Tourism in India
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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.
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, Ranthambore, 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
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- Chennai - The capital of Tamil Nadu has the second longest beach in the world, the Marina Beach.
- 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.
- 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)
- Hyderabad, India
- Vishakapatnam
- Aurobindo Ashram
- Auroville
Goa is another popular destination, famous for its excellent beaches, churches, and temples.
Another popular tourist destination is the mystic state of Sikkim and its capital Gangtok. Places near Sikkim include Darjeeling and Kalimpong.