Stepping through the threshold of Gangkaikonda Cholapuram in Ariyalur, Tamilnadu when I went to India last summer might’ve been the best part of my 2025.
The large stone temple towered over the entire courtyard with its beautiful brown stone gracing my eyes. Large pillars embellished with carvings of the Hindu gods were scattered around the smaller areas of the temple. It was filled with people in classic, simple South Asian clothing, and just as the sun set, my family and I sat on the grassy knoll and hung out.
We talked as we watched the sun lower and disappear behind the tall intricate temple. It was truly beautiful. It was also surreal to see something that had been standing since 1035 CE. Temples, mosques, cathedrals, and other buildings are all such a key part of our society. Seeing it so close to me made me feel more connected to my culture in a way. I don’t live in India so I don’t get to be as close to my culture as I would hope. But seeing this beautiful temple was honestly surreal.
Every single piece of residency, every office building, every monument, and every single store are all designed to make our community unique
But in this day and age, they simply don’t receive the credit where it’s due. People travel for so many reasons, whether it’s to explore the history of a place, to take pretty photos, or simply to eat good food.
Personally, I love all of those aspects, but the first thing I notice is almost always the aesthetic and the architecture around me. The architecture of a place is certainly noticed but it gets overlooked through social media and other aspects of the place that you are traveling to.
Architecture is constantly changing, but for those older pieces that contribute to both the history and the culture of a certain place, they stay the same.
I think it is such a great feat that they have even managed to keep all of these beautiful structures standing to this day. Surely that deserves some praise?
These churches and temples are quite literally crumbling at the edges but stay put due to people who care. These are people all over the world who are trying to keep these structures alive. FOR YOU. FOR US. For the recognition of these amazing architects and engineers who worked so hard to create these structures.
My family and I visited Greece a few years ago and it was one of my favorite trips I have ever taken. Athens is known for the Parthenon and all of its smaller ruins that represent Greek history. Being an avid “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” fan, I was thrilled to see all of the temples of the very gods that I had read about.
The city of Athens itself wasn’t very appealing to little 13-year-old me. It was just a city. Markets bustling, crowded streets, humid air, and far too much traffic. However, my trip was instantly better the second that I was on that large mountain staring at those beige Greek ruins.
They were beautiful, almost glowing in the sun. I was taking in all of the history that was oozing around me. It uplifted my entire trip and I still think about it to this day.
Another amazing piece of architecture that I was able to see was the Grand-Place de Bruxelles in Belgium. I absolutely adore European architecture and I just loved how intricate it was. I also just really enjoyed that it was just a normal place in the city. It was a square with a lot of amazing shops but it was just so beautiful to look at.
Every detail of the building was intricate and created with such intense care. Between the hundreds of windows were beautiful statues of two women wearing robes faced away from each other. Making them stand out, the windows are tinted a beautiful blue with iron and gold accents.
Similarly , there are so many pieces of architecture that I was so lucky to be able to witness. However, I do realize that I‘ve talked so much about architecture that’s out of the country. Nonetheless, there are so many pieces of architecture and really interesting buildings all around us. One that I have always loved seeing is the Denver Art Museum. Being an art museum, you would want it to be interesting, but this one immediately catches your eye. It’s inspired by the Rocky Mountains and it is made of 9,000 titanium panels. It looks utterly modern, but that makes it so eye-catching.
We are typically surrounded by more modern architecture with the increased building of repetitive structures like apartments but I assure that taking a closer look can make your mind appreciated more about where you live.
Architecture has thousands of years of history.
From the pyramids, such a historical marvel there is an entire community of people that believe that it’s fake, to the record breaking Burj Khalifa standing 2,017 feet high above Dubai.
Perhaps the next time you take a trip, whether it be just downtown or to a different country, take a closer look at the structures that surround you.
Roughly 2.75 billion structures grace our Earth, and I guarantee you that most of those are nice to look at and have a story to tell. There is so much you can learn from each curve and corner of a building.
The architecture that engulfs a city can tell you so much about the city itself. Listen to what it’s trying to tell you.
