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Trekking, whether on foot in the wondrous mountains of the north or by camel in the deserts of Rajhastan, is the most popular activity in India but there's also less-thought of options like skiing, white-water rafting and (down south) swimming and snorkelling.
The Buddhist caves of Ajanta date from around 200 BC to 650 AD, predating those at Ellora. As Ellora developed and Buddhism gradually declined, the Ajanta caves were abandoned and eventually forgotten. But in 1819 a British hunting party stumbled upon them, and their remote beauty was soon unveiled.
The caves' isolation contributed to the fine state of preservation in which some of their remarkable paintings remain to this day. Ajanta is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Many of the caves are dark and a torch comes in useful. If possible, avoid coming here on weekends or public holidays when Ajanta can get very crowded with tourists and very persistent hawkers.
There's a free guarded cloakroom near the entrance where you can safely leave gear, so it is possible to arrive on a morning bus from Jalgaon, look around the caves, and continue to Aurangabad in the evening, or vice versa.
(Northern Maharashtra)
ajantacaves.com
bus from Aurangabad or Jalgaon
| full | US Dollar 5.00 |
Fringing the coast of Kerala and winding far inland is a vast network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals. Travelling the backwaters is one of the highlights of a visit to Kerala. The larger boats are motorised but there are numerous smaller boats propelled by punting with a long bamboo pole.
The boats cross shallow, palm-fringed lakes studded with cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, and travel along narrow, shady canals where coir (coconut fibre), copra (dried coconut meat) and cashews are loaded onto boats. Along the way are small settlements where people live on narrow spits of reclaimed land only a few metres wide.
Although practically surrounded by water, they still manage to keep cows, pigs, chickens and ducks and cultivate small vegetable gardens. Prawns and fish, including the prized karimeen, are also farmed, and shellfish are dredged by hand to be later burnt with coal dust to produce lime.
A comprehensive listing of backwater tours throughout Kerala is available in the brochure The Backwaters of Kerala Tourist Guide, available from tourist offices. The brochure includes prices and telephone booking contacts. More information is available on their website.
(Kerala)
www.keralatourism.org
This is perhaps the liveliest fort in India - about 25% of the old city's population resides within the fort walls. There are homes hidden in the laneways, and shops and stalls are swaddled in the kaleidoscopic mirrors and embroideries of brilliant Rajasthani cloth.
Sadly, the fort is suffering from tourism numbers and government indifference and is on the World Monuments Watch list of 100 endangered sites worldwide. Built in 1156 by the Rajput ruler Jaisala, the fort crowns the 80m/262ft-high Trikuta Hill. The fort is entered through a forbidding series of massive gates leading to a large courtyard. The former maharaja's seven-storey palace fronts onto this. The 360° views from the summit are spectacular.
Sam Rd
| full | Indian Rupee 70.00 |
Described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love, this poignant Mughal mausoleum has become the de facto tourist emblem of India. Many have tried to sum up its beauty, but even the poets of the time were unable to do this magnificent building justice.
The spectacular white marble mausoleum seems as immaculate today as when it was first constructed, although in recent years there has been growing concern about the damage that atmospheric pollution is causing the Taj.
The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631. The death of Mumtaz left the emperor so heartbroken that his hair is said to have turned grey overnight.
The Taj is accessed through an outer courtyard which has gates facing west, south and east (most tourists enter from the west gate which is closest to the car park). Entry to the inner compound is through a vast red sandstone gateway on the south side of the forecourt, inscribed with verses from the Quran in Arabic.
The Taj Mahal stands on a raised marble platform at the northern end of the ornamental gardens. Purely decorative white minarets grace each corner of the platform. The red sandstone mosque to the west of the main structure is an important gathering place for Agra's Muslims.
Sunset is an extremely impressive time to see the Taj - the white marble first takes on a rich golden sheen, then slowly turns pink, red and finally blue with the changing light.
tel info 0562 2330498
train Agra Fort
cycle taxi
Khajuraho's temples were built during the Chandela period, a dynasty that survived for five centuries before falling to the Mughal onslaught. Most date from one century-long burst of creative genius from 950 to 1050 AD. Almost as intriguing as the sheer beauty and size of the temples is the question of why and how they were built here.
The temples are superb examples of Indo-Aryan architecture, but it's the decorations with which they are so liberally embellished that have made Khajuraho famous, especially the erotic sculptures. Around the temples are bands of stonework showing many aspects of Indian life a millennium ago - gods and goddesses, warriors and musicians, real and mythological animals.
The temples are divided into three groups, with the western group the most popular and the only group that attracts an entry fee. You can wander the eastern and southern groups for free.
(NE Madhya Pradesh)
tel info 07686 272 347
bus
It's a shame Goa comes burdened with a reputation for louche living, because there's so much more to it than sun, sand and psychedelia. The allure of Goa is that it remains quite distinct from the rest of India and is small enough to be grasped and explored in a way that other Indian states are not.
Goa has enjoyed a prominent place in the travellers' lexicon since the heady days of the 1960s, but the (in)famous hippies have now been replaced by backpackers, Indian visitors and package tourists on two-week jaunts from Europe. The locals are relaxed and friendly, and skirts outnumber saris.
The capital of Rajasthan is popularly known as the 'pink city' because of the ochre-pink hue of its old buildings and crenellated city walls. The Rajputs associated the colour pink with hospitality, and reputedly daubed the city in preparation for the visit of Britain's Prince Alfred in 1853.
Jaipur is a city of broad avenues and architectural harmony, built on a dry lake bed surrounded by barren hills. It's an extremely colourful city that radiates a magical warm glow in the evening light. The most obvious landmark in the old city is the Iswari Minar Swarga Sul, which overlooks the city.
Jaipur owes its existence to the great warrior-astronomer Maharaja Jai Singh II (1699-1744), who took advantage of declining Mughul power to move his somewhat cramped hillside fortress at nearby Amber to a new site on the plains in 1727. He laid out the city's surrounding walls and its six rectangular blocks with the help of Shilpa-Shastra, an ancient Hindu treatise on architecture.
The city's most striking sight is the stunning artistry of the five-storey facade of the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds. The palace was built in 1799 to enable ladies of the royal household to watch street life and processions, and is part of the City Palace complex which forms the heart of the old city.
Mumbai is the bubblegum glamour of Bollywood cinema, shopping malls full of designer labels, cricket on the Oval Maidan, promenading families eating bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty, red double-decker buses queuing in grinding traffic jams and the infamous cages of the red-light district.
This pungent drama is played out against a Victorian townscape more reminiscent of a prosperous 19th-century English industrial city than anything you'd expect to find on the edge of the Arabian Sea. It's a city with vibrant streetlife, India's best nightlife, and a wealth of bazaars.
Spread out over a series of interconnected islands, modern Mumbai is an industrial hub, producing everything from textiles to petrochemicals, and is responsible for half of India's foreign trade. The Indian stock market is here, at the Bombay Stock Exchange, as opposed to Delhi, and plans are afoot to transform north Mumbai into a skyscraper city to rival Singapore. This surging wealth acts as a powerful magnet for the rural poor, who flood into the slums, further increasing the tensions in these desperately poor districts.
India is blessed with a huge number of festivals, some so spectacular that you would be a fool to miss them. They start with the secular Republic Day Festival in Delhi each January, which includes elephants, a procession, and plenty of military might and Indian princely splendour. Holi, in February/March, is one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals in the north of India. It marks the beginning of spring and basically involves throwing coloured powder and water over as many people as you can in one day.
The 10-day Shi'ite Muharram festival, also in February/March, commemorates the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson. It's marked by a grand parade and dedicated penitents scourge themselves with whips in religious fervour. It's best seen in Lucknow, the principal Indian Shi'ite city; its timing varies with the Islamic calendar. The massive Kumbh Mela festival commemorates an ancient battle between gods and demons for a pitcher ( kumbh) containing the nectar of immortality. During the fight for possession, four drops of nectar fell from the pitcher and landed in Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain. The mela is held every three years rotating through these four cities. The next Kumbh Mela is scheduled to take place in 2007 at Nasik.
Don't mistake the great Rath Yatra (Car Festival) for a rally race. This spectacle in Puri in June/July involves the gigantic temple car of Lord Jagannath making its annual journey, pulled by thousands of eager devotees. One of the big events of the year in Kerala is the Nehru Cup Snake Boat Race on the backwaters at Alappuzha (Alleppey), which take place on the second Saturday of August.
The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi in August/September is dedicated to the popular elephant-headed god, Ganesh. It's celebrated widely, but with particular enthusiasm in Mumbai and Pune. Shrines are erected, firecrackers let off, clay idols are immersed in rivers or the sea, and everyone tries to avoid looking at the moon.
September/October is the time to witness the Dussehra (Durga Puja) Festival, which is perhaps at its most spectacular in Kullu, Mysore, West Bengal and Ahmedabad.
October/November is the time for the huge and colourful Camel Fair at Pushkar in Rajasthan. Diwali (or Deepavaali) is the happiest festival of the Hindu calendar and is celebrated over five days in October/November. Sweets, oil lamps and firecrackers all play a major part in this celebration in honour of a number of gods.
There are also usually holidays during major festivals. These vary from state to state.
