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India
is one of the most attractive tourist destinations
in Asia. Bounded by the Himalayan ranges in the north,
and surrounded on three sides by water (the Arabian
Sea, Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean), with a
long history and diverse culture, India offers a wide
array of places to see and things to do. |
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Perhaps
India's best-known site is the Taj Mahal, one of the
world's greatest architectural achievements. It was
built between 1631 and 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan
in honor of his wife, Arjumand Banu, more popularly
known as Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal serves as her
tomb.
One
of the popular tourist circuits is called the Golden
Triangle: the cities Delhi; Agra (site of the Taj
Mahal); and Jaipur. Delhi is approximately 200 kilometers
away from Agra, and 250 kilometers from Jaipur.
Another
set of destinations covers the desert cities of Jodhpur,
Jaiselmer, Bikaner, and Barmer, in the state of Rajasthan,
the "Land of Kings." Jodhpur is a fortress-city
at the edge of the Thar Desert. Jaisalmer is famous
for its golden fortress, and Bikaner for its medieval
history as a trade route outpost. Barmer and surrounding
areas are a perfect picture of typical Rajasthani
villages.
Other
cities of interest include Gwalior, Khajuraho, Varanasi,
Mathura, and Haridwar.
India
also has a large variety of protected wildlife. The
country's protected wilderness consists of 75 National
Parks and 421 Sanctuaries, of which 19 fall under
the purview of Project Tiger. Its climatic and geographic
diversity makes it the home of over 350 mammals and
1200 bird species, many of which are unique to the
subcontinent. Some well known national wildlife sanctuaries
include Corbett, Kanha, Sariska, Periyar, Ranthambhor,
and Bharatpur.
Moving
south, many places are a mix of ancient historic sites
as well as industrial/technological hubs. Some of
these are listed below.
The
southern state of Karnataka offers:
Bangalore,
the IT capital of India, is also significant for
its history
Mysore, about 140km from Bangalore, has palaces,
KRS Dam, several temples, a hindu temple atop Chamundi
hills
Srirangapatna, where nearby fortresses can be found
(Tipu's)
Hampi the city of ruins (1500's when the Muslim
kings destroyed the prosperous Vijayanagar empire)
The Belur and Halebid temples are famed for their
sculptural beauty.
Sravanabelagola has a Jain temple dedicated to king
Bahubali. The statue is massive and a MahaMasthakaAbhishekham
performed one every year, attracts a huge number
of pilgrims
Sringeri, located in the western ghats, has a wonderful
temple dedicated to Sarada devi.
The Western Ghats offer many other places of exceptional
beauty like Agumbe, Horanadu etc.
Madikeri, Coorg, Talacauvery, Kemmanagundi all places
of immense natural beauty.
Tamil
Nadu has a rich culture and offers a wide selection
of temples famed for their architectural beauty. Some
of the more popular temple tour destinations include
Chennai - The capital of TamilNadu has the longest
marina in the world
Madurai - known for the beautiful Meenakshi temple
Rameshwaram - The temple here the longest corridor
in the world
Kanyakumari, located at the tip of India, is at
the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea
and the Indian Ocean. Recently a massive statue
of Thiruvalluvar has been installed here.
Kumbakonam, known for the numerous temples in the
town. The Mahamaham festival is held here once in
every twelve years and attracts millions of devotees
to the place.
Tiruchirapalli known for its Akhilandeshwari temple
and Rockfort temple
Thanjavur has the famous Brihadeeswara temple.
The famous hillstations Kodaikanal and Ooty offer
the visitors a welcome relief from the usually hot
climate in the state.
Kerala
It
is famous for its backwaters, tropical beaches and
spice farms.
See Here (http://www.gods-own-country.info/tour.htm)
The govt of Kerala now offers tourism packages related
to Ayurveda.
Alappuzha(Alappey) is known as the venice of the east
and is very beautiful
Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum)
Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad,
India
Vishakapatnam
Pondicherry
Aurobindo
Ashram
Auroville
Goa is another popular destination, famous for its
excellent beaches, churches, and temples.
