Famous Monuments of India and Their Builders: Forts, Temples, Tombs and Memorials with Locations for SSC
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Updated 19 Oct 2026
In this note
- 1.Mughal Monuments
- 2.Sultanate Period Monuments
- 3.Medieval Regional Monuments
- 4.Temples
- 5.Buddhist Monuments and Caves
- 6.Modern and British-Period Monuments
- 7.Tricks to Remember
- 8.Quick Tips
- 9.Quick Revision Points
- 10.Practice Questions With Answers
- 11.How to Practise This Chapter
- 12.Frequently Asked Questions
PDF Notes: Famous Monuments of India and Their Builders: Forts, Temples, Tombs and Memorials with Locations for SSC
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Questions on Indian monuments, their builders and their locations are standard in SSC general awareness. This guide on famous monuments of India and their builders for SSC lists the monuments in tables by period, with the builder, the year and the location, followed by tips and practice questions.
Mughal Monuments
| Monument | Builder | Location and Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Taj Mahal | Shah Jahan | Agra; built from 1632 to 1653 in memory of Mumtaz Mahal; chief architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori; on the Yamuna; a UNESCO site |
| Red Fort (Lal Qila) | Shah Jahan | Delhi; built 1639–1648; the Prime Minister hoists the flag here on Independence Day |
| Jama Masjid, Delhi | Shah Jahan | Delhi; one of the largest mosques in India |
| Humayun’s Tomb | Hamida Banu Begum (Humayun’s widow) | Delhi; 1565–1572; first garden-tomb in India; architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas |
| Agra Fort | Akbar | Agra; 1565 onwards |
| Fatehpur Sikri | Akbar | Near Agra; built 1571–1585; includes the Buland Darwaza (1601) |
| Buland Darwaza | Akbar | Fatehpur Sikri; to commemorate the conquest of Gujarat; about 54 m high |
| Tomb of Akbar | Jahangir | Sikandra, Agra |
| Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah | Nur Jahan | Agra; sometimes called the baby Taj |
| Shalimar Bagh (Lahore) and Nishat Bagh (Srinagar) | Shah Jahan; Asaf Khan | Mughal gardens |
Sultanate Period Monuments
| Monument | Builder | Location and Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Qutub Minar | Qutbuddin Aibak (started 1199), completed by Iltutmish | Delhi; 72.5 m high; red sandstone; named after Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki; a UNESCO site |
| Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque | Qutbuddin Aibak | Delhi; the first mosque built in India by the Turkish rulers |
| Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra | Qutbuddin Aibak | Ajmer, Rajasthan |
| Alai Darwaza | Alauddin Khalji | Qutub complex, Delhi |
| Siri Fort | Alauddin Khalji | Delhi |
| Tughlaqabad Fort | Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq | Delhi |
| Feroz Shah Kotla | Firoz Shah Tughlaq | Delhi |
| Tomb of Sher Shah Suri | Sher Shah Suri (himself) | Sasaram, Bihar |
| Lodi Gardens | Sayyid and Lodi rulers | Delhi |
Medieval Regional Monuments
| Monument | Builder | Location and Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Charminar | Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah | Hyderabad; built 1591 |
| Golconda Fort | Kakatiyas, later Qutb Shahis | Hyderabad |
| Gol Gumbaz | Muhammad Adil Shah of Bijapur | Karnataka; the second largest dome in the world; whispering gallery |
| Hawa Mahal | Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh (1799) | Jaipur; designed by Lal Chand Ustad; 953 windows (jharokhas) |
| Amer Fort | Raja Man Singh I | Jaipur |
| City Palace, Jaipur and Jantar Mantar | Sawai Jai Singh II | Jaipur; Jantar Mantar astronomical observatories at Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura |
| Mysore Palace | Wadiyar dynasty | Mysuru |
| Vijay Stambh | Rana Kumbha | Chittorgarh, Rajasthan |
| Virupaksha Temple and Vittala Temple | Vijayanagara rulers | Hampi |
| Mehrangarh Fort | Rao Jodha | Jodhpur |
Temples
| Temple | Builder | Location and Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Temple, Konark | Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty (13th century) | Odisha; shaped like a chariot of the Sun god with 24 wheels; UNESCO site |
| Khajuraho temples | Chandela rulers (950–1050 CE) | Madhya Pradesh; famous for sculptures; UNESCO site |
| Brihadeeswara temple | Rajaraja I (1010) | Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu |
| Meenakshi Temple | Nayak rulers (Thirumalai Nayak) | Madurai, Tamil Nadu |
| Jagannath Temple | Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva (12th century) | Puri, Odisha |
| Lingaraja Temple | Somavamshi rulers | Bhubaneswar, Odisha |
| Dilwara Temples | Vimal Shah and Vastupal Tejpal | Mount Abu, Rajasthan; Jain temples of marble |
| Shore Temple | Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha) | Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu |
| Kailasa Temple (Ellora) | Krishna I of the Rashtrakutas | Maharashtra; carved from a single rock |
| Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) | Guru Arjan Dev completed in 1604; founded by Guru Ram Das | Amritsar |
| Lotus Temple | Architect Fariborz Sahba (1986) | Delhi; Bahai House of Worship |
| Akshardham Temple | BAPS (2005) | Delhi |
| Mahabodhi Temple | Ashoka (original); the present structure of the Gupta period | Bodh Gaya, Bihar |
Buddhist Monuments and Caves
| Monument | Facts |
|---|---|
| Sanchi Stupa | Built by Ashoka, Madhya Pradesh; later additions |
| Ajanta Caves | Buddhist caves with paintings; Maharashtra (Aurangabad) |
| Ellora Caves | Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves; Maharashtra |
| Elephanta Caves | Near Mumbai; Shiva temples; the Trimurti statue |
| Dhamek Stupa | Sarnath, near Varanasi |
| Nalanda University ruins | Bihar; Gupta and Pala periods |
Modern and British-Period Monuments
| Monument | Builder or Architect | Location and Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway of India | George Wittet; completed in 1924 | Mumbai; built to mark the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911 |
| Victoria Memorial | William Emerson; completed 1921; idea of Lord Curzon | Kolkata |
| India Gate | Edwin Lutyens; inaugurated in 1931 | New Delhi; the All India War Memorial for the soldiers of World War I |
| Rashtrapati Bhavan | Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker | New Delhi; the residence of the President |
| Howrah Bridge | Opened in 1943 | Kolkata; a cantilever bridge over the Hooghly |
| Statue of Unity | Sculptor Ram V. Sutar; inaugurated in 2018 | Kevadia, Gujarat; 182 m, the tallest statue in the world |
| National War Memorial | Inaugurated in 2019 | New Delhi |
| Parliament House (old) | Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker; opened 1927 | New Delhi |
Tricks to Remember
- Shah Jahan: Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Jama Masjid; Akbar: Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Buland Darwaza.
- Qutb: Qutub Minar by Aibak and Iltutmish.
- South: Rajaraja I → Brihadeeswara; Rajasimha → Shore Temple; Krishna I → Kailasa temple.
- Lutyens: India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan; Wittet: Gateway of India.
Quick Tips
- Group the monuments by builder.
- Remember the location of each famous temple.
- Learn the architects of the British-period buildings.
- Learn the UNESCO sites separately.
Quick Revision Points
- Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.
- Qutub Minar was begun by Aibak and completed by Iltutmish.
- Charminar was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah.
- The Sun Temple at Konark is in Odisha.
- India Gate was designed by Edwin Lutyens.
Practice Questions With Answers
- Who built the Taj Mahal?
Answer: Shah Jahan - Who built the Charminar?
Answer: Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah - Who started the construction of Qutub Minar?
Answer: Qutbuddin Aibak - Who built the Hawa Mahal?
Answer: Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh - Where is the Sun Temple located?
Answer: Konark, Odisha - Who built Humayun’s Tomb?
Answer: Hamida Banu Begum - Who designed India Gate?
Answer: Edwin Lutyens - Who built the Brihadeeswara Temple?
Answer: Rajaraja I - Which monument is known for the whispering gallery?
Answer: Gol Gumbaz - Where is the Gateway of India?
Answer: Mumbai
How to Practise This Chapter
Practise 10 questions every day and write the steps on paper. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the General Knowledge notes page, read the previous topic Important World History Events and Dates and the next topic Sports Trophies, Venues and Terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who built the Taj Mahal?
Shah Jahan, in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Where is the Charminar?
In Hyderabad.
Who built the Red Fort?
Shah Jahan.
What is the height of the Qutub Minar?
About 72.5 metres.
Which monument has 24 wheels?
The Sun Temple at Konark.
Where are the Khajuraho temples?
In Madhya Pradesh.
Who built the Gateway of India?
It was designed by George Wittet and completed in 1924.
Who designed the India Gate?
Edwin Lutyens.
What is the Statue of Unity?
The tallest statue in the world (182 m) of Sardar Patel, in Gujarat.
Is this topic asked in SSC?
Yes. Monuments and their builders are asked in GK and history.
Which fort is the Prime Minister’s flag-hoisting place?
The Red Fort, Delhi.
Who built the Buland Darwaza?
Akbar.
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Important World History Events and Dates in Chronological Order: Revolutions, World Wars and Modern Events for SSC GK
Next chapter
Sports Trophies, Cups, Venues, Terms and Number of Players: Complete Sports GK for SSC CGL, CHSL and MTS
About the Author
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Rahul is a senior SSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CGL, CHSL and MTS exams. He writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.