NALANDA UNIVERSITY

Nalanda, founded in the 5th century AD, is famous as the ancient seat of learning. The ruins of the world's most ancient university lies here which is 62 km from Bodhgaya and 90 km south of Patna. Though the Buddha visited Nalanda several times during his lifetime, this famous center of Buddhist learning shot to fame much later, during 5th-12th centuries. Hieun Tsang stayed here in the 7th century AD and left detailed description of the excellence of education system and purity of monastic life practiced here. He also gave a vivid account of both the ambiance and architecture of this unique university of ancient times. In this first residential international university of the world, 2,000 teachers and 10,000 monks students from all over the Buddhist world lived and studied here. The Gupta kings patronized these monasteries, built in old Kushan architectural style, in a row of cells around a courtyard. Emperor Ashoka and Harshavardhana were some of its most celebrated patrons who built temples, monasteries and viharas here. Recent excavations have unearthed elaborate structures here. An International Center for Buddhist Studies was established here in 1951. Nearby is Biharsharif, where an annual urs is celebrated at the Dargah or tomb of Malik Ibrahim Baya. Baragaon, 2 km away has a sun temple, famous for Chhath puja. To be visited are Nalanda museum & Nava Nalanda Mahavihar in addition to the great ruins.

Chettinad Palace, Tamilnadu

Located 10 km from Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, the Chettinad Palace was designed and constructed by Dr Annamali Chettiyar, founder of the Indian Bank and the Annamalai University in Chidambaram. Moat of the construction materials, decorative items and furnishings used to construct Chettinad Palace were imported
from East Asian countries and Europe. All the mansions have lovely teak, marble or granite pillars supporting a spacious verandah. The hall leads to the central courtyard, used for weddings and religious ceremonies erstwhile. At the corner of the courtyard is a room for worship where Rani Seethai Achi, wife of Dr Annamalai Chettiyar, spent most of her time.

Vellore Fort, tamilnadu

Located 125 km west of Madras in Tamil Nadu, the outer length of the Vellore Fort is about 758 m high and 455 m wide. The height of the outer wall is about 9 feet and the breadth is about 8 m. The Sultan of Bijapur seized Vellore by the middle of the 17th century. In 1676, the fort was captured by the Marathas who were in turn ousted by Daud Khan of Delhi in 1708. The temple and the fort were brought under the control of ASI in 1921. The fort is considered to one of the most perfect specimens of military architecture