The Best Temples & Shrines
Cave Temples at Ajanta & Ellora (Aurangabad, Maharashtra): Fashioned out of rock by little more than simple hand-held tools, the cave temples at Ajanta (created by Buddhist monks between the 2nd and 7th c.) and Ellora (a marriage of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples, created between the 4th and 9th c.) are the finest examples of rock-cut architecture in India, and deserving of their World Heritage status. The zenith is Kailashanath Temple, effectively a mountain whittled down to a free-standing temple.
Lord Gomateswara Monolith (Sravanabelagola, Karnataka): One of the oldest (ca. A.D. 918) and most important Jain pilgrimage sites, this 18m (60-ft.) statue of the naked Lord Gomateswara -- a representation of Bahubali, son of the first Jain tirthankara, said to have sought enlightenment by standing naked and motionless for an entire year -- is the tallest monolithic statue on earth. (Don't miss the 2005 ceremony, when pilgrims will bathe the giant monolith with bucketfuls of milk and honey.)
Hampi (Karnataka): Scattered among the Henri Moore-like boulders in the heart of Karnataka's rural interior, Hampi was once the royal seat of the powerful Vijayanagar kingdom, its size and wealth drawing comparisons with imperial Rome. Today, the city has crumbled away to just a few starkly beautiful leftovers, but the remote setting couldn't be more romantic.
The Temples of Mamallapuram (Tamil Nadu): A visit to this once-thriving port city of the Pallavas dynasty, who ruled much of South India between the 4th and 9th centuries A.D., is an essential stop on Tamil's temple tour. The earliest examples of monumental architecture in southern India (the celebrated Arjuna's Penance is the largest relief-carving on earth), these rock-cut shrines are best explored in the morning, leaving you time to unwind on the pleasant beach and dine on succulent seafood at village cafes for a song.
Shri Meenakshi-Sundareshwarar Temple (Madurai, Tamil Nadu): Alive with prayers, processions, garland-makers, and joyous devotees who celebrate the mythological romance between the beautiful three-breasted goddess and her mighty Lord Shiva, this colorful and lively complex of shrines, halls, and market stalls is almost Disneyesque, marked as it is by numerous entrance towers tangled with colorful stucco gods, demons, beasts, and mythological heroes. It truly embodies the spirit of Tamil Nadu's deeply embedded temple culture.
Taj Mahal (Agra, Uttar Pradesh): Nothing can prepare you for the beauty of the Taj. The perfect symmetry, the ethereal luminescence, the wonderful proportions, the sheer scale -- virtually impossible to imagine from staring at its oft-reproduced image -- and the exquisite detailing make this bejeweled monument to love a justifiable wonder of the world.
Fatehpur Sikri (near Agra, Uttar Pradesh): From the intricacy of the glittering white marble screens that surround the dargah (tomb) of Salim Chisti to Pachisi Court, where the emperor played a ludo-like game using the ladies of his harem as live pieces, this magnificent ghost city -- built almost entirely from red sandstone in 1571 and deserted only 14 years later -- is a testament to the secular vision of Akbar, one of the great players in India's most dynamic dynasty.
The Temples of Khajuraho (Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh): Built between the 10th and 12th centuries by the Chandela Rajputs, these World Heritage monuments are most famous for the erotic sculptures that writhe across the interiors and exteriors. But even the temple designs -- their soaring shikharas (spires) serving as metaphoric "stairways to heaven" -- are striking, and are considered the apotheosis of medieval Hindu architecture.
Meherangarh Fort (Jodhpur, Rajasthan): The impenetrable walls of this 15th-century edifice to Rajput valor rise seamlessly from the rocky outcrop on which they were built, literally dwarfing the labyrinthine city at its base; from its crenelated ramparts you enjoy postcard views of the "Blue City" below. In the distance is the grand silhouette of the Umaid Bhawan Palace, heritage hotel and residence of the current maharaja. Within the fort is one of the best palace museums in India.
Jain Temples of Rajasthan & Gujarat (Ranakpur & Mount Abu, near Udaipur, Rajasthan, and Palitana, Gujarat): The Jain put all their devotional passion (and not inconsiderable wealth) into the creation of the most ornate marble temples; with exquisitely detailed relief carvings covering every inch, they are all simply jaw-droppingly beautiful. Make sure you visit at least one while you're in India, preferably either the Ranakpur or Dilwara temples in Rajasthan. Or head for Palitana, in Gujarat, where 850 Jain temples and 1,000 shrines top sacred Mount Satrunjaya, "the hill that conquers enemies."
Golden Temple (Amritsar, Punjab): Arguably the greatest spiritual monument in India. The name derives from the central gold-plated Hari Mandir -- the inner sanctuary featuring gold-plated copper cupolas and white marble walls inlaid with precious stones -- which sits at the center of the "Pool of Nectar." Every day thousands of disciplined devotees pay their respects, touching their heads to the glistening marble floor while singing devotional songs continuously -- a wonderful, welcoming, and humbling experience.
The Sun Temple at Konark (near Bhubaneswar, Orissa): An enormous war chariot carved from a massive chunk of rock during the 13th century, this masterpiece of Indian temple art is covered with detailed sculpted scenes, from the erotic to the mythological. Guarded by stone elephants and lions, the immense structure is seen as the gigantic chariot of the sun god emerging from the ocean, not far from Orissa's 500km (300-mile) beach.
Tabo (Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh): This 1,005-year-old Buddhist complex houses magnificent frescoes and brilliant stucco and relief figures that recount ancient myths and celebrate the deities and demons that make up the Buddhist pantheon. You'll need a torch to adequately explore the dark, smoldering halls and shrines lit only by thin shafts of natural light, and brought to life by the resonant chants and ringing of bells by the monks and nuns who populate this sacred center of Tibetan Buddhism.
Fatehpur Sikri (near Agra, Uttar Pradesh): From the intricacy of the glittering white marble screens that surround the dargah (tomb) of Salim Chisti to Pachisi Court, where the emperor played a ludo-like game using the ladies of his harem as live pieces, this magnificent ghost city -- built almost entirely from red sandstone in 1571 and deserted only 14 years later -- is a testament to the secular vision of Akbar, one of the great players in India's most dynamic dynasty.
The Temples of Khajuraho (Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh): Built between the 10th and 12th centuries by the Chandela Rajputs, these World Heritage monuments are most famous for the erotic sculptures that writhe across the interiors and exteriors. But even the temple designs -- their soaring shikharas (spires) serving as metaphoric "stairways to heaven" -- are striking, and are considered the apotheosis of medieval Hindu architecture.
Meherangarh Fort (Jodhpur, Rajasthan): The impenetrable walls of this 15th-century edifice to Rajput valor rise seamlessly from the rocky outcrop on which they were built, literally dwarfing the labyrinthine city at its base; from its crenelated ramparts you enjoy postcard views of the "Blue City" below. In the distance is the grand silhouette of the Umaid Bhawan Palace, heritage hotel and residence of the current maharaja. Within the fort is one of the best palace museums in India.
Jain Temples of Rajasthan & Gujarat (Ranakpur & Mount Abu, near Udaipur, Rajasthan, and Palitana, Gujarat): The Jain put all their devotional passion (and not inconsiderable wealth) into the creation of the most ornate marble temples; with exquisitely detailed relief carvings covering every inch, they are all simply jaw-droppingly beautiful. Make sure you visit at least one while you're in India, preferably either the Ranakpur or Dilwara temples in Rajasthan. Or head for Palitana, in Gujarat, where 850 Jain temples and 1,000 shrines top sacred Mount Satrunjaya, "the hill that conquers enemies."
Golden Temple (Amritsar, Punjab): Arguably the greatest spiritual monument in India. The name derives from the central gold-plated Hari Mandir -- the inner sanctuary featuring gold-plated copper cupolas and white marble walls inlaid with precious stones -- which sits at the center of the "Pool of Nectar." Every day thousands of disciplined devotees pay their respects, touching their heads to the glistening marble floor while singing devotional songs continuously -- a wonderful, welcoming, and humbling experience.
The Sun Temple at Konark (near Bhubaneswar, Orissa): An enormous war chariot carved from a massive chunk of rock during the 13th century, this masterpiece of Indian temple art is covered with detailed sculpted scenes, from the erotic to the mythological. Guarded by stone elephants and lions, the immense structure is seen as the gigantic chariot of the sun god emerging from the ocean, not far from Orissa's 500km (300-mile) beach.
Tabo (Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh): This 1,005-year-old Buddhist complex houses magnificent frescoes and brilliant stucco and relief figures that recount ancient myths and celebrate the deities and demons that make up the Buddhist pantheon. You'll need a torch to adequately explore the dark, smoldering halls and shrines lit only by thin shafts of natural light, and brought to life by the resonant chants and ringing of bells by the monks and nuns who populate this sacred center of Tibetan Buddhism.
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