Stop, Look, Learn Trivia Quiz

Answer: Grandfather

This monument is known as the Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah and was constructed in the early 16th century. It was commission by Nur Jahan, the wife of Jehangir (who was also the father of Shah Jahan). Originally described as a "jewel box" due to its shape, the tomb is referred to as "Baby Taj" by the locals. The more famous Taj Mahal which Shah Jahan later built is said to draw inspiration from it, and also from Humayun's Tomb in nearby Delhi.

Mirza Ghiyas Beg was given the title of I'timād-ud-Daulah which means "pillar of the state". While not as ornate as the Taj, the tomb is a beautiful piece of architecture and one of the early examples of the use of white marble in Mughal architecture, which previously mainly used red sandstone as seen in the Agra Fort and Humayun's Tomb. Unfortunately, despite being just a stone's throw away from the Taj, this site is rarely visited and we had the place to ourselves when we went there.

As with the many inter-relation marriages in the royal courts, Mumtaz Mahal was the niece of Nur Jahan and the granddaughter of Mirza Ghiyas Beg.

Answer: Stepwell

Rani ki vav literally translates to the Queen's stepwell. It is believed to date back to the early 11th century by Queen Udayamati, hence the name. Stepwells are common in the states of Rajasthan and Guajarat which tend to receive less rainfall, located as they are along the desert regions of the Thar and Rann of Kutch. In the local language they are generally called bawdis or baoris (Rajasthan) or vavs (Gujarat). They consist of tiers of steps leading down to the water and helped in conservation efforts. Despite their practical nature, some of them have ornate architectural styles and are now popular tourist attractions.

Rani ki vav also has ornate sculptures dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu, depicted in his many avatars. There are seven levels of steps leading down to the water and the site has hundreds of sculptures which have survived the ravages of time.

Answer: Assam

The Kaziranga National Park spans across the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam. It is home to two-thirds of the world's population of the greater one-horned rhinoceros, also called the Indian rhinoceros, which is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

The Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant, Bengal Tiger, wild water buffalo and swamp deer are sometimes referred to as the "Big Five" of Kaziranga.

Answer: Pakistan

The Siachen Glacier is at a height of 6,000 meters above sea level making it the world's highest battleground. Despite the treacherous conditions and high cost, India and Pakistan maintain a permanent military presence at this location. The two countries have fought intermittently at this location since 1984 and while attempts have been made to withdraw troops from here, they are yet to be successful.

Khardung La is a mountain pass in Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is often called the Khardung La pass, but La itself means pass in the Tibetan language. It provides access to the Nubra valley, and the Siachen Glacier is found a little way ahead of this. The Khardung La has historically been used as a trade route from Central Asia, though it is inaccessible during the winter months. It stands at a height of 5,359 meters above sea level.

Answer: Snake boats

Locally known as the chundan vallam (or beaked boat), they are more popularly called the snake boats due to their shape. The construction of these boats is based on an ancient text called the Sthapathya Veda and they resemble a snake with raised hood. The races are mainly held during the harvest festival of Onam, the most important festival of the region, where each team competes for the Nehru Trophy. These canoe like boats are paddled by a hundred oarsmen, giving you an idea of their size.

The state of Kerala is nicknamed "God's Own Country" and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. A relaxing holiday can be spent on a houseboat cruising the backwaters while enjoying fresh fish for meals. Other well known destinations are the tea plantations of Munnar, the Thekkady National Park, where you could see elephants in the wild, and Kochi, an important city on ancient trade routes with Arabian, European and Jewish influences.

Answer: One of the world's oldest universities

Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site for the Buddhist ruins found here. It was home to a large Buddhist monastery when the region was part of the ancient Magadha kingdom. It was also highly regarded as a centre of learning from the early 5th century and along with Taxila (now found in modern day Pakistan) and Vikramshila (in Bihar) is among the oldest universities of the Indian sub-continent.

Its rise as a centre of learning is credited to the method of religious instruction in the Buddhist and Jain faiths which followed a structured teaching method, not common in the region at the time. Such was its renown that scholars and students came here from places like Tibet and China and even further from Central Asia.

Much of what is known about this university is through their writings. Apart from religious instruction, the studies also included medicine, grammar and logic or math.

Answer: A hair of Prophet Muhammad

Hazratbal is located in Srinagar, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The name of the shrine combines the Urdu word for respect ("Hazrat") with the Kashmiri word for place ("bal") and is situated on the banks of the Dal lake. Local legends state that a hair of the Prophet Muhammad was brought to Kashmir by one of his descendants. For a while it was housed in a shrine at Ajmer in Rajasthan before it was finally returned to Kashmir. On its return, the Hazratbal shrine was built specifically to house it.

Answer: Koh-i-Noor

The Koh-i-Noor is one of the most famous gemstones in the world and is now part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. According to most sources, the gemstone was mined in the region of Golconda, more specifically in the Kollur Mines. Some historians postulate that the earliest written reference to this diamond is found in the works of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Emperor. What is more reliably known is that the gemstone changed hands between various regional rulers as the spoils of war. When the British won the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849, it finally made its way to the British monarchy, in whose possession it now stays.

Another famous diamond, the Hope Diamond, was also mined in the Golconda region.

The Golconda Fort was originally built by the Kakatiya dynasty which ruled over the region from the 11-13th century and was later expanded by subsequent rulers. There are four distinct forts with the entire complex sprawled over an area of eleven kilometers. The forts overlook the city of Hyderabad.

Answer: Northeast

Living root bridges are found in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, and to a lesser extent in Nagaland, in India. Built by the Khasi and Jhantia tribes, they are formed using the roots of trees. As hard as it is to believe, these tribes have constructed some of these entirely by hand without using any manmade materials.

The roots of the ficus elastica, better known as the rubber tree, are pliable. They are guided across a river, sometimes even tied and twisted to add heft, and over time they grow to be able to carry the weight of a human being.

This process can take up to 15 years; however, they then last for years and are not prone to decay like the wooden bridges. Some of these are believed to be over a hundred years old with the Khasis themselves not knowing when they first started building them.

Answer: Maze

Bara Imambara was originally known as Asafi Imambara. Due to its size, it came to be known as Bara Imambara with bara meaning big in Urdu. Imambara is a sacred hall where Muslims carry out rituals associated with Muharrum, a season of mourning and repentance in the Islamic faith.

This is a mosque complex built in the 18th century by the Nawab of Awadh when Lucknow was part of the princely region of Awadh. As with many such large architectural projects in India, the construction was undertaken by the Nawab during a period of famine to provide a means of employment for the locals.

The site also houses the Asfi mosque and a stepwell, apart from the labyrinth which is a prime attraction. One of its kind in this region, it is known as the bhul-bhulaiya (labyrinth in the local language).