As the nation celebrates India’s independence on August 15, TripAdvisor has come out with a list of popular patriotic attractions ranked based on reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers, closely associated with what led to the dawn of August 15, 1947- the day India got her independence. The list includes historic sites/ landmarks, places which are significant to the freedom struggle and memorials which keep it alive for generations to come.

According to an India Family travel survey done earlier this year by TripAdvisor India, it was encouraging to see that parents see travel as part and parcel of holistic learning with as many as 97% respondents saying they consider travel important for their children’s education with 70% among these claiming it to be very important. Further strengthening this trend, 67% respondents agreed that holidays should be a balance of recreational and educational experiences/activities for children.

1) Agra Fort, Agra: Agra fort was the site of a battle during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which caused the end of the British East India Company's rule in India. It is built alongside the Yamuna river and has a unique hybrid architecture with Hindu and Islamic influences. “Magnificent piece of history!”, “trip down memory lanes of history lessons in school” are some of the ways TripAdvisor travellers have summed up their visits to the fort.

2) Gandhi Smriti, New Delhi: Gandhi Smriti, formerly known as Birla House is the place where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last days of his life and was assassinated on January 30, 1948. The exhibition on the Mahatma, the room in which he lived and the prayer ground where he breathed his last, attract huge number of visitors from India and abroad.

3) Sabarmati Ashram/ Mahatma Gandhi's Home, Ahmedabad: From being called a “fakir” from the East by Winston Churchill to being recognized as a 20th Century Apostle of Peace, a Mahatma, Gandhi inspired generations after him and continues to do so. A part of his life is forever enshrined at the Sabarmati Ashram where the Mahatma stayed for 12 years. As TripAdvisor travellers say: “Lump -in-throat experience... especially if you're an Indian. It (the Ashram) touched us all, particularly reading about the Mahatma, his quotes and his simple living quarters.”

4) Viceregal_Lodge, Shimla: Perfectly crafted piece by the British, this lodge speaks of grandeur, majesty and splendid architecture. It was here that crucial India-Pakistan partition talks were held, infact the museum in the lodge reflects on Indian freedom struggle and decisions made at this place during that time.

5) Cellular Jail, Port Blair: According to a TripAdvisor traveller, "the Cellular Jail is well maintained, in fact so well maintained that it tends to wipe the horrors of the place." Indeed. For, the prison at Port Blair in the Andamans was notoriously known as the "Kala Pani" in the pre-Independence era. It was infamous for all kinds of excesses committed on freedom fighters by the British imperialists. A must-visit place to tell your kids how the path to freedom for India was long and full of hardships borne by people who gave up everything to make it possible.

6) Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar: The site that witnessed became a dark chapter in the British Occupation of India with the massacre of 1919. It was in fact after the incident that Mahatma Gandhi called for the peaceful Non-Cooperation (Satyagrah) Movement, one of the first collective steps taken in occupied India to oust the British. As a traveller at TripAdvisor remembers of the garden, “It seems like a nice pleasant garden with families walking around. After a few minutes strolling around, you begin to realize the terrible past this place has. Bullet holes can still be seen and the well with its horrible history is chilling. Well worth going to. It left a lasting impression on me.”

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