| Taj Mahal | | | | Louis Vutton store, some of the best, and most |
| The world's most famous monument to love, which | | | | expensive, food in the country, but also some of the |
| features on every first-timer's Indian itinery. Built by | | | | most awful poverty. |
| the seventeenth-century Mogul emperor Shah Jahan | | | | Go on safari |
| to enshrine the body of his favourite wife, the vast | | | | India has a fabulous variety of wildlife including wild |
| mausoleum stands on the banks of the Yamuna | | | | elephants and leopards, but its real claim to fame us |
| Ruver in the city of Agra, just a couple of hours' | | | | that it is one of the best places on the planet to |
| train ride from Delhi. It's worth staying in a hotel | | | | spot tigers. The best known national parks are |
| that's close by the Taj, so you can visit it at sunrise | | | | Ranthambore in Rajasthan and Kanha in Madhya |
| and/or in the moonlight, when the play of light on | | | | Pradesh, but the newer park of Pench, near Nagpur, |
| marble is especially memorable, and the site is less | | | | is a less crowded option. |
| crowded (more than 20,000 visitors a day flock | | | | Goa |
| here). Not surprisingly, Agra is one of the worst | | | | The beach front raves are no more but the |
| places for touts, hawkers and hassle, so have your | | | | 100-kilometre-long strip of beaches has something for |
| polite rebuffs at the ready. | | | | everyone. And don't forget to venture inland to the |
| | | | palm groves, rice fields, markets and |
| India's desert state is deservedly the most popular | | | | Portuguese-style facades that characterize the heart |
| region in the country, with its glorious forts at Jaipur | | | | of the Goan state. |
| and Jodhpur, magnificent maharajahs' palaces, and | | | | Cool out at hill station |
| flamboyantly clad citizens. Graceful waterside | | | | Get away from the steamy heat of the plains in |
| temples, exquisite mansions, and the lovely City | | | | Kodaikanal in the Western Ghats, Ooty |
| Palace make lakeside Udaipur a definite must-see, and | | | | (Udhagamandalam) in the Nilgiri Hills, Munnar in Kerala |
| the remote desert town of Jaisalmer, built entirely of | | | | or Darjeeling in the Himalayan foothills; fine scenery |
| honey-coloured sandstone, as another gem - and a | | | | (stunning vistas of Kanchenjunga, the third-highest |
| departure point for overnight camels, strike out into | | | | mountain on the world from Darkjeeling), trekking, |
| the state's two most famous national parks; the | | | | tea and often quaint journeys all add to the |
| lakes and swamps of Keoladeo National Park support | | | | character and charm. |
| huge breeding colonies of cranes, storks, flamingos | | | | Dharamsala |
| and ibis, while Ranthambore National Park is one of | | | | Through the high profile of one resident, the Dalai |
| the easiest places in India to see a wild tiger. | | | | Lama, and as the result of the Chinese occupation of |
| Kerala | | | | Tibet, Dharamsala - the seat of the Tibetan |
| The south of India has a quite different feel from | | | | government in exile - is now world famous. Thanks |
| the north, and the state of Kerala is particularly | | | | to the large Tibetan population and influence in the |
| appealing because it seems less crazy and intense | | | | area, this is a great place to take meditation courses, |
| than the rest of the country. Kerala is most famous | | | | shop for Tibetan trinkets, see Tibetan folk opera and |
| for its beach resort at Kovalam, and for the more | | | | even, if you get lucky, shake hands with the Dalai |
| low-key travellers' enclave at Varkala. The other big | | | | Lama himself. It is also a good place to arrange local |
| draw down here is the chance to go boating through | | | | treks into the Dhauladhar range. |
| the inland waterways near Allapuzha, but the tourist | | | | Amritsar |
| boat-rides are uninspired and overlong, so it's more | | | | At the heart of the Holy city of the Sikhs stands the |
| rewarding to travel through the narrower rivers by | | | | sumptuous sixteenth-century Golden Temple, |
| local ferry bus. Kerala's Delightful old port city of | | | | encircles by a sacred lake and constantly thronged by |
| Kochi is full of historic churches and warehouses built | | | | pilgrims in their finest ceremonial dress. You can easily |
| by European and Chinese merchants, and regularly | | | | spend half a day absorbing the ritual goings-on of the |
| stages traditional, elaborately costumed Kathakali | | | | temple: arrive here at sunrise for the most awesome |
| dance performances. | | | | effect of gilt on water, then walk slowly through the |
| Ladakh | | | | long white marble colonnades that frame the lake; |
| Cradled by the soaring peaks of the Himalaya and | | | | cross the causeway to enter the Golden Temple |
| Karakoram ranges, Ladakh is a fascinating high | | | | itself; and finally join the pilgrims for the free meal of |
| altitude outpost of Tibetan culture and religion. One | | | | chapatti and dhal, dished out to all visitors twice a |
| of the furthest-flung parts of the country, this arid, | | | | day. |
| stark mountainous region, dotted with tiny pockets | | | | Khajuraho |
| of fertility, offers some of the best trekking in India, | | | | The 25 Hindu and Jain temples here date back to the |
| from easy two-day strolls to treks of several weeks | | | | tenth century and are built of sandstone, with almost |
| across the exceptionally remote and spellbindingly | | | | every facade carved into exuberantly in graphic and |
| beautiful Zanskar region. The other highlights are the | | | | beautiful detail of encyclopedia of Kama-Sutra like |
| temples; Alchi, Tikse and Hemis are the best known, | | | | entanglements. |
| the last of these especially famed for its masked | | | | Gangotri Glacier trek |
| dances at festival time.the popular two or three day | | | | The sacred frozen source of the River Ganges is |
| road journey from the lively hill town of Manali to | | | | spectacularly positioned amid spiky snow-clad peaks |
| Ladakh's main town, Leh, is one of the great Asian | | | | at 5000m above sea level, but is fairly easily reached |
| road trips, with high-altitude passes and stunning | | | | along seventeen-kilometre pilgrims' route. |
| scenery. | | | | Play an extra in an Indian film |
| City life | | | | India's film industry, known as Bollywood, is based in |
| Any huge Indian metropolis can scare the life out of | | | | Mumbai and produces twice as many movies as |
| a first timer, but all visitors should have, and will | | | | Hollywood each year. Non-Indians are invariably |
| probably be unable to avoid, the city experience at | | | | needed to pad out the cast, so hang out at the city's |
| some point. The chaotic capital of Delhi coasts Mogul | | | | Salvation Army Red Shield Hostel, where many movie |
| palaces inside the Red Fort, sweeping thorough fares | | | | hopefuls are recruited. |
| in New Delhi and the ultramodern Baha'i Temple, | | | | Snorkeling and diving in the Andaman islands |
| which is often favourably compared to the Sydney | | | | This rarely visited archipelago of two hundred |
| Opera House. Kipling's "city of dreadful night", kolkata, | | | | picture-perfect islands lies 100km off India's east |
| is famously warm-hearted and literary with dozens of | | | | coast. Tourism is a growing industry and the main |
| bookshops and a reputation for intellectual liveliness. | | | | areas are unaffected by the 2004 tsunami - it's all |
| Varanasi lines the banks of the sacred River Ganges, | | | | about as far off the beaten track as you can get in |
| where pilgrims immerse themselves in the waters and | | | | India. |
| cremate their dead on the banks. Mumbai boasts a | | | | |