While all of us love traveling we often head to popular destinations and end up missing out on attractions that are lesser known. There are many attractions in India that still remain lesser known to travelers and few of these places are certainly going to leave you awestruck. On World Architecture Day, Booking.com has curated a list of lesser-known monuments in India that every traveler should visit at least once. These stunning architectural marvels in India are a source of fascination due to their exquisite and exceptional architecture. Let’s start our tour of some of these outstanding marvels of India.
Originally known as Darbhavati, the ancient fortified town of Dabhoi is known for the Dabhoi Fort that boasts of beautiful and intricate stone carvings and iconography on its walls and gates. Daboi also has six temples and is also a popular pilgrimage site significant for the Jain religion Located approx 35 km from Vadodara, Dabhoi, with its stunning grandeur, was also home to a number of Jain scholars and houses the Jain Granth Bhandar, a collection of ancient Jain manuscripts. In recent times, Dabhoi has also gained fame for its narrow-gauge railway station, one of the largest and the oldest in Asia.
An ancient school of astrology and also an observatory is the beautiful Pari Mahal. Surrounded by the Himalayan range and overlooking the serene Dal lake, Pari Mahal was built by Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan, in honour of his Sufi tutor, Mullah Shah Badakhshi. Dara Shikoh was a believer in mysticism and he combined that with his love for Kashmir to build the ‘Abode of Fairies’ in 1640 CE. Data would have discussions on various topics with learned wise men at the mahal. If you are travelling to Kashmir, this lesser known monument is a must add to your list.
Situated amid the Thar desert, Bada Bagh was originally the resting place of many members of the royal family who once ruled the region. What attracts travellers here are the many cenotaphs built in honour of the royals. Constructed with yellow sandstone, these are beautiful expressions of artistic workmanship. Boosting the Rajasthani architectural style with chhatris or cenotaphs, this historical monument is worth a visit.
Known as a village of ancient temples, the beautiful ruins of Pathra tell a story of the rich past. Built in the vernacular Bengal style, also known as the Atchala style of architecture, these temples, some of which are 200 years old, have intricate detailing on their terracotta body.. Most of these temples are built in complexes and still have deities inside which could tell a lot about the religious beliefs of the residents back then. The beautiful ruins of Pathra tell a story of the rich past.
Located in the city of Taj Mahal, Chini Ka Rauza is one of the masterpieces of Indo-Persian architecture. This tomb was built in the honor of renowned poet and scholar, Afzal Khan Shirazi, who was the prime minister to Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The name ‘Chini’ is derived from the use of colourful tiles in the mosaic pattern which were made of porcelain or ‘Chini Mitti’. The inscriptions and Islamic texts on the walls of the tiles add uniqueness to this lesser explored monument. Some also believe that the design of the Taj Mahal was inspired by Chini Ka Rauza.
This 11th century fort belongs to the Kakatiya dynasty that ruled South India between 1083 and 1323 AD, before being conquered by the Delhi Sultanate. The grand fort, situated atop the Elgandal khilla hill is surrounded by moats, 16 ft wide and 13 ft deep and filled with crocodiles to protect the fort in case of intrusion. Getting captured by the warrior kings Musunuri Nayaks in the 16th century and then by the Mughal Empire, the fort has many stories of various dynasties to tell. During the Nizam reign, the Elgandal (originally known as Veligundula) was their headquarters before the district headquarter was shifted to Karimnagar in the 20th century. The fort is about 180 km away from Hyderabad and is easily accessible by road.
