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Famous Historical Temples and

Monuments - GK Notes for SSC Exam

India has a myriad, vast and incredible pool of cultural heritage, historical temples and

monuments. Indian Temples and Monuments give India an admirable identity as

they showcase the skill, devotion, dedication, valour and brilliance of our artists and are

also the bearers of various astonishing fables that are being passed from generation to

generations. Nowadays in exams like SSC CGL, SSC CPO, LIC AO, SSC CHSL &

other exams lot of questions based on Historical Temples and Monuments in

India are frequently asked.

Most of the questions are based on the place, year, creators & significance of all the

famous and historical temples and monuments in India. To help you get a quick access

to them we are providing you with a list of Famous Historical Temples and

Monuments. Moreover, if you are interested in taking any Online Mock Tests then you

can click on the link to begin your preparation for any other Government Exams.

#1. Historical Temples and Monuments - List for SSC Exams

Indian has many ancient temples and monuments which are majestic in structure. Let's

quickly have a look at some of the famous and historical temples and monuments one by

one.

Famous Historical Temples in India

In every corner of India you would find a place to worship be it of any

religion. Considering the long list of temples in India, it is impossible to list all but here

are a list of all important and famous historical temples in India for SSC exams.

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Temple Year Place Built By Significance

Virupaksha

Temple

7th

century

Hampi,

Karnataka

Queen

Lokhama-

hadevi

(1) Dedicated to Lord

Shiva.

(2) Famous for tall

gopuram, grand

architecture & intricate

carvings.

(3) UNESCO World

Heritage Site.

Meenakshi

Temple

1623-

1655 C

E

Madurai

Tamil Nadu

Vishwananth

a

Nayakar

(1) Dedicated to Goddess

Parvati

& Lord Shiva.

(2) Was on the list of top

30

nominees for “New

7 Wonders

of the World.”

(3)

Rebuilt in 16th Century b

y

Nayak ruler Vishwanantha

Nayakar

Ramanatha

swamy

Temple

7th–

8th

century

Rameshwara

m

Island,

Tamil Nadu

Pandya &

Jaffna Kings

(1) One of

the 12 Jyotirlinga temple

s

of the country.

(2) One of the char dhams.

(3) Has one of the longest

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corridors

among other Indian

temples.

Suchindram

Temple

17th

century

Kanyakumari,

Tamil Nadu

Nambudiri

Brahmins

(1) Legends of Anasuya

& Ahalya

are attached to it.

(2) Has 4 musical pillars,

the hanging

pillar & the single Linga

Vitthala

Temple

15th

century

Hampi,

Karnataka

King

Devaraya

II

(1) Dedicated to Lord

Vishnu

(2) Also known as Shri

Vijaya Vitthala

Temple.

(3) It's said that the pillars

emit

musical notes when played

in a certain manner.

Brihadeshwar

a

Temple

11th

century

Thanjavur,

Tamilnandu

Raja Raja

Chola

I

(1) Dedicated to Lord

Shiva

UNESCO

World Heritage Site

(2) It is 1007 years old.

Airavateswara

Temple

12th

century

Darasuram Rajaraja

Chola

II

(1) Dedicated to Lord

Shiva

(2) Famous for

its exquisite

stone carvings UNESCO

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World

Heritage site

Venkateswara

Temple

300 AD Tirumala,

Andhra

Pradesh

King

Thondaiman

(1) Dedicated to Lord

Vishnu

(2) Known as Tirupati

Balaji temple

(3) One of the richest

temples

of the world.

Kashi

Vishwanath

1780 Varanasi,

Uttar Pradesh

Ahilya Bai (1) Dedicated to Lord

Shiva

(2) One of the holiest

temples of India.

Lord

Jagannath

Temple

1611 Puri,

Odisha

Indrady-

umna

(1) Dedicated to Lord

Krishna

(2) Popular for its annual

Rath Yatra

(3) Non-Hindus cannot

enter the premises

Vaishno

Devi Temple

- Jammu - (1) 2nd most visited

temple in the India

Somnath - Gujarat Moon

God

(1) Dedicated to Lord

Shiva

(2) One of the oldest

Temple

Mahmud of Ghazni first

looted

the temple

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Shirdi Sai

Baba

Temple

1922 Shirdi,

Maharashtra

- Third richest temple of

India

Badrinath 9th

century

C.E

Uttarakhand Adi

Shankara

(1) Dedicated to Lord

Vishnu

(2) It is also one of the 4

Chota Char Dham

Kedarnath 8th

century

Garhwal area

Uttarakhand

Pandavas Dedicated to Lord Shiva

Konark

Sun

Temple

13th

century

Odisha Narasimha

deva

Dedicated to God Sun

Sanchi

Stupa

3rd

century

BC

Raisen,

Madhya

Pradesh

Asoka (1) Known as the Great

Stupa.

(2) Holy place of Buddhist

(3) UNESCO World

Heritage Site.

(4) Has 4 intricately

designed

gateways symbolising the

4 emotions

of love, peace, courage and

trust

(5) Stupa is 16 meters

high & 37

meters in diameter.

Siddhivinayak

Temple

18th

century

Prabha Devi,

Mumbai

- (1) Dedicated to Lord

Ganesha

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(2) The inner roof of the

temple

complex is plated with

gold

The Golden

Temple

1577 Amritsar,

Punjab

Guru

Ram Das

(1) "The Adhi Granth" was

compiled &

enshrined here for the

1st time.

Mahabodhi

Temple

3rd

century

B.C

Bihar Ashoka (1) Lord Buddha attained

enlightenment here.

(2) A UNESCO World

Heritage Site

Kamakhya

Temple

8th-

17th

century

Nilachal Hill,

Guwahati

- (1) Dedicated to Goddess

Kamakhya

(2) Oldest important

pilgrimage for the

Tantric Worshippers

(3) Oldest of the 51 Shakti

Pithas

Amarnath

Cave

Temple

- Jammu

and Kashmir

Natural

formation

(1) Around 5000 years old

(2) Located at an altitude

of

3,888 meters

Yamunotri

Temple

19th

century

Uttarkashi,

Uttarakhand

Maharani

Gularia

(1) Dedicated to Yamuna

River

(2) Part of Char Dham

Yatra

(3) Opens up on the day of

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Akshaya Tritiya

& closes the day after

Diwali

Gangotri

Temple

18th

century

Uttarkashi,

Uttarakhand

Amar Singh

Thapa

(1) Dedicated to Ganga

River

(2) A partially submerged

Shivaling lying

along the temple in the

waters of Bhagirathi

signifies

the place where God Shiva

entangled Ganga in his

hair.

Famous Historical Monuments in India

The kings and emperors of India had their own way of expressing their ideas in bricks,

marbles and stones. Therefore Indian monuments are popular worldwide for

their beauty. Indian monuments also tells you about a lot of history and the culture. So

here is a list of all the famous and historical monuments of India.

Monument Year Place Built by Significance

India Gate 1921 Rajpath

Marg,

New delhi

Designed by

Sir Edwin

Lutyens

(1) Also known as All

India War

Memorial.

(2) Built in memory of

Indian soldiers

who lost their lives in

First World War.

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Red Fort 1638

1648

Old delhi Shah Jahan (1) Originally known

as Qila-e-Mubarak

(2) Was actually white as

it was made of

limestone.

Taj Mahal 1653 Agra

Uttar Pradesh

Shah Jahan Finest example of Mughal

architecture

Agra Fort 11th

Century

Agra,

Uttar Pradesh

Mughals (1) Was epicentre of

power & was

used to command entire

India.

(2) Originally

called Badalgarh,

held by Raja Badal Singh.

(3) All Mughal Emperors

have

contributed in its making.

(4) UNESCO World

Heritage site

Buland

Darwaza

1576 AD Dadupura,

Fatehpur

Sikri,

Uttar Pradesh

Akbar (1) Highest entrance gate

of its kind

in the entire world.

(2) Built at the main

entrance of

Fatehpur Sikri.

(3) 42 stepsare to be

climbed to

reach main platform.

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Char Minar 1591 Hyderabad Md. Quli

Qutub Shah

Mosque built

to commemorate

eradication of deadly

plague

Fatehpur Sikri 1569 Agra Akbar (1) Served as Mughal

Capital

from 1571-1589.

(2) Original name -

Fatehabad.

(3) Built to commemorate

& safeguard

the victories against

Rajaput Kings.

Gol Gumbaz 1626-

1656

Jadar Galli,

Vijayapura,

Karnataka

Md Adil

Shah

(1) Tomb of Adil Shah

&

his two wives.

(2) Has a 'whispering

gallery',

even the slightest of

sound can be heard.

Hawa Mahal 1799 Jaipur,

Rajashthan

Sawai Raja

Pratbh Singh

(1) 5 storyed

building with 953

windows.

(2) The unique feature is

its air

conditioning effect.

Jantar Mantar 1724-

1736

Mathura,

New Delhi,

Maharaja

Jai Singh II

(1) Jantar Mantar of

Jaipur -

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Ujjain,

Varanasi,

Jaipur

largest stone Sun dial.

(2) These

were astronomical

observatories

Qutub Minar 1193 AD Maharauli

Delhi

Qutub-ud

-din-Aibak

(1) World's Largest

Brick Minaret.

(2) Total height is 73

meters.

(3) Total number of stairs

is 379

Humayun’s

Tomb

1572 Delhi Bigga Begum 1st garden tomb built in

India

Elephanta

Caves

5th

- 8th

Century

AD

Mumbai,

Maharashtra

Rashtrakuta

Kings

Sculpted caves located

on Elephanta Island.

Ellora

Caves

600

1000

AD

Aurangabad,

Maharashtra

Rashtrakutas

built Hindu

& Buddhist

Caves.

Yadav

Dynasty

built Jain

caves

These Jain caves are

testimony to the fact that

the 3 religions Hinduism,

Jainism & Buddhism are

one

Ajanta Caves 2nd -

6th

Century

AD

Aurangabad,

Maharashtra

Gupta Kings (1) Each rock carving was

done

by hand.

Sculptures

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& paintings epitomise

Buddha & various Jataka

tales.

(2) UNESCO World

Heritage Site.

Khajurao

Temples

950-

1050

AD

Madhya

Pradesh

Chandela

Dynasty

(1) Famous for

their architecture &

style along with

symbolism &

their erotic sculptures.

(2) Perfect mix

of Hinduism

& Jainism

Champaner

Pavagadh

Archaeological

Park

18th-

14th

Century

Panchamahal

Gujarat

Mahmud

Begada

The park

includes archaeological,

historic and cultural

heritage

monuments such as

chalcolithic sites,

a hill fortress of an early

Hindu

capital and remains of the

16th-century capital of

Gujarat.

Jama Masjid 1656 AD Central Delhi Shah Jahan Largest Mosque in India

Gateway of

India

1924 Mumbai - Referred to as Taj Mahal

of Mumbai

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Lake Palace 1743-

1746

Lake Pichola,

Udaipur

Maharana

Jagat Singh

II

Now a museum that has

all the royal

pictures, clothing and art

facts of

the Wodeyar dynasty

Mysore Palace 1897 Mysore Rajarshi

Krishnaraja

Wodeyar IV

Also known as Amba Vilas

Palace

Palace is a 3-storey stone

structure made with fine

granite,

grey in color, having deep

pink marble stones atop a

5-storey tower.

Chatrapati

Shivaji

Terminus

1888 Mumbai,

Maharashtra

- (1) Was known

as Victoria Terminus

(2) World Heritage

site.

(3) Busiest Railway

Station in India

Mehrangarh

Mahal

1460 Jodhpur,

Rajasthan

Rao Jodha (1) One of the largest forts

in India.

(2) One of the well

stocked

Museums in India.

Bahai Temple 1986 Delhi Flint & Neill (1) Also known as Lotus

Temple.

(2) It is a place of worship

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for every religion

& place for meditation.

Jaisalmer Fort 1156

AD

Jaisalmer Rawal Jaisal (1) Largest fully preserved

fortified

cities in the world

(2) Fort stands amidst the

sandy expanse of Thar

Desert

Kumbhalgarh

Fort

15th

century

Rajsamand

Rajasthan

Kumbha

of Mewar

(1) Second most

important hill fort

(2) World Heritage

Site

(3) Known as Great Wall

of India

Bara

Imambara

1784 Lucknow,

Uttar Pradesh

Asaf-ud

Daula,

Grandest buildings

including

a step, gateways, minar,

mosque

and bhul bhulaiya.

Golconda

Fort

1600 Hyderabad Kakatiya

Dynasty

Known as the Diamond of

Kollur

Mine including gateways,

drawbridges, temples,

mosques

& semicircular bastions.

Basilica of

Bom Jesus

1605 Goa - (1) Oldest churches in

India.

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(2) World Heritage

Site

Rani ki Rav 11th

century

AD

Gujarat Queen

Udayamati

(1) Massive structure that

is

around 24 meters deep.

(2) As a memoriam for

King Bhimdev of Solanki

dynasty.

Now that you have gone through the list of all the famous & historical temples and

monuments in India. You can also visit the following articles to acquire more knowledge

in order to prepare well for the GK section of SSC as well as other exams.

Famous Sites in India

Indian States & Capital

Prominent Rulers of India

Buddhism & Jainism Facts

Indian Towns On River Banks

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Rivers & Drainage system of India

Know Major Facts about Indian States