Top 10 ancient cities of India

New Delhi: Ancient cities of India represent the historical past of the country. Wars were fought on their lands, majestic temples symbolize their deep rooted history. They are a beautiful sight to explore the rich culture and traditions of India. Here we present some best ancient cities of the country: 1. Ayodhya: It is situated in Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh. According to the Ramayana, the city is 9,000 years old, and was founded by Manu, the first man in the Vedas, and law-giver of the Hindus. Puranas list Ayodhya as seven most sacred cities of India. It is the birthplace of Lord Rama as per Hindu belief. Ayodhya has historical significance for the Jain community as well. It is the birthplace of two important tirthankaras two-thousand years ago. 2. Kannauj: Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital of Emperor Harshavardhan. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja (The city of the hunchbacked maidens). It is known for distilling of scents and perfume market. Kannuaj remained a focal point for the three powerful dynasties, namely the Gurjara Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas, between the 8th and 10th centuries.3. Kalibangan: It is a major provincial capital of the Indus Valley Civilization. The identity of Kalibangan as a pre-historic site was discovered by Luigi Pio Tessitori, an Italian Indologist. Kalibangan is distinguished by its unique fire altars and "world's earliest attested ploughed field".4. Somnath: Located on the western coast of Gujarat, it is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of God Shiva. As per Shiv Mahapuran, once Brahma (the Hindu God of creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu God of protection) had an argument in terms of supremacy of creation. To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of light, the jyotirlinga. The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. 5. Ujjain: Located in the Malwa region of Central India, it is the administrative centre of Ujjain district. It is the part of Madhya Pradesh. It is also home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to the god Shiva.6. Kurukshetra: Located in Haryana, the epic war of Mahabharata was fought on this land and Bhagvad Gita was preached during the war. It is also known as Dharamkshetra.7. Thanjavur: It is located in the Tamil Nadu. Scholars believe the name Thanjavur is derived from Tanjan, a legendary demon in Hindu mythology. While the early history of Thanjavur remains unclear, the city first rose to prominence during the reign of Medieval Cholas when it served as the capital of the empire. After the fall of Cholas, the city was ruled by various dynasties like Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Thanjavur Nayaks, Thanjavur Marathas and the British Empire. It has been a part of independent India since 1947. 8. Dwarka: It is a city in Jamnagar district in Gujarat state. Dwarka is considered to be one of the holiest cities in Hinduism and one of the Char Dham along with Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram. The city is especially respected by Vaishnavas.The Jagatmandir temple, which houses the Dwarkadhish, a form of Krishna, is also located in Dwaraka.Nageshvara Jyotirlinga, one of the 12 holy shrines of Shiva, is located near Dwaraka.9. Sravasti: It was one of the six largest cities in India during Gautama Buddha's lifetime. It is located in Uttar Pradesh, near Balmapur. According to the Mahabharata, the origin of Sravasti lies with the legendary king Shravasta. According to Buddhist tradition, the city was called Savatthi because the sage Savattha lived there.10. Madurai: It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the third largest city in Tamil Nadu. Located on the banks of River Vaigai, it has been a major settlement for two millennia and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.