tens of tons of boulders. These boulders came from quarries thousands of meters away. Transporting them here and raising them to such a height (the boulders at the top of the Egyptian pyramids were not that big) was considered a very large project at the time.
Ramanathaswamy Temple
Era of construction: 11th to 17th centuries AD
Front and rear Chubra Gates
Gatehouse entrance
Ramanathaswamy Temple is located in one of the four major pilgrimage sites in Hinduism. Meswaram in Tamil Nadu is one of the holiest temples for followers of Shiva, Shaktism and Vaishnavism. The temple was built in the 11th century during the rule of the Ramnad Kingdom, but the main buildings were built in the 17th century. Apart from the native kingdoms of South India, Sri Lankan rulers also contributed to the construction of this temple.
Large colonnade
Ramanathaswamy Temple is a typical South Indian style temple. The temple is about 264 meters long and 200 meters wide. There are tall Gopuram towers on each side. The tallest main tower is 53 meters high. Ramanathaswamy Temple has the longest colonnade among temples in the world. The outer colonnade is about 6.9 meters high and includes 1212 columns. The total length of the inner and outer colonnades is about 1174 meters.
Meenakshi Temple
Construction period: 12th to 18th century AD
Bird's eye view of Meenakshi Temple
Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple (Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple) is located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It was built in It is a very ancient Hindu temple in the 12th century. Due to wars, the early Meenakshi temple was severely damaged. The current temple is mainly the result of reconstruction in the 16th and 17th centuries. Meenakshi Temple has a regular layout and is one of the best examples of Dravidian temple architecture in South India.
Dense and complicated Quburo decoration
Shiva Linga
Thousand Pillar Hall
Thousand Pillar Hall Sculptures
Meenakshi Temple covers an area of about 62,000 square meters. The main building is located in a rectangular area 258 meters long and 241 meters wide Inside. The temple walls are 6 meters high and arranged in a concentric circle. There are 14 hubulas in each direction. The outermost Juburo is particularly huge, of which the South Gate Juburo is 52 meters high and is one of the main landscapes of the Madurai skyline. The huburas of the Meenakshi Temple are intricately decorated, with thousands of colorful sculptures of Hindu mythological figures on each outermost hurrah.
The ancient city of Hampi
Year of construction: 14th to 16th century AD
The temple overlooking the ancient city of Hampi
The geographical environment around the ancient city of Hampi, which is a rocky area
Vitthala Temple's Hubulo and Garuda stone chariot
Monument dedicated to Ganesha
Reservoir ruins
Stepwell ruins
The ancient city of Hampi (Hampi) is located in Kannada and ranked second in the Times of India's Seven Wonders poll. In the 14th century, Hampi became the center of South India. The capital of Vaishyanagara, a powerful trading nation. The successive kings of Vaishyanagar built a large number of palaces, temples, memorial buildings, stables, reservoirs and other buildings in Hampi, making it the most magnificent and rich city in India at that time. Hampi at the beginning of the 15th century was probably the second largest metropolis in the world after Beijing. The city covered an area of about 41 square kilometers and attracted merchants from Persia, Portugal and other places. The good times did not last long. In 1565, Vaishyanagar was defeated by the Deccan Sultanate coalition forces in the Battle of Talikota. After the war, Hampi was burned to the ground by the victors.
The Great Chambral of Virupaksha Temple
Virupaksha Temple
Krishna Temple ruins
Market ruins in front of the temple
Building with unknown function, Named "Elephant Stable"
Lotus Palace, it is the Vaishya Nagar The palace architecture was influenced by Islamic architecture
Lotus Palace reliefs
Temple reliefs show religious rituals
There are more than 1,600 ruins in the ancient city of Hampi, most of which are Hindu temples. The oldest Virupaksha temple in the city has a 50-meter-high hudra and is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent buildings in India at that time. To this day, this temple is still a pilgrimage site for many Hindus. Including the Virupaksha Temple and the market next to it, the buildings in Hampi can be roughly divided into four large complexes. Each complex consists of a large temple and market, which shows the important position of trade in this city. . In addition, the ancient city of Hampi also has a large number of public facilities such as pools, step wells, and canteens.
Srirangam Temple
Construction period: 14th to 16th century AD
Srirangam Temple from across the river
Overlooking the Srirangam Temple
Srirangam Temple in 1870
Srirangam Temple Rilangan God Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is located in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu and is considered to be one of the most important Vishnu temples. , millions of believers come here for pilgrimage at the end of every year. The Srirangam Temple has a very long history, but the early temple was destroyed by war in the 14th century. Today's temple was rebuilt after 1371 and continued to be expanded for hundreds of years. The latest large-scale building at present is the 73-meter-tall Dajuburo built in 1987.
The decoration on the top of the Quburo
Thousand-column hall
The Srirangam Temple complex covers an area of about 0.63 square kilometers. It is similar to the Forbidden City and is like a city. It is the largest Hindu temple (Angkor Wat) still in use. has long been discontinued). The temple is surrounded by seven concentric walls. Each layer of the wall has an independent Hubulo. The total length of the wall is nearly 10 kilometers. The temple has a total of 17 large hubulas (21 in total), 39 pavilions, 50 temples, 9 large pools, a thousand-column hall and several small pools. It is an important religious center in South India and is also a very important economic and philanthropic institution.
Charminar Gate
Year of construction: 16th century AD
This street scene is really Indian
Charminar Gate (Charminar) is located in Hyderabad, Telangana State and was built in 1591. It is said that this building was built to commemorate Hyderabad's victory over the plague, and some believe that it was built to commemorate the millennium of the Islamic calendar. Charminar Tower is located in the center of Hyderabad, where the city's traffic trunks converge, making it a landmark building in Hyderabad and known as the Oriental Arc de Triomphe.
Minaret details
Charminar Tower Gate combines Indo-Islamic and Persian architectural styles. The base is square, each side is 20 meters long, and the 4 sides correspond to 4 large arches, leading to the 4 traffic arteries of the city, 4 Each corner has a 56-meter-high, beautifully decorated minaret. The minarets are built of granite, limestone and mortar, and each weighs approximately 14,000 tons. Charminar Gate is the venue for many festivals in Hyderabad and is also open as a mosque on weekdays.
Gol Gumbaz
Year of construction: 17th century AD
Outside of the dome
Gol Gumbaz, located in Bijapur, Kannada, is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. It was built in 1626 and took 30 years to build. The base of this building is 48 meters long on each side, and is topped by a giant single-shell dome with an outer diameter of 44 meters. It was the largest dome in Asia at the time, surpassing the Pantheon in Rome and similar to the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence ( The dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is octagonal, the diameter of the long side is larger than that of Gol Gumbaz, but the diameter of the short side is smaller).
Whispering Gallery, which can be entered through the stairs of the four-sided minarets
The dome without decoration
Under the dome, in the middle is the relic of the Sultan
Gol Gumbaz is built with bricks and mortar. The interior of the building is almost completely covered with white mortar, and the decoration is simple. Considered to be an example of architectural structure in the Deccan Plateau. This was one of the largest unobstructed single-room buildings in the world at that time, with an indoor space of 1,695 square meters, which greatly exceeded the 1,393 square meters of the Pantheon in Rome. The inner diameter of the dome is 37.9 meters, and the highest point inside is 51 meters above the ground. At a height of 33.22 meters above the ground, there is a whispering corridor, where even the slightest speech can be clearly heard by people on the opposite side of the corridor.
Sri Lanka
Anuradhapura
Construction period: 5th century BC - 10th century AD
Anuradhapura in the rain forest
Pagoda ruins
Old Buddha statue in the ancient city
In the royal garden "Stargate" , the meaning of the talismans on the boulders is unknown
Anuradhapura is located in the interior of Sri Lanka and is the ancient capital of Sri Lanka. Legend has it that this city was founded by a Sinhalese prince and remained the capital of Sri Lanka for nearly 1,400 years until it was gradually abandoned by the invasion of the Chola dynasty of South India at the end of the 10th century. After Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka, a series of large-scale pagodas, temples, and viharas were built in Anuradhapura, becoming one of the knowledge centers of Mahayana Buddhism.
It is said that Lovamahapaya was originally a giant building with a length of 120 meters on each side and a height of 9 floors. Now, only 1,600 stone pillars remain in this building.
The Jayashri Mahabodhi tree is the oldest recognized artificial tree at present. Cultivated trees
The pool in the Abhayagiri Vihara
The Ruwanwelisaya Pagoda was renovated and rebuilt in the 20th century, so it looks whiter and newer
There are 8 Buddhist holy sites in Anuradhapura, including the Bodhi sapling where Sakyamuni attained enlightenment. The cultivated Jayashri Mahabodhi tree, the Lovamahapaya that can accommodate 1,000 monks, the roof covered with bronze tiles, and 6 pagodas of different sizes. Among these stupas, the oldest is Thuparamaya Stupa, built about 2200 years ago, and the largest is Jetavanaramaya Stupa. There are also the Ruwanwelisaya Stupa, which houses the largest collection of Buddha relics in the world, and the Abhayagiri Stupa, which is the largest ancient vihara in Sri Lanka.
The shape of the Ghoto Grove Pagoda is similar to that of early Indian pagodas. About 93.3 million fired bricks may have been used to make this pagoda.
The Ghoto Grove Pagoda was built in the 3rd century. The pagoda courtyard covers an area of 56,000 square meters. meters, the foundation is 8.5 meters deep, mainly made of stones, and the foundation is reinforced by elephant trampling. The outer base of the pagoda is 176 meters long on each side. The base of the pagoda is circular with a diameter of 112 meters. The tower is 122 meters high. It was the third tallest building in the world at that time and the tallest pagoda in the world before the 20th century. With the desolation of Anuradhapura, after the 11th century, the Chedhorin Pagoda, like other buildings in the city, was covered by dense forests, and the upper structure gradually collapsed. During the reign of King Parakramabahu in the 12th century, the pagoda was renovated and rebuilt to a height of 71 meters, which continues to this day.
Remaining carvings
Bird's eye view of the Great Stupa
According to the Mahavamsa, the chronicle of Sri Lanka's Buddhism, the Ghidolin Stupa was built with high-quality fired bricks, filled and bonded with mortar, and coated with shells, syrup, egg white, coconut juice, Plaster is made from a mixture of resin, sand, pebbles, and grease. In order to prevent insects and grass from growing, the foundation of the pagoda is also coated with arsenic paint dissolved in sesame oil.
Lion Rock
Construction era: 5th century AD
Natural wonders combined with artificial carvings have created the unique wonder of Lion Rock
The lion’s claws at the entrance to Lion Rock
Lion Rock (Sigiriya) is located in the central inland of Sri Lanka and is a huge rock structure built on on the fortress. As early as prehistoric times, people have lived near Lion Rock. After the rise of Buddhism, the caves near Lion Rock were occupied by Buddhist monks. According to Sri Lankan historical records, at the end of the 5th century, Kasyapa I killed his father and usurped the throne, and his half-brother Moggallana fled to India. In order to prevent Moggallana from retaliating, Kasyapa I moved the capital to Lion Rock and built a palace and a fortress on the top of the mountain. However, in the end Kasyapa I was ousted from the throne by Moggallana. After that, Moggallana returned to the old capital of Anuradhapura, and Lion Rock was transformed into a Buddhist temple.
Lion Rock Garden Complex
Lion Rock’s reservoir and terraced garden
Lion Rock is built on a 180-meter-high flat-top rock, including palace buildings, pools, canals, gardens, wall galleries and other facilities. The designer intentionally placed The combination of man-made architecture and the natural environment makes it a model of ancient architectural planning in Sri Lanka. The gardens of Lion Rock are one of the oldest existing man-made gardens in the world, including the Persian-style Charbagh (a paradise garden, a rectangular garden divided by a cross-shaped axis), the boulder garden connected by winding paths, and the rock gardens built according to the undulations of the rocks. terraced garden. Should
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In addition to the gardens, the murals on Lion Rock are also unique. The wall gallery of Lion Rock is 140 meters long and 40 meters high. It depicts the image of about 500 women. The identity of these women is unknown. Maybe they are the king's concubines, maybe they are women participating in religious ceremonies.The painting style of the mural is different from the previous painting style in Anuradhapura, and is closer to the style in the Ajanta Caves in India.
