Architecture Tours in India

Referring to the architectural heritage of undivided India, Lord Curzon once commented that it was ‘the greatest galaxy of monuments in the world’.

The story of this ‘greatest galaxy of monuments’ goes back to the pre-historic times when early humans did their rudimentary constructions; the form developed into a full-fledged architecture towards the beginning of Christian Era and the Indian architecture reached its zenith during the early medieval times with temple architecture. With the dawn of the medieval times came the Muslim influence and the two great styles were attempted to be merged. This experiment at fusion was fully realized during the reign of the mighty Mughals in the so-called ‘Mughal Architecture’. While the Mughal style was still diffusing to other parts of the country the British had also arrived in India; whatever might be the economic and political repercussions of their entry into the subcontinent, as far as architecture is concerned, they made their own contribution to the already rich Indian architecture.

Indian architecture was essentially a product of the soil, and whatever touched it in its long course of development practically grew into it giving it new form and colour in each successive phase.

Architecture Tours With Us:

One definition of a great civilization is the magnificence of its architectural legacy, and India is surely among the foremost. It is home to almost every conceivable historic style due to its numerous intra-cultural interactions. On one hand are world famous forts, palaces, tombs and caves, and on the other hand are structures still cloaked in obscurity, off the tourist circuit, waiting to be ‘discovered’.

Tell us where your interest lies and how many days you have; although no duration of time is enough in India, we will design a tour for you meticulously selecting sites and locations that best satiate the architecture lover in you. You may choose to follow a particular style of architecture or survey a broader range of buildings, the best that India has to offer. We will assist you every step of the way.

Sample Itinerary: North Indian Architecture tour

• Delhi’s architectural grandeur is a harmonious blend of Hindu, Mughal and Colonial Architecture
• Drive to Agra for the iconic Taj Mahal, an architectural masterpiece and symbol of wealth and opulence
• Drive to Gwalior for its magnificent fort which is a blend of Hindu and Muslim architectures, and Jai Vilas Palace, a grand royal residence, known for its unique mix of Italian, Tuscan and Corinthian architecture
• Take a train to the temple town of Khajuraho, a pinnacle of the North Indian Nagara architectural style
• Visit medieval temples of Orchha, take a train to Bhopal and visit Sanchi Buddhist Stupa, the oldest stone structure in India, as well as the World Heritage Site of Bhimbetka known for its Neolithic rock paintings
• Drive to Mandu which is the finest of provincial Islamic architecture that evolved from the intermingling of Hindu and Islamic architectural style
• Fly to Mumbai with its interesting monuments that are a blend of Gothic, Victorian, Art Deco, Indo-Saracenic and Contemporary architectural styles
• Fly to Aurangabad and explore the ancient cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora

Sample Itinerary: South Indian Architecture tour

• Chennai, a confluence of many architectural styles from ancient Dravidian temples to the Indo-Saracenic Style of the colonial era
• Drive to Trichy and Tajnore and see the architecture marvels, the Dravidian style Brahadeeswara and Gangaikondacholapuram temples
• Drive to Madurai and see Meenaksi Temple which is a splendid example of Dravidian style of temple architecture
• Fly to Bangalore where structures from different eras exist in neo-Dravidian, Gothic, Indo-Islamic and even Tudor styles
• Drive to Mysore and see the exquisite Mysore Palace which is a unique blend of Indo-Saracenic, Dravidian and Oriental Roman styles
• Drive to Hassan for its Hoysala Architecture structures
• Drive to Hampi which is World Heritage Site for its ancient architectural glory
• Drive to Badami and visit its Cave Temples and free standing temples of Aihole and Patadakkal which depict the early phase of South Indian architecture