Golden triangle tour has 8 UNESCO world heritage sites out of 38 in India. Delhi, Agra & Jaipur, these three Indian cities make the Golden Triangle Tour of India. Which offers a vivacious experience to travelers who want to explore India at its best and purest form. In this blog, we will know about all the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the golden triangle tour one should never miss.
Try spotting the three cities on a map of India, and you will have the shape of a triangle; thus, India’s Golden Triangle tour is aptly named so. Many people in the world don’t know that there are 3 UNESCO sites in Delhi, 3 in Agra and Jaipur itself is a UNESCO city With 2 great UNESCO sites. There must be few questions in your mind, one the most important answered below.
UNESCO stands for (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations headquartered in France. With its many works, one is to encourage countries to nominate, promote and protect their natural and cultural heritage around the world.
A World Heritage Site can be a monument/landmark or area if it is scientifically, historically or culturally significant and is protected by international treaties with legal protection by an international convention administered by UNESCO. Easy way to understand that a site should be a landmark that is unique, either historically, scientifically or geographically with cultural importance and universal value. India has 38 UNESCO sites including the magnificent Taj Mahal and the golden triangle tour has 8 of them.
First on the list of golden triangle tours is Red Fort. Built in 1648 by the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, using large sandstone of red color thus it gets the name. The fort was home to most of the Mughal emperors of the dynasty for up to 200 years. Spread over an area of more than 250 hectares.
The Imperial Apartments consist of a series of pavilions connected by a water channel known as the Paradise Stream (Nahri Behisht). The fort complex is considered the pinnacle of Mughal creativity under Shah Jahan, and although the palace was designed from Islamic prototypes, each pavilion contains other architectural elements typical of Mughal buildings and is one of the best examples of Mughal architecture.
Timings: 7 AM – 6 PM,
Tickets: Indians RS. 40, Foreigners: RS. 600
Visit Duration: 1- 2 hours
Second, in the list of golden triangle tours is Humayun’s Tomb which is Another architectural marvel, and a landmark in the development of the Mughal reign and architecture in India, the monument was built in 1570 under the supervision of Queen Haji Begum in the memory of her husband Humayun’s who was second Mughal emperor. The architecture of the tomb is Persian and is similar to that of the Taj Mahal. A favorite of Instagrammers and defines the capital as a great love for Mughals
Timings: 7 AM – 6 PM,
Tickets: Indians RS. 40, Foreigners: RS. 600
Visit Duration: 1- 2 hours
Third, on the list of golden triangle tours is Qutub Minar. The tallest brick minaret in the country, A UNESCO World Heritage site the main Minar, as well as the other places and attractions, are imbibed in a complex which is known as the Qutub complex. Believed to be constructed by Qutab-ud-Din Aibak in 1193 AD, the 73-meter tall tower has been featured in lots of movies. The place is peaceful and enigmatic. You can find the tourists, architecture students sketching the perspective views and lots of other people roaming in the complex and still never feel crowded.
Timings: 7 AM – 6 PM,
Tickets: Indians RS. 40, Foreigners: RS. 600
Visit Duration: 1- 2 hours
Agra is the second city on the Golden Triangle Tour. When most people think of Agra, it’s the Taj Mahal that instantly comes to mind because of the story of a Grief-stricken emperor who built This monument of love in the mid 17th century for His favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal (which means “chosen one of the palace”),
It took whopping 22 years and an army of 20,000 workers And 1,000 elephants for the greatest art work which the forming spirit of mankind has ever brought forth. Taj Mahal is known for its many faces as it is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines. Not surprisingly, experiencing the beauty of the Taj Mahal in person is often a dream for many.
Timings: Open Every day (except Friday) 30 minutes before sunrise up to 30 minutes before sunset.
Tickets: RS 250/- (Domestic/Indian/OCI cardholder), RS 1300/- (Foreign Tourists)
RS 540/- (Citizens of SAARC/BIMSTEC Countries)
Free for children below the age of 15 years. Visit Duration: 2- 4 hours
Special Note: Taj Mahal Remains Closed every Friday
Agra Fort is a masterpiece of this era and the largest of the other forts built by the Mughals. It was the headquarters of the Mughal dynasty until 1638, when the capital moved from Agra to Delhi. It can be described as a “fortified town” precisely from this period. About 4000 workers worked very hard there every day for eight long years.
There are many architecturally beautiful buildings inside one of them where Shah Jahan died in ‘Muasammam Burj’, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal which he built in the memory of his beloved, ‘Mumtaz Mahal’. Apart from three mosques, other structures include the Zenana Meena Bazaar, the Jahangir Palace, the Khas Mahal, the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Public Audience), Sheesh Mahal, the Musamman Burj, the Diwan-i-Am, and more. You must put this on the list of your golden triangle tour.
Timings: 7 AM – 6 PM,
Tickets: Indians RS. 40, Foreigners: RS. 600
Visit Duration: 1- 2 hours
You will defiantly like this amazing fortified city on your golden triangle tour. Made of red sandstone, founded in the 1571 century by Mughal Emperor Akbar is located at a distance of 40 km from Agra and had been the capital of his Empire for fifteen years. It is a unique combination of architectural excellence. Its name can be translated as Ciudad Victoria “Victory City”. Akbar Wielki hired the most famous artists who managed to create real works of art. All Akbar the Great’s wives were to have their own mansions, each of them was a masterpiece.
The buildings were decorated with exquisite ornaments, exquisite columns, frescoes, balconies and domes; the palace of the emperor’s mother was decorated with gold. The entire citadel is full of outstanding monuments that have survived to this day because no one used them. Because it was abandoned due to lack of water. While the Taj Mahal is famous for all the attention in Agra, the Fatehpur Sikri is really not to be missed. It sees fewer tourists and thus makes for a perfect photographers’ muse. Do not skip.
Timings: 7 AM – 6 PM,
Tickets: Indians RS. 40, Foreigners: RS. 600
Visit Duration: 1- 2 hours
The last destination of the Golden Triangle Tour, Jaipur is the state capital of Rajasthan, lies on the edge of the Thar Desert, surrounded by the Aravali hills and known as Pink City.
Amber Fort was built by Raja Man Singh in the 16th century and is known for its artistic style, a combination of blending Mughal and Hindu Rajput architectural elements. The walls of the palace are designed very beautifully and elegantly using red sandstone and marble. It would not be wrong to write about Amber Fort as one of the greatest forts in Rajasthan.
A gigantic building. Once inside, you can soak up the splendour and experience the opulence that the royal family must have lived in during their reign. With its great walls and a series of paved gates and walkways, the fort overlooks Lake Maota, which was the palace’s main water source. It consists of Diwan e Aam (public courtroom), Diwan e Khas (private courtroom), Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), Jai Mandir, and Sukh Niwas, where a cool climate is artificially created by winds blowing over a waterfall in the palace. . Hence, the Amber Fort is popularly known as the Amber Palace. The palace was the residence of the Royal families.
Timings: 8 AM – 6 PM,
Tickets: Indians RS. 100, Foreigners: RS. 550
Visit Duration: 1- 2 hours
Last but not least on your golden triangle tour is Jantar Mantar, which combines the elements of science, art and religion and is one of the largest observatories in the world. Built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1734 who had a passion for astrology, astronomy and architecture. The monument was well ahead of its time at the time of its construction and associated techniques.
It stands as a symbol of the princely era of Jaipur. This unique structure attracts lovers of astronomy, astrology, architecture and historians. The observatory houses 19 geometric devices & various instruments to observe orbits around the sun, sun declination, time measurement, constellation positions, azimuth and other astrological phenomena.
And with that, this list concludes the UNESCO heritage sites in your Golden Triangle tour, but this is no way a comprehensive list and there are several more beautiful monuments and places that you can add to your golden triangle tour depending on your itinerary and time of journey
Timings: 6 AM – 5 PM,
Tickets: Indians RS. 15, Foreigners: RS. 200
Visit Duration: 1- 2 hours
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