Top 10 attractions in India

Delhi

Being one of the most historic capitals in the world, Delhi has many tourist sites. This is a list of Delhi's tourist sites.  A tour of Delhi will provide the visitor with much to see and admire from Mughal monuments to modern malls, from traditional arts and crafts to trendy fashion shows, from skyscrapers to parks and gardens. Delhi is a city that combines the historic and the modern in its own unique way.

Delhi is the sixth most populous region in the world with a vibrant history and a modern metropolis. Delhi is a political and business center as well as one of India's busiest international gateways.

          

Tourism in Delhi has always been among the lists of tours and travel packages of different contries.Tourism in Delhi has taken the shape of an industry which is growing like never before.Travel and tourism in Delhi coupled with the cultural heritage make Delhi the best place to visit.

• Taj Mahal

• Redfort

• Rashtrapati Bhavan

• Qutab Minar

• Swami narayan temple

• Akshardham template

• Lodi gardens

• India gate

• Chandi Chowk

• Humayun Tomb    

• Gurudwara Bangla Sahib  
                      

Kerala

Kerala is a state located in southern India. It is often known as God's own country. It is filled with lots of coconut trees, beautiful backwater places, temples which are distinct in their architecture, hill resorts and beaches.

Ayurvedic tourism is an increasing trend for both foreigners and people from other states.  Kerala was a major spice export hub and the westerners came looking for the spice.

Kerala Tourism Development Corporation has taken many steps to regulate tourism these days. 

• Munnar

• Kochi

• Guruvayur

• Kovalam

• Trivandrum

• Athirampally falls

• Wayanad

• Kumarakom

• Thekkady

• Alapuzha

Bangalore - Garden City

Bangalore - Garden City

Bangalore, is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also known as the "Garden City of India". It is one of the most important tourist centers of the Karnataka state. Central business district of Bangalore consists of places MG Road, Brigade Road, Commercial street, Vidhana Soudha etc

      

There are many lakes and parks. BMTC offers special buses for sightseeing in Bangalore, including Cauveri - a double-decker open roof bus. The fastest growing metropolis in India, Bangalore is the face of India’s IT revolution.

Places to see:

• Lal Bagh[Botanical Garden]
• Cubbon Park
• Bangalore Fort
• Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace
• Bangalore Palace
• Mayo Hall 
• Dodda Alada Mara[big banyan tree is 400 years old and has a span of 3 acres]
• Thottikallu Falls
• Nandi Hills
• Bugle ROCK bugle 
• Hebbal lake
• Ulsoor lake 
• DRDO lake
• Banerghatta National Park
• Butterfly Park
• Bangalore Aquarium
• Ranganthittu bird Sanctuary
• Dharmaraya Swamy Temple
• Ranganathaswamy Temple   
• BULL Temple
• ISCON Sri Radha Krishna -Chandra Temple

Rajasthan - land of kings

Rajasthan - land of kings

Rajasthan, known as "the land of kings", is a state in Northern India. It attracts tourists for its historical forts, palaces, art and culture. Every third foreign tourist visiting India also travels to Rajasthan as it is part of the Golden Triangle for tourists visiting India.

The palaces of Jaipur, lakes of Udaipur, and desert forts of Jodhpur, Bikaner & Jaisalmer are among the most preferred destinations of many tourists, Indian and foreign. A camel safari near the inhabited desert trading centre of Jaisalmer gives a hint of the area's beautiful desolation

The capital, Jaipur, is a shopper's dream

Attraction in Rajasthan are

• Hawa mahal -palace of Wind, Jaipur  
• Amber [Amer] fort and Palace, Jaipur
• Abhaneri Step Well, Jaipur
• Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing, Jaipur
• Govind Devji Temple, Jaipur
• Shesh Mahal [Hall of Mirrors], Jaipur     
• Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
•  Pichola lake, Udaipur
•  Jain Temple-Ranakpur, , Udaipur
•  Kumbhalgarh Fort, Udaipur
•  Lake Pichhola Udaipur    
•  Bagore KI Haveli, , Udaipur
•  Eklingji Temple, Udaipur
•  Jagdish Temple, Udaipur
•  Jag Mandir, Udaipur
•  Sajjan Garh [monsoon palace], Udaipur
•  Meherangarh fort, Jodhpur
•  Spice Paradise, Jodhpur
•  Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur
•  Dilwara Jain Temple, Mt Abu
•  Sunset Point, Mount Abu  
•  Nakki Lake, Mt Abu

Ajanta and Ellora caves

Ajanta and Ellora caves

The caves are in northern Maharastra, around 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Mumbai

The first Buddhist cave monuments in Ajanta date between the 2nd and 1st century B.C. During the Gupta period (golden age), many more richly decorated caves were added to the original group. The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta, considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had a considerable artistic influence.

               

Located near the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra Ajanta and Ellora caves are the world famous for the cave shrines that cut out of rock, all by hand. There are 34 caves at Ellora and 29 caves at Ajanta. And all are sheer outstanding specimens of Indian architectural excellence.

The Ajanta caves are rich in paintings and sculpture and are all Buddhist, the Ellora caves are renowned for their extraordinary architecture and is a mixture of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain

 Bring a torch with you to the Ajanta caves as many of them are quite dark and lighting is poor. The best time to visit is from November to March when it's cooler and dry.

Tourists can undertake short excursion to nearby places of attractions like to the Sai Baba Temple located in Shirdi.

Nearby attractions

• Bibi Ka Maqbara
• Daulatabad Ford
• Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
• Bhadra Maruti
• Panchakki[water mill]                

Madurai - Temple town

Madurai - Temple town

The most important place to see in Madurai is the Goddess Meenakshi Amman temple, a historic Hindu temple located in the southern bank of river Vaigai. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is built during 1623 to 1655. The temple attracts 15,000 visitors a day, around 25,000 during Fridays and gets an annual revenue of sixty million

   The temple was in the list of top 30 nominees of the "New Seven Wonders of the World.  The "Aayiram Kaal Mandapam" or Thousand Pillar Hall contains 985 (instead of 1000) carved pillars. The hall was built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar in 1569 and it is a structure where the engineering skill and artistic vision are blended.

     A three-storied 'gopuram' stands at the entrance of the shrine and on the outer sanctum, the golden flagstaff, Thirumalai Nayakar Mandapam, brass images of Dwarapalakas, and shrines of Vinayaka can be seen

Places to see

• SrI Meenakshi Temple
• Gandhi Memorial Museum
• Aayiram Kaal Mandapam
• Mariamman Theppakkulam Temple
• Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal

Shimla - Queen of hill stations

Shimla - Queen of hill stations

Shimla, formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, located in northern India. 

           

Winter in Shimla is known as the season of "Long moon-night." The trees are covered with snow and the branches bend down and the scenery looks very beautiful. There are places where you can do ski and snow mobile.  There is also mountain biking available. There is also a race that gets conducted every year

You can do nice shopping at Mall Road

Place to see

• The Ridge
• Kalka-Shimla
• Tara Devi Temple 
• The Mall road
•  Jakhu Temple 
•  Shimla Christ Church
•  Shimla Glen 
•  Kufri Ski Resort
• Viceregal Lodge

Varanasi

Varanasi - The city of Temples

Varanasi is also known as "the holy city of India", "the religious capital of India", "the city of lights", "the city of learning", and "the oldest living city on earth.  Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India

Varanasi , also Benares, Banaras  or Kasi, is a city on the banks of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres (200 mi) southeast of the state capital, Lucknow.

Other major commodities manufactured and traded in Varanasi include hand-knotted Mirzapur carpets, rugs, brassware, copperware, wooden and clay toys, handicrafts, gold jewellery, and musical instruments

Tourism is Varanasi's very important industry. 

Vaishnavism and Shaivism have co-existed in Varanasi harmoniously. With a number of temples, Mrs. Annie Besant chose Varanasi as the home for her 'Theosophical Society'.

Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya also setup 'Benares Hindu University" here

Places to see

•  Ganga River 
•  Banaras Ghats
•  Kashi Vishwanath Temple
•  Sarnath
•  Assi Temple
•  Manikarnika Ghat
•  Golden Temple 
•  Chaumsathi Ghat
•  Alamgir Mosque
•  Durga Temple
•  Tulsi Manas Temple
•   Banaras Hindu University