Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh The city of Ayodhya is one of Hinduism’s seven most sacred cities. Its fame and religious importance stems from its connection to the deity Rama. For over four centuries its chief religious shrine has been the Hanuman Temple, dedicated to Hanuman, Rama’s most important follower and closest associate. In recent years, a movement has developed to construct … [Read more...]
DEVI TEMPLES
Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh The city of Haridwar is spiritually dominated by its famous Har-Ki-Pairi Ghat. However, the city is also home to many temples. Among these are three of the best known temples in India that are dedicated to goddesses. These are the Chandi Devi Temple, the Mansa Devi Temple and the Maya Devi Temple. Built across many centuries, these three temples … [Read more...]
SHRI KRISHNA JANMASTHAN TEMPLE
Mathura, Uttar Pradesh The Shri Krishna Janmasthan Temple, also known as the Keshav Dev Temple, is the major temple of Mathura, one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism. Dedicated to the Lord Krishna, it stands on or near the place believed to be the site where Krishna was born. It is believed that the current temple may be a descendent of one of the very first major temples … [Read more...]
DURGA TEMPLES
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh The Durga Temples are a pair of very famous shrines in Varanasi. One, the Durga Mandir, dates from the 16th century and is considered to be one of the three most important shrines in the city. The other is the Durga Kund, which while less important is by far the more easily recognized. The Durga Kund is located close to the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, … [Read more...]
SANKAT MOCHAN HANUMAN TEMPLE
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is another one of Varanasi’s major temples, and for many city residents it is considered to be one of the three most important. It is dedicated to Hanuman, one of the most revered Hindu deities. It is a very prominent shrine among locals, and many pilgrims to the city visit here in addition to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple … [Read more...]
FAISAL MOSQUE (MASJID FAISAL)
Islamabad, Pakistan The nation of Pakistan boasts the world’s second largest Muslim population, so it is not surprising that Islamabad, its capital, is home to one of the world’s largest mosques. The Masjid Faisal was in fact the world’s largest mosque outside of Arabia for about a decade in the late 20th century, and is still the largest mosque in the Asian Subcontinent. … [Read more...]
NATIONAL MAUSOLEUM
Karachi, Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the national hero and founder of modern-day Pakistan, may be the single-most important Islamic leader of the 20th century. He not only helped lead the entire Asian subcontinent to independence from the British colonial empire, but he established the first truly great modern Muslim state. He is buried in the Mazar-E-Quaid, the National … [Read more...]
MASJID BADSHAHI
Lahore, Pakistan The Masjid Badshahi is the greatest mosque built during the Mughal period. Many incorrectly attribute it to Shah Jahan, the great emperor-builder of the Mughals; but it was in fact constructed by his son and successor, Aurangzeb. It is nevertheless considered to be the pinnacle of the Shah Jahan period, as the Masjid Badshahi represented everything that was … [Read more...]
TAJ MAHAL
Agra, Uttar Pradesh Shah Jahan was one of the greatest builders in history, and his mind-boggling mosques grace many cities throughout India and Pakistan. However, it is not for his mosques for which he is best known, but rather for a mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. Built in memory of his beloved wife, the Taj Mahal is many things; an Islamic shrine, a monument to love, and the … [Read more...]
MOSQUES OF SHAH JAHAN (JAMA MASJID, MASJID WAZIR KHAN)
Delhi, India & Lahore, Pakistan The last great Turkic empire to arise in Central Asia was that of the Mughals, which at its height in the late Middle Ages dominated much of Afghanistan, Persia, Pakistan and India. Nominally descended from the empire of Timur, the Mughal Empire reached its peak during the reign of Shah Jahan in the 17th century. Shah Jahan, who was … [Read more...]
