Indian Heritage and Monuments

Mysore (now Mysuru) in Karnataka is famous for its Dasara celebrations featuring a grand elephant procession. The Mysore Palace is illuminated, and decorated elephants march through the streets as part of this royal tradition.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in Victorian Gothic style in 1887. The Gateway of India is Indo-Saracenic, Jehangir Art Gallery is modern, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastusanghralaya (Prince of Wales Museum) is also Victorian Gothic but CST is more prominently recognized as the Gothic heritage site.

Mani Bhavan at Laburnum Road in Mumbai served as Gandhi's residence from 1917 to 1934. Many key political movements were planned here, including the Non-Cooperation Movement. Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti) was in Delhi, where Gandhi spent his final days.

Lucknow is known as 'Nawabo ka Shahar' (City of Nawabs) because it was the seat of the Nawabs of Awadh. The city still reflects its aristocratic culture through its cuisine, architecture, and etiquette.

The Dilwara Temples at Mount Abu are a group of five Jain temples renowned for their exceptional marble craftsmanship. While dedicated to various Tirthankaras, the most prominent temple is dedicated to Adinath (Rishabhanatha), the first Tirthankara. Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara, Gautama Buddha founded Buddhism, and Bahubali is a different Jain figure.

Ayodhya was known as Saket in ancient times. Saket is a Sanskrit word meaning 'beyond the body' and was the ancient name for Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama. The other cities (Kolkata, Pune, Kanpur) were not known as Saket.

Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia was married to Maharaja Jivajirao Scindia, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Gwalior. After his death, she became the Rajmata (queen mother) of Gwalior.

The Rameshwaram Temple in Tamil Nadu has the longest corridor in India, measuring approximately 1,220 meters (4,003 feet) in length. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines.

The Ajanta paintings primarily belong to the Gupta period (approximately 5th-6th century CE), though some extend into the late 6th-7th century. This period is considered the golden age of Indian art, and the Ajanta frescoes represent some of the finest surviving ancient Indian paintings. While the paintings depict Buddhist themes and were created in a Buddhist context, chronologically they are associated with the Gupta dynasty's reign and immediate post-Gupta period, not the earlier Mauryan or much earlier Harappan periods.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai was inaugurated on December 3, 1903, after being commissioned by Jamsetji Tata. This iconic hotel has since become a landmark of Indian hospitality. The years 1896, 1899, and 1900 are all incorrect.

The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai was indeed completed at a significant cost. While I cannot independently verify the exact figure from historical records, the question structure is coherent and one of these amounts is historically documented.

Madurai is famously known as the "Temple City" due to its numerous historic temples, most notably the Meenakshi Amman Temple. It has been a major religious and cultural center for centuries.

Jaipur is called the City of Forts because of its numerous historic forts including Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh Fort, and others. These forts showcase Rajput architecture and are major tourist attractions. Fatehpur, Delhi, and Agra have forts but aren't known specifically by this nickname.

Alai Darwaza, built in 1311 by Alauddin Khilji, is considered the first true dome in Indian architecture. It introduced proper Islamic dome construction techniques to India, unlike Char Minar (1591) or Taj Mahal (1632-1653).