The green city of Nagpur, one of the largest and most significant places of Maharashtra is a most sought after tourist location, which has a veritable number of scenic landscapes, several forts and temples and ancient heritage monuments that make for the city to have emerged as a year-round vacation spot.

Nagpur dates back to the megalithic period, accentuated by the menhir or burial sites discovered in Drugdamna. Recorded history takes Nagpur to the reign of the Rastrakutas, the Yadavas, the Gonds, the Bhonsales of Vidharba, the Peshwas of the Marathas, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the British. The monuments and historical legacies of Nagpur is a treasure house of the ruling kingdoms down the ages and offer interested tourists a keen insight into the architectural craftsmanship and the cultures of the bygone ages. We will give you a list of some of the most attractive places of Nagpur that you will love to visit.

Sitabuldi Fort sits on top of a small hillock in Sitabuldi. Built by Mudhoji 11, of the Bhonsale rulers of Nagpur, the fort was the site of the Battle of Sitabuldi in 1817 in the Anglo Maratha War fought between the Marathas and the British. The Fort which at present functions as the office of the Indian army, has the graves of British soldiers who died during the war, ancient shrines for Shiva and Vishnu and a mausoleum for Nawab Khader Ali, the great grandson of Tipu Sultan.

Around the hillock is Nagpur’s busy commercial center and the Nagpur Railway Station is close by. Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned in the fort for a brief period and King George V’s visit to the fort is commemorated with a column. Tekdi Ganpati temple for Ganesha is located behind the hillock.

The Zero Mile was an identification monument built by the British during the Trigonometrical Survey of the country in the year 1907. The Zero Mile was meant to identify Nagpur as the central location of the Indian Subcontinent. The Zero Mile has a hexagonal sandstone pillar and a small pillar for the GTS Standard Bench mark with four charging horses.

The Zero Mile is located on the south eastern side of Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, near the Gowari Shahid Memorial. Check out the distances of the cities marked on each hexagonal side of the pillar. The Zero Mile monument is quite a small one located in the busy intersection of roads, but worth a visit considering its antiquity.

Dheekshabhoomi is a very significant Buddhist pilgrim center in Nagpur where thousands of Bhuddhists and tourists gather during Dhamma Chakra Pravarta Din and the month of October, when Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar converted into Buddhism. Dheekshabhoomi is considered a shrine which is built in a two storied hemispherical dome resembling the Sanchi Stupa.

A monument of architectural and historic value, the Dheekshabhoomi has a Buddha Vihara as well as a Bodhi Tree that had sprouted from the branches of the Bodhi tree brought from Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. The mortal remains of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar were laid to rest in the central Stupa. Dheekshabhoomi is about 4 km from the Nagpur Railway Station.

The Rama temple at Ramtek holds a mythological significance, for it is said that Rama stayed here during his exile and vowed to kill the demons that terrorized the sages who lived in the monasteries over the yonder hill ranges. Mythology says that Sage Agasthya had his hermitage near Ramtek as well.

The Ramtek temple that is about 345 m above msl, is around 600 years old and has the enshrined Padukas or divine feet of Rama. There are shrines for Rama, Laxman and Hanuman apart from other shrines for Ganpati and Varah. Incidentally it was on the beautiful hills of Ramtek that poet Kalidasa wrote his epic poem Meghadhoot. Ramtek Hills are about 42 km from Nagpur.

Swaminarayan Mandir is a splendid architectural wonder that houses shrines for many Gods and Gurus including Sita Ram Dev, Sri Balaji Dev, Shiv Parvathi, Srinathji, Brahmaswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj and Brahmaswarup Bhagatji Maharaj among others.

The temple is in Swaminarayan Marg, Wathoda and is about 8 km from the Nagpur Railway Station. Diwali and Annakut celebrations are some of the most colorful and joyous festivals that are observed with great fervor in the temple. Check out the beautifully landscaped garden that surrounds the Mandir. Apart from a murti darshan, visitors are allowed to tour the temple and gardens daily from 8.00 am – 12.00 pm and from 4.00 pm – 8.30 pm.

The Ganesh Mandir sits on a tekdi or hill top and thus came to be called Tekdi Ganesh Mandir. The idol of Ganesh is said to be a syambhu that was discovered when the Sitabuldi hill was blasted in 1875 for the construction of a railway line. Legends say that Raja Raghuji Bhosle would ride up on a boat to offer his worship to the idol that was placed under a peepul tree.

A later day temple was built for the idol of Ganesh and prayers were offered on a regular basis. The peepul tree and the Ganesh idol have become the heritage symbols of Nagpur and many a number of prominent people including politicians and sportsmen do not miss a trip to the Tekdi Ganesh Mandir while on a visit to Nagpur.

The Dragon Palace or Lotus Temple is one of the iconic structures of Nagpur. The impressive temple holds a magnificent carved sandalwood idol of Buddha in the central hall. The temple was founded way back in 1999 by the Mother Noriko Ogawa Society as a symbol of Indo-Japanese friendship and was inaugurated by the Reverend Nichiki Kato of Japan.

The Dragon Palace sits amidst a beautiful manicured garden, with lush lawns and flower beds and is also well known for its architecture. A temple of absolute peace and serenity, the Dragon Palace is well worth a visit. The Dragon Palace is in Kamptee, that’s about 20 km from Nagpur.

Nagpur’s Central Museum is one of the biggest museums of Nagpur or rather Central India and one of the oldest museums as well, dating back to 1863. It was established under the guidance of Sir Richard Temple, who had been the Chief Commissioner of the Central Provinces. Modernized with gardens and a cafeteria, the Central Museum houses ancient and very rare collections of dinosaur fossils, minerals, megalithic specimens, old coins, stone sculptures, weapons, tribal arts, manuscripts and paintings among others.

Check out the dinosaur fossil that’s about 67.5 million years old and the skull of a primitive elephant. Also known as Ajab Bangla, the Central Museum is located at Wardha Road Civil Lines in Nagpur.

One of the most ancient and prominent temples of Nagpur is the Adasa Ganpati temple located at the tiny village of Adasa on the Saonar to Kalmeshwar road about 43 km from Nagpur. Said to be a syambhu murthi, the 12 ft tall idol of Ganpati is a monolith stone idol. The temple which is one of the Ashta Vinayaks of the Vidharba region sits on a small hillock and is surrounded by smaller shrines to more Gods including Kala Bhairav, Hanuman and Shiva.

A small flight of about 60 steps leads up to the temple, which also has a restaurant where you could have a cup of tea or a bite to eat. The Ganpati temple at Adasa is a must visit if you are travelling to Nagpur.

The dense forested regions along the Wainganga River connect Tadoba Wildlife Sanctuary to the Umred Pauni Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary (UPKWS). The UPKWS is known for its population of breeding tigers and is becoming a popular spot for wildlife enthusiasts and tourists who love the wild nature and tigers as well.

Apart from tigers, the Sanctuary has Sambar, Barking deer, wild boars, jackals and jungle cats as well. Wild life safaris are arranged for tourists and although the UPKWS is a small sanctuary it is a good touristy spot to spend a day in, amongst nature. The UPKWS is about 58 km from Nagpur.