Some of the Best Ancient Temples and Archeological Sites to visit in India India

Submitted by Andy B on Monday, 28 November 2016 Page Views: 3551

Country: India

**Sanchi** submitted by motist : Near the village Sanchi the great Buddhist monastery dated to third century BC. to 12 century AD. Well-preserved STUPAS dedicated to the Buddha by Mahendra son of Ashoka and his queen Devi. Ashoka was the founder of Indian Buddhism and his kingdom was the greatest in India's history, (for more details look it up in google.) In the photo-Stupa 1, the most impresive with carvings depicting the l... (Vote or comment on this photo)

India is a place where many cultures and traditions meet and has a huge number of ancient temples and prehistoric sites to explore. Here is our guide to some of the best sites to visit in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, and moving east to near the cities of Ranchi and Kolkata. For more details follow the links to our main pages, which have many photos, maps and lists of other nearby sites to visit.

The Khajuraho group of monuments in the state of Madhya Pradesh, include both Jain and Hindu temples and are listed as World Heritage Sites. The vast majority of these monuments and temples were built in the 10th and 11th century, but there is evidence of far older structures. At the peak of their development, there were 85 temples, today there are around 20 and they are definitely worth visiting.

Sanchi is located 46 km north east of Bhopal in the centre of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the location of several ancient Buddhist monuments and is one of the most important places of Buddhist pilgrimage.

The Great Stupa in Sanchi is considered to be one of the oldest structures in India. It was commissioned by Ashoka the Great, an Indian emperor who lived in the 3rd century BC. It is made from stone and dedicated to Buddha. Toranas (stone gateways) surround the Stupa and they each represent love, peace, trust, and courage. The site is very sophisticated even though built more than 2300 years ago.

Five miles from Sanchi, the Heliodorus pillar is a stone column erected around 110 BCE by Heliodorus, a Greek ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas to the court of the Sunga king Bhagabhadra.

Vidisha is 10 km from Sanchi. on the river banks here are ancient temples with statues of many Gods and Goddesses as well as Hero and Sati stones (ancient memorial stones to epic battles and honorable deaths ).

Long time Megalithic Portal contributor Moti Shem Tov has photographed all these sites for us, he explains how the ancient people believed that some spots contain Divine energy. Hindus - in particular followers of the Shakta sect - also believe in energy spots or holy places of cosmic power and call them Shakti peethas, places of worship to the goddess 'Shakti', the female principal of Hinduism.

The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological World Heritage site located in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh. These rock shelters have the earliest traces of human life in India; a number of analyses suggest that at least some of these shelters were inhabited for in excess of 100,000 years. Some of the Stone Age rock paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are approximately 30,000 years old.

Moving to the Aurangabad district of the state of Maharashtra, the Ajanta Caves are another well known archeological site in India. The caves are actually man-made and serve as Buddhist monuments. They were built somewhere between the 2nd century BCE and 5th century CE. Inside the Ajanta Caves are rock cut monuments and wall paintings, they are considered to be one of the most important pieces of Indian art from this period and are also World Heritage Sites.

Chokahatu is situated about 80 kms south-east of the city of Ranchi and is primarily a megalithic burial ground of the Mundas. Such burial grounds can be found in almost all the tribal villages in and around Ranchi. Chokahatu has two menhirs, the rest are all burial slabs and dolmens. There are over 8000 sepulchral slabs over 14 acres which local villagers say are at least two thousand years old.

Dhekia Pathar or the Gigantic Dolmen of Bagodar has a huge capstone over thirty feet in length and is about ten feet wide. It has been placed on equally huge orthostats with only a few feet between them. The dolmen was built on a rocky outcrop which is naturally positioned at the intersection of three hills of which one is Arar, a name meaning the constellation of Orion. The space between the orthostats has been decorated as a small Hindu temple.

With many thanks to Subhashis Das for the information on these last two sites.

Kolkata (previously known in the West as Calcutta) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and considered by many to be India’s intellectual and cultural capital. Although Kolkata was officially founded in the 17th century, people have lived there for many centuries. There are many places in Kolkata where you can witness the history of this region and this is the reason why so many cultural travellers visit Kolkata. There are many cheap Dubai Kolkata flights and flights from other cities to Kolkata that can help you visit this city without breaking the bank.

India is a pure gem when it comes to archaeology because it has so many different sites that deserve to be visited and explored by people who love discovering ancient sites and their history.

Browse the Megalithic Portal's full collection of site listings for India or try our new map.

Contributor Bio for Andy B: Megalithic Portal Founding Editor.

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