Paiga Tombs: Hyderabad, Telangana. Built of lime and mortar, these tombs are excellent examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture.
Palwal: Haryana. The city of Palwal, located in Faridabad district, has an important place in the history of Haryana. It is believed that the Pandavas spent one year of their secret exile or ‘Agyatwas’ at this place. The Panchvati temple, Draupadi Ghat and the Dau Temple are important religious monuments of this place. It was also at Palwal that Mahatma Gandhi was arrested by the British Government while he was on his visit to Punjab on April 10, 1919 to protest against the killings of the Jalianwala Bagh. To mark this event a ‘Gandhi Sewashram’ was built on the outskirts of the town.
Pachmarhi: Madhya Pradesh. Pachmarhi is a beautiful hill resort girdled by the Satpura ranges. The important tourist attractions at Panchmarhi are Priyadarshini Point, Handi Khoh, Apsara Vihar, Rajat Pratap, Raj Giri, Duchess Fall, Jata Shankar, Chhota Mahadeo, Mahadeo, Chauragarh, Dhupgarh and Pandav Caves.
Paharpur: West Bengal. This place is famous for its Buddhist Sanctuary and represent the largest Buddhist ruins south of the Himalayas.
Panipat: Haryana. This is the place where three great battles were fought. The place is famous for Ibrahim Lodi’s tomb; Kabuli Shah mosque (built by Babar and named after his wife Kabuli Begum); Chabutara Fateh Mubarak near the mosque; Jain temples in Holi Mohalla and shrine of saint Abu Ali Kalandar.
Parasurama Kshetras: Karnataka. The seven muktisthalas of Karnataka, Udupi, Kollur, Subrahmanya, Kumbasi, Kodeshwara, Sankaranarayana and Gokarna are described as Parasurama Kshetras as they were believed to have been created on the land reclaimed from the sea by Parasurama. Gokarna is one of the celebrated Shiva temples in Karnataka, enshrining the Atma Lingam.
Parasnath Hills: Jharkhand. Located in Hazaribagh, these were the abodes of the Jain Tirthankaras, most of whom had attained salvation here including Parsvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara.
Pataliputra: Bihar. Located in modern Patna, it was the capital city of the Mauryas. The Third Buddhist Council was held here during Ashoka’s reign. It was also the venue of the First Jain Council in 4 B.C.
Patiala: Punjab. It was a Sikh principality founded by Baba Ala Singh in 1764 AD but became famous under its 8th Maharaja Bhupender Singh. Important places in Patiala include the Motibagh Palace (built by Maharaja Narinder Singh) with its Sheesh Mahal and Hall of Mirrors and the Motibagh Gurudwara.
Patna: Bihar. The modern Patna, which is known in history by several names like Kusumpur, Pushpapur, Patliputra and Azeemabad, saw the rise and fall of India’s earliest major kingdoms. Its period of glory spanned a thousand years, from 6th century B.C. to 6th century A.D. Ajatashatru, the second Magadh king, built a small fort at Patligram at the confluence of river Ganges and Sone. This later became the famous Mauryan metropolis of Pataliputra and was ruled by Chandragupta Maurya and his grandson Ashoka. Other emperors who ruled from Patna were the Gupta and Pala Kings, Sher Shah Suri (16th century) and Azimush-Shan (18th century), grandson of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who renamed it Azeemabad. The important historic places of Patna include: Agam Kuan; Gol Ghar; Har Mandir (Built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a ruler of Punjab, it is one of the holiest Sikh shrines, being the birthplace of the tenth religious Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh); Jalan Museum; Khuda Baksh Oriental Library; Kumrahar; Padri Ki Haveli; Patthar Ki Masjid (also known as Saif Khan’s Mosque, Chimni Ghat Mosque or Sangi Masjid); Sadaqat Ashram (It has a museum having personal belongings of the first President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad); the Birla Mandir, Nawab Shahib-ka-Maqbara, Paschim Darwaza and Begu Hajjam’s mosque.
Pattadakal: Karnataka. Referred to as ‘Petrigal’ by Ptolemy, Pattadakal was later known variously as ‘Raktapura’ (Red Town) and ‘Pattadakal Kisuvolal’. It is famous for the early Chalukyan temples. The Verupaksha and the Sangameshwara temples are famous.
Pawapuri: Bihar. The Pawapuri or Apapuri, located about 90 kilometres from Patna, is a great pilgrimage centre of the Jains. Mahavira had delivered his last sermon here, took Mahaparinirvana and was cremated here. Jalamandir, the white marble temple in the middle of a lake, is a centre of Jain pilgrimage, along with the Samosharan temple.
Pitalkhora: Maharashtra. Pitalkhora is an early Buddhist site, which has first century B.C. sculpture remains, and fifth century painting remains. The site has yielded many unusual sculptures, including wonderful yaksa figures.
Piprahawa: Uttar Pradesh. A village located in the Siddharthnagar district is identified as Kapilavastu, the capital of the Sakya clan to which Buddha belonged.
Plassey: West Bengal. It was an important battlefield associated with Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula, who fought a valiant but unsuccessful battle against the British in 1757.
Pudukkottai: Tamil Nadu. Pudukkottai was a Princely state in the 17th Century A.D. It has rich reserves of archaeological and cultural remains at Kodumbalur, Narthamalai, Kudumianmalai, Kunnandarkoil, Sittannavasal, Thirumayam and Avudaiyarkoil. The nearby Sittannavasal has a rock cut Jain cave temple dating back to 2nd Century BC. There are a few sculptures of Jain Thirthankaras in the Ardhamandapam and inner shrine of the Cave temple. Kudumianmalai, located about 20 kms from Pudukkottai, has a beautifully sculptured temple with a thousand pillar-hall dedicated to Sikhagireeswarar. Avur is renowned for the old chapel constructed in 1547 A.D. and the new Roman Catholic Church constructed in 1747 A.D.
Pune: Maharashtra. Pune can be considered as the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Shivneri, near Pune, was the birthplace of Shivaji. The Peshwas enriched the city with temples, gardens and educational institutions. It was at Pune that Bal Gangadhar Tilak introduced the principle of Swadeshi during the freedom movement. Pune is famous for the Aga Khan Palace (it has the samadhi of Kasturba Gandhi), Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, Lal Deval or the Jewish Synagogue built by David Sassoon in 1867, Iyengar Yoga Institute, Shanirwada (built in 1736, this was once the palace of the Peshwa rulers), Saras Baug, Bund Gardens, National Defense Academy, Panshet Lake, Bund Gardens (Mahatma Gandhi Udyan), Parvati and Devdeveshwar temples, Osho Teerth, Pataleshwar cave Temple and Mahadaji Shinde’s Chhatri. Jejuri, near Pune is known for its Khandoba temple.
Purana Qila: New Delhi. It is site where the second Mughal emperor Humayun made a city called Dinpanah (refuge of the faithful). When Sher Shah Suri overthrew Humayun, he rebuilt the city and called it Dilli Sher Shahi or Shergarh. The Purana Qila has three main gates – the Humayun darwaza, Talaqi darwaza and Bara darwaza. Many believe that the Purana Qila is the site of the legendary city of Indraprastha. Excavations at the Purana Qila have yielded Painted Grey Ware pottery belonging to 1000 B.C. and coins of the Gupta (about 4-5th century A.D.) and post-Gupta periods. The Qila-i-kuhna masjid built by Sher Shah Suri in 1541A.D. is one of the most fascinating buildings in the Purana Qila.
Purani Haveli: Hyderabad, Telangana. Built by the first Nizam of Hyderabad, it is a large building surrounded by high walls where the Nizam used to hold his cabinet council meetings.
Pushkar: Rajasthan. Located about 11km from Ajmer city in Rajasthan, it is believed to be the only place in the world where a Brahma Temple (Jagat Shri Brahma Temple) is found. Other important places include Boraji temple, Old Rangnathji temple, Rangnathji temple, Apteshwar Mahadeo Temple, Warrach Temple, Man Mahal and Pushkar Lake. A cattle fair is held every year at Pushkar on the Karthik Poornima.
Puttaparthi: Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Anantapur district and is an internationally famous place of worship associated with the spiritual and religious head Shri Satya Sai Baba.
Qadam-i-Rasoool: Odisha. Literally meaning “the foot-print of the Prophet”, it is a small shrine in the city of Cuttack built by Nawab Shujauddin Khan, the deputy Nizam of Orissa in 1715 A.D. The architecture is a blend of Hindu and Afghan style of architecture. It is believed that the shrine shelters the footprints of Prophet Muhammad on a circular stone in its central mosque.
Quilon: Kerala. It is an ancient city dating back to 9th century A.D. The Malayalam era is calculated from the date of the foundation of this town.
Qutub Minar: Delhi. The Qutub Minar, a huge tower located in Mehrauli, was built in the honour of the famous saint Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtyar Kaki. It was started in 1192 A.D. by Qutub-ud-din Aibak but completed by Iltutmish in 1230 A.D. It is hit by lightening twice – first during the reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq and again during Feroze Shah Tughlaq’s time. It was renovated by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 1369 A.D. after it was damaged by lightening. The diameter of the Qutub Minar is 14.32m at the base and about 2.75m at the top. It measures a height of 72.5m and contains a spiral staircase of 379 steps. The Alai Darwaza, near Qutub Minar, was built by Allaudin Khilji in 1311 A.D.
Qutub Shahi Tombs: Hyderabad, Telangana. These are a cluster of six magnificent tombs situated a kilometer north of Golconda Fort’s Banjara Darwaza built in a unique architectural style which is a mixture of Persian, Pathan and Hindu forms. The tomb of the fifth king of the Qutub Shahi dynasty and founder of Hyderabad – Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah is one of the largest and most imposing of these monuments.
Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid: Delhi. The Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid was started in 1192 A.D. by Qutub-ud-din Aibak but was finished four years later. It is considered as the earliest mosque in India. The mosque has beautiful Islamic calligraphy, the arabesque designs and pillars with pre-Islamic Hindu motifs. The tomb of Imam Zamim, who was the Imam of the mosque during Sikander Lodi’s time, is located in the mosque compound. It also has within its precincts an uncorroded Iron Pillar.
Please click on the alphabet to see places and monuments of cultural importance: