Famous places
Temples, forts, natural wonders and cities that every Indian should know.
Showing 61–120 of 280
Nalanda Mahaviharaनालंदा महाविहार
Ruins of one of the oldest universities in the world, a great centre of Buddhist and other learning for about 800 years.
BiharMonumentUNESCO 2016
Neermahalनीरमहल
A royal summer palace standing in the middle of Rudrasagar lake, blending Hindu and Mughal styles.
TripuraPalace- Nek Chand's Rock Garden
नेक चंद का रॉक गार्डन
A garden of thousands of sculptures made from broken pottery, tiles, bangles and industrial waste, built by Nek Chand.
ChandigarhGarden - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep (Ross Island)
नेताजी सुभाष चंद्र बोस द्वीप
A small island off Sri Vijaya Puram that was the British administrative headquarters, now with ruins overgrown by trees and roots.
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsMonument 
Phawngpui (Blue Mountain) National Parkफवंगपुई (ब्लू माउंटेन) राष्ट्रीय उद्यान
A national park around Phawngpui, the highest peak in Mizoram, with forests, grassy slopes, orchids and rhododendrons.
MizoramNational park
Qutb Minar and its monumentsक़ुतुब मीनार
A soaring tower of red and buff sandstone begun around 1200 CE by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, standing among early Delhi Sultanate monuments and the ancient Iron Pillar.
DelhiMonumentUNESCO 1993
Rakhigarhiराखीगढ़ी
One of the largest known sites of the Harappan (Indus Valley) civilisation, spread over several mounds in Hisar district.
HaryanaMonument
Sela Passसेला दर्रा
A high mountain pass on the road to Tawang, at about 4,170 m, with a lake that freezes in winter and snow for much of the year.
Arunachal PradeshNatural wonder
Shikharji (Parasnath hill)शिखरजी (पारसनाथ पहाड़ी)
The highest hill of Jharkhand and the holiest Jain pilgrimage site, where, according to Jain tradition, twenty of the twenty-four Tirthankaras attained moksha.
JharkhandPilgrimage site- Sohra (Cherrapunji)
सोहरा (चेरापूंजी)
A plateau town known for extremely heavy rainfall, deep gorges, waterfalls such as Nohkalikai and limestone caves.
MeghalayaNatural wonder - Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam
श्री भ्रमराम्बा मल्लिकार्जुन मंदिर, श्रीशैलम
A temple on the Nallamala hills above the Krishna river that is revered as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva and also as a Shakti Peetha.
Andhra PradeshPilgrimage site 
Sun Temple, Konarkसूर्य मंदिर, कोणार्क
A 13th-century temple built as a giant stone chariot of the Sun God, with 24 carved wheels and seven horses, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
OdishaMonumentUNESCO 1984- Amaravati Mahachaitya and Archaeological Museum
अमरावती महाचैत्य और पुरातत्व संग्रहालय
Remains of a great Buddhist stupa on the Krishna river whose carved limestone panels shaped the 'Amaravati school' of Indian sculpture.
Andhra PradeshMonument - Attari–Wagah border
अटारी–वाघा सीमा
The road crossing between India and Pakistan near Amritsar, famous for the Beating Retreat ceremony held by the Border Security Force every evening.
PunjabLandmark - Bangaram
बंगाराम
A small teardrop-shaped island ringed by a lagoon, known for its quiet beaches and clear water.
LakshadweepBeach 
Belur Mathबेलूर मठ
Headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission on the west bank of the Hooghly, founded by Swami Vivekananda.
West BengalPilgrimage site
Betla National Park (Palamau Tiger Reserve)बेतला राष्ट्रीय उद्यान (पलामू टाइगर रिज़र्व)
Sal and bamboo forests of the Palamau Tiger Reserve, one of the first tiger reserves of India under Project Tiger, home to elephants, gaur and deer.
JharkhandNational park- Chittorgarh Fort
चित्तौड़गढ़ किला
One of the largest forts in India, on a long plateau above the plains of Mewar, with towers of victory, palaces, temples and water tanks.
RajasthanFortUNESCO 2013 
Dampa Tiger Reserveडम्पा टाइगर रिज़र्व
Mizoram’s largest protected area, a reserve of thick tropical forest on the western border with Bangladesh.
MizoramWildlife sanctuary
Dzükou Valleyज़ुकू घाटी
A high, grassy valley of rolling hills and streams on the Nagaland–Manipur border, popular with trekkers.
NagalandNatural wonder
Elephanta Cavesएलिफेंटा की गुफाएँ
Rock-cut cave temples dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva on Gharapuri island in Mumbai harbour, home to the great three-headed Sadashiva.
MaharashtraMonumentUNESCO 1987
Fatehpur Sikriफ़तेहपुर सीकरी
Akbar's red sandstone capital near Agra, with palaces, courts and one of India's largest mosques.
Uttar PradeshMonumentUNESCO 1986
Fort Aguadaअगुआडा किला
A 17th-century Portuguese fort and lighthouse on the headland at the mouth of the Mandovi, guarding the approach to Old Goa.
GoaFort
Gulmargगुलमर्ग
A high meadow and ski resort in the Pir Panjal range, known for its gondola, snow slopes in winter and flowers in summer.
Jammu and KashmirHill station- Hoysala temples of Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura
बेलूर, हलेबिडु और सोमनाथपुर के होयसल मंदिर
Star-shaped temples of the Hoysala dynasty, covered in finely carved soapstone figures, inscribed together as the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas.
KarnatakaTempleUNESCO 2023 
Humayun's Tombहुमायूँ का मक़बरा
The tomb of the Mughal emperor Humayun, set in a formal four-part garden; the first great garden tomb of the Indian subcontinent.
DelhiMonumentUNESCO 1993- Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple
रामप्पा मंदिर
A thirteenth-century Shiva temple of the Kakatiyas at Palampet, known for its sculpture and light floating bricks, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
TelanganaTempleUNESCO 2021 
Kamakhya templeकामाख्या मंदिर
An ancient temple of the goddess Kamakhya on Nilachal hill in Guwahati, one of the most important Shakti pithas in India.
AssamTemple
Kangla Fortकांगला किला
The ancient seat of the Meitei kings on the banks of the Imphal river, sacred to the people of Manipur.
ManipurFort
Kedarnath templeकेदारनाथ मंदिर
A stone temple of Shiva high in the Garhwal Himalaya near the source of the Mandakini, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and one of the Char Dham.
UttarakhandTemple
Kullu and Manaliकुल्लू और मनाली
The Kullu valley along the Beas river, with the hill town of Manali at its head, orchards, adventure sports and the Kullu Dussehra.
Himachal PradeshHill station- Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar
लिंगराज मंदिर, भुवनेश्वर
The largest temple in Bhubaneswar, an 11th-century shrine to Shiva as Lingaraj (Harihara) and a classic example of Kalinga temple architecture.
OdishaTemple - Living root bridges
जीवित जड़ पुल
Bridges made from the living roots of rubber fig trees, guided across streams by Khasi and Jaintia villagers over decades, including the double-decker bridge at Nongriat.
MeghalayaNatural wonder - Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai
मीनाक्षी अम्मन मंदिर, मदुरै
The great temple of the goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar at the heart of Madurai, one of India's oldest living cities.
Tamil NaduTemple 
Munnarमुन्नार
A hill station in the Western Ghats covered with tea estates, close to Eravikulam National Park and Anamudi, the highest peak in South India.
KeralaHill station- Radhanagar Beach, Swaraj Dweep
राधानगर बीच, स्वराज द्वीप
A long, curved beach of white sand and clear blue water backed by tall forest, on Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island).
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsBeach 
Rajgirराजगीर
The first capital of Magadha, set in a ring of hills and sacred to Buddhists, Jains and Hindus.
BiharPilgrimage site
Rani-ki-Vav, Patanरानी की वाव, पाटन
An 11th-century stepwell on the Saraswati river, carved with hundreds of sculptures, mostly of Vishnu's avatars.
GujaratMonumentUNESCO 2014
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetkaभीमबेटका के शैलाश्रय
Natural rock shelters in the Vindhya hills with paintings made by people who lived there from the Stone Age onwards.
Madhya PradeshMonumentUNESCO 2003
Rumtek Monasteryरुमटेक मठ
A large monastery of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism on a hillside near Gangtok.
SikkimPilgrimage site- Sirpur
सिरपुर
An ancient town on the Mahanadi with the brick Laxman temple and remains of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments.
ChhattisgarhMonument 
Sri Aurobindo Ashramश्री अरविंद आश्रम
The spiritual community that grew around the philosopher-yogi Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in Puducherry.
PuducherryPilgrimage site- St Paul’s Church, Diu
सेंट पॉल चर्च, दीव
A Portuguese church with an ornate white façade and carved woodwork, still in use, standing near the old churches of Diu town.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuChurch 
Sukhna Lakeसुखना झील
A man-made lake at the foot of the Shivalik hills, the city's favourite place for walks, rowing and sunsets.
ChandigarhLake
Sultanpur National Parkसुल्तानपुर राष्ट्रीय उद्यान
A small wetland bird sanctuary near Gurugram that fills with migratory birds each winter, and a Ramsar site.
HaryanaNational park- Thiksey Monastery
थिकसे मठ
A hilltop monastery of tiered white buildings, often compared to the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
LadakhMonastery 
Unakotiउनकोटि
A hillside covered with huge rock-cut and stone images of Shiva and other deities, set among forest and streams.
TripuraMonument- Ziro valley
ज़ीरो घाटी
A broad, pine-ringed plateau that is home to the Apatani people and their remarkable terraced rice-and-fish fields.
Arunachal PradeshNatural wonder 
Anandpur Sahibआनंदपुर साहिब
The holy town in the Shivalik foothills where Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa in 1699, seat of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib and home of the Hola Mohalla festival.
PunjabPilgrimage site- Auroville and the Matrimandir
ऑरोविल और मातृमंदिर
An international township north of Puducherry founded in 1968, with the golden Matrimandir at its centre.
PuducherryCity 
Badrinath templeबद्रीनाथ मंदिर
A brightly painted temple of Vishnu as Badrinarayan on the Alaknanda river, one of the four dhams of India.
UttarakhandTemple
Bhoramdeo templeभोरमदेव मंदिर
A finely carved Shiva temple in the Maikal hills, often called the Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh.
ChhattisgarhTemple- Calangute and Baga beaches
कलंगुट और बागा समुद्र तट
The long, lively beaches of north Goa, the busiest stretch of the State’s coastline.
GoaBeach 
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Parkचांपानेर-पावागढ़ पुरातात्विक उद्यान
A hill fort, temples, mosques and the remains of a pre-Mughal city at the foot and on top of Pavagadh hill.
GujaratMonumentUNESCO 2004
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminusछत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज टर्मिनस
Mumbai's grand railway station, a blend of Victorian Gothic Revival and Indian architecture, still one of the busiest stations in India.
MaharashtraMonumentUNESCO 2004- Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj
धर्मशाला और मैक्लोडगंज
Twin hill towns below the Dhauladhar range, home of the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration since 1960.
Himachal PradeshHill station 
Hundru Fallsहुंडरू जलप्रपात
A high waterfall where the Subarnarekha river drops off the edge of the Ranchi plateau, the best known of the falls around Ranchi.
JharkhandNatural wonder- India Gate and the National War Memorial
इंडिया गेट और राष्ट्रीय युद्ध स्मारक
The great memorial arch on Kartavya Path and, beside it, the National War Memorial honouring soldiers who have died for India since Independence.
DelhiMemorial 
Jaisalmer Fort (Sonar Qila)जैसलमेर किला (सोनार किला)
The 'Golden Fort' of yellow sandstone rising from the Thar Desert, one of the few forts in the world where people still live inside the walls.
RajasthanFortUNESCO 2013- Khonoma village
खोनोमा गांव
An old Angami village of terraced rice fields and stone gateways, known for protecting its forests and wildlife.
NagalandHeritage village
Photos are freely licensed pictures from Wikimedia Commons; each entry's page credits the photographer and licence.