Important Places in India - Historical Places in India (Part 3)

This article provides information on Important Historical Places in India along with detailed information about those important historical places of India.

List of Important Historical Places in India from Alphabet L - S

Leh (Ladakh): Capital of Ladakh; once a caravan center of central Asia.

Lothal (Gujrat): Oil wells in Cambay Basin.

Madurai (Tamil Nadu): Famous Meenakshi Temple dedicated to Lord Siva is located here.

Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra): Hill station in Maharashtra is situated at a height of 4500 ft. in the Western Ghats.

Mahabalipuram (Tamilnadu): Famous for the monumental architecture of Pallavas. An atomic power station is located near Kalpakkam.

Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar): It is a Buddha temple with the Jataka stories engraved on the walls. The famous Magadha University exists beside the temple.

Mahrangarh Fort (Rajasthan): Five km away from the center town of Jodhpur. Commissioned by Roa Jodh in 1959, this fortran eyrie is a masterpiece of medieval defense.

Mandore (Rajasthan): The ancient capital of the Rathore Marwars, the Rajputs of Rajasthan.

Meerut (Uttar Pradesh): This was the first place where the 1857 Mutiny first broke out. The Suraj Kund is the most interesting temple and there is a Moghul Mausoleum, near the old Shapir Gate.

Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh): Place of Ram Ganga, famous for cutlery, brassware, and mangoes.

Mukteshwar (Uttar Pradesh): Veterinary Research Institute is located here.

Murad (Maharashtra): Seaside holiday resort of Maharashtra.

Mathura (Uttar Pradesh): It is a holy city and birthplace of Lord Krishna.

Meenakshi temple (Tamil Nadu): Famous Hindu temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is remarkable for its most picturesque 850 ft. high temple with its magnificent Gopurams. One of its principal structures is the hall of thousand pillars in which a group of figures is carved out of a single stone.

Mussoorie (Uttarakhand): A hilly resort has good rock climbing and mountaineering assets and has good fishing spots.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Called the gateway of India is the second biggest city and port in India. It is the capital of Maharashtra state. The Prince of Wales Museum, Aarey Milk Colony, the film capital of the country, Centre of the oil industry and Petrochemicals, etc. are noteworthy.

Nagpur (Maharashtra): Former capital of Madhya Pradesh now in Maharashtra. Famous for textiles and oranges.

Nagercoil (Tamil Nadu): There is a temple of snakes or Nagaraja-snake god. The temple is filled with images of snakes and the Dvarapalakas are the snakes guarding the temple.

Nagarjuna Konda-Sagar (Andhra Pradesh): The reservoir is named after Buddhist Philosopher Acharya Nagarjuna who propounded the Madhyamik school of Mahayana Buddhism.

Naharkhatia (Assam): Place near Digboi in Assam where oil has been struck.

Nainital (Uttarakhand): This lake dotted area of the Kumaon Hills, was the summer capital of Uttar Pradesh. The legend believed is that Goddess Shakti lost her eyes when Lord Shiva was curling her and the spot, where the eyes fell became a lake called ’naina’ (eyes) Tal (lake) was thus given its name.

Nalanda (Bihar): Here was the famous University and Educational center of ancient’s times. The Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang visited India in the 7^th century had mentioned this University.

Narsobachiwadi (Maharashtra): It is a prominent pilgrimage of Lord Shree Dattatreya, situated near the confluence Krishna and the Panchaganga Rivers.

Nasik (Maharashtra): Site of Security Printing Press in Maharashtra.

Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu): The Blue Mountains of Tamil Nadu. Famous for tea plantation.

Nilokheri (Haryana): Place in Haryana, famous community development project of Dr. S. K. Dey.

Pataliputra (Bihar): Ancient name of Patna, capital of Bihar State. Famous for Ashoka edicts inscribed on rocks and pillars.

Palitana (Gujarat): Famous for its holy hills.

Pali (Sudhagad, Maharashtra): One of the most sacred places known for the temple of Vithoba, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, it is also called Dhakshina Kashi, a pilgrim center.

Panipat (Haryana): Historical place in Haryana, famous for the three battles in 1526, 1556, and 1761.

Pawapuri (Bihar): It is one of the holiest of Jain Pilgrim places. The Jal Mandir (water temple) in Kamal Sarover (Lotus pool) is most sacred. The big lake filled with lotus is a charming place and the white marble temple stands in the middle.

Planetarium, Birla (Kolkata): It is a dome-shaped building where the exact panorama of the sky is depicted, and the position of various constellations is clearly shown. The second planetarium in India has been set up in Mumbai. The third planetarium was opened in New Delhi in 1984.

Plassey (West Bengal): A village in West Bengal, famous for the Battle of Plassey where Clive beat Siraj-ud-Daulah.

Puducherry: A Union Territory – formerly under French possession. Famous for Aurobindo Ashram and ’Auroville’ International Township, built in the name of Aurobindo.

Ponpadirkootam (Tamil Nadu): A village in Chingleput where a unique four-hand Rama in gold is a feast for our eyes.

Port Blair (Gujarat): Capital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Porbandar (Gujarat): The Birth Place of Mahatma Gandhi. It is identified with Sudamapur of the epic times and we can still see the old temple of Sudama, a friend of Lord Krishna.

Pune (Maharashtra): Pune, the capital of the Maratha Empire during Shivaji’s rule, had turned to be an educational and cultural center.

Puri (Orissa): Summer capital of Orissa famous for Jagannath Temple.

Pusa (West Bengal): Famous for the agricultural station.

Qutub Minar (New Delhi): The tallest minaret in the world (990 ft. high) completed by Sultan Iltutmish in 1232 A. D.

Rajghat (New Delhi): famous for the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi on the banks of the river Yamuna.

Rajgir (Bihar): Rajgir was called Rajgriha or King’s home in the olden days. Ajatashatru named it Giribraja. It was Jarasandha’s capital. Vardhaman Mahavir, who preached the Jain Religion and spent 14 years of his active life here, Mahaveer called his first Dharma Sabha or religious assembly on Bipul Parbat here.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (New Delhi): The official residence of the President of India in Delhi, built by the British architect Edwin Lutyens.

Ratnagiri (Maharashtra): British place of Lokmanya Tilak. It has a minor port Bhagvati and a fort belonging to the 15^th century.

Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu): A pilgrimage spot in South India as equal to that of Benaras. There is the temple of Lord shiva.

Red Fort (Delhi): It is a fort built of red stone by Shah Jahan in Delhi on the Banks of the river Yamuna. It consists of Diwan-i-Am, Diwan-i-Khas, and other wonderful creations. In 2007, UNESCO announced the Red Fort as one of the Heritage sites in India.

Rishikesh (Uttarakhand): It is a Hindu pilgrim center. Rishikesh is the starting point for treks to Himalayan pilgrimage centers like Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri.

Rourkela (Orissa): Rourkela is the first steel plant of India envisaged in the public sector and has been in operation since February 1959 which has set in a new era in the Steel Industry of India.

Salar Jung Museum (Andhra Pradesh): It is the personnel collection of Mir Yusuf Ali Khan, better known as Salar Jung who had devoted his wealth and leisure to gather out treasures from every walk of life.

Sambhar (Rajasthan): It is a salt lake in Rajasthan. Only lake of its kind in India.

Sanganer (Rajasthan): It is the center of hand block printing and the handmade paper industry.

Sabarmati (Gujarat): It is a place in Gujarat where Gandhiji established a Harijan Ashram. It is also the name of a river in Gujarat.

Sathanur Dam (Tamil Nadu): 22 miles from Tiruvannamalai a vast forest has been turned into a huge reservoir and a dam is a tourist spot.

Satara (Maharashtra): It is a glorious historical city, was the capital of Shivaji’s empire in 1699.

Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh): Famous Buddhist stupa; the diameter of which is 108 ft. was built in ancient times. It is the largest stupa in India.

Sarnath (Madhya Pradesh): It is a Buddhist pilgrim center. In the Deer Park, Buddha delivered his first sermon. Famous Ashoka Pillar is located here.

Srirangapattanam (Karnataka): It was the capital of Tipu Sultan during his time. The third Mysore war was fought here and Tipu died in the battle in 1799 A.D.

Sevagram (Maharashtra): It is near Wardha in Maharashtra State. It is well-known for Gandhiji’s Ashram where Gandhi lived and worked for many years.

Shantiniketan (West Bengal): About 90 miles from Calcutta, the seat of the famous Viswa Bharati University founded by poet Rabindranath Tagore. It is now a Central University.

Shanti Van or Shanti Ghat (Delhi): The place where Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was cremated on 28^th May 1964 on the banks of Yamuna about 300 hards from Rajghat, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri has been cremated by the side of Shanti Van. Mrs. Indira Gandhi was cremated close to Shanti Van on November 3, 1984. This site is called ’Shakti Sthal’.

Shivneri (Maharashtra): It is the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The hill has about 50 Buddhist caves bearing inscriptions of various donors.

Sholapur (Maharashtra): ’Sholapur Chaddan’s are the very famous bed-sheets. The handloom and power loom industry is flourishing in this town. Near the city, a fort built by Hasan Gangu who was the founder of the Bahaman dynasty stands erect.

Shree Kshetra Audumbar (Maharashtra): An important pilgrim place in the Sangli district, Audumbar is famous for the temple of Shree Dattatreya. There is well-known “Brahmanand Swami Math”.

Sasaram (Bihar): It is known for Shere Shah’s Tomb. Sher Shah was the famous Afghan king who drove away Humayun.

Shivapur (Madhya Pradesh): It is well-known for its national park in Madhya Pradesh.

Sibsagar (Assam): 56 km from Jorhat is the most interesting historical city. It was the capital of Ahom Kings who ruled Assam for 600 years. The Shiva temple called the “Shivadol” is said to be the tallest Shiva Temple in India.

Sikandra (Uttar Pradesh): Situated near Agra, Akbar’s tomb stands here. It was commenced by Akbar and completed by his son Jahangir, after 14 years at a cost of Rs. 15 Lakhs.

Singareni (Andhra Pradesh): It is well-known for coal mines in Andhra Pradesh.

Sindri (Jharkhand): The largest fertilizer factory in India and the whole of Asia is in Sindri, 77 km from Maithan. It is built on Ultra-modern lines and manufacturing ammonium sulfate fertilizer since 1956. The factory can be visited with prior permission.

Somnath (Gujarat): It is historically famous for the temple which was destroyed by Mohammed of Ghazni in 1025 A. D.

Somnath Patan (Gujarat): Wedged in between the two hills of Chandragiri and Indragiri, which rise abruptly from flat plains, Sravanabelagola 100 km from Mysore is famous for Jain colossus (17 m height) Gomateswara which is said to be the tallest and most graceful monolithic statues in the world, erected in 10^th century A.D.

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): India’s Satellite launching station is located here. It is on the Andhra coast, in Nellore District.

Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu): Birth Place of Sri Ramanuja, the propounder of Vishistadvaita. It was here Rajiv Gandhi; former Prime Minister of India was assassinated.

Srirangam (near Trichy, Tamil Nadu): The largest temple in South India dedicated to Lord Ranganath (Vishnu).

Sundarbans (West Bengal): It is the largest delta in India, housing rich forests.

Surat (Gujarat): It is popularly known as the “Gate of Mecca”. The English got trading rights from the Mughal in 1612. Most of the population is engaged in diamond cutting and polishing gold and silver. Surat is equally known for its distinctive cuisine.