Important Monuments of India

1.Where Is the Famous Virupaksha Temple Located?

• The Virupaksha temple is one of the important monuments in Hampi.
• Hampi is located in Karnataka, the Vijayanagara Empire's capital.
• This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is the famous pilgrimage site of Hampi.
• Lakkana Dandesha built the temple under the supervision of Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara empire.

2.Who Built Buland Darwaza? State Its Significance.

• Buland Darwaza is the royal gate to the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri.
• The word 'Buland Darwaza' means 'Door of Victory'.
• This gate was made by the great Mughal emperor Akbar.
• Fatehpur Sikri was built to commemorate the victory of Akbar over Gujarat.

3.Where Is Elephanta Cave? Why Are They Famous?

• The Elephanta caves are a cave complex situated on Elephanta island.
• This island is situated in the Arabian sea near Mumbai.
• Most of the caves are dedicated to Lord Shiva. There are some Buddhist caves with Stupas.
• The caves are famous for their rock-cut stone sculptures of Trimurti Shiva, Yogeshwara and Nataraja.
• The cave complex is named so because there were elephant statues in the caves, which the Portuguese colonial people destroyed.

4.Who Built 'Alai Darwaza'? Where Is It Located?

• Alai Darwaza is located in the Qutb complex.
• It is the southern gate of the Quwaat-Ul-Islam Mosque, made of red sandstone.
• Alauddin Khilji built this gateway in 1311.
• The Alai Darwaza and other monuments around were designated as a World Heritage Site.

5.Which Famous Temple Complexes Were Built by the Chola Dynasty?

Three famous temple complexes built by the Chola dynasty are-

• The Brihadishwara Temple complex of Thanjavur.
• The Airavateshwara Temple complex of Darasuram.
• The Brihadishwara Temple complex of Gangaikonda Cholapuram.

All these temple complexes were built between the 11th and 12th centuries and are located in Tamil Nadu.

6.Who Designed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus?

• Frederick William Stevens designed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly the Victoria Terminus.
• He was an English architect.

7.Who Built Tajmahal? Name the Chief Architects of the Taj Mahal.

• Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built Tajmahal in the memory of his wife.
• Ustad Ahmad Lahori was the chief architect of Tajmahal.
• During the Taj mahal's construction, he combined Persian and Indo-Islamic architectural styles.
• He was assisted by Ustad Isa Shirazi, an architect from Persia.

8.What Is the Significance of the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya?

• The Bodhi tree is a massive sacred fig tree located in the Mahabodhi Temple complex in Bodh Gaya, a heritage site.
• The religious and spiritual leader of Buddhists, Siddhartha Gautama, was enlightened under this tree.

9.Write About a Historical Astronomical Observatory.

• The Jantar Mantar of Rajasthan is a famous historical astronomical observatory.
• It is located in Jaipur. The monument was built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, who also founded Jaipur city.
• This monument complex has 18 astronomical instruments and a stone-made sundial, the biggest sundial in the world.