Ancient city in the jungle of India. Ancient cities of India: Green Fort Mirjan

Cities are considered abandoned when the locals leave them and never return there, leaving him forever to “live out” his days alone. The reason for this may be wars, migrations, natural disasters, but in any case, these places remain forever in history, keep the secret of the centuries and the spirit of the people who lived on the territory, and, of course, are waiting in the wings, when one day they will be discovered by archaeologists and about the whole world knows them. Some of these cities remain forever unknown, some live only as a legend. Reality or myth, below are the most attractive and mysterious cities known to archaeologists, historians and tourists around the world.

Perhaps, of all the abandoned cities that have ever been found or studied, the distant Machu Picchu is rightfully considered the most mysterious and unexplored. The city, located alone near the Urubamba Valley in Peru, was never found or robbed until historian Giram Bingham visited it one day in 1911, and since then the whole world has learned about the abandoned city. It is now known that Machu Picchu was divided into districts, where more than 140 different stone-walled buildings were built. It is said that the ancient area first appeared in 1400 thanks to the Inca tribe. And 100 years later, the city was left forever, probably for the reason that a terrible smallpox epidemic brought from Europe hit Machu Picchu. There was also a lot of controversy as to why the Incas built the city in such a strange place. Some researchers claimed that this place was sacred, while others said that Machu Picchu was used as a prison, but recent excavations have shown that the mysterious city was simply built by order of the Inca emperor named Pachacuti, and it was built specifically near the mountains, which corresponded to the ancient astrological mythology of the Inca tribe.

Everyone has ever heard of the legendary sunken island of Atlantis. Now the stories about Atlantis are recognized as just a myth created by the philosopher Plato in 360 BC. Plato described an island with an advanced civilization and powerful sea power. He claimed that Atlantis occupied a large territory of Europe, until, due to natural disasters, he went to the seabed forever. Plato's story is considered only a fiction, but nevertheless, his description of an ancient and strong civilization was so impressive that many travelers and writers went to distant lands in search of the mysterious Atlantis.

The Roman city of Pompeii was once destroyed in 79 AD. after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. At that time, the population of the city exceeded 20,000 people. After the volcanic eruption, the ruins stood for about 1700 years, until finally, in 1748, they were discovered by a team of workers who were building a palace for the king of Naples. Since then, Pompeii has become the subject of attention of archaeologists and historians around the world. It's funny, but it was thanks to the volcano Vesuvius that the architecture of the city was preserved. Found on the territory of the ancient city of Pompeii, a huge number of frescoes and sculptures give a clear idea to modern scientists about the lifestyle of Ancient Rome.

One of the regions of Cambodia called Angkor was also the seat of the Khmer Empire from 800 AD. before 1400 AD The region was on the brink of destruction when the Thai army invaded in 1431. Thus, once a powerful city with a huge territory and thousands of Buddhist castles was abandoned and overgrown with jungle. The existence of the abandoned city was not known for a long time, until one day in 1800 a group of French archaeologists found it. He carefully studied it and skillfully restored it. As big as Los Angeles, Angkor and its surroundings have since become known as the largest pre-industrial city in the world, and its famous temple, Angkor Wat, is considered the largest religious building ever built.

Found in 3100 BC, Memphis was considered the capital of ancient Egypt. For hundreds of years it was the center of civilization, until the city fell into decay with the advent of Alexandria. During its heyday, Memphis had a population of over 30,000, making it the largest city in antiquity. Over the years, the exact location of the abandoned city was also rubbed off, until one day it was discovered during the Napoleonic expedition in 1700. It was from that time that a detailed study of sphinxes, statues and tombs began for the first time. Some important parts of the city have remained unexplored by historians and archaeologists.

King Zipa used to decorate his body with golden sand, which he then washed off himself in the sacred lake of Guatavita. This old tradition of the Muisca, the Ancient Civilization of South America, became the basis for the legend of El Dorado.
One of the most famous of all legendary places, the empire of El Dorado was but a myth. It was assumed that she first appeared in the jungles of South America. Translated from Spanish, this word means "golden". It was said that the king ruled in this city, and he had an unmeasured amount of gold and diamonds. During the conquests, El Dorado became the subject of attention from the barbarians. In the thick of the jungle, where, according to the stories, this mysterious place was located, several expeditions were carried out, including the famous expedition led by Gonzalo Pizarro in 1541, but they never found traces of the distant El Dorado, as well as gold and diamonds.

Petra is probably the most beautiful city on our list. It is located in Jordan, in the Dead Sea region and is considered the center of trade of the Ancient Nabatian Kingdom. Most impressive is its exquisite stone architecture, carved from the rocks of the surrounding mountains. Thanks to this, the ancient city was well fortified. It is still unknown what technologies were used at that time to create such a masterpiece. This city flourished for hundreds of years, but the conquests of the Romans, volcanic eruptions gradually destroyed Petra until it completely turned into a lost area and stood in the desert for years. In 1812, it was first discovered to the world by the Swiss explorer Johann Burckhard, and since then, ancient Petra has attracted crowds of tourists from all over the world year after year.

The lost city of Z was supposed to be located in the deepest jungles of Brazil, and was even said to be quite advanced. There were bridges, and roads, and temples. Talk about the mysterious city began thanks to a document that was found by a Portuguese explorer who claimed to have seen the place in 1753, but nonetheless, no one else found traces of its existence. The Lost Place became even more famous due to the fact that the English traveler Percy Fawcett, who has since disappeared without a trace, took up the search for it.

A place made famous by Homer's epic poems. Troy was the first legendary city located on the territory of modern Turkey. It is here, according to legend, that the Trojan War took place. Troy was the most fortified and protected place, located on a hill near the river with the ancient name of Scamander. Due to the fact that Troy was located on the coast, it was protected from sea attacks, and the plains located near it contributed to the development of agriculture. At first, the existence of ancient Troy was also classified as a myth, until one day in 1870, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schiliman unearthed this city. Unfortunately, today this area has become unattractive, the reason for which was the constant excavation and robbery of tourists.

The city of the Caesars, also known as the "Wandering City" or the city of Pantagonia, is just a myth, according to which this mysterious place was located at the extreme point of South America, in the region of modern Pantagonia. The abandoned city was never found and therefore it is considered nothing more than a legend. At first they said that the Spaniards, who had been shipwrecked, found it, they found there a huge amount of gold and diamonds. It was even said that 10-meter giants lived in this mysterious city. They also said that ghosts lived on the territory of the city of the Caesars, who constantly appeared and disappeared.

While enjoying the amazing nature and cultural richness of India, one should not forget about the lost cities. Despite the fact that these cities fell as a result of wars and natural disasters, their majesty has survived to this day, thanks to the surviving temples, museums and galleries in which the surviving art objects are presented. Let's enjoy time travel together.

Virupaksha temple in Hampi.

The dynasties of princes Harihara and Bukka Raya founded Vijayanagara in 1336. This mighty city was the capital of the empire. The golden years of this Indian region fell on the years 1509-1529. The city was surrounded by hills on three sides, and the Tungabhadra River flowed on the fourth. Like many other powerful empires, the empire eventually fell under the onslaught of the Deccan Sultan in 1565. Agricultural wealth brought great material benefits to the empire through international trade. The ruins of the city now have World Heritage status and surround modern-day Hampi in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

A tree in the courtyard of the Vitthala temple.

The seven-storied building in the photo is now the Sillappathikara Art Gallery. Puhar is a city in the Nagapattinami district, in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu. In ancient times, this city was called the prosperous capital of kings. Located at the mouth of the Kaveri River, the city served as a large trading center, where goods brought from afar were unloaded. The legendary city is mentioned in many songs, in poetry, in the heroic epic. The history of the city is well described in the epics Silapathikaram and Manimekalai. Scientists believe that the cause of the destruction of the city was the tsunami.

Muziris is the Greco-Roman name of an ancient port city located off the coast of Malabar (South India). Excavations in 2004 proved that trade was carried out from this port with Western Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It is believed that the city was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century AD.

The ancient city of Lothal, or rather its remains, can be found in the state of Gujatat. Known since 2400 BC, this lost city is one of the most important archaeological sites in India. It was discovered in 1954 and excavated between 1955 and 1960. The city was also a major trading port.

Kalibangan.

Kalibangan is located on the south bank of the Ghaggar district in the state of Rajasthan. Known as the site of the earliest system of plowing an agricultural field (c. 2800 BC). Scientists came to the conclusion that the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 2600 BC, but after that the 2nd stage of the settlement took place, which was unsuccessful due to the gradual and irreversible drying up of the river.

Surcotada.

Surkotada is located in Kutch district, Gujarat. The ancient burial mound is surrounded by sandy hills and red soil, giving the whole area a reddish-brown color. The Lost City was discovered in 1964. Among the attractions of India, these lost cities are far from the last place.

Pattadakal. Pattadakal temple.

Pattadakal is a city located on the banks of the Malaprabha River in the northern state of Karnataka. The group of ten monuments from the 8th century AD includes majestic temples, a monolithic stone pillar and a Jain sanctuary.

Orchha literally means "lost place", which is quite consistent with the name of the city. Perhaps due to its abandonment, the city retained its main historical monuments in troubled times and today is considered one of the best preserved medieval cities in India. Orchha is rightly called the architectural gem of India, each of its monuments bears the imprint of the glorious history of a bygone era. An impressive fortress, grandiose palaces, majestic temples and cenotaphs scattered throughout the city retain their monumental grandeur and recreate the atmosphere of medieval India, despite their rather dilapidated state. With the beginning of the development of the tourism industry, a stream of tourists reached here. Having visited this small and quiet town, you will never regret the time spent here.

Orchha: general information

The verdant strip of land on the banks of the Betwa River so captivated the Rajput prince Rudra Pratap Singh that in 1501 he founded a new city here, which was destined to become the capital of one of the largest and most powerful principalities in Central India. Orchha flourished during the reign of Bir Singh Deo (1605-1627), as evidenced by the surviving palaces and temples. Then the city began to decline after devastating wars with the armies of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Subsequent wars with the Marathas (Orchha and Datia were the only principalities not conquered by the Marathas) in the 18th century finally undermined the once prosperous capital of Bundelkhand and the rulers of the Bundela dynasty left it in 1783. Since that time, the city has been lost in the middle of the forest and hills, turned out to be useless to anyone, because it did not occupy a strategically important position, was not located on important trade routes and communications.

Despite Coca-Cola umbrellas outside restaurants and signs advertising Indian cuisine, Orchha seems to have changed little since the days of the Bundel dynasty. In this small town with a population of about 10,000 people, freed from the worldly bustle, there are no traffic jams and congestion, noisy streets, the hands of beggars and beggars do not reach out to visiting tourists, street vendors do not demonstrate their impudence and impudence. All historical monuments of the city are located next to each other, within sight. A visit to this ancient capital of Bundelkhand, with palaces and temples from the 16th and 17th centuries located on the banks of the Betwa River, gives a good idea of ​​what the epoch of the "Maharajas of India" has sunk into oblivion.

More than 400 years ago, the fortress and palaces of this glorious city in central India saw many battles with the invading Mughal armies and internecine wars. Today, bloody battles have receded into history, but for the surviving historical monuments of Orchha, like many other ancient cities and towns throughout India, the destructive and inexorable action of time has become enemy number one. Today, the vast complex of palaces and temples is in an extremely dilapidated state, having become a habitat for monkeys, bats, scorpions, rats and even snakes. The situation is aggravated by the neglect and vandalism of local residents, who have significantly devastated the once magnificent palaces.

Today, Orchha greets its visitors with peeling and abandoned historical monuments. However, buses bring tourists here every day. Some visit the city on their way to Jhansi, others stop here on their way to Khajuraho. Orchha is conveniently located on the way to the world-famous Khajuraho temples (about 200 km away), famous for their erotic sculpture. Most foreign tourists who come here rarely stay longer than a few hours. But the beautiful, albeit dilapidated, historical monuments of the city are well worth spending much more time with.

Attractions in Orchha

Situated on a rocky island in the middle of the Betwa River, the city's fortress is one of India's most beautiful architectural heritage from the Mughal era, with numerous arches, domes and towers soaring into the sky - a real delight for lovers of this kind of architecture. The fortress-palace includes a whole complex of magnificent palaces: Jehangir Mahal, Raj Mahal and Rai Praveen Mahal.

Raj Mahal

This is how the Raj Mahal Palace looks like from the bridge over the Betwa River (pictured above), connecting the modern city with the ancient fortress. The construction of the Raj Mahal was started by the founder of Orchha, Rudra Pratap Singh, and completed by his heir, Madhukar Shah. Built in the shape of a square divided into two courtyards, the palace is a typical example of Mughal architecture.

Jahangir Mahal

This most famous and richly decorated palace was built by order of Bir Singh Deo in 1606. Bir Singh Deo helped Jahangir ascend the throne after the death of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. As a sign of gratitude, Jahangir visited his friend, and in honor of the visit of the new Mughal emperor, a palace was built with famous balconies, terraces, graceful domes and stone elephants. A unique feature of the palace is the equal number of floors below and above ground.

Rai Praveen Mahal

The Rai Praveen Mahal Palace was built by Raja Indramani in 1675 for his concubine Rai Praveen. A poetess and a musician, Rai Praveen made legends about her beauty and talent. It is said that Emperor Akbar himself wished her to come to him in Delhi. According to legend, she made such a strong impression on Akbar with her deep feelings for Indramani that he let her go back to Orchha. In the photo above: Chaturbhuj temple on the right, Jahangir Mahal on the left, small Rai Praveen Mahal is located almost in the center.

Lakshmi Narayan Temple

One of the three most famous temples of Orchha is dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of abundance, prosperity and wealth. The Lakshmi Narayan Temple was originally built around 1622, then rebuilt in 1793. The design of the building combines elements of fortification architecture, such a fortress-temple. The Lakshminarayan Temple is one of the few Hindu temples in India built in the shape of a triangle. The interiors of the religious building are covered with very beautiful frescoes.

Chaturbhuj Temple

The Chaturbhuj temple in Orchha looks more like a Christian basilica due to the unusual design of the structure in the shape of a cross. The absence of a large number of carved decorations, so characteristic of Hindu temples, is striking. Chaturbhuj was built by Raja Madhukar at the insistence of his wife, Maharani Ganesh Kunwar, between 1558 and 1573. It was originally planned to install a statue of Rama in the temple, which was kept in the palace of Ram Raja during the construction period. According to legend, at the end of construction, the statue was chained to its place, and it was impossible to lift it to move it from the palace to the temple, so Chaturbhuj was dedicated to the god Vishnu.

Cenotaphs

The 14 cenotaphs built along the banks of the Betwa River in honor of the deceased rulers of the Bundela dynasty still retain their grandeur (cenotaph: a tombstone erected not on the burial site). You can climb up the cenotaphs and admire the panorama of Orchha and the surrounding area.

The beautiful city deserves to show some more photos here

Vijayanagara - the most famous abandoned, located near the city of Bellary. It was the capital of the Vijayanagar Empire from 1336 until 1565. It was captured and destroyed by Islamic sultans and gradually overgrown with jungle. The village is located among its ruins.
Khajuraho - this one was built from the 9th to the 12th century AD. (At that time, the Chandela dynasty ruled). A huge complex, which consisted of the most beautiful temples and was not completely preserved. Once upon a time, 85 temples were located on the territory of Khajuraho. Religious buildings were made a religious capital. Only twenty-five architectural monuments have survived to this day, the rest are in ruins. The city was abandoned in the thirteenth century and accidentally discovered in 1838.



Fatihpur Sikri, its ancient part, is a real city of monkeys. In the 16th century, the city was the capital of the Mughal Empire. Fatihpur Sikri was a most beautiful city with a large number of architectural monuments and a huge population, but the mistake of the builders turned out to be fatal. When the construction was completed, the residents began to have problems with water. And gradually they left it, and after some time the city became a ghost, and it was inhabited by monkeys.
The city of Pataliputra was the capital and cultural center of the Shugun, Gupta, Mauryan, and Nand empires. During the reign of the Guptas, the city fell into disrepair and surrendered to the mercy of the jungle.


At present, the city of Patna stands here, more than 1.5 million inhabitants live in it. Everyone can visit the ruins, which are located on the outskirts, the Agam Kuan well, which is considered to be bottomless, and Kamhrar of the Ashoka era.
Mandu or Shadiabad is another ancient Indian city and it stood until the middle of the sixteenth century, like many other cities in India, this city fell into disrepair, its inhabitants left it, and gradually the city surrendered to the mercy of the jungle. Well-preserved fortresses, mausoleums and palaces of Shadiabad attract lovers of antiquities and tourists to these places. It makes a truly lasting impression.

While the Taj Mahal shines with majestic marble brilliance, the Meenakshi Amman temple is full of bright colors. It is located in the South East Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the city of Madurai, which is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world, having been functioning for more than two thousand years.

Photo: Pabloneco on Flickr

Photo: Bryce Edwards on Flickr

It is based on something extraordinary - the temple of the Hindu goddess Parvati, the wife of the god Shiva. The entire temple complex is guarded by towers known as gopuras. The tallest of these is the south tower, which was erected in 1559 and is over 170 feet high. And the eastern tower, founded in 1216, is considered the oldest, that is, it was built several centuries before Columbus went to discover distant lands.

Jantar Mantar

Photo: Guy Incognito on Flickr

The remarkable complex of buildings is similar to the scenery for a planet far from Earth from a sci-fi blockbuster. But in fact, these are instruments developed and used in Jaipur to observe celestial bodies. They were built by order of the Maharaja in the first decades of the 18th century and are still in use today.

Photo: McKay Savage on Flickr

Photo: Philip Cope on Flickr

Jai Singh II was born in 1688 and became Maharaja at the age of eleven, but inherited a kingdom that was on the verge of impoverishment. The kingdom of Amber (later Jaipur) was in a desperate situation, the cavalry numbered less than a thousand people. But on his thirtieth birthday, the ruler built Jantar-Mantar.

Kumbhalgarh - Great Indian Wall

It is the second largest continuous wall on our planet. Some call it by the name of the fort it surrounds - Kumbalgarh, and others - the Great Wall of China of India. Surprisingly, such an outstanding building is little known outside of its region.

Photo: Lamentables on Flickr

Photo: Beth on Flickr

The wall stretches for 36 kilometers. In many images, you can mistake it for the Great Wall of China. However, there were many centuries and cultural differences between them. Work on the creation of Kumbhalgarh did not begin until 1443 - just fifty years before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to make amazing discoveries on its other side.

Temple of Karni Mata

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From the outside, the Hindu temple of Karni Mata, located in the small town of Deshnok in the Indian province of Rajasthan, looks just like any other. But the beautifully and exquisitely decorated shrine, with a constant stream of worshipers, holds a surprise for unsuspecting visitors. The temple is inhabited by thousands of rats.

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Rodents are not random inhabitants of the temple. Parishioners take special care of food for rats, as they are here in memory of the legendary woman - Karni Mata.

Jodhpur - the blue city of India

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Travelers traverse the arid landscapes of the Thar Desert in the Indian state of Rajasthan to reach this place. It seems that here the sky fell to the ground and everything became one color - blue. Jodhpur stretches before you like blue treasures in the middle of the desert.

Photo: Christopher Walker on Flickr

Photo: Il Fatto on Flickr

According to one version, the population of the Blue City paints their houses in various shades of blue due to the caste system prevailing in India. Brahmins belong to the highest Indian caste, and the blue color distinguishes their dwellings from other people.

Leh Palace

Photo: watchsmart on Flickr

In the early years of the seventeenth century, the King of the Kingdom of Ladakh, Senge Namgyal, ordered the construction of this huge palace. It is located on the top of the Himalayas in the city of Leh, currently the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The building served as the home of a dynasty of rulers until they were overthrown and expelled in 1834. Since then, the lofty Lekh Palace has been abandoned. Nevertheless, it rises majestically in this region of India, which is often called Little Tibet.

Photo: teseum on Flickr

Photo: Matt Werner on Flickr

Supposedly it was modeled after the more famous Potala Palace in neighboring Tibet, which served as the residence of the Dalai Lama until 1959, when he left the country. The Leh Palace is smaller than the Potala Palace, but its nine-story structure is still impressive. The upper floors were occupied by King Namgyal, his family and crowds of courtiers. The lower floors housed servants, storage rooms and stables.

Living bridges of Meghalaya

Photo: Ashwin Mudigonda on Flickr

Our understanding of India, with its population of over a billion people, is often limited by statistics. However, there are places in this subcontinent that still remain virtually inaccessible. The state of Meghalaya in the northeast of the country is replete with subtropical forests. To move around in this area, the locals resorted to an ingenious form of natural engineering - living bridges made of roots.

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Photo: ARshiya Bose on Flickr

With every rain, fording through the rivers becomes very dangerous, and this is one of the wettest places on the planet. Steady rainfall combined with rugged terrain, steep slopes and dense deciduous forests turn many areas of Meghalaya into an impenetrable jungle. But the inventive and resourceful local population has created a unique system of natural suspension bridges.

Ajanta caves

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Two thousand two hundred years ago, work began on an extensive series of cave monuments in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Over the course of hundreds of years, thirty-one monuments were carved out of the rocks. Around 1000 AD, the monks gradually abandoned the cave complex and it fell into disrepair. The overgrown dense jungle hid the caves from human eyes.