World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India Book

This book was researched through personal visits to World Heritage sites in India and the monuments associated with them, to enjoy the depiction of human beauty in decorative sculpture and architecture and the narration of mythology therein.

A brief introduction to the principal religious groups who have made their home in this dynamic region leads into a description of the developmental stages of various architectural components and artistic styles in the different regions over the past 1500 years, from pre-historic cave art and ancient temples to the Taj Mahal, which was declared a World Heritage Monument in 1983. The fifth Mughal emperor, Shahjahan (1628-1657), built the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

More recently, Christian churches such as those in Goa were built under Western influence. The author details the technological and artistic progress of Indian scultpture and Indian temple construction in the context of cultural and religious shifts throughout history.