GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF LANDMARKS
FOR
UPSC , IAS & CIVIL EXAM ASPIRANTS
LANDMARKS :
ARCHITECTURES, MONUMENTS,
BUILDINGS, TOWNS & PLACES .
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Abu, Mt. :
(Rajasthan) hill
station on the Aravalli Range; sacred centre of Jain worshippers , Dilwara temples.
Abu Simbal :
(Egypt) famous
ancient temple cut- out of rock by Rameses II.
Adams Bridge :
Very nearly
joined to India between Mannar Pennsula and Danushkodi by a line of sand banks
and rocks called Adams Bridge.
Aga Khan Palace :
In
Pune where Mahatma Gandhi was kept interned with his wife Kasturba Gandhi. Kasturba
died in this palace.
Ajantha Caves :
Located near Aurangabad, famous for wonderful
Buddhist cave temples richly ornamented with sculpture and carved with
paintings.
Ajmer:
(Rajasthan) Pilgrim centre for Muslims; tomb
of Khwaja Muin-ud-din chisti.
Alexandria :
City and sea-port of Egypt founded by
Alexander the Great.
Allahabad :
(Prayag) is a
city in Uttar Pradesh situated at the confulence of the Ganga and the Jamuna.
Kumbha Mela (religious fair of the Hindus) is held here once in every 12 years.
Amarnath :
Situated at a
height of about 4054 metres in Kashmir. It is a place of pilgrimage for the Hindus.
Amber Palace :
Deserted capital near Jaipur
(Rajasthan) containing the finest specimens of Rajput architecture.
Amritsar :
(Punjab) on the
north-west border or India; Golden Temple; Jallianwala Bagh tragedy on April
13, 1919.
Angkor Vat :
A ruined city in Cambodia where
beautiful specimens of ancient Indian art and culture are found.
Athens :
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on
September 5, 1997, awarded the 2004 Summer
Olympics to Athens, the Greek capital which was the birth place of the Games.
Athens hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896 but lost out to Atlanta in 1996
Centennial Games.
Aurangabad :
One of the
important towns of Maharashtra State; tomb of Emperor Aurangzeb and of his
wife. Ellora and Ajanta Caves are reached from here.
Auroville :
It is an international township constructed in
Pondicherry with the help of UNESCO.
Avadi :
Near Chennai in Tamil
Nadu. Government owned Heavy vehicles factory. Vijayanta and Ajit tanks are
manufactured here.
Badrinath :
Himalayas; Place
of pilgrimage for the Hindus near Gangortri Glacier.
Baroda :
Capital of the former
Baroda State is known for Laxmi Vilas Palace which is one of the most beautiful
palaces in India.
Belur Math :
It is monastery near Calcutta in West Bengal
founded by Swami Vivekananda. A beautiful temple dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa.
Bethlehem :
Palestine; about 9 km South of Jeruselam;
birth-place of Jesus and Kind David; Church of Nativity.
Buckingham Palace :
In
London; residence of the Royal family of England.
Buddha-Gaya :
It is situated 10 km south of Gaya in Bihar
State on the river bank of Lilajan andfamous as the place where Buddha got
enlightenment. There are modern monasteries, rest houses and museum.
Calcutta :
West Bengal
Government re-christened Calcutta as Kolkata with effect from January 1, 2001.
Siliguri has been renamed as Shilliguri.
Cape Comorin :
Cape Comorin
also called Kanya Kumari in Tamil Nadu, where Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal
meet the Indian Ocean. It gives a beautiful view of sun-set and sun-rise.
Chennai :
Capital of Tamil Nadu
is the third largest city in India. Known for Fort St.George, Light House, St.Thomas
Mount, Integral Coach Factory, Adyar (the headquarters of the Theosophical
Society).
Chidambaram :
Famous for
its great Hindu Siva temple, dedicated to Nataraja or Siva in his aspect of
Cosmic dance. Annamalai University is located here.
Chittorgarh :
Ancient capital
and fortress of Udaipur; known for Tower of Victory and Mira Bai Temple.
Dakshineswar :
8 Kns from
Calcutta where Vivekananda was initiated into religious life by Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa.
Dandi :
famous for Salt
Satyagraha (Dandi March) by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930.
Digboi :
(Assam) is known for rich oil-fields.
Dilwara Temples :
near
Mount Abu (Rajasthan) are five Hindu Temples constructed here between 11th
and 13th century A.D.
Downing Street :
No.10
Downing Street is the official residence of the Prime Minister of England in London.
Durand Line :
the line
demarcating the limits of neutral territory between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Eagle Nest :
Name given
to the historic fort at Raigarh in Kolaba district of Maharashtra where 300
years ago, Chatrapati Shivaji, the great warrior-statesman, was crowned.
Eiffel Tower :
In Paris (France) 300 m high and built at a cost of
200,000 pounds. It is now being used as a Meteorological Wireless Station.
Elephanta :
an Island in Mumbai harbour - famous for
rock-cut temples.
Ellor and Ajantha :
famous for wonderful Buddhist
cave temples richly ornamented with sulpture and carved with paintings.
Empire State Building :
(U.S.A.)
is one of the loftiest buildings in the world; height about 365 metres; it has
102 storeys.
Ernakulam :
in Kerala State is famous for its backwaters.
Fatehpur Sikri :
32
km from Agra; city built by Emperor Akbar in 1569, now deserted.
Fleet Street :
A street
in London running from Temple far east wards to Ludgate Circus. The area (with
adjoining streets) houses the offices, and printing establishments of many of
the leading British newspapers and press agencies.
Gateway of India :
in Mumbai harbour erected in 1911 on
George visit to India.
Gaya :
(Bihar) the place where
Lord Buddha got enlightenment; famous for pilgrimage.
Gibraltar :
British fortress and naval base on west end of
the Mediterranean (extreme south of Spain) key to the Mediterranean.
Golden Temple :
in
Amritsar (Punjab), sacred to the Sikhs.
Gol Gumbaz :
largest Dome in Bijapur (Karnataka).
Gomateswara :
(Karnataka) famous for the 2000 year old
statue of Jain Sage carved out of a single stone.
Great Wall of China :
2400 km long wall; its construction was started by Chinese King Emperor
Shih Hwang.
Gwalior :
in Madhhya Pradesh
famous for its Fort, Tansen Tomb, Rani Laxmi Bai Chhatri.
Hague :
(The Netherlands)
Seat of International Court of Justice; Art galleries.
Hampi :
site ruins of
Vijayanagar - ancient capital of Vijayanagar empire. It is in Karnataka.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon :
one of the Seven Wonders of the World; planted near the Euphrates in 603
B.C.
Hiroshima :
in Central
Honshu (Japan) close to the Island of Light with the famous Shinto temples;
first city destroyed by atom bomb in the Second World War.
Howrah Bridge :
A cantilever
span bridge constructed over the river Hooghly connecting Howrah Railway
Station with Kolkata.
Hyderabad-Secunderabad : Twin city-capital of Andhra Pradesh.It stands on the river
Musi, known for Charminar, Osmania University, Salarjung Museum - one of the
richest and most varied collections in Asia.
India Gate :
A memorial in
New Delhi facing the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Jaipur :
capital of Rajasthan
is famous for pottery, brassware, sculpture, ivory and sandalwood work and jewellery.
Famous for Maharaja palace; Jai Singh observatory. Amber (ancient capital) Hawa
Mahal.
Jallianwala Bagh :
a
garden in Amritsar; scene of massacre of innocent Indians by the British on 13th
April 1919.
Jama Masjid :
(Delhi)
built by Shah Jehan, India biggest mosque.
Jamshedpur :
(Bihar)
centre of iron and steeel industry;Tata Iron and Steel Factory is located here.
Jantar Mantar :
in
Delhi, is an Observatory constructed in 1724 during the days of Maharaja Jai
Singh II of Amber.
Jerusalem :
ancient city and capital of Palestine known as
Holy City. Christ was crucified here.
Jog Falls :
Jog Falls also called Gersoppa
Falls in Karnataka are one of the highest warerfalls in the world. These falls
are formed by the river Sharasvati which takes a big leap down a steep rock
from a height of 253 metres.
Juma Masjid, Mandu :
is in Madhya Pradesh;
it depicts a synthesis of Hindu and Muslim styles in architecture.
Kailasha Temple :
rock-cut temple in
Ellora caves.
Kalpakkam :
near Chennai in Tamil
Nadu is known for Chennai Atomic Power Project (MAPP).
Kanchi or Kancheepuram :
Near Chennai was the ancient capital
of ancient Pallavas; famous for ancient temples.
Kandahar :
This is a town
in Afghanistan where Pakistan backed 5 terrorists and forced the hijacked Indian
Airlines lane IC 814 with 155 passengers and crew a board to land at
Kandahar Airport on a December 25, 1999, keeping them hostage for seven days.
Kanya Kumari :
in Tamil
Nadu, famous temple (the Virgin Goddess) situated at Cape Comorin on the extreme
southern tip of India where the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and the Indian
Ocean meet;
picturesque spot. Vivekananda Rock Memorial Buddha.
Kapilavastu :
small kingdomin
the north of India; associated with Mahatma Buddha.
Kaziranga :
is a Game
Sanctuary in Assam. It is the centre of the great Indian one-horned rhinos.
Khajuraho :
in Madhya Pradesh
famous for the group of highly ornate medieval Hindu temples.
Kodaikanal :
is a town in
Tamil Nadu famous for its Observatory for the study of Solar Physics.
Konarak :
small town 16 km
north of Puri (Orissa) famous for its Black Pagods; Sun Temple.
Kovalam :
is a sea-beach
about 16 km from Trivandrum in Kerala. Developed as a Tourist Resort by India
Tourism Corporation.
Kremlin :
Large fortified
citadel in Moscow, now the headquarters of Russia. The Kremlin, originally built
in 1156 by Yuri, (George) Dolgoruki, price of Suzdal became the centre around
which Moscow has grown.
Qutub Minar :
in Delhi
(88.4 m high) is one of the master - pieces of Indian architecture and art. It
is the biggest minaret in the world. Completed by Altamash in 1232 A.D.
Leaning Tower :
(Pisa,
Italy) 55 metres high.
Lumbini :
birth place of
Buddha. It is in Nepal. The Nepalese Government have plans to develop the place
with the U.N. assistance as an Internatinal Tourist Resort.
Madurai :
in Tamil Nadu,
famous for Meenakshi Temple, dedicated to Lord Siva.