Iconic Tourist Destinations

  • October 26, 2021
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Iconic Tourist Destinations

Subject – Governance

Context – Tourism Ministry identifies three more iconic tourist destinations

Concept –

  • The Ministry of Tourism has added three more tourist destinations – Konark Sun Temple (Odisha), Kevadia (Gujarat) and Golconda Fort (Telangana) – to the current list of 17 iconic sites.
  • All these proposed iconic sites are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, they are popular among tourist and have decent footfall.
  • By including them in the iconic tourist sites the objective would be to attract foreign and domestic tourists.
  • The aim of the scheme is to develop these sites with better tourism infrastructure such as connectivity to the destinations, facilities for the tourists, involvement of the local community and its promotion.

The 17 iconic Sites –

  • Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh),
  • Ajanta & Ellora (Maharashtra),
  • Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort & QutubMinar (Delhi),
  • Colva (Goa),
  • Amer Fort (Rajasthan),
  • Somnath& Dholavira (Gujarat),
  • Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh),
  • Hampi (Karnataka),
  • Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu),
  • Kaziranga (Assam),
  • Kumarakom (Kerala) and
  • Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar).

Konark Sun Temple (Odisha)

  • Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE (year 1250) Sun temple at Konark on the coastline of Odisha, India.
  • The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE.
  • Dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot (30 m) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone.
    • There are two rows of 12 wheels on each side of the Konark sun temple. Some say the wheels represent the 24 hours in a day and others say the 12 months.
    • The seven horses are said to symbolize the seven days of the week.
  • Once over 200 feet (61 m) high, much of the temple is now in ruins, in particular the large shikara tower over the sanctuary; at one time this rose much higher than the mandapa that remains.
  • The structures and elements that have survived are famed for their intricate artwork, iconography, and themes, including erotic kama and mithuna scenes.
  • It is directly and materially linked to Brahmanism and tantric belief systems.
  • Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga architecture.
  • This temple was called the “Black Pagoda” in European sailor accounts as early as 1676 because it looked like a great tiered tower which appeared black.
    • Similarly, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the “White Pagoda”.
    • Both temples served as important landmarks for sailors in the Bay of Bengal.
  • The temple that exists today was partially restored by the conservation efforts of British India-era archaeological teams.
  • Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984, it remains a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, who gather here every year for the ChandrabhagaMela around the month of February.
  • Konark Sun Temple is depicted on the reverse side of the Indian currency note of 10 rupees to signify its importance to Indian cultural heritage.

Kevadia (Gujarat)

  • Kevadia is a census town in Narmada district in the Indian state of Gujarat.
  • This town is famous tourist location, as Statue of Unity is located here.
    • The Statue of Unity is a colossal statue of Indian statesman and independence activist Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950), who was the first deputy prime minister and home minister of independent India and an adherent of Mahatma Gandhi during the nonviolent Indian independence movement.
    • Patel was highly respected for his leadership in uniting 562 princely states of India with a major part of the former British Raj to form the single Union of India.
    • The Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue, with a height of 182 metres (597 feet).
      • Previous record holder – the Spring Temple Buddha in China’s Henan province.
      • The previous tallest statue in India was the 41 m (135 ft) tall statue of Lord Hanuman at the ParitalaAnjaneya Temple near Vijayawada in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
    • It is located in the state of Gujarat, India, on the Narmada River in the Kevadiya colony, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
    • It was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V. Sutar.

Golconda Fort (Telangana)

  • Golconda Fort, also known as Gollakonda (Telugu: “shepherds’ hill”), is a fortified citadel built by the Kakatiyas and an early capital city of the QutbShahi dynasty (c. 1512–1687), located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
  • Because of the vicinity of diamond mines, especially Kollur Mine, Golconda flourished as a trade centre of large diamonds, known as the Golconda Diamonds.
    • The region has produced some of the world’s most famous diamonds, including the colourless Koh-i-Noor (now owned by the United Kingdom), the blue Hope (United States), the pink Daria-i-Noor (Iran), the white Regent (France), the Dresden Green (Germany), and the colourless Orlov (Russia), Nizam and Jacob (India), as well as the now lost diamonds Florentine Yellow, Akbar Shah and Great Mogul.
  • It was originally known as Mankal, and built on a hilltop in the year 1143.
  • It was originally a mud fort under the reign of Rajah of Warangal.
  • Later it was fortified between 14th and 17th centuries by the Bahmani Sultans and then by the Qutub Shahi dynasty. Golconda was the principal capital of the Qutub Shahi kings.
  • The inner fort contains ruins of palaces, mosques and a hilltop pavilion, which rises about 130 meters high and gives a bird’s eye view of other buildings.
Governance Iconic Tourist Destinations