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UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Explore the 13 Intangible Cultural Heritage of India

There are 13 traditional-cultural elements of India that have been inscribed on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Indian ICH list is an attempt to recognize the diversity of the Indian culture embedded in its rich and diverse social demographics.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Classifications

The UNESCO’s Convention for safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) classifies cultures and traditions into 5 broad domains. These are:

  • Oral traditions & expressions (including ancient languages)
  • Performing arts
  • Social practices, rituals, & festivals
  • Knowledge & practices concerning nature & the universe
  • Traditional craftsmanship

Intangible Cultural Heritage of India

The 13 traditional-cultural elements of India are:

  • Vedic Chanting
  • Kutiyattam (Sanskrit theatre)
  • Ramman (a religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal)
  • Mudiyettu (a ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala)
  • Ramlila (the traditional performance of the Ramayana)
  • Kalbelia Folk Songs & Dances (in Rajasthan)
  • Chhau Dance (in Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha)
  • Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh (recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the Himalayan Ladakh region)
  • Sankirtana (a ritual singing, drumming, and dancing of Manipur)
  • Traditional Brass and Copper Craft of Utensil Making (among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru in Punjab)
  • Yoga
  • Nawrouz
  • Kumbh Mela (most popular in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh)

Vedic Chanting

The oral tradition of the Vedas consists of several recitations (or chanting) of the Vedic mantras. Such traditions of Vedic chant are often considered the oldest unbroken oral tradition in existence, the fixation of the Vedic texts as preserved dating to early Iron Age.

UNESCO proclaimed the tradition of Vedic chant a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7, 2008.

The four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva) are not books in the usual sense, though within the past hundred years each veda has appeared in several printed editions. They comprise rather tonally accented verses and hypnotic, abstruse melodies whose proper realizations demand oral instead of visual transmission.

Kutiyattam

Kutiyattam, is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of koothu, an ancient performing art from the Sangam era.

It is officially recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Koodiyattam, meaning “combined acting” in Malayalam, combines Sanskrit theatre performance with elements of traditional koothu. It is traditionally performed in temple theaters known as koothambalams.

It is the only surviving art form that uses drama from ancient Sanskrit theatre. It has a documented history of a thousand years in Kerala, but its origins are unknown.

Ramman Festival

Ramman is a religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal region in India. It is a festival of the Hindu community in the Saloor Dungra village of the Painkhanda Valley in the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, India.

Photo by UNESCO CC-BYSA3.0

The festival and the eponymous art form are conducted as an offering to the village deity, Bhumiyal Devta, in the courtyard of the village temple. The Ramman is unique to the village and is neither replicated nor performed anywhere else in the Himalayan region.

Ramman combines the sacred and the social, the ritualistic with revelry and expresses the history, faith, lifestyle, fears and hopes of the Saloor Dungra villagers through a mesh of oral, literary, visual, kinetic and traditional craft forms.

It is an annual affair that children learn by watching. The various skills it involves in terms of dance, singing and drumming are passed down across hereditary communities orally.

Note: The onslaught of globalization and technology and lack of financial or artistic compensation have adversely impacted the ritual and traditional performances of the Ramman. Being peripheral to mainstream art forms, the awareness of the Ramman beyond its immediate borders is small and it stands the risk of becoming extinct in time.

Mudiyettu

Mudiyett or Mudiyettu is a traditional ritual theatre and folk dance drama from Kerala that enacts the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika. The ritual is a part of the Bhagavathi or Bhadrakali cult.

The dance is performed in Bhadrakali temples, the temples of the Mother Goddess, between February and May after the harvesting season.

Photo by Bobinson K B CC-BYSA3.0

Being a community based art form it is the community that has traditionally encouraged and trained the next generation to preserve the art form. There is no school or institution to give training in this art form and its survival depends almost exclusively on direct transmission through the Guru-Shishya Parampara (i.e. masters to disciples tradition).

In 2010, Mudiyettu was inscribed in the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, becoming the second art form from Kerala after Koodiyattam.

Ramlila

Ramlila (literally ‘Rama’s lila or play’) is any dramatic folk reenactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana or secondary literature based on it such as the Ramcharitmanas.

It particularly refers to the thousands of Hindu god Rama-related dramatic plays and dance events, that are staged during the annual autumn festival of Navratri in India.

After the enactment of the legendary war between Good and Evil, the Ramlila celebrations climax in the Dussehra night festivities where the giant grotesque effigies of Evil such as of demon Ravana are burnt, typically with fireworks.

Most Ramlilas in North India are based on the 16th century secondary work on Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas a verse form composition in the regional vernacular language by Tulsidas. These verses are used as dialogues in traditional adaptations.

Open-air productions are staged by local Ramlila committees, and funded entirely by the villagers or local neighborhoods in urban areas. The core team of performance artists train for the dance-drama, but the actual performance attracts impromptu participants from the audience and villagers.

This art form is a part of the Hindu culture, found for many gods and goddesses, but those of Rama, Durga (as Durga Puja) and Krishna (as Rasa lila) are the most popular and annual events in the Indian subcontinent.

Kalbelia Folk Songs & Dances

Kalbelia or Kabeliya is a dance from Rajasthan, performed by the tribe of the same name. The dance is an integral part of their culture and performed by men and women.

Photo by Aniket Murkute CC-BYSA4.0

The Kalbelia dance, performed as a celebration, is an integral part of Kalbelia culture. The dancers are women in flowing black skirts who dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent.

The male participants play musical instruments, such as the pungi, a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes, the dufli, been, the khanjari – a percussion instrument, morchang, khuralio and the dholak to create the rhythm on which the dancers perform.

The dancers are tattooed in traditional designs and wear jewelry and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread. As the performance progresses, the rhythm becomes faster and faster and so does the dance.

Kalbelia songs are based on stories taken from folklore and mythology and special dances are performed during Holi. The Kalbelia have a reputation for composing lyrics spontaneously and improvising songs during performances.

These songs and dances are part of an oral tradition that is handed down generations and for which there are neither texts nor training manuals. In 2010, the Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were declared a part of its Intangible Heritage List by the UNESCO.

Chhau Dance

Chhau dance, also spelled as Chau or Chhaau, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial, tribal and folk traditions, with origins in Eastern India. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chau of West Bengal, the Seraikella Chau of Jharkhand, and the Mayurbhanj Chau of Odisha.

Photo by Biswarup Ganguly CC-BY3.0

The dance ranges from celebrating martial arts, acrobatics and athletics performed in festive themes of a folk dance, to a structured dance with religious themes found in Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnavism.

The stories enacted by Chhau dancers include those from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Puranas, and other Indian literature.

The dance is traditionally an all males troupe, regionally celebrated particularly during spring every year, and may be a syncretic dance form that emerged from a fusion of classical Hindu dances and the traditions of ancient regional tribes.

Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh

The recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the Himalayan Ladakh region. These chants are a form of musical verse or incantation, in some ways analogous to Hindu, Christian or Jewish religious recitations.

In Buddhism, chanting is the traditional means of preparing the mind for meditation, especially as part of formal practice. However it can also be done for ritualistic purposes.

In a more traditional setting, chanting is also used as an invocative ritual in order to set one’s mind on a deity, tantric ceremony, mandala, or particular concept one wishes to further in themselves.

Tibetan buddhist monks are noted for their skill at throat-singing, a specialized form of chanting in which, by amplifying the voice’s upper partials, the chanter can produce multiple distinct pitches simultaneously.

Sankirtana

Manipuri Sankirtana is a form of performing art involving ritual singing, drumming and dancing performed in the temples and domestic spaces in Manipur State in India.

Through the performances which exhibit unparalleled religious devotion and energy, the performers narrate the many stories of Krishna often moving the spectators to tears.

It is practiced primarily by the Vaishnava community in Manipur and by the Vaishnava Manipuri population settled in the neighboring States of Tripura and Assam.

Traditional Brass & Copper Craft of Utensil Making

The traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru Punjab has got the distinction of being inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, UNESCO, in 2014.

The crafts colony was established during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1883), the great 19th Century Sikh Monarch, who encouraged skilled metal crafters from Kashmir to settle in the heart of his kingdom in the Punjab. Jandiala Guru became an area of repute due to the skill of the Thatheras.

The craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru constitutes the traditional techniques of manufacturing brass and copper utensils in Punjab. The Thatheras craft utensils are of both Utilitarian and ritualistic value made of copper, brass and kansa (an alloy of copper, zinc and tin).

The metals used are recommended by the ancient Indian school of medicine, Ayurveda. The crafting process carried out by a specific group of craftspeople, known as Thatheras, has a unique ethnic and historical identity with an oral tradition that underpin their skill. The very name of the community – ‘Thatheras’ is identical with the name of the element.

Yoga

Obviously, yoga! Namaste world! 🙂 Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. Yoga is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophical traditions.

There is a broad variety of yoga schools, practices, and goals in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The practice of yoga has been thought to date back to pre-Vedic Indian traditions; possibly in the Indus valley civilization around 3000 BC.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the most popular authoritative text on yoga, dates from the 2nd century BC. It has gained prominence in the west in the 20th century after being first introduced by Swami Vivekananda.

Nawruz

Nowruz (Persian: “new day”‘) has Iranian and Zoroastrian origins; however, it has been celebrated by diverse communities for over 7,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia.

Tradition of Nowruz in Northern India dates back to the Mughal Empire; the festival was celebrated for 19 days with pomp and gaiety in the realm. However, it further goes back to the Parsi Zoroastrian community in Western India, who migrated to the Indian subcontinent from Persia during the Muslim conquest of Persia of 636–651 AD.

In the Princely State of Hyderabad, Nowruz was one of the four holidays where the Nizam would hold a public Darbar, along with the two official Islamic holidays and the sovereign’s birthday.

Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela is a major pilgrimage and festival in Hinduism. It is celebrated in a cycle of approximately 12 years at four river-bank pilgrimage sites: the Prayagraj (where three rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and Sarasvati meet), Haridwar (river Ganges), Nashik (river Godavari), and Ujjain (river Shipra).

The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass feedings of monks or the poor, and entertainment spectacle.

The seekers believe that bathing in these rivers is a means to atonement (penance) for past mistakes, and that it cleanses them of their sins.

The festival is traditionally credited to the 8th-century Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara, as a part of his efforts to start major Hindu gatherings for philosophical discussions and debates along with Hindu monasteries across the Indian subcontinent.

About UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage

The purpose of such a list is to preserve intangible human elements that help demonstrate the diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance.

Some of the criteria for inclusion in the representative list are if the inscription of the element will ensure visibility and awareness of it and if the element has been nominated after having “the widest possible participation” of the community, group or individuals concerned and with their free, prior and informed consent.

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A Look At The Top 5 Iconic Places In France

France is a country that grows on you. Once you set your foot here, you will be sorry for anyone who is not in France and is not in love. Your dreams come alive when you see some of these dreamy places.

Even the quaint olive branches in the window front of a house, add to the exquisite beauty of France. The science nerd can fall for the old school romantic. That is how irresistible the charm of France is.

There are a few places which define the tourism of France. Your trip would be incomplete without visiting them.

EIFFEL TOWER

“I ought to be jealous of the tower; she is more famous than I am.” ~ Gustave Eiffel

Proudly jutting out from the 7th arrondissement this monument is the most visited monument in the world. It was built in 1889 for being the entrance gate in World Fair. Now it is the epitome of tourism in France.

Gustave Eiffel brilliantly modernized the whole idea of France, with just a metal structure. The three levels of the tower, are used for Michelin restaurants (1st and 2nd levels).

The third level is 906 feet high, used as an observation deck. To climb the top of Eiffel tower is on the bucket list of many, but you need to stand in tiring queues for getting your hand on the pass. You can book online if you want to avoid the hassle.

PALACE OF VERSAILLES

“It was like the first time I visited Versailles. There was an eeriness like I’d been there before. I don’t know if I was Louis XIV or Marie Antoinette or a lowly housekeeper, but I lived there.” ~ Maurice Minnifield

Palace of Versailles Front By Michael Plasmeier CC BY 2.5

Louis XIV was an exalted ruler. He wanted to claim his absolute monarchy. That is why he renovated his hunting lodge in the quaint village of Versailles to a luxurious castle.

He used a baroque style with a classic French touch. There were apartments for King and Queen, Chapels, Royal Opera of Versailles. A genius manifestation was creating the Hall of mirrors.

Ornamental pieces of mirrors adorn the hall where the King used to summon his courtiers. Your eyes might hurt with the rays of light reflected from the mirrors. French gardens are set in the background with graceful fountains and lush shrubs.

MONT BLANC

“Mount Blanc is the monarch of mountains; They crowned him a long time ago On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds, With a diadem of snow.” ~ Lord Byron

No verse ever written can reflect the beauty of Mont Blanc as aptly as these lines by Lord Byron. It crowns the French Alps in its magnificent glory.

At the height of 4808.73 m, it is blanketed by snow throughout the year. Chamonix is a cozy little village on your way to Mont Blanc. It is studded with charming restaurants that serve cheesy and fatty (fondue and raclette) meals to keep you warm.

Stroll through the snow-filled street and enjoy the tranquil landscape. The Valley offers opportunities for winter sports like skiing and adventure sports as well.

PROVENCE

“Look at those vines, he said. Nature is wearing her prettiest clothes.”. ~ Peter Mayle, A Year in Provence

Image Credit

Sprawled across an area from the Italian border to lower Rhone River. It was the place where the Romans first settled outside of the Alps. For ages, it has been the nest of artists. Everyone travels here to bask in the untainted charm of quaint old towns.

The rolling hills are home to villages. A colorful field of lavender, vibrant olive grooves are the backdrop of rustic living. While walking on the stone pathways, you can ogle the scenic beauty.

There are classy restaurants that serve you healthy and delicious cuisines. Staying here during your holiday in France will give you a glimpse of the past. The mystery of historical sites and bustle of open-air- markets all will take you on a joyful ride of Provence.

CÔTE D’ AZUR AND BIARRITZ

“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is a story of the earth.” ~ Rachel Carson

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The wild, untamed sea always acts as an unavoidable temptation. French Riviera or the Coast of Blue starts from the Italian border and ends in Saint-Tropez.

Nice, Cannes, Monaco all these cities scream of luxury. The hot summer sun and salty breezes attract the wealthy and privileged to spend their time in the vibrant sea coasts. It also has streets that are in vogue with chic boutique and apparel stores.

The Royals of France used to prefer Biarritz which is an elegant beach town near Grande Plage beach. Virgin of Rock is unfazed by the turbulent waves of Atlantic crashing on it.

The seaside palace turned resort offers exquisite views of the sea. You can lounge on the sunny beach or spend your time at the museum, lighthouse.

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5 Iconic Destinations in the United States

The United States is a carefully woven maze of magic that is exciting to discover. The salty breezes of beaches call to you. Whispering echoes invite you to view the heights of the Grand Canyon.

Colorado River, Grand Canyon

The warm sunshine in winter tempts you to go to the Rockies, to enjoy their favorite past time, skiing. Thrumming Jazz music on the streets makes you dance in tune with the energy of New Orleans.

Like a chariot adorned with sunshine, the Golden Gate Bridge awakens the romantic in you.

From the pristine beauty of Alaska to the eye-popping skyscrapers of New York, America is an incredibly diverse nation, which provides an impressive array of entertainment.

Yukon, Alaska

We have carefully selected the top iconic destinations that define tourism in America. They range from natural to architectural.

THE GRAND CANYON

“I believe in evolution. But I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see it at sunset, that the hand of God is there also.” ~ John McCain

The majestic magnificence of the Grand Canyon is hard to describe in mere words. It would be a futile attempt to do justice to the 1.2 million acres of exotic beauty.

The Colorado River created this unique structure over the course of centuries. From the river to the rim you will find an ecosystem so rare that it is hard to find anywhere else in the world.

Imagine California Condors flying over the clear blue skies, while the Coyotes sing their song.

You may feel like an expert tracker while looking for wolves throughout the valley. However, you will have no difficulty finding tiny fluffy squirrels that are so cute you will want to take them home.

Your muscles will cramp, sweat will pour, but the epic moment of hiking Grand Canyon will be a lifelong memory. If you want to cool off during the hike, try swimming in the pools of the Mountain Valley.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

“In the wilderness, I sense the miracle of life, and behind it, our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.” ~ Charles A. Lindbergh

Under the blanket of blue sky, Yellowstone National Park is full of every blessing of nature. It is the only place on Earth where you can view the highest number of colorful hot springs.

The highest lake in North America, Yellowstone Lake, is the namesake of the park.

Valleys scattered around the park are home to diverse wildlife. In these valleys, you can spy on grizzly bears and bison. Furthermore, the park occupies a vast area. Consequently, it is split into eight groups for easier access.

The Giant Prismatic Hot Spring looks like it belongs on Mars. The dark blue center fades into orange splashes along the edge. Plus, the beautiful Bridge Creek winds through the vegetation forming a natural bridge.

Gushing streams, graceful basins, roaring streams, and swelling waterfalls are in every corner of the park.

STATUE OF LIBERTY

“The first time I saw America was from my perch on the mast of a Spanish naval ship, where I could spot Statue of Liberty reaching proudly into the open endless American sky.” ~ Jose Andres

A token of freedom given by France to America stands proudly on Liberty Island. Gustave Eiffel, the man who built the Eiffel Tower, also built the Statue of Liberty.

This 305-feet-high statue depicts the Roman Goddess – Libertas. Piercing the skyline of Manhattan, it best symbolizes the character of America.

You need to take a ferry ride to reach Liberty Island from Jersey City. Once you enter the monument, it is free to look around and explore the American masterpiece.

The stairs wind up from the base of the statue to the crown. You must book a reservation ahead of time to have access to the top. This copper enigma is an emblem of peace and freedom for the entire country.

JOHN F.KENNEDY ASSASSINATION SITE

“Things do not happen; Things are made to happen.” ~ John F. Kennedy

America might be a young nation, but the history still runs deep. The assassination of John F. Kennedy occurred in Dealey Plaza in 1963.

The Sixth Floor Museum now stands on the site of the assassination. The museum displays the planning hub of the sniper, which was redesigned and displayed here.

The general aesthetic of Dallas is super-modern. However, Dealey Plaza is a reminder of that time when Mrs. Kennedy was drenched in red blood and the nation suffered a great tragedy.

HANAUMA BAY BEACH

“So that the monotonous fall of waves on the beach, which for the most part beat a measured and soothing tattoo to her thoughts, seemed consolingly to repeat over and over again…” ~ Virginia Woolf

Roads that are often traveled become beaten and boring. Hanauma Bay beach was beaten and boring once, until recently when it was declared a protected area. Every woman envies curves.

The elegant curving shoreline of Hanauma Bay beach in O’ahu Hawaii is no exception. Volcanic eruptions formed this ancient caldera, which eventually eroded to form the bay.

The turquoise blue water has a plethora of coral displayed across the ocean floor. If you do not harm marine life, you are allowed to snorkel in the bay.

The beach closes every Tuesday to replenish the ecosystem since it is a maritime natural preserve.

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The Vikings: Top 50 Viking Sites for Travelers

Many tourists who visit the United Kingdom or Nordic countries ask where they can see real Vikings. However, no country or tribe has ever been called a Viking nation. ‘The Vikings’ is simply the word for “sailors” or “pirates” in Old Norse, a language spoken in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden during the Viking age.

The Nordic (literally “the North”) countries have an interesting history going as far back as to the end of the last Ice Age. Scandinavia was covered by an ice sheet around 10,000 BC.

As the ice melted, the north Germanic peoples populated southern coastal areas and Finns and Sami migrated from the Ural Mountains. Thus, the Nordic countries were among the last parts of Eurasia to be settled by humans.

The Vikings

The Vikings mainly came from three countries of Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. These were primarily Norse seafarers who spoke the Old Norse language, and sailed, raided, and traded across wide areas of northern, central, eastern, and western Europe.

Nordic countries

Nordic countries

The Viking Age

The Viking Age was during the 9th and 10th centuries, when the Norsemen sailed the seas and rivers of Europe, reaching as far as Canada, North Africa, and Central Asia.

While overseas adventures were nothing new to the Norse peoples, their range, intensity, and frequency of travels became significantly high between the 8th to 11th centuries.

The Norse were the first people known to have crossed the Atlantic ocean. Iceland was settled during the 9th century, with Reykjavík as its first settlement. Shortly after, Greenland and parts of today’s United Kindom was also attacked and settled by the Vikings.

A pearl necklace from the Viking age

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Top Viking Sites To Visit

Below is the list of over 50 top Viking sites you can visit in the Scandinavian or Nordic countries, Latvia, Germany, United Kingdom, and Canada.

Odin on an eight-legged horse (Norse mythology)

Note: It’s important to note that most of these Viking sites are only open from late Spring to start of Fall season. When planning your trip, just make sure that the place is open by simply Googling.

Sweden

Ale Vikingagård

A Viking farm, north of Göteborg which is open every Sunday. Events throughout the year including feasts and markets in the spring (early May), autumn after harvest time in late October to early November and around Jul, a Norse pagan celebration at Christmas time.

Birka

Viking Age grave field at Birka archaeological site on Björkö Island, Sweden

Birka is a UNESCO World Heritage site near Ekerö, Stockholm. Birka was established in the 8th century and was an important trading center in the Viking Age. There is a museum on the island of Björkö, including a reconstructed Viking village. Roleplays, guided tours, craftsmen, and events are planned throughout the year.

Foteviken Museum

An open-air Viking museum, south of Malmö, Foteviken Museum is centered around a large Viking settlement reconstruction. The area is an important archaeological site of the Viking Age and the naval Battle of Fotevik was fought around here in 1134. Experimental archaeology, roleplays and season program and engaging activities for the whole family.

Gamla Uppsala

Gamla Uppsala (aka the “Old Uppsala”) is a former settlement outside the modern day city of Uppsala, and was the political and religious center of Viking-era Sweden. It was once the site of a legendary Norse pagan temple, which brought visitors from all around Scandinavia.

The temple was however lost; no-one knows what it looked like, or where it stood exactly. The site also hosts some impressive burial mounds and a large museum.

Gamla Uppsala Museum

The Old Uppsala Museum is in Disavägen and houses many of the Viking era archeological findings from Old Uppsala.

Gotlands Museum

Gotlands Museum is located in Visby, Gotland. Though Gotland’s Golden Age was during the Hanseatic League years from the 13th century, the island was a commercial center long before, possibly the home of the legendary Goths.

Gunnes gård, Ryttargatan

A reconstructed Viking Age farm, mostly open during summer.

Gustavianum, Akademigatan

Is the university museum of Uppsala University, and among other things they exhibit findings from Vendel- and Viking-era boat burial field in nearby “Valsgärde”. FREE entry for people under 19.

Järnåldershuset i Körunda

A reconstructed Viking Age longhouse, north of Nynäshamn.

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Medeltidsveckan (Medieval Week)

In Visby, Gotland. While conversion to Christianity in the 11th century marked a divide between the Viking Age and the Middle Ages, Gotland remained an autonomous region of peaceful mariners and merchants until Sweden annexed the island in the 17th century.

While the people of Gotland were not true Vikings, this festival week creates a Viking-like (sailers, pirates, or mercenaries) atmosphere.

Rök Runestone

The world’s largest runestone, near Ödeshög, and also the oldest known written record in Sweden. The name of the village Rök has the same roots as rock or stone, which means that Rök Stone is a tautology.

Stallarholmen Viking Festival

Annually the first weekend of July, in a village near Strängnäs with plenty of runestones and other Viking-age artifacts.

Storholmen

A reconstructed Viking village situated on the shore of Lake Erken, north of Norrtälje. A small nature reserve of Norr Malma to the south, including a large graveyard from the Iron Age. The whole region – known as Roslagen – is steeped in history.

In the Viking Age, there trade with the East was important. There is a nice 18th-century inn and restaurant nearby and a child-friendly lakeside beach.

A reconstructed Viking village

Swedish History Museum

If you’re interested in older Scandinavian history, from the Stone Age to the Vikings, you will want to visit the Swedish History Museum. In the Gold Room, you’ll find gold treasures from the Bronze Age to the 16th century.

Trelleborgen

In the modern port town of Trelleborg in Scania, close to Foteviken Museum or a 20-minute drive from Malmö. One of only seven known Viking Ring Castles from the 980s.

“Trelleborg” is the name of the town, the castle and a general term for Viking Ring Castles. It is 143 meters in diameter and was largely reconstructed with palisades and houses in 1995.

Watch role plays and reenactments or engage in the Viking market, and Viking board games. Stories from Norse mythology are occasionally dramatized here, but only in Swedish. FREE for people under the age of 20.

Uppåkra Arkeologiska Center

Uppåkra Archaeological Centre is located south of Lund. A historical museum by and about the Viking-era archaeological site Uppåkra. This area was supposedly a cultural and religious center in Scania with a pagan temple but was abandoned in favor of modern-day Lund around year 990.

Vikingatider, Ådalsvägen

At the village of Löddeköpinge near Lund. An archaeological Viking-themed open-air museum and landscape with Viking houses and farms. Engage in everyday activities of the Vikings at the farm or in the workshops.

Guided tours (in English) of the settlement and surrounding landscape and special events throughout the year, including re-enactments, craft shops, and markets.

Årsjögård

At the lakeside village of Årsunda, south of Sandviken. An open-air museum centered around a reconstructed Viking farm in the midst of a historic region known as Järnriket (The Iron Realm). Experimental archaeology and occasional role plays, re-enactments, feasts, music, and crafts.

Learn more about the cultural history of this area, in particular, the Viking Age. The Sörby grave-fields with 90 burial mounds and stone settings are nearby, as are the popular lakeside bathing site of Strandbaden at the lake of Storsjön, locally known as “Gästriklands riviera”. At Strandbaden you will find a camping site and restaurant.

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Vikingaliv, Djurgårdsvägen

A Viking museum opened in 2017. Does not exhibit any archaeological findings, but rather showcases information about the era and a Viking themed-train ride, as well as replicas of Viking craft.

Norway

Lofotr Viking Museum

Located on the island of Vestvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, is a huge reconstructed Viking Chieftains hall situated in a dramatic landscape. The hall holds exhibitions and there are walking paths in the surrounding landscape.

In the summer it is possible to sail with a Viking ship replica nearby. There are seasonal events and programs with roleplays, Viking feasts, Viking Festival and more. 

The Viking Ship Museum

Located in the University of Oslo, the main attractions here are the all original Viking ships such as Gokstad, Oseberg, and Tune. The Viking Ship Museum is part of Museum of Cultural History, a department of Oslo University.

Museum of Cultural History also houses Historical Museum with a permanent exhibition themed around the Norse and Vikings in particular. Tickets include admission to both museums within 48 hours. The Bygdøy island can be reached by road or ferry (in the summer).

Gokstad Mound (Gokstadhaugen)

Gokstad is in Sandefjord. The burial mound at Gokstad where the Gokstad ship was discovered in 1880. The ship is the largest found in Norway and is now on display in the Viking ship museum, Oslo. The Norwegian government has asked UNESCO to include the mound on the world heritage list.

Stiklestad (Trøndelag)

The site of the battle in the year 1030 where King Olav died.

Trondenes historical center, Trondenesveien

Displaying more than 2,000 years of history in the region, which was a Viking power center (Tore Hund from Bjarkøy just north of Harstad killed St Olav at the Battle of Stiklestad, according to the saga).

Three Swords

Sverd i fjell, (literally “Sword in Mountain”), is a monument outside the center of Stavanger, beside the Hafrsfjord. The swords themselves are massive and in the background is the fjord. The monument commemorates the battle of Hafrsfjord in the late 800’s where Harald Hårfagre beat his eastern opposition and became the first King of Norway.

Midgardsenteret, Borrehaugen

New museum in Birkelyveien about history, religion, and wars of the Vikings, next to Borrehaugen, the Viking cemetery.

Kaupang

Around 800 AD, a Viking trade post was established here, and today it is both an archaeological site and a venue for Viking events in the summer.

Bronseplassen

Open May to September. Reconstructed houses from the Bronze Age and Viking times and is located in Høvåg, approx. 15 km west of Lillesand. There are also bark boats, labyrinth, offering space and cemetery.

Avaldsnes

A former Viking settlement, nowadays featuring a Viking farm, a history center, burial mounds and archaeological excavations.

Gulen Assembly, Eivindvik

Gulating was the Viking era legislative assembly and high court (þing) for West Norway. The site had a central location along the shipping lane (the highway of the time). The assembly may have been established by Harald Hairfair around year 900 (perhaps older) and existed until 1300.

Originally Gulating was a “common assembly” where all “free men” joined for the annual meeting, later only delegates from each district.

Two ancient stone crosses mark the original site, and new monument marks a later site nearby. Similar assemblies and laws existed for Trøndelag and for Eastern Norway. When Norway’s modern constitution was crafted in 1814 the name Storting (grand assembly) was adopted.

Frosta assembly, Trøndelag

Frostating was the Viking era court and general assembly for the Trøndelag area, similar to Gulating for Western Norway. The “Thing hill” is marked and can be visited.

Denmark

Bork Vikingehavn

In the village of Bork near Skjern and Ringkøbing, at the bottom of a large lagoon. A Viking village and harbor area with Viking ship replicas and a town market. Re-enactments and roleplays that varies throughout the year. Great for kids.

Fyrkat

Viking Ring Castle and re-constructed Viking houses. Sometimes roleplays and craftsmen. FREE to the public.

Jelling Monuments

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jelling, a Viking Royal residence. Enormous stone ship monument, burial mounds, runestones and 10th-century church. Newly built exploratorium bringing the site’s rich history to life. Good for all ages. Free.

Lindholm Høje

Pagan Iron Age and Viking Age burial grounds with hundreds of stone-set grave sites. There is a museum building.

Ribe Vikingecenter

A large Viking Center and open-air town museum reconstructed at the former site of a large Viking town. Re-enactments, craftsmen, roleplays and experimental archeology of varying themes throughout the year. Ride Icelandic horses, help the farmers, watch the falconry displays, shoot with bows or learn to fight like the Vikings; there are many activities here suited for all ages and interests.

Sagnlandet Lejre

March – December. Large open-air Viking and pre-historic center with themes reaching back to the Stone Age as it unfolded in Scandinavia. Located in Lejre, a former royal homeland in the Nordic Iron Age and early Viking Age. Engaging activities for all ages.

Trelleborg Castle

A Viking Ring Castle, one of the only seven known of its kind. A small museum and some reconstructed Viking buildings.

Viking Ship Museum

A museum with several original Viking ships, a Viking research center, a harbor with copies of Viking ships, and a shipyard making new ships. Study the originals, watch how archaeologists preserve them and engage on a small sea-voyage with replica ships in the summer months. FREE for children under the age of 5.

Greenland

Norse settlements in Greenland

Vikings settled parts of Southern Greenland, starting with Erik the Red, who gave the landmass its name to make it sound appealing to travelers. Remains and reconstructions of the Norse settlements can still be visited, some of them forming a world heritage site.

Iceland

The Settlement Exhibition

Run by the Reykjavík City Museum, this exhibition in central Reykjavík was built around the oldest archaeological ruins in Iceland. As the name indicates, these ruins date to around the year 870. This interactive exhibition brings you the early history of the area that today forms central Reykjavík. FREE for children under 18.

A Viking Ship in Reykjavík, Iceland

National Museum of Iceland

This museum, located right by the University of Iceland campus, takes the visitor through the history of a nation from settlement to today. Includes a café and a museum shop. FREE for children under 18.

Reykjavík City Museum

In the suburb of Árbær, and frequently called Árbæjarsafn (Árbær museum), this open-air museum contains both the old farm of Árbær and many buildings from central Reykjavík that were moved there to make way for construction.

The result is a village of old buildings where the staff takes you through the story of a city. The staffs are dressed in old Icelandic clothing styles and trained in various traditional techniques, for example in making dairy products or preparing wool. FREE for children under 18.

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Þingvellir

Also spelled as Thingvellir in English, it’s the place where the Icelandic parliament (Alþing) met for a few days every year from 930 until 1798. This yearly event also served as a supreme court and a huge market and meeting place for people from all over Iceland.

Vikings landing in Iceland

The Settlement Centre, Brákarbraut

A media center showcasing the Viking sagas, stories or descriptions of their everyday life.

Eiríksstaðir

Around 150 km north of Reykjavik, Eiríksstaðir is an open-air museum centered around the recreation of the homestead of Erik the Red and his son Leif Eriksson (considered to be the first European to set foot in America).

Saga Centre

In Hvolsvöllur, 15 km to the southeast of Hella. A museum showcasing Njals Saga, the main saga of the Icelanders.

Snorrastofa

A museum and research center showcasing Snorri’s Saga, written by the 12th and 13th-century writer Snorri Strulasson.

Viking World, Keflavík

A museum with five Viking exhibitions, including a replica of a ship.

Germany

Haithabu

Located at the southern end of the Jutland peninsula, Haithabu was once the site of the largest Viking town in Scandinavia. Now an open-air town museum with reconstructed Viking houses. Experimental archeology, craftsmen and engaging roleplay and reenactments of the former life in the Viking Age town.

Latvia

Grobiņa Viking Settlement

The west coast of Latvia has Viking heritage, where there was once a settlement named Seeburg (now in Grobiņa city).

United Kingdom

Jorvik Viking Centre, England

The world famous Jorvik Viking Centre is a must-see for visitors to the city of York and is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the UK outside London. Welcoming over 16 million visitors since 1984, Jorvik Viking Centre invites visitors to journey through the reconstruction of Viking-Age streets as they would have looked 1000 years ago.

Lindisfarne, England

An early Christian monastery at the Northsea rocky shore. The Norse raid at Lindisfarne in AD 793 usually marks the beginning of the Viking Age.

Up Helly Aa (Shetland Islands)

Europe’s largest and most famous fire festival. It takes place on the last Tuesday in January. Over the year the ‘Guizer Jarl’ or Viking Chief and his squad prepare costumes, weapons, and a replica heraldic style Viking Galley and torches.

There is a torchlight procession of over 800 participants and then the Galley is ceremoniously burned. Tickets to the halls are by invitation only, but public tickets are available for the Town Hall from the committee. Although the Lerwick festival is the largest and most famous, eleven other fire festivals are held across the islands.

Battle Abbey and Battlefield

The Abbey was established after 1070 on the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Pope has decreed that the Norman conquerors should do practical penance for the deaths inflicted in their conquest of England. William the Conqueror initiated the building, but it was only completed and consecrated in 1094 in the reign of his son William II (Rufus).

The Abbey is in an incomplete, partly ruinous state, having been dissolved during the Reformation, then re-used as a private home. Visitors can stand on the reputed site where Harold was slain on 14 October 1066.

Bayeux

A cathedral town which features the Bayeux tapestry, which chronicles the Norman invasion of England, culminating in William’s victory over Harold in 1066.

Canada

L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site

A UNESCO heritage and archaeological site in Great Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland. It features the remains of the North American Viking settlements described in the Vinland Sagas: depressions in the ground that were once the foundations of houses, a sod longhouse reconstructed according to Viking-era building methods, plus some unearthed artifacts displayed in the museum contained in the visitors’ center.

Norstead, Newfoundland

Located just down the road from the L’Anse aux Meadows UNESCO site, Norstead takes a more interactive, living-history approach to the subject of the Norse incursion into North America, with a “village” of reconstructed longhouses populated by costumed interpreters reenacting daily life in a 12th-century “Viking port of trade” with a respectable degree of historical accuracy.

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Visit the 38 World Heritage Sites in India

Today we are going to list all of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. As of 2020, India has 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the 6th most of any country.

Sit back tight and enjoy the photos from some of the magnificent sites ever built. Or better yet, plan your next trip. If you are into bucket lists, then you can even attempt to visit all 38 sites.

World Heritage Sites in India

The sites are grouped and listed based on geographical proximity, so if you are planning an India visit, you can plan your itinerary accordingly to cover some or all of them in the most efficient and cheapest way possible.

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi was the precursor monument to the Taj Mahal (built a century later). Set at the center of luxurious gardens with water channels, it was built by the second Mughal Emperor Humayun’s widow Biga Begum (Hajji Begum).

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

Its Mughal architectural style has been acclaimed as the “Necropolis of the Mughal dynasty” for its double-domed elevation provided with Chhatris.

Apart from the tomb of Humayun, the funerary also has 150 tombs of various members of the royal family. It has a number of water channels, a pavilion, and a bath. The tomb set on an irregular octagonal plinth has a raised dome, covered by marble slabs and decorated with Chhatris.

Qutb Minar, Delhi

Qutb Minar is located south of Delhi. It is a tall red sandstone tower. Built at the beginning of the 13th century, the complex of structures comprises the Alai Darwaza Gate, the Alai Minar (an incomplete mound of the intended tower), the Qubbat-ul-Islam Mosque (the earliest existing mosque in India), the tomb of Iltumish, and an Iron Pillar without any rusting.

The complex is a testimony to the Islamic depredations during the period as seen from the materials used for building the complex which are those that were removed after destroying Hindu and Jain temples.

Red Fort, Delhi

Red Fort (Lal Qila) is a palace fort built in the 17th century by Shahjahan, the fifth Mughal emperor as part of his new capital city of Shahjahanabad.

Located to the north of Delhi, it represents the glory of the Mughal rule and is considered the Highpoint of Mughal architectural, artistic aesthetic creativity. The architectural design of the structures built within the fort represents a blend of Persian, Timuri and Indian architectural styles.

Isfahan, the Persian Capital is said to have provided the inspiration to build the Red Fort Complex.

The planning and design of this complex, in a geometrical grid plan with pavilion structures, was the precursor of several monuments which were built later in Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra and other places.

The palace complex has been fortified by an enclosure wall built with red sandstone (hence the name Red Fort).

Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, Chandigarh

Chosen from the work of Le Corbusier, the 17 sites comprising this transnational serial property are spread over seven countries. Urban and Architectural Work of Le Corbusier in Chandigarh is home to numerous architectural projects of Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Matthew Nowicki and Albert Mayer.

Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks

Both Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Park are nestled high in Western Himalaya. Valley of Flowers National Park is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep.

The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together, they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya.

Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh

Great Himalayan National Park, in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, is characterized by high alpine peaks, alpine meadows, and riverine forests. The Upper Mountain glacial and snow melt water source origins of several rivers, and the catchments of water supplies that are vital to millions of downstream users.

It is part of the Himalaya biodiversity hotspot and includes 25 forest types along with a rich assemblage of fauna species, several of which are threatened.

Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World is a mausoleum – a funerary mosque. It was built by Emperor Shahjahan in memory of his third wife Begum Mumtaz Mahal who had died in 1631. It is a large edifice made in white marble in typical Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Islamic, and Indian architectural styles.

This much-acclaimed masterpiece was built over a 16-year period set amidst vast Mughal Gardens on the right bank of the Yamuna River. It has an octagonal layout marked by four exclusive minarets at four corners with a pristine elevation of a central bulbous dome below which the tombs are laid in an underground chamber.

Calligraphic inscriptions in-crusted in polychromatic pierra dura, decorative bands, and floral arabesques glorify the monument’s graphic beauty and provide a picture-perfect impression to the viewers.

Agra Fort, Uttar Pradesh

Agra Fort, also known as the Red Fort of Agra, which represented Mughal opulence and power as the centerpiece of their empire. The fortress located on the right bank of the Yamuna River, built in red sandstone, and surrounded by a moat, encloses several palaces, towers, and mosques.

It is very close to the famous Taj Mahal with a buffer zone separating the two monuments. These monuments are remarkable for the fusion of Persian art of the Timurid and the Indian art form.

Agra Fort was built from the 16th century onwards till the early 18th century. The impressive structures within the precincts of the fort are the Khas Mahal, the Shish Mahal, Muhamman Burje (an octagonal tower), Diwan-i-Khas, Diwan-i-Am, white marble mosque or the Pearl Mosque, and the Nagina Masjid.

Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh

Fatehpur Sikri, “the City of Victory”, was built during the second half of the 16th century by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It was the capital of the Empire and seat of the grand Mughal court for 14 years.

Despite bearing exceptional testimony to the Mughal civilization at the end of the 16th century, it had to be abandoned due to the twin reasons of lack of water and unrest in north-west India, leading the emperor to shift the capital to Lahore.

The complex of monuments and temples, all uniformly in Mughal architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid, the Buland Darwaza, the Panch Mahal, and the Tomb of Salim Chishti.

The English traveler Ralph Fitch considered the city in 1585 as “considerably larger than London and more populous.”

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, built by Maharaja Jai Singh at his then new capital of Jaipur between 1727 and 1734. It is modeled after the one that he had built at the Mughal capital of Delhi.

He had constructed a total of 5 such facilities at different locations, including the ones at Delhi and Jaipur. The Jaipur observatory is the largest and best preserved of these and has a set of some 20 main fixed instruments built in masonry.

Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan

Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur is located within the Indus-Ganges Monsoon Forest Biogeographical Province. The area of the wetland of the park shrinks to a mere 2500 acres during most part of the year.

It has a human-built environment created partly by embankments dividing the area into 10 units, and has sluice controlled arrangement to maintain the water level. It is famous for 364 species of wintering birds that flock in large numbers, arriving from distant countries of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Siberia.

Hill Forts of Rajasthan, Chittorgarh

Hill Forts of Rajasthan, are a series of sites located on rocky outcrops of the Aravallis mountain range in Rajasthan. They represent a typology of Rajput military hill architecture, a style characterized by its mountain peak settings, utilizing the defensive properties of the terrain.

These hill forts in Rajasthan represent Rajput military strongholds across a vast range of geographical and cultural zones. They enclose large territories and even complete villages in walled compounds.

The property consists of Chittor Fort, Kumbhalgarh Fort, Ranthambore Fort, Gagron Fort, Amer Fort, Jaisalmer Fort. These fort complex includes palaces, Hindu and Jain temples, urban centers and trading centers.

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Gujarat

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park is situated in Panchmahal district in Gujarat, India. There is a concentration of largely unexcavated archaeological, historic and living cultural heritage properties cradled in an impressive landscape which includes prehistoric sites, a hill fortress of an early Hindu capital, and remains of the 16th-century capital of the state of Gujarat.

The site also includes, among other vestiges, fortifications, palaces, religious buildings, residential precincts, agricultural structures and water installations, from the 8th to the 14th centuries.

The Kalikamata Temple & Jain Temple on top of the Pavagadh Hill is considered to be an important shrine, attracting large numbers of pilgrims throughout the year. The site is the only complete and unchanged Islamic pre-Mughal city.

The Queen’s Stepwell, Gujarat

Rani ki vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat, is a famous stepwell. It is famous for its size and sculpture. The length of Rani ki Vav is more than 64m long, 20m wide, and 27m deep and there are more than 500 sculptures of god.

Most of the sculptures are in devotion to Vishnu, in the forms of Dus-Avatars Kalki, Rama, Mahisasurmardini, Narsinh, Vaman, Varahi and others representing their return to the world. Also it has Nagkanyas, Yoginis, Apsaras (beautiful women) showcasing 16 different styles of makeup to look more attractive called “Solah-shringar”.

Historic City of Ahmadabad, Gujarat

The walled city of Ahmadabad, founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah in the 15th century, on the eastern bank of the Sabarmati river, presents a rich architectural heritage from the sultanate period, notably the Bhadra citadel, the walls and gates of the Fort city and numerous mosques and tombs as well as important Hindu and Jain temples of later periods.

The urban fabric is made up of densely-packed traditional houses in gated traditional streets with characteristic features such as bird feeders, public wells, and religious institutions. The city continued to flourish as the capital of the State of Gujarat for six centuries, up to the present.

Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra

Ajanta Caves are Buddhist caves that were built in two phases. The caves depict richly decorated paintings, frescoes, which are reminiscent of the Sigiriya paintings in Sri Lanka and sculptures. As a whole, there are 31 rock-cut cave monuments which are unique representations of the religious art of Buddhism.

Ellora Caves, Maharashtra

Ellora Caves are a cultural mix of religious arts of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. These are 34 monasteries and temples sculpted contiguously into rock walls of a high basalt cliff, which are seen along a length of 2 km (1.2 mi). Dated to 600 to 1000 AD, they are a reflection of artistic creation of the ancient civilization of India.

Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra

The Elephanta Caves are a network of sculpted caves located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri (literally “the city of caves”) in Mumbai Harbour, 10 km (6.2 mi) to the east of the city of Mumbai.

The island, located on an arm of the Arabian Sea, consists of two groups of caves — the first is a large group of 5 Hindu caves, the second, and a smaller group of 2 Buddhist caves.

The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the god Shiva. The rock-cut architecture of the caves is dated to between the 5th and 8th centuries, although the identity of the original builders is still a subject of debate.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is a historic railway station in Mumbai, which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. It is one of the busiest railway stations in India, and serves Central Railway trains terminating in Mumbai as well as the Mumbai Suburban Railway.

This famous architectural landmark in Gothic style was built as the headquarters of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. It took ten years to complete.

Churches and Convents of Goa

Churches and Convents of Goa are monuments built by the Portuguese colonial rulers of Goa between 16th and 18th centuries. These monuments are mainly in the former capital of Old Goa.

The most significant of these monuments is the Basilica of Bom Jesus, which enshrines the tomb containing the relics of St. Francis Xavier. These monuments of Goa, known as the “Rome of the Orient,” were established by different Catholic religious orders.

There were originally 60 churches of which some of the surviving monuments are the Saint Catherine’s Chapel, the Church and Convent of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Jesuit Borea Jezuchi Bajilika, Asisachea Sanv Fransiskachi Igorz, the church of Saint Cajetan and its seminary, Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, and Church of Saint Augustine.

Western Ghats of India

Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri Mountains, a mountain range along the western side of India and one of the world’s ten “Hottest biodiversity hotspots.”

A total of 39 biodiversity hotspots (including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests) were designated as world heritage sites – 20 in the state of Kerala, 10 in Karnataka, 5 in Tamil Nadu, and 4 in Maharashtra. Some of the key ones are:

  • Agasthymalai Peak
  • Periyar
  • Anamalai Mountains
  • Nilgiri Hills
  • Talakaveri Valley
  • Kudremukh Hills
  • Sahyadri

Group of Monuments at Hampi , Karnataka

The Group of Monuments at Hampi comprise a somber but ostentatious Hampi town, on the banks of the river Tungabhadra in Karnataka. Hampi, as an important Hindu & Jain religious center.

Dravidian temples and palaces abound in Hampi. These won the admiration of travelers between the 14th and 16th centuries. Hampi subsumes the ruins of Vijayanagara, which was the former capital of the powerful Vijayanagara Empire.

Group of Monuments at Pattadakal, Karnataka

The Group of monuments in Pattadakal cover a remarkable series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary in northern Karnataka.

In this group of temples, the Virupaksha Temple, built in 740 AD by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband’s victory over the Pallava kings from the south, is considered the most outstanding architectural edifice.

These are a remarkable combination of temples built by the Chalukya Dynasty in the 6th to 8th century at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal, the latter city was known as the “Crown Rubies”. The temples represent a remarkable fusion of the architectural features of northern (Nagara) and southern (dravida) India.

Pattadakal is considered a Hindu holy city and within the heritage complex are eight temples dedicated to Shiva, a ninth shaivite sanctuary called the Papanatha Temple, and a Jain Narayana temple.

Great Living Chola Temples, Tamil Nadu

The Great Living Chola Temples, built by kings of the Chola Empire stretched over all of Tamil Nadu. This cultural heritage site includes three great temples of 11th and 12th centuries namely, the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram.

The temples testify to the brilliant achievements of the Chola in architecture, sculpture, painting and bronze casting. You can visit all three of these:

  • Brihadeeswarar Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Tamil Nadu
  • Airavateshwarar Temple, Darasuram, Tamil Nadu
  • Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu

The Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, in Tamil Nadu, about 58 km from Chennai, were built by the Pallava kings in the 7th and 8th centuries. These monuments have been carved out of rock along the Coromandel Coast.

The temple town has approximately forty monuments, including the largest open-air bas-relief in the world. The monuments inscribed are the Ratha Temples: Temples in the form of chariots, Mandapas, 11 Cave sanctuaries covered with bas-reliefs, rock relief of Descent of the Ganges, which is the largest open air Rock relief also known as Arjuna’s Penance or Bhagiratha’s Penance.

Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya, Bihar

Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya is a unique property of cultural and archaeological importance. The first temple was built by Emperor Ashoka in 260 BC around the Bodhi Tree Ficus religiosa (to the west of the temple).

Revered and sanctified as the place where Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was enlightened in 531 BC at age 35, and then propagated his divine knowledge of Buddhism to the world, it has been the ultimate temple for reverential worship, over the last several centuries, by Buddhists of all denominations, from all over the world who visit on pilgrimage.

The main temple is 50 m in height, built in Indian architectural style, dated between 5th and 6th centuries, and it is the oldest temple in the Indian sub-continent built during the “Golden Age” of Indian culture credited to the Gupta period.

Nalanda, Bihar

The Nalanda Mahavihara site in Bihar comprises the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE. It includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal.

Nalanda stands out as the most ancient university of the Indian Subcontinent. It engaged in the organized transmission of knowledge over an uninterrupted period of 800 years. The historical development of the site testifies to the development of Buddhism into a religion and the flourishing of monastic and educational traditions.

Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal

The Sundarbans National Park, the largest estuarine mangrove forest in the world is a national park, tiger reserve, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a biosphere reserve located in the Sundarbans Ganges river delta bordering the Bay of Bengal, in West Bengal.

This region is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. It is also home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile.

Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century Sun Temple in Odisha. Located on the east coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Mahanadi Delta, it is built in the form of the chariot of Surya, the sun god with 24 wheels, and is heavily decorated with symbolic stone carvings and led by a team of six horses.

It was constructed from oxidizing weathered ferruginous sandstone and is one of the most renowned temples in India.

Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh

Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, located 45 km (28 mi) from Bhopal in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh are a group of Buddhist monuments dated between 200 BC and 100 BC. The site, however, has been conjectured to have been developed in the 3rd century BC, when Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire ruled.

The principal monument is a Stupa dated to the 2nd century and 1st century BC. These Buddhist sanctuaries were active Buddhist religious monuments, which flourished till the 12th century. The sanctuary has a plethora of monolithic pillars, palaces, temples and monasteries in different status of preservation.

Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh

Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka described in the UNESCO Inscription as “a magnificent repository of rock paintings within natural rock shelters” is located in the foothills of the Vindhya Hill Range in the Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

It is spread in sandstone formations. The rock shelters comprise a group of “five clusters of rock shelters” with paintings that are inferred to date from the “Mesolithic period right through to the Historical period”, with the 21 villages surrounding them reflecting the traditions displayed in the rock paintings.

The unique rock art has been discovered in 400 painted shelters spread over a vast area amidst a forest with high diversity of flora and fauna, with some of the shelters dating back to 100,000 BC to 1000 AD.

Khajuraho Monuments, Madhya Pradesh

Khajuraho Group of Monuments belong to both the Hindu and Jain religious practices with striking fusion of stone sculpture and architecture. The best example of this outstanding feature is seen in the Kandariya Temple.

Of the 85 temples built, only 22 temples have survived. Located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, it is renowned for its unique original artistic creation and proof of the Chandela Culture that existed prior to the Muslim invasion of India in the early 12th century.

The stone walls of temples are decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, tantric symbolism, and sexual expressiveness of ancient Indian art.

Kaziranga, Assam

Kaziranga, located in the Northeastern state of Assam in the flood plains of the Brahmaputra River’s south bank. It was established as a reserved forest in 1908 to protect the dwindling species of rhinoceros.

This large park, which covers 106,250 acres of land has the distinction of being home to the largest population of the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros. There are many other mammals and birds species protected in the sanctuary.

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the northeastern state of Assam. It is in the plains of the Manas River in the foot hills of the Himalayas, on the border with Bhutan (contiguous with the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan).

The sanctuary is the habitat of several species of plants, 21 most-threatened species of mammals (out of 55 mammal species in the sanctuary), 36 reptile species, 3 amphibians and 350 species of birds.

Endangered species include tiger, pygmy hog, clouded leopard, sloth bear, Indian rhinoceros, wild buffaloes (the only pure strain of buffalo in India), Indian elephants, golden langur and Bengal florican.

Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim

Located at the heart of the Himalayan range in northern Indian State of Sikkim, the Khangchendzonga National Park includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and spectacular, snow-capped mountains covered with ancient forests, including the world’s third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga.

Mountain Railways of India

The Mountain Railways of India represents a collective listing of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka-Shimla Railway under the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Two railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (1881) and the Kalka-Shimla Railway (1898) are located in the rugged hill regions of the Himalayas of Northern India and the other two, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (1908) and the Matheran Hill Railway (1907) are located in the rugged hill regions of the Western Ghats of Southern India.

Scenic Train Rides in India that are also UNESCO sites:

  • Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
  • Kalka-Shimla Railway
  • Nilgiri Mountain Railway
  • Matheran Hill Railway

These mountain railways of India has been stated as for being “outstanding examples of bold, ingenious engineering solutions for the problem of establishing an effective rail link through a rugged, mountainous terrain.”

So, which of these UNESCO Sites in India have you visited? Which ones are on your list? Please share your travel stories and tips in the comments below.

 

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5 Pilgrimages That Could Change Your Life

Five centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a new trend started to dominate people’s imagination. Pilgrimages in ancient history were about seeking repentance, healing, or self-transformation.

Be it Christian, Hajj, or visit to the Ganges. In our modern world, pilgrimages have a whole new meaning.

Adventurers of our time, in the twenty-first century, continuously try to explore new horizons. A pilgrimage is a journey inward. Be it a long hiking trail or climbing the tallest mountain or walking an ancient path…it is a journey that has a power to transform lives.

Here are five of my favorite modern pilgrimages which will change your heart and instill courage in your soul. From the holy cleansing of the soul to an adventure like none other. Let’s begin.

Inca Trail, Peru 

The old remnants in Machu Picchu hold significance in history as well as religion. Every year from July to September thousands of pilgrims walk on the Inca trail in Peru. If you want to test the waters but don’t want to take risks, then book with a travel guide company.

Only 200 tourist pilgrims can have the visiting pass to Machu Picchu. The trail is only 43 kilometers long; but due to the elevation, it will put you through pain (you might curse the gods). But finally, when you reach the ruins, you will feel like you are blessed to be here.

Camino De Santiago, Spain 

Santiago de Compostela is the cathedral that houses the body of Saint James in Northern Spain. There are many roads that lead to the cathedral. But the most preferred and UNESCO heritage site is Camino de Santiago.

The onset of pilgrimage is from St Jean Pied de Port. You can trek this 780 kilometers long trail through an entire month. Your legs will get stronger, and you can have an insight of Spanish culture.

Mount Kailash, Tibet

Tibetan culture welcomes any pilgrim who is ready to attain Nirvana. The lofty Mount Kailash is an intriguing chunk of landmass, with mystical powers. If you are successful in making 108 rounds of it, then you can achieve Nirvana (a Hindu religious belief).

Keeping that aside, let us pay attention to the 52 Kilometer long hike, that takes you around the mountain. Avoid winter months, particularly November-January, which is cold and uncomfortable, to say the least.

Canterbury, England

This one is called the Pilgrim’s Way to Canterbury. History and Canterbury are woven together. The Saint Thomas Beckett did not receive the honor when he was alive. He died on this trail from London to Canterbury.

Beckett performed miracles and attracted a lot of followers, which was the reason behind his death. (Silly kings of olden days.)

Now the trail from Winchester to Canterbury is not available for pedestrians. But there is another trail North Downs way, which will lead you to Canterbury. Walking through the 180 kilometers, you can have a glimpse of the beauty of rustic England.

Kumano Trail, Japan

In the Kii Mountains in Japan, there are three shrines which lead to Kumano. These ancient trails winds through the south of Osaka. It is the next UNESCO pilgrimage walk after the Camino de Santiago (in northern Spain).

Unlike other pilgrimages that tax your body and challenges your fitness, Kumano trail has classy hotels and hot springs on the way to relax your aching body. But please keep in mind though, this 6 weeks long pilgrimage can get monotonous at times.

To fight the boring vibes, you can visit the many shrines, nature, and nearby tea plantations.

So are you ready embark on a pilgrimage? If yes, which one are you planning for? Let me know in the comments.

 

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The 7 Strange Natural Wonders of the World

Strange natural wonders take us by surprise. Nature has a mind of its own that continually amazes and perplexes us.

Just as soon as we think we have understood nature, it surprises us with another phenomenon that challenges our understanding. Have you ever seen a glittery beach or a rainbow-colored tree?

Nature plays weird tricks on us every day. Here are some of the top strange natural wonders in our world.

RAINBOW TREES

rainbow eucalyptus by hollyladd is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Eucalyptus Delta is a rare tree. You can find these elusive trees in Seram, New Britain Island, New Guinea, and Mindanao.

The trees shed the old bark when the new bark emerges. This process is beautiful to watch. As the transition occurs, the bark becomes the colors of the rainbow. The blue, red, purple, and orange hues give it an unnatural beauty.

 

GLITTERY SHORE, MALDIVES

Just coming to the Maldives will make you think that you are on an alien planet. Or maybe you will believe that you are dead and gone to heaven. Either way, these beaches are ethereal. The shores of Vaadhoo Beach in the Maldives stand above the rest.

The phytoplankton in the water emits light. Consequently, the blue waters glow at night due to the bioluminescence. The glittering shore of Vaadhoo beach is one of nature’s anomalies and thus a strange natural wonder of the world.

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BLOOD FALLS

The name itself fills you with curiosity, what is this place? East Antarctica is a pristine piece of land where many strange things occur, including the Blood Falls. Furthermore, this phenomenon is straight out of a vampire movie. At Taylor Glacier, the red colored water flowing through the snowy landscape is haunting. However, the red tinge of the water is due to the presence of iron oxide. Regardless of the explanation, the falls are still eerie to many.

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DOOR TO HELL

Sounds chilling. The door to hell is a gas crater in Turkmenistan. Derweze was a place rich in natural gas. Thus, Geologists tapped into the natural gas supply in a cavern in Derweze. However, soon after the whole rig collapsed into the ground.

To prevent methane from spreading in the atmosphere, the geologists decided to burn the natural gas. Since then a crater the size of the rig (230ft wide x 66ft deep) is all that remains. The crater might have occurred due to man’s activity, but the structure is a natural one. Therefore, you can call the Door to Hell one of the strange natural wonders of the world.

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LIGHT PILLARS

You can witness this magnificent sight in Moscow. During the evening it seems like the doors of heaven open up as pillars of light consume the sky. You can not see this anywhere else in the world. The secret behind this strange natural wonder is ice crystals. The tiny ice crystals hang in the air. Then the light from the sun, moon, or other terrestrial source hits them. The angle of the crystals is planar or parallel and therefore when the light hits them, pillars of light illuminate the sky.

SALT MIRRORS

There are countless reflective surfaces around the earth. However, this reflective surface is something you would have never imagined. The Salt Mirrors appear in Bolivia. Plus, they cover an area of 10,582 square km! Changes in prehistoric lakes have given us the salt mirrors. Now the flat salt deposits cover the ground as clear as glass. Thus, the sky is vividly reflected in these mirror-like sheets of salt deposits. You can even see your reflection in the natural salt mirror. Salt and mirror? Sounds unbelievable, but nature always surprises us.

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UNDERWATER FOREST

The dreamer in you will be excited to discover there is an underwater forest. You may ask, where can I find this natural wonder? The Kaindy Lake in Kazakhstan holds the secrets to this enchanted forest. The lake is a part of Tian Shan Mountain. During a massive limestone landslide in 1911 the forest was dislocated, resulting in the sunken wood inside Lake Kaindy. The trees have not rotted because of the perfect conditions in the Lake. Now the Lake is home to an underwater forest which spans 400 meters! 

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There are many strange natural wonders you can visit around the globe beside the ones in this article. However, these are good places to start your adventure into the abnormal!

 

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5 Must See Places in Bulgaria

Bulgaria can be an affordable place to travel. You don’t have to worry about the pricey hotels and good food. Everything will cost you a reasonable amount. The gorgeous coastline of the Black Sea and affordability has made Bulgaria a lovely destination. It houses some beautiful places. It has more than the beaches. You will be enchanted with the quiet countryside atmosphere of this nation.

SOZOPOL

The ancient name of Sozopol is Apollonia. It was the temple of Greek God Apollo in the sixth century BC. With a history so rich, you will think this town has incredible architecture. But let us warn you, it is not that way.  You can find pretty wooden houses which line the streets.

The small town is also a fishermen’s village. The coastline of Black Sea has made it appropriate for fishing. The daily activity of fishing will buzz your senses. The loading and unloading of quays with varieties of fish is great to watch. You can walk around the town soaking up its feel, or you can take a dip in the sea.

SEVEN LAKES

Things we do for love! Seven lakes in Bulgaria is also related to a tale of love. A Giant female cried for her lover. And that led to a myriad of seven lakes which are embedded in the Rila mountain. It is an enchanting scene of green landscape and colorful wildflowers leading you to transparent blue water.

The lakes are located on the mountain. Streams and rivers connect the lake. Reaching the lakes is not an easy task. You can use skiing to motor across the snowy slopes. Be careful. Make sure you visit during March – May. Because it can be frozen during the rest of the year.

MELNIK

Bulgaria is all about small town charm. But the list will not be complete if we don’t mention the smallest town. Melnik is a cute countryside town surrounded by rocky mountain. When you are here, you can get high on the Melnik rocks or High on the red wine.

The Melnik Konak by Klearchos Kapoutsis CC BY 2.0

This town is popular for its wineries. Don’t miss to taste some delicious country wine. When your head buzzes, you can walk up to your hotel Elli Greco, which can offer you a spa. If you can muster up yourself, you can stroll along the narrow alleyways or visit the Rozhen monastery.

NESSEBAR

Menebria sports a fantastic coastline. Did you get confused? We are talking about Nessebar. Menebria is the ancient name given to it be the Greeks, Ottomans, Byzantines, Bulgarians, Romans. It is a World Heritage site. Because of the strategic location of the town, it has been coveted by rulers over the history.

The place holds many memories of past. There are around forty churches which you can visit. Only ruins of them remain after so many years. But you will find it arrestingly beautiful.

BELOGRADCHIK

Are you still a little girl at heart? Do you want to put on your glass slippers and walk in the fortress? Then Belogradchik will give you that chance. It can be a quirky spot to let your childhood dreams come alive. This rock fortress is made up of many rock structures.

Belogradchik fortress by Klearchos Kapoutsis CC BY 2.0

With yellow flowers blooming on fringes of the rocks, the fortress looks picturesque. It was nominated by Bulgaria for Seven Wonders of the world.

 

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Visit these 6 Great Monuments in the World

Monuments are an evidence of history. They speak of bygone times. It is our ancestors who built this impressive structures. We should be proud to see this structures still standing in front of us. Monuments are the legacy which we should preserve. 

So much information and knowledge are gleaned from them. It is not only the structures which they make; it is the atmosphere they create. You should not miss any of these wonders.

STONEHENGE

You would think what is so great about a stack of stones? But there is so much which needs to be seen. Stonehenge was built around three thousand BC. Don’t think that these rocks were just put up here. Rocks were carried all the way from Wales.

Many Neolithic sites are surrounding the area. You can feel the past coming to greet you. Around the globe, people come to visit Stonehenge. Just to see sun rays playing hide and seek during sunset and sunrise.

THE KAABA

It is a sacred place for Muslims. They believe that this structure was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. What makes it special is it is culturally important for Muslims. Around six million pilgrims come and visit Kaaba during Hajj. It is compulsory for every Muslim to travel to Mecca once in their life.

Kabaa by “Al-Fassam” CC BY 2.0

There is a custom of moving clockwise around the cuboid shaped Kaaba. They do it seven times. Later you can visit the mosque which surrounds the area. Masjid al-Haram was built later.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

The Chinese empire was huge. It was a mammoth task to protect it from the enemies. From the seventh century BC, the Chinese started building fortifications to safeguard their country. It was to keep way foreign tribes and warlike people.

Such an old structure made of just tamped earth, wood, stone still stands. It is formidable in size. The wall is being maintained and restored through generations. As long as the Chinese live this wall stands.

THE TAJ MAHAL

You might have heard of this beautiful monument. It is listed in the seven wonders of the world. Located in Uttar Pradesh, India. This mausoleum was built in Sultanate period. It was in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.

The gorgeous architecture proclaims the glory of Sultanate period in India. The minarets surrounding Taj Mahal tower the landscape. The pool in front reflects the image of it. It is one of the masterpieces of architecture. A universally respected historical monument.

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

From the name itself you can recognize that we are talking about a priceless monument. The statue of liberty has a story behind it. America did not build it. But France presented the statue to United states. In 1886 the statue gained national importance. From then on it has attracted many tourists. It symbolizes democracy and freedom.

THE COLOSSEUM

A symbol of the power of Roman architecture. At such an early period in history, they built an enormous monument. The Colosseum was used as an amphitheater. It is the place where gladiators fought to be alive. The place could hold eighty thousand people.

It is the capacity modern stadiums have. To make something like that in 70 AD is nothing short of genius. Once upon a time, people used to cheer here and cry here. It holds many stories. That is what is exciting about monuments. They are a treasure trove of stories.

 

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Must see places in Slovenia

Slovenia is not a popular destination among tourists. This small country nevertheless has beautiful spots. You can take a trip to the country and enjoy. Slovenes are a bunch of hard-working people. You can watch them playing extreme sports. They are very diligent in their work. When you visit, you will have a friendly atmosphere. There are exciting places you can go to.

BLED It is a town which is located in the Julian Alps. When you reach here, you will feel like you have stepped into a fairytale. There is a dark blue lake waiting for you in the middle of the town. A beautiful island is nestled at the center of the lake. When you watch it while rowing in the lake, it is magical.

The island houses a small church on it. Imagine the view of a on an island surrounded by the lake! You can ride a bicycle throughout the town and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. For a bit more extreme sports go for hiking or sit on a chairlift to the top of Straza.

VOGEL Slovenia has many sports destination. Vogel is one of them. It is also cheaper compared to many high-class resorts.It is not much crowded. Because it is not so popular among tourists.

Vogel Ski Resort from Top by Gremi35 CC BY-SA 3.0

But it has lovely cross-country trails and top notch ski slopes. It is the best destination for winter sports in Slovenia. You can come here if you are visiting during December to May. The snow clad hills and alpine scenery is fantastic to capture in the lense.

LJUBLJANA The capital of Slovenia is located beside the river Ljubljana. So the city is named after it. It doesn’t cover the much geographical area. There are hardly three lakh people residing in the city. Which is the reason you can discover the city leisurely on your foot. You should visit Ljubljana castle. The palace has intimidating clock towers. From here you can see the old part of the city.

The baroque architecture is intricate. When you are in the capital, you will find many symbols or pictures of the dragon. It is because the Greek hero Jason had killed a giant monster here. The prices are not high. You can stay at Hostel Celica, which was previously a Yugoslav prison. Now it has been renovated and has circle bed and trendy furniture.

SKOCJAN CAVES They have been listed in the list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. The old caves are located in an underground canyon. Hearing “ caves “ makes us think of bats. Yes. Skocjan caves have around fifteen species of bats. Be ready to be greeted by a swarm of bats once you enter.

Bridge Inside Skocjan Caves – Slovenia by TravelingOtter CC BY 2.0

 

You can walk across two ends of the canyon. Doing so you will feel the actual vastness of it. The canyon also has a cave hall. That cave hall is regarded as the highest in Europe.

PREDJAMA CASTLE Coming from cave this castle is also located on the edge of a cave as well as a cliff. It has stood on the mountain for seven hundred years. Are you a fan of Robinhood? Then this will be your heaven.

This is where Robinhood used to live. The notorious robber in the area who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. This place is of brave hearted heroes. You can see a dueling match going on if you visit during July.

 

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5 Breathtaking Natural Wonders in Botswana

Botswana is an expensive African country to travel. It is underrated than any other African country. But it gives more natural experience. People who prefer luxury travel can prefer this nation. The numerous sanctuaries and safari rides will give you a taste of wildlife. There are many places of beauty which are not so well known. You can visit the places listed below.

KALAHARI

The desert is located near the Orange River. Erosion from the stone formations has led to sand deposition. The vast expanse is from Angola to Orange River. Terracotta dunes cover the land in unique shapes. The Central Kalahari game reserve is the largest in Africa.

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The grasslands are spread across the land abounding in wildlife. At night you will get the clearest skies. You can take a safari ride here.Behold the wilderness of grasslands. During summer you can watch different wild beasts coming out. The perfect essence of Africa is in Kalahari.

JWANENG

The name Jwaneng means the store of small stones. Jwaneng is not only the richest diamond mine in Botswana but is the richest in the world.In the first year, 13 million karats of diamond were manufactured here.

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You can visit the world’s richest diamond mine. It has many places to stay.Luxurious restaurants and hotels are in every corner of Jwaneng. The Game Park here is another attraction you can visit.It also has two cute white rhinos. Visit Botswana’s rich place.

CHODE NATIONAL PARK

The national park is named after river Chobe. When you first see it, you will be amazed. The national park surrounding the river is rich in biodiversity. The animals like elephants, baboons, birds, lions, giraffes live here.

You can even take a river safari! The antelopes, crocodiles, and hippos are abundant here. In summer you can see a huge herd of elephants wandering. The river and national park will give you a treat of nature. Enjoy the wilderness.

OKAVANGO DELTA

Botswana has many natural beauties. It has the world’s largest inland delta.Okavango Delta is a myriad of islands. The untouched beauties are rich in natural vegetation. It is like an oasis in the midst of wild Kalahari desert.

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Take a safari in a canoe. You can stay overnight here. Camping in Okavango will be adventurous. Be warned about the exorbitant costs. It might cost you a fortune. But the experience here will be once in a lifetime kind.

TSODILO HILLS

These hills are a natural heritage of Botswana. Nobody knows how long they have existed. Cave paintings on the wall of the Hills date back to 30000 years. The history and beauty in Tsodilo will leave you spellbound. It is World Heritage site. All the history buffs can go and have a look at the 4000 cave paintings.

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There are 200 locations you will have to visit in order to cover all paintings. The best time to visit is winter. The weather is pleasant during winter. Botswana is a microcosm of Africa’s natural heritage. It may be one of the expensive countries of Africa but is nature at its finest.

 

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Top 5 Mysterious Places In Greece

Many mysteries abound the land of Greece. A nation of forgotten Gods which whispers the secrets of centuries. Have you ever been intrigued to know what lies in the ruins? Would you like to bask in the Mediterranean sun while you stroll on rustic streets? Greece holds up to all your wishes. You want to walk back on the sands of time then you ought to visit this places.

MOUNT OLYMPUS

Being the highest mountain in Greece it is a filled with rich biodiversity. Due to deep gorges and tremendous flora and fauna, many tourists take a hike up to Olympus. The foothills or starting point is litochoro. You can wind your way through pimblia and livithra and many small places till you reach the peak.

The amazing feeling you will get when you think that this was the very mountain where Gods and Goddesses once lived will be priceless. So come and taste divinity of nature and history.And descent is going to be like from Lord of the rings.

DELPHI

Built during the thirteenth century BC this was the home of Oracle of Delphi. She was the priestess of Tholos-temple of Apollo.she sat behind Sybil Stone inhaling ethylene gas foretelling the future in a foreign language. Take a peek into the bygone era. Glimpse the nearby mountains hear the chirping of birds (Delphi is also a sanctuary).

Walk around the gymnasium which once held Pythian games – the precursor of modern Olympus. You will never forget to be standing at the center of earth reliving the past in this beautiful ruins. Come!Hail the healing powers of Delphi. Built during the thirteenth century BC this was the home of Oracle of Delphi. She was the priestess of Tholos-temple of Apollo. She sat behind Sybil Stone inhaling ethylene gas foretelling the future in a foreign language. Take a peek into the bygone era. Glimpse the nearby mountains hear the chirping of birds (Delphi is also a sanctuary).

Take a peek into the bygone era. Glimpse the nearby mountains hear the chirping of birds (Delphi is also a sanctuary). Walk around the gymnasium which once held Pythian games – the precursor of modern Olympus. You will never forget to be standing at the center of earth reliving the past in this beautiful ruins. Come! Hail the healing powers of Delphi.

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RHODES ISLAND

Synonymously known as the island of knights after the knight of St John of Jerusalem who conquered Rhodes in the 13th century. You can enter the old town and feel like you are witnessing twenty-four centuries of life here. The intricate fortress-like buildings, narrow alleys, minarets are a tapestry of various cultures.

Moving outside comes the new city, which holds a neoclassical touch. The area of Afandu is a good place for lounging at the beach or a heaven for golf players. Rhodes is a perfect balance of cosmopolitan and traditional. So if you want to relax but still you are looking for an action packed holiday come to Rhodes.

Rhodos Ritterkastell bei Lindos by Nikater CC BY-SA 3.0

THE PARTHENON

The temple which is said to have been home to the ancient Greek goddess Athena stands on the glorious peak of city Athens-acropolis. Built in around fifth century BC, this piece of history has been shaken by numerous earthquakes, volcanoes, and storm. Its strength comes from the foundation which is made of limestone.

Parthenon was built in such a way that visitors could see the gold and ivory statue of Athena from outside of it. So when you visit it you can feel air from Aegean sea blowing through the columns whispering to you the history of Gods and goddesses who once abided these temple. Did you know that the winds from all four directions of earth blow here… Now that is the belief.

SAMOTHRACE

The metaphysical powers of Gods will tempt you for experience mystical vibes of Samothrace. It is a treasure house of wild untamed beauty of nature and relics of past. The waterfalls in Samothrace will give you an unadulterated peace. You can hike up on Mount Saos if you are looking for adventure sports. Visit the ancient sanctuary of Gods while you are there admiring the nature. Go have a look at the Nike of Samothrace -the winged victory. There are a whole lot of things you can do here but if you are lazy and just want a sunbath. Go to a beach.

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Visiting Lumbini: the Birth Place of Buddha in Nepal

Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nepal. It is a popular pilgrimage site for all Buddhists.

Lord Buddha was a prince named Siddhartha Gautam before he achieved enlightenment and it was Lumbini where Queen Mayadevi gave birth to him.

Lumbini: the Birth Place of Buddha

The holy site has a very pure spiritual vibe and holds temples, historic monuments, monasteries, and museum.

The main temple called the Mayadevi temple has foot imprints of Lord Buddha with the stone carving of the birth of Buddha.

Another important historic landmark is the Holy Pond where according to ancient scriptures rituals were performed during Buddha’s birth and he had his first bath in the same pond.

Lumbini also holds centuries-old remains. There is a pillar erected by Indian Emperor Ashoka during his visit marking the site as the birthplace of Buddha.

 

Lumbini has various temples and monasteries established by different countries like China, Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and countries following Buddhism.

The entire architecture of Monasteries is unique and interesting. At the site, there is holy flame symbolizing eternal peace. It burns 24 hours throughout the year in the temple area.

Peace, compassion, love, truth, purpose of life, morals are some of the key phrases is Buddhism. People come to Lumbini to experience and feel the path of enlightenment Gautam Buddha has set.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. “Happiness never decreases by being shared”, said Buddha.

Getting Around Lumbini

Vehicles are not allowed inside the temple gate. The sites are spaced out and by foot, it takes about 2-3 hours to see most of the places.

The summer months can be very hot in Lumbini as it is in the southern belt of Nepal. If you are not interested in walking in the hot sun, there are rickshaws inside and around the temple available to see all the temples and Monasteries.

How To Get Here

Lumbini is 281 km from Kathmandu. Roughly it is a 7 hours drive from Katmandu to Lumbini. There are also domestic flights operated from Kathmandu, which is only 35 minutes of total flight time.

Many tourists and locals visit both Chitwan National Park and Lumbini together as Lumbini can be covered easily on a day trip.

Chitwan National Park is home to different species of wildlife, flora, and fauna. The distance between Chitwan and Lumbini is 153 km.

Check out our Nepal Travel Guide and Kathmandu Travel Guide for a detailed list of things to do in Nepal.

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