Important places in India

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S.no	places
1	Vaishali: It was the capital of the famous Vajji kingdom in ancient times.
2	Mammalapuram (now Mahabalipuram): It is known for rock-cut temples, monolithic fgures and the carvings of the 7th and 8th centuries AD.
3	Chidambaram: A town 150 miles south of Chennai, known as Tillai in ancient times. It was once the capital of the Chola kingdom. It is known as an abide of Nataraja, the Dancing Shiva.
4	Mandu: In Madhya Pradesh, it is one of the largest medieval cities.
5	Ujjain: It is known to be the seat of king Vikrama. It is one of the seven sacred cities, also known as Avanti. Mahakaleshwar temple here is known as a pilgrimage centre.
6	Tanjore: It was the capital of Cholas. It is also known for the Brihadeshwara temple.
7	Bodh Gaya: It is situated 6 miles south of Gaya in the Bihar state. It is famous as the place where Buddha got enlightenment.
8	Sringeri: In Karnataka, it is a place of pilgrimage, where the great philosopher Sankara founded one of the principal peethas (monasteries).
9	Sarnath: Near Varanasi, is the place where Buddha delivered his frst sermon after he became the ‘Enlightened One’.
10	Nalanda: In Bihar, it was the part of an ancient Buddhist University.
11	Mithila: It was the home of the three scholar sages–Gargi, Maitrey and Kapila. It was the capital of Raja Janak’s territory.
12	Bhubaneswar: Known for ancient temples, viz. Radharani Lingaraj and Brahmeshvara.
13	Srirangapatnam: In Karnataka, it was the ancient capital of Tipu Sultan.
14	Junagadh: In Gujarat state, it is one of the most ancient cities of India.
15	Lothal: The excavation made here to represent the Indus Valley Civilization.
16	Halebid: 10 miles away from Belur in Karnataka, is well-known for its sculptured temples of the Hoysala period.
17	Madurai: Popularly known as the ‘City of Festivals’, was the capital of the Pandyan kingdom till the 14th century. It is famous for the Minakshi temple.
18	Aihole: In Karnataka, contains chief sites of the Chalukya architecture.
19	Amaravati: It is the legendary capital of Swarga.
20	Tirupati: In the Andhra Pradesh state, it is one of the holiest places in South India.
21	Hampi: In the Montgomery district of Punjab, now in Pakistan, known for excavations carried out here showing signs of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
22	Fatehpur Sikri: Situated 23 miles away from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, it was the city established by Akbar in 1571 AD. The place contains a number of palaces, shrines and mosques.
23	Sravanbelagola: In Karnataka, is famous for its Jain temples and the colossal statue of Gomateshwara (Bahubali), the tallest monolithic in the world.
24	Badami (or Vatapi): In Karnataka, is wellknown for the Chalukyan sculpture founded in the cave temples here. The famous Malegitti Shivalaya temple is also situated here.
25	Ahichhatra: Originally Ahikshetra in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh was one of the capitals of the Panchals.
26	Pandharpur: It is in the Sholapur district (Maharashtra).
27	Ajanta Caves: Situated 66 miles north of Aurangabad in the Maharashtra State. These are rock-cut Buddhist caves, 29 in number.
28	Palitaana: In Saurashtra, is famous for its holy hill Shatrunijaya. It is the most sacred place for the Shwetambaras.
29	Arikamedu:It was asea­portnearPondicherry in the Chila times.
30	Ellora Caves: About 15 miles north­west of Aurangabad in Maharashtra. There are about 34 caves excavated in the face of a hill.
31	Kannauj: Capital of Harshavardhana.
32	Rajgir: It was the capital of Bimbisara in ancient times. Buddha preached at Rajgir and also did Mahavira.
33	Taxila: Ancient capital of Gandhara.
34	Mohenjodaro: In the Larkana district of Sindh (now in Pakistan), is the site of excavation revealing the Indus Valley Civilisation.
35	Kanchipuram: Also called the ‘Golden City’, is known for the Kailashnath temple.
36	Kusinagar: In the district of modern Deoria, is the place where Buddha died.
37	Kanheri: is known for its Buddhist caves dating back to the 1st century AD. Kanyakubja, or modern Kannauj, is an ancient city. Kapilvastu is associated with Mahatma Buddha.
38	Sanchi: In Madhya Pradesh, is famous for the largest and the most well-preserved Buddhist stupa.
39	Somnathpuram: In Karnataka, is known for the Kesava temple of the Hoysala period.
40	Khajuraho: In Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, is famous for its group of highly ornate medieval Hindu temples.
41	Pragjyotishpur: It was the capital of an ancient tribal kingdom in Kamarupa or modern Assam.
42	Tamralipti: A flourishing sea-port in ancient India.
43	Ayodhya: It was the capital of Kosala and the Solar kings of ancient India.
44	Kalibangan: In Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, where excavations brought to light the varied achievements of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
45	Prabhaspatan (or Somnath): In Gujarat state, it is the site of the famous Somnath temple, which was destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni.
46	Srirangam: It contains one of the largest temples in south India of the Vijayanagara period.
47	Belur: In Karnataka, is famous for its elaborately sculptured Cheena Kesava temple of the Hoysala period.
48	Vatapi: See Bandami. Vikramshila was a great Tantrik University established by King Dharampala in 810AD.
49	Elephanta Caves: These are the rock­cut caves of the 7th and 8th centuries.