Monument questions are usually “Who built it?” or “Where is it?“. Learn the builder with the place, and you can answer both kinds. Here is my list of the most asked ones.
In this post (6 sections)
TemplesFortsMonumentsExam-ready one-linersRelated readingQuiz: test yourselfTemples
| Temple | Place | Built by / fact |
|---|---|---|
| Brihadeeswarar | Thanjavur, TN | Rajaraja Chola I (about 1010 CE); World Heritage |
| Meenakshi Amman | Madurai, TN | Tall gopurams; rebuilt by the Nayaks |
| Ramanathaswamy | Rameswaram, TN | Longest temple corridor in India |
| Sun Temple | Konark, Odisha | Narasimhadeva I (Eastern Ganga dynasty, 13th century) |
| Jagannath | Puri, Odisha | Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva (Eastern Ganga); Rath Yatra |
| Lingaraj | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | Somavamshi/Ganga period; Kalinga architecture |
| Khajuraho temples | Madhya Pradesh | Chandela rulers |
| Dilwara (Jain) | Mount Abu, Rajasthan | Marble carving; Vimal Shah and Vastupala-Tejpala |
| Ranakpur (Jain) | Rajasthan | 1,444 carved pillars (approx) |
| Sun Temple | Modhera, Gujarat | Solanki king Bhima I |
| Virupaksha | Hampi, Karnataka | Vijayanagara period |
| Kailasa (Cave 16) | Ellora, Maharashtra | Krishna I (Rashtrakuta); cut from a single rock |
| Kamakhya | Guwahati, Assam | Shakti peeth on Nilachal hill |
| Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) | Amritsar, Punjab | Foundation by Guru Arjan Dev |
| Kashi Vishwanath | Varanasi, UP | Present temple built by Ahilyabai Holkar (1780) |
| Somnath | Gujarat | Rebuilt after Independence (1951) |
| Ram Mandir | Ayodhya, UP | Consecration on 22 January 2024 |
Forts
| Fort | State | Built by / fact |
|---|---|---|
| Red Fort | Delhi | Shah Jahan (1639–48) |
| Agra Fort | Uttar Pradesh | Akbar |
| Chittorgarh | Rajasthan | Largest fort in India; Rani Padmini, Mirabai |
| Kumbhalgarh | Rajasthan | Rana Kumbha; very long fort wall |
| Mehrangarh | Jodhpur, Rajasthan | Rao Jodha (1459) |
| Amber | Jaipur, Rajasthan | Raja Man Singh I |
| Jaisalmer (Sonar Qila) | Rajasthan | Rawal Jaisal; a “living fort” with people inside |
| Golconda | Hyderabad, Telangana | Kakatiyas; expanded by the Qutb Shahis |
| Raigad | Maharashtra | Shivaji’s capital; coronation in 1674 |
| Daulatabad (Devagiri) | Maharashtra | Yadavas; Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted capital here |
| Gwalior | Madhya Pradesh | Man Singh Tomar’s palace |
| Gingee | Tamil Nadu | Part of the Maratha Military Landscapes |
Monuments
| Monument | Place | Built by |
|---|---|---|
| Qutb Minar | Delhi | Started by Qutbuddin Aibak, completed by Iltutmish |
| Charminar | Hyderabad | Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1591) |
| Gol Gumbaz | Vijayapura (Bijapur), Karnataka | Muhammad Adil Shah; whispering gallery |
| Buland Darwaza | Fatehpur Sikri, UP | Akbar, after his Gujarat victory |
| Taj Mahal | Agra, UP | Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal |
| Hawa Mahal | Jaipur | Sawai Pratap Singh (1799) |
| Victoria Memorial | Kolkata | Designed by William Emerson |
| India Gate | Delhi | Edwin Lutyens; memorial to soldiers of WWI |
| Gateway of India | Mumbai | Built 1924 for the visit of King George V |
| Sanchi Stupa | Madhya Pradesh | Ashoka |
| Statue of Unity | Kevadia, Gujarat | 182 m; Sardar Patel; tallest statue in the world |
Exam-ready one-liners
- Brihadeeswarar temple was built by Rajaraja Chola I.
- Konark’s Sun Temple was built by Narasimhadeva I.
- The Kailasa temple at Ellora was built by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I.
- Charminar was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591.
- Buland Darwaza marks Akbar’s Gujarat victory.
Related reading
Quiz: test yourself
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Compiled from ASI and standard history references; some dates are approx.
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