A Trip to Seven Wonders of India

India is an amazing country, the history of its people going back several millennia. Having cradled some of the oldest known civilizations of the world, this amazingly diverse land saw the emergence of some of the mightiest empires and dynasties of the ancient and medieval world. Over a period of several centuries, numerous rulers have come and gone, leaving behind their marks in the form of a large number of historic buildings, some of which can be said to form the seven wonders of India.

• Tajmahal (Agra): The Taj has become the symbol of India to people of the world. This 17th century Mughul mausoleum has captured the imagination of generations of tourists ever since it was completed in 1643. Built in the memory of Mumtaz Mahal by her husband, the fifth Mughul Emperor Shahjahan, the Taj Mahal is a dream realized in white marble. Its beauty cannot be described in words. The Taj remains the most popular and well known tourist attractions in India.
• Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh): The Khajuraho group of temples is famous all over the world for its amazingly vivid erotic sculptures. These temples are the best examples of the north Indian Nagda style of temple architecture, and they date back to the 9th and 10th centuries AD.
• Hampi (Karnataka): The ruins of Hampi are among the best known tourist attractions in South India. The erstwhile capital of the mighty Vijayanagar kingdom which flourished in the 16th century AD has tremendous historic value. Its temples are among the best known specimens of south Indian temple architecture. The site also has many other interesting spots and is a world heritage site.
• Golden Temple (Amritsar, Punjab): The most recent among the seven wonders of India listed here, the golden temple is located in the sacred city of Amritsar. The temple is the spiritual center of the Sikh religion. The present day structure was constructed in the 18th century by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Its dome is covered by about 100 kgs of gold, hence the name. The temple stores the Granth Sahib, the holy book treated as guru by the Sikhs.
• Konark Sun Temple (Orissa): The Konark sun temple is an amazing structure constructed in the 13th century. The temple is dedicated to the sun god and designed to resemble the mythical chariot that carries the sun God across earth, driven by seven horses. The temple exhibits the style of temple building typical to Orissa.
• Tawang Monastery (Arunachal Pradesh): The name 'Tawang'means 'chosen by a horse' as the legend goes that when the 5th. Dalai Lama, Mera Lama while searching for a place to make a new monastery in 1681 prayed for guidance for a special location and found his horse standing on a quiet spot on a hill. The monastery was built there with a 30 ft golden hued wooden Buddha statue set between Buddhist artifacts and valuable 'Tankhas'.The entrance or the 'Kakaling' to the Monastery is beautiful both esthetically and architecturally, with paintings of Buddhist folk themes done on the ceiling and walls. Close to the main gate is the famed 'Dung Gyur Mani' pond and the monastery derives all it water from this lake.
• Nalanda University (Bihar): Nalanda is the name of an ancient university in Bihar, India. The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from 427 to 1197 CE. It has been called "one of the first great universities in recorded history. The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from 427 to 1197 CE. Near the University of Nalanda, is a temple dedicated to the Sun God. This temple has a number of statues of Hindu and Buddhist deities. The five feet high statue of Parvati is of particular interest and attraction.

How to visit:

India is a large country and it holds a culture and tradition from its northern point to southern part. Seven wonders of India represent the richness of Indian culture and values and thus it spreads throughout the large geography of India. From north (Amritsar, Golden Temple) to south (Hampi, Karnataka) and east (Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh) to west (Khajuraho, MP).

It is quite difficult for traveler to visit all seven places at once, though all places are very well connected through air, train and bus. If you are planning to travel to these places you have to find out the nearest airport or railway station. These places are reachable by bus. After reaching to the nearest city, you can book buses to travel easily. Below are the details of distances of these places from nearest major cities –

• Tajmahal: From Delhi: NH2, a modern divided highway, connects the 200 km distance from Delhi to Agra.
• Khajuraho: Private tour service operators arrange deluxe AC and Non AC buses to Khajuraho from various cities including Jhansi (172 km) and Delhi (596 km).
• Hampi: Hampi is well connected by KSRTC bus services with all nearby cities. There are many private bus providers operating from Gokarna and many places in Goa to Hampi.
• Golden Temple: Amritsar is well-connected by bus to most major cities and the northern areas within a day's drive. Pathankot is about 2.5 hours away, and there are daily direct buses to New Delhi, Jammu, Katra, Chandigarh, Dharamsala (once daily, ~6 hours), etc.You can find Volvo buses from Chandigarh , Delhi and Katra to Amritsar.
• Konark Sun Temple: Konark is connected to other cities in Orissa State Public Transport buses. Private Volvo bus services are available from Bhubaneshwar and Puri to Konark.
• Tawang Monastery: The main road entry point into the state of Arunachal Pradesh is the border town of Bomdila (162 km).
• Nalanda University: Nalanda (Bihar) to Deoghar (Jharkhand) is 210 km and takes approx 3 hrs, 15 mins by road.

Bus booking is fairly easy nowadays on internet. If you plan early you'll get budget tickets online. For online bus booking you can check different OTA's website. Search best bus service, compare and buy cheap tickets.