5-Harmandir Sahib
The Harmandir Sahib, better known as the Golden Temple is the main
tourist attraction in Amritsar, and the most important religious place
to the Sikhs. Construction of the temple was begun by Guru Ram Dast in
the 16th century. In the 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh the upper
floors of the temple were covered with gold. It’s a stunning temple, and
always full of thousands of pilgrims from all over India, excited to be
at a place that they usually only see on television.
4-Jaisalmer
Located in Rajasthan’s remote westernmost corner close to the border
with Pakistan, Jaisalmer is the quintessential desert town. The yellow
sandstone walls of the “Golden City” rise from the Thar desert like a
scene from the Arabian Nights while the Jaisalmer Fort crowns the city.
Uncontrolled commercialism has dampened the romantic vision of
Jaisalmer, but even with all the touts and tour buses, it remains one of
the most popular tourist attractions in India.
3-Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta Caves
are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the 2th century BC. The
magnificent Ajanta caves were abandoned around 650 AD and forgotten
until 1819, when a British hunting party stumbled upon them. Their
isolation contributed to the fine state of preservation in which some of
their paintings remain to this day. The well preserved murals depict
everything from battlefields to sailing ships, city streets and teeming
animal-filled forests to snow-capped mountains. The city of Aurangabad
is the gateway to the Ajanta Caves as well as the equally spectacular
Ellora Caves.
2 -Varanasi
Situated on the banks of the River Ganges, Varanasi is sacred to
Hindus, Buddhists and Jains and also one of the oldest continuously
inhabited cities in the world. In many ways Varanasi epitomizes the very
best and worst aspects of India, and it can be a little overwhelming.
The scene of pilgrims doing their devotions in the River Ganges at
sunrise set against the backdrop of the centuries old temples is
probably one of the most impressive sights in the world.
The Taj Mahal
in Agra is an immense mausoleum of white marble, built between 1632 and
1653 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his
favorite wife. Called “a teardrop on the cheek of eternity” it is one of
the masterpieces of Mughal architecture, and one of the great tourist
attractions in India. Besides the white domed marble mausoleum the Taj
Mahal includes several other beautiful buildings, reflecting pools, and
extensive ornamental gardens with flowering trees and bushes.
India is the world’s seventh-largest country stretching from the high
mountains of the Himalayas to the tropical greenery of Kerala, and from
the sacred Ganges to the sands of the Thar desert. Its more than one
billion inhabitants are divided into two thousand ethnic groups and
speak over 200 different languages.
Conform its size and population, India has an almost endless variety
of cultures, landscapes, monuments and places to explore. From the
ancient ruins, fascinating religious structures, exotic cities and
diverse landscape there is an endless collection of tourist attractions in India that will never cease to awe and fascinate the visitor.
10-Kerala backwaters
The Kerala backwaters
are a chain of lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea
coast in the Kerala state. The Kerala backwaters are home to many unique
species of aquatic life including crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water
birds and animals such as otters and turtles. Today, houseboat tourism
is the most popular tourist activity in the backwaters, with several
large Kettuvallams (traditional rice boats, now converted into floating
hotels)ply the waterways.
9-Lake Palace
The Lake Palace in Lake Pichola in the city of Udaipur was built as a
royal summer palace in the 18th century. Today it is a luxury 5 Star
hotel, operating under the “Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces”. The Lake
Palace hotel operates a boat which transports guests to the hotel from a
jetty at the City Palace on the east bank of Lake Pichola. The palace
became famous in 1983 when it was featured in the James Bond film
Octopussy, as the home of titular character.
8Virupaksha Temple
The Virupaksha Temple in the city of Hampi started out as a small
shrine and grew into a large complex under the Vijayanagara rulers. It
is believed that this temple has been functioning uninterruptedly ever
since the small shrine was built in the 7th century AD which makes it
one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in India.
7-Palolem
Palolem is the most southerly of Goa’s developed beaches and also one
of the most beautiful. It is a natural bay surrounded by lofty
headlands on either sides, resulting in a calm, idyllic sea with a
gently sloping bed. For those who believe a beach cannot be paradise
without a decent selection of cheap restaurants and good hotels, a dose
of nightlife and plenty of like-minded people Palolem is the place to
be.
6-Kanha National Park
Kanha National Park is among the most beautiful wildlife reserves in
Asia and one of best places to catch a glimpse of a tiger in India. The
lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines of Kanha
provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel “Jungle
Book” and make this one of the top attractions in India.
