north india has been the historical centre of the mughal, delhi sultanate and british indian empire. it has a diverse culture, and includes the hindu pilgrimage centres of char dham, haridwar, varanasi, ayodhya, mathura, allahabad, vaishno devi and pushkar, the buddhist pilgrimage centres of sarnath and kushinagar, the sikh golden temple as well as world heritage sites such as the nanda devi biosphere reserve, khajuraho temples, hill forts of rajasthan, jantar mantar (jaipur), bhimbetka caves, sanchi monuments, qutb minar, red fort, agra fort, fatehpur sikri and the taj mahal.