famous historical temples and monuments - gk … them we are providing you with a list of famous...
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Famous Historical Temples and
Monuments - GK Notes for SSC Exam
India has a myriad, vast and incredible pool of cultural heritage, historical temples and
monuments. Indian Temples and Monuments give India an admirable identity as
they showcase the skill, devotion, dedication, valour and brilliance of our artists and are
also the bearers of various astonishing fables that are being passed from generation to
generations. Nowadays in exams like SSC CGL, SSC CPO, LIC AO, SSC CHSL &
other exams lot of questions based on Historical Temples and Monuments in
India are frequently asked.
Most of the questions are based on the place, year, creators & significance of all the
famous and historical temples and monuments in India. To help you get a quick access
to them we are providing you with a list of Famous Historical Temples and
Monuments. Moreover, if you are interested in taking any Online Mock Tests then you
can click on the link to begin your preparation for any other Government Exams.
#1. Historical Temples and Monuments - List for SSC Exams
Indian has many ancient temples and monuments which are majestic in structure. Let's
quickly have a look at some of the famous and historical temples and monuments one by
one.
Famous Historical Temples in India
In every corner of India you would find a place to worship be it of any
religion. Considering the long list of temples in India, it is impossible to list all but here
are a list of all important and famous historical temples in India for SSC exams.
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Temple Year Place Built By Significance
Virupaksha
Temple
7th
century
Hampi,
Karnataka
Queen
Lokhama-
hadevi
(1) Dedicated to Lord
Shiva.
(2) Famous for tall
gopuram, grand
architecture & intricate
carvings.
(3) UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
Meenakshi
Temple
1623-
1655 C
E
Madurai
Tamil Nadu
Vishwananth
a
Nayakar
(1) Dedicated to Goddess
Parvati
& Lord Shiva.
(2) Was on the list of top
30
nominees for “New
7 Wonders
of the World.”
(3)
Rebuilt in 16th Century b
y
Nayak ruler Vishwanantha
Nayakar
Ramanatha
swamy
Temple
7th–
8th
century
Rameshwara
m
Island,
Tamil Nadu
Pandya &
Jaffna Kings
(1) One of
the 12 Jyotirlinga temple
s
of the country.
(2) One of the char dhams.
(3) Has one of the longest
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corridors
among other Indian
temples.
Suchindram
Temple
17th
century
Kanyakumari,
Tamil Nadu
Nambudiri
Brahmins
(1) Legends of Anasuya
& Ahalya
are attached to it.
(2) Has 4 musical pillars,
the hanging
pillar & the single Linga
Vitthala
Temple
15th
century
Hampi,
Karnataka
King
Devaraya
II
(1) Dedicated to Lord
Vishnu
(2) Also known as Shri
Vijaya Vitthala
Temple.
(3) It's said that the pillars
emit
musical notes when played
in a certain manner.
Brihadeshwar
a
Temple
11th
century
Thanjavur,
Tamilnandu
Raja Raja
Chola
I
(1) Dedicated to Lord
Shiva
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
(2) It is 1007 years old.
Airavateswara
Temple
12th
century
Darasuram Rajaraja
Chola
II
(1) Dedicated to Lord
Shiva
(2) Famous for
its exquisite
stone carvings UNESCO
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World
Heritage site
Venkateswara
Temple
300 AD Tirumala,
Andhra
Pradesh
King
Thondaiman
(1) Dedicated to Lord
Vishnu
(2) Known as Tirupati
Balaji temple
(3) One of the richest
temples
of the world.
Kashi
Vishwanath
1780 Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh
Ahilya Bai (1) Dedicated to Lord
Shiva
(2) One of the holiest
temples of India.
Lord
Jagannath
Temple
1611 Puri,
Odisha
Indrady-
umna
(1) Dedicated to Lord
Krishna
(2) Popular for its annual
Rath Yatra
(3) Non-Hindus cannot
enter the premises
Vaishno
Devi Temple
- Jammu - (1) 2nd most visited
temple in the India
Somnath - Gujarat Moon
God
(1) Dedicated to Lord
Shiva
(2) One of the oldest
Temple
Mahmud of Ghazni first
looted
the temple
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Shirdi Sai
Baba
Temple
1922 Shirdi,
Maharashtra
- Third richest temple of
India
Badrinath 9th
century
C.E
Uttarakhand Adi
Shankara
(1) Dedicated to Lord
Vishnu
(2) It is also one of the 4
Chota Char Dham
Kedarnath 8th
century
Garhwal area
Uttarakhand
Pandavas Dedicated to Lord Shiva
Konark
Sun
Temple
13th
century
Odisha Narasimha
deva
Dedicated to God Sun
Sanchi
Stupa
3rd
century
BC
Raisen,
Madhya
Pradesh
Asoka (1) Known as the Great
Stupa.
(2) Holy place of Buddhist
(3) UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
(4) Has 4 intricately
designed
gateways symbolising the
4 emotions
of love, peace, courage and
trust
(5) Stupa is 16 meters
high & 37
meters in diameter.
Siddhivinayak
Temple
18th
century
Prabha Devi,
Mumbai
- (1) Dedicated to Lord
Ganesha
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(2) The inner roof of the
temple
complex is plated with
gold
The Golden
Temple
1577 Amritsar,
Punjab
Guru
Ram Das
(1) "The Adhi Granth" was
compiled &
enshrined here for the
1st time.
Mahabodhi
Temple
3rd
century
B.C
Bihar Ashoka (1) Lord Buddha attained
enlightenment here.
(2) A UNESCO World
Heritage Site
Kamakhya
Temple
8th-
17th
century
Nilachal Hill,
Guwahati
- (1) Dedicated to Goddess
Kamakhya
(2) Oldest important
pilgrimage for the
Tantric Worshippers
(3) Oldest of the 51 Shakti
Pithas
Amarnath
Cave
Temple
- Jammu
and Kashmir
Natural
formation
(1) Around 5000 years old
(2) Located at an altitude
of
3,888 meters
Yamunotri
Temple
19th
century
Uttarkashi,
Uttarakhand
Maharani
Gularia
(1) Dedicated to Yamuna
River
(2) Part of Char Dham
Yatra
(3) Opens up on the day of
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Akshaya Tritiya
& closes the day after
Diwali
Gangotri
Temple
18th
century
Uttarkashi,
Uttarakhand
Amar Singh
Thapa
(1) Dedicated to Ganga
River
(2) A partially submerged
Shivaling lying
along the temple in the
waters of Bhagirathi
signifies
the place where God Shiva
entangled Ganga in his
hair.
Famous Historical Monuments in India
The kings and emperors of India had their own way of expressing their ideas in bricks,
marbles and stones. Therefore Indian monuments are popular worldwide for
their beauty. Indian monuments also tells you about a lot of history and the culture. So
here is a list of all the famous and historical monuments of India.
Monument Year Place Built by Significance
India Gate 1921 Rajpath
Marg,
New delhi
Designed by
Sir Edwin
Lutyens
(1) Also known as All
India War
Memorial.
(2) Built in memory of
Indian soldiers
who lost their lives in
First World War.
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Red Fort 1638
1648
Old delhi Shah Jahan (1) Originally known
as Qila-e-Mubarak
(2) Was actually white as
it was made of
limestone.
Taj Mahal 1653 Agra
Uttar Pradesh
Shah Jahan Finest example of Mughal
architecture
Agra Fort 11th
Century
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh
Mughals (1) Was epicentre of
power & was
used to command entire
India.
(2) Originally
called Badalgarh,
held by Raja Badal Singh.
(3) All Mughal Emperors
have
contributed in its making.
(4) UNESCO World
Heritage site
Buland
Darwaza
1576 AD Dadupura,
Fatehpur
Sikri,
Uttar Pradesh
Akbar (1) Highest entrance gate
of its kind
in the entire world.
(2) Built at the main
entrance of
Fatehpur Sikri.
(3) 42 stepsare to be
climbed to
reach main platform.
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Char Minar 1591 Hyderabad Md. Quli
Qutub Shah
Mosque built
to commemorate
eradication of deadly
plague
Fatehpur Sikri 1569 Agra Akbar (1) Served as Mughal
Capital
from 1571-1589.
(2) Original name -
Fatehabad.
(3) Built to commemorate
& safeguard
the victories against
Rajaput Kings.
Gol Gumbaz 1626-
1656
Jadar Galli,
Vijayapura,
Karnataka
Md Adil
Shah
(1) Tomb of Adil Shah
&
his two wives.
(2) Has a 'whispering
gallery',
even the slightest of
sound can be heard.
Hawa Mahal 1799 Jaipur,
Rajashthan
Sawai Raja
Pratbh Singh
(1) 5 storyed
building with 953
windows.
(2) The unique feature is
its air
conditioning effect.
Jantar Mantar 1724-
1736
Mathura,
New Delhi,
Maharaja
Jai Singh II
(1) Jantar Mantar of
Jaipur -
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Ujjain,
Varanasi,
Jaipur
largest stone Sun dial.
(2) These
were astronomical
observatories
Qutub Minar 1193 AD Maharauli
Delhi
Qutub-ud
-din-Aibak
(1) World's Largest
Brick Minaret.
(2) Total height is 73
meters.
(3) Total number of stairs
is 379
Humayun’s
Tomb
1572 Delhi Bigga Begum 1st garden tomb built in
India
Elephanta
Caves
5th
- 8th
Century
AD
Mumbai,
Maharashtra
Rashtrakuta
Kings
Sculpted caves located
on Elephanta Island.
Ellora
Caves
600
1000
AD
Aurangabad,
Maharashtra
Rashtrakutas
built Hindu
& Buddhist
Caves.
Yadav
Dynasty
built Jain
caves
These Jain caves are
testimony to the fact that
the 3 religions Hinduism,
Jainism & Buddhism are
one
Ajanta Caves 2nd -
6th
Century
AD
Aurangabad,
Maharashtra
Gupta Kings (1) Each rock carving was
done
by hand.
Sculptures
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& paintings epitomise
Buddha & various Jataka
tales.
(2) UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
Khajurao
Temples
950-
1050
AD
Madhya
Pradesh
Chandela
Dynasty
(1) Famous for
their architecture &
style along with
symbolism &
their erotic sculptures.
(2) Perfect mix
of Hinduism
& Jainism
Champaner
Pavagadh
Archaeological
Park
18th-
14th
Century
Panchamahal
Gujarat
Mahmud
Begada
The park
includes archaeological,
historic and cultural
heritage
monuments such as
chalcolithic sites,
a hill fortress of an early
Hindu
capital and remains of the
16th-century capital of
Gujarat.
Jama Masjid 1656 AD Central Delhi Shah Jahan Largest Mosque in India
Gateway of
India
1924 Mumbai - Referred to as Taj Mahal
of Mumbai
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Lake Palace 1743-
1746
Lake Pichola,
Udaipur
Maharana
Jagat Singh
II
Now a museum that has
all the royal
pictures, clothing and art
facts of
the Wodeyar dynasty
Mysore Palace 1897 Mysore Rajarshi
Krishnaraja
Wodeyar IV
Also known as Amba Vilas
Palace
Palace is a 3-storey stone
structure made with fine
granite,
grey in color, having deep
pink marble stones atop a
5-storey tower.
Chatrapati
Shivaji
Terminus
1888 Mumbai,
Maharashtra
- (1) Was known
as Victoria Terminus
(2) World Heritage
site.
(3) Busiest Railway
Station in India
Mehrangarh
Mahal
1460 Jodhpur,
Rajasthan
Rao Jodha (1) One of the largest forts
in India.
(2) One of the well
stocked
Museums in India.
Bahai Temple 1986 Delhi Flint & Neill (1) Also known as Lotus
Temple.
(2) It is a place of worship
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for every religion
& place for meditation.
Jaisalmer Fort 1156
AD
Jaisalmer Rawal Jaisal (1) Largest fully preserved
fortified
cities in the world
(2) Fort stands amidst the
sandy expanse of Thar
Desert
Kumbhalgarh
Fort
15th
century
Rajsamand
Rajasthan
Kumbha
of Mewar
(1) Second most
important hill fort
(2) World Heritage
Site
(3) Known as Great Wall
of India
Bara
Imambara
1784 Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh
Asaf-ud
Daula,
Grandest buildings
including
a step, gateways, minar,
mosque
and bhul bhulaiya.
Golconda
Fort
1600 Hyderabad Kakatiya
Dynasty
Known as the Diamond of
Kollur
Mine including gateways,
drawbridges, temples,
mosques
& semicircular bastions.
Basilica of
Bom Jesus
1605 Goa - (1) Oldest churches in
India.
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(2) World Heritage
Site
Rani ki Rav 11th
century
AD
Gujarat Queen
Udayamati
(1) Massive structure that
is
around 24 meters deep.
(2) As a memoriam for
King Bhimdev of Solanki
dynasty.
Now that you have gone through the list of all the famous & historical temples and
monuments in India. You can also visit the following articles to acquire more knowledge
in order to prepare well for the GK section of SSC as well as other exams.
Famous Sites in India
Indian States & Capital
Prominent Rulers of India
Buddhism & Jainism Facts
Indian Towns On River Banks
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Rivers & Drainage system of India
Know Major Facts about Indian States