Hindu monuments of Vedic and Classical Times
Pre-Aryan structures are still to be found in sites like Kalibangan. Although most cities and palaces mentioned in epic and classical literature cannot be traced exactly, there is such profuse mention of them that they cannot all be discarded as mythical or imaginary. In the Ramayana, the city of Ayodhy was said to have high walls, high-steepled houses, and big assembly halls. The city of Lanka had decorative structures and high walls, all made of gold. In Mahabharata, cities like Indraprastha (said to be the site of modern Delhi), Dwaraka, or Magadha are all stated to have developed forms of architecture. Kalidasa's works refer to buildings with lime-washed walls, several storeys, and lattice-worked balconies. Ancient texts like the Vedas, the Puranas, the Grihyasutras and the Manasara contain advanced ideas regarding architecture.
Later Hindu Monuments
At Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, there is a temple to goddess Parvati in a virgin form. At Hampi in Karnataka, lie the ruins of the capital of the Vijayanagara empire. In Mahabalipuram,there are picturesque stone-sculpted temples on the seashore. At Madurai, Tamil Nadu, there is a colossal temple with gates called gopurams and a hall supported by a thousand pillars which give out music when struck. Tirupati Venkateshwara in Andhra Pradesha, is a hilltop temple said to be the richest in India. Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh has wonderfully carved temples to almost all the Hindu deities. At Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, there are many famous temples (like the Lingaraja temple) representing through their carvings the relationship between man, nature and God. At Konark, also in Orissa, there stands the magnificent Sun temple in the form of a chariot with 24 wheels. India's oldest fort, the Gwalior fort towers 100 m above the town of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan is dotted with forts of great beauty, Ambar, Jaisalmer, Chittor and so on.
The Hawa Mahal palace at Jaipur, Rajasthan, with its filigreed redstone balconies is a memorable monument. The Lakshmi Narayan temple built in 1938 in Delhi by the industrialist G.D. Birla is a storehouse of Hindu architectural styles.