Women all over the world have created history in whatever field they have entered. While emperors and kings dominate historical records and history is rife with hundreds of examples of powerful male rulers paying homage to their loved ones through such historical monuments, one cannot ignore the contribution of queens who have built beautiful historical monuments in memory of their husbands. From a step-well in Gujarat to a temple in Karnataka, many of these architectural marvels have been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Here's a list of some of the famous historical monuments and structures built by women across India:
1. Rani ki Vav, Patan, Gujarat:
Built on the bank of river Saraswati by Rani Udaymati in the eleventh century in memory of her husband the Chalukya king, Bhimai, Rani ki Vav is the pinnacle of craftsmanship in the step-well construction. Step-wells are a distinctive form of subterranean storage system on the Indian sub-continent. Built in the Maru Gujarat architectural style reflecting the mastery of the complex and designed as an inverted temple it was commissioned in 1063 CE, it took 20 years to complete.
Rani ki Vav is divided into seven layers of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality. The fourth layer is the deepest and leads into a rectangular tank 9.3m X 9.4m at a depth of 2.3m.
It was conferred with the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2014.
2.. Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka:
Queen Lokamahadevi built this temple in the 8th century to commemorate the victory of her husband Vikramaditya II over Pallavas. Along the Malaprabha river in the northern Karnataka stands a cluster of temples that many regard as the epitome of the Chalukyan temple architecture.
But of these UNESCO World Heritage listed rock-cut structures, the most outstanding is the Virupaksha temple, built by Queen Lokamahadevi. Completed around 740 AD, the sacred structure commemorated the victory of her husband Vikramaditya II against the Pallavas. She had sculptors from the Pallava capital of Kanchi for the building of the temple. A huge inviting figure of Nandi at the entrance is accompanied by the sculptures of Gods such as Natraja and Ravananugraha and carved narratives from Ramayana and Mahabharta.
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3. Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi:
This red sandstone tomb is built amidst a square garden divided into four parterres known as ‘charbagh’. The tomb of the Mughal emperor Humayun in Delhi is the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent. After the death of the Mughal emperor Humayun in 1556, Hamida Banu Begum also known as Haji Begum, commissioned the tomb in 1569.
Considered a landmark in the development of Mughal architecture, this red sandstone mausoleum was designed by a Persian architect named Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and is believed to have inspired many monuments including the Taj Mahal.
4. Mohinishwara Temple, Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir:
Located on a small hill, with the backdrop of beautiful snow-clad mountains, in the middle of Gulmarg town in Kashmir valley, proudly stands the Maharani Shankar temple. Also known as Rani ji temple or Maharani Shankar temple. Although its official name is Mohinishwara Shivalya.
The temple was built in 1915 by Maharani Mohini Bai Sisodia who was the wife of the then King of Kashmir, Raja Hari Singh who belonged to the Dogra dynasty.
It was built in such a way that it is visible from all corners of Gulmarg.
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5. Dakshineshwar Kali Temple, Kolkata, West Bengal:
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Dakshineshwar Temple or Dakshineshwar Kalibari is a Hindu Navratna temple in Dakshineshwar, Kolkata, West Bengal. The presiding deity of the temple, situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River is Bhavatharini otherwise known as Adishakti Kalika.
The temple was founded by Rani Rashmoni in 1855 in memory of her late husband Babu Rajchandra Das, a rich zamindar (landlord), after she took over the reins of the zamindari from her late husband. At that time the British ruled Kolkata, and she fought quite a few battles with them.
Legend has it that whilst once she was on a spiritual journey to Varanasi, she had a dream of building a Kali temple. She started looking for the right location for it. The construction began in 1847 and completed in 1855. Although she funded many projects that included roads, ghats, libraries, etc., her biggest legacy is the beautiful Dakshineshwar Temple.
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India has a rich history of great women who have made a significant contribution in various fields. The above-mentioned are only a fraction of the many outstanding wonders created by women in India.
Pics n inputs courtesy Google
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