Wonders of India

Times of India's list of seven wonders of India

Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled over the ages to catalogue the most spectacular man-made constructions and natural things in the world. But, for the first time the Times of India (TOI) News paper carried out a SMS poll, from 21 July to 31 July 2007, to vote for the seven greatest wonders of India, out of a list of 20 identified ancient or mediaeval sites for the purpose. The Seven Wonders of India (four of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites) have now been chosen by the readers of Times of India (TOI) only. The winners range from a majestic monolith to places of worship, a mausoleum and a university.[1]Except for the Golden Temple and the Taj Mahal, the Seven Wonders are all located in small towns or in the countryside. However, four of the twenty monuments listed for voting are located in three metropolitan area, such as Delhi's Lotus Temple and Qutub Minar, the Victoria Terminus at Mumbai and the Howrah Bridge at Kolkata.

Wonder	Location	Images
Gomateshwara	Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, India	The colossal monolithic statue of Gomateshwara (Shravanabelagola is a synonymous word), also called as Bahubali the Jain saint, created around 983 C.E by  Chamundaraya, a minister of the Ganga King, Rachamalla (Raachmalla Sathyavaakya IV 975-986 C.E) is located atop the Chandragiri hill (618 steps climb leads to the monolith on the hill), near the town of Shravanabelagola in Karnataka state.
Harmandir	Punjab, India	The Harmandir Sahib (Punjabi: ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ), also Darbar Sahib (Punjabi: ਦਰਬਾਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ, Punjabi pronunciation: [dəɾbɑɾ sɑhɪb])[1][3] and informally referred to as the "Golden Temple",[1] is a prominent Sikh Gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. It was built by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan, in the 16th Century. In 1604, Guru Arjun completed the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of Sikhism, and installed it in the Gurdwara.
Taj Mahal	Agra, India	The Taj Mahal (/ˈtɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl/ often /ˈtɑːʒ/;[2] Hindi: ताज महल, from Persian/Urdu: تاج محل‎ "crown of palaces", pronounced [ˈt̪aːdʒ mɛˈɦɛl]; also "the Taj"[3]) is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".
Hampi	Vijayanagara, Karnataka, India	Hampi (Kannada: ಹಂಪೆ Hampe) is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other monuments belonging to the old city. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.
Konark Surya Mandir	Orrisa, India	Konark Sun Temple (Oriya: କୋଣାର୍କ ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ମନ୍ଦିର [koɳarkə]; also Konârak) is a 13th century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda),[1] at Konark, in Odisha, India. It was supposedly built by king Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around 1250.[2] It has been built in the shape of a gigantic chariot with elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3] It is also featured on NDTV's list of Seven Wonders of India and Times of India's list of Seven Wonders of India.
Nalanda	Bihar, India	Nālandā was an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India.[1] The site is located about 88 kilometres south east of Patna, and was a religious center of learning from the fifth century AD to 1197 AD.[2][3] Nalanda flourished between the reign of the Śakrāditya (whose identity is uncertain and who might have been either Kumara Gupta I or Kumara Gupta II) and 1197 AD, supported by patronage from the Hindu Gupta rulers as well as Buddhist emperors like Harsha and later emperors from the Pala Empire.[4]
Khajuraho	A town in Chhattarpur District of Madhya Pradesh, India	The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho, a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 620 kilometres (385 mi) southeast of New Delhi, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for their erotic sculptures. Between 950 and 1150, the Chandela monarchs built these temples when the Tantric tradition may have been accepted. In the days before the Mughal conquests, when boys lived in hermitages, following brahmacharya until they became men, they could learn about the world and prepare themselves to become householders through examining these sculptures and the worldly desires they depicted.[1]