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In this article, we are discussing world heritage sites in India.
13. Group of monuments at Hampi, Karnataka
a) Hampi was one of the richest & largest cities in the world during its glory days. It was the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.
b) The city of Vijayanagara was heavily fortified with several bastions & gateways. Temples reflected the Dravidian architecture technique with their large dimensions, reclusive enclosures & soaring towers.
c) The city was an important religious centre housing the famous Virupaksha temple, Yantrodharaka Anjaneya temple, Vittala Temple, Hemakuta temple complex, Hazara Rama temple complex & Malyavanta Raghunathaswamy temple, etc.
d) Most of the monuments in Hampi were built during 1336-1570 AD by Emperor Krishnadevaraya in honour of the great sage Vidyaranya.
e) Besides the temples, the civil complex, elephant stables, queen’s bath, Lotus Mahal, are some of the other impressive structures in the city.
f) Group of monuments at Hampi was inscribed in the World Heritage Sites list in 1986.
14. Group of Monuments at Pattadakal, Karnataka
a) Pattadakal was the capital city of Chalukyas of Badami in Karnataka in the 7th & 8th century. There are in total 10 temples at Pattadakal surrounded by several small shrines.
b) Out of the 10, four are built in Chalukya Dravida style, four in Nagara style of northern India. The Papanatha Temple style was a fusion of Chalukya Dravida & Nagara. There are total nine Shiva temples and one Jaina Basedi (or Jain Narayana) temple built by Rashtrakutas in the 9th century.
c) Some of the important temples from the site are, Virupaksha Temple (largest in the area), Sangameshvara Temple, Chandrashekhara temple, Mallikarjuna temple etc.
d) Pattadakal was ruled by Chalukyas of Badami, Rashtrakutas, Kalyani Chalukyas & Sindhas of Yaramabarige (Yelburgi).
e) UNESCO inscribed this site in the World Heritage Sites list in 1987.
15. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh
a) Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh are an archeological site date that back to Lower Palaeolithic era.
b) This site has 700 rock shelters, out of which over 400 has paintings. The period of the paintings have been ascertained based on tools used. The oldest paintings are considered to be 30,000 years old. Vegetable colours used for these paintings have stood the test of time and are still visible.
c) These paintings can be classified under seven different periods, namely:
i) Upper Palaeolithic
ii) Mesolithic
iii) Chalcolithic
iv) Early Historic (Period IV & V)
v) Medieval (Period VI & VII)
d) UNESCO declared them as World Heritage Site in 2003.
16. Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
a) Rani-ki-vav was built as a memorial to Bhimdev I (1022-1063 AD), ruler of Solanki dynasty, by his widowed queen Udaymati. Reference to the construction of this stepwell can be found in Prabandha Chintamani written by a Jain monk Merunga Suri in 1304 AD.
b) The east-facing stepwell comprised a stepped corridor compartmented at regular intervals. These corridors are comprised pillared multistorey structures.
c) Rani-ki-Vav has ornate side walls with sculptures of Vishnu representing his 10 incarnations. A yogini called Nagkanya can be seen showing 16 different styles of make-up called the solah-shringar.
d) The structure is built in Maru Gurjara architectural style known for its high artistic quality. The stepwell is a single component water management system divided into seven levels of stairs & sculptural panels.
e) It was included in the World Heritage Sites list in 2014.
To read the other articles in the series follow :
Capsule 1 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/upsc-gk-update-world-heritage-sites-in-india-capsule-1-35244697
Capsule 2 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/upsc-gk-update-world-heritage-sites-in-india-capsule-2-35245590
Capsule 3 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/upsc-gk-update-world-heritage-sites-in-india-3-35266672
Capsule 4 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/upsc-gk-update-world-heritage-sites-in-india-4-35268871
Capsule 6 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/upsc-gk-update-world-heritage-sites-in-india-capsule-6-35357595
Capsule 7 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/upsc-gk-update-world-heritage-sites-in-india-capsule-7-35566343
Capsule 8 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/upsc-gk-update-world-heritage-sites-in-india-capsule-8-39061554
Capsule 9 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/upsc-gk-update-world-heritage-sites-in-india-capsule-9-39061946
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