Must-see attractions in India

  • Mehrangarh Fort.

    Mehrangarh

    Jodhpur

    Rising perpendicular and impregnable from a rocky hill that itself stands 120m above Jodhpur’s skyline, Mehrangarh is one of the most magnificent forts in…

  • Taj Mahal, Agra, India

    Taj Mahal

    Agra

    Poet Rabindranath Tagore described it as 'a teardrop on the cheek of eternity'; Rudyard Kipling as 'the embodiment of all things pure'; while its creator,…

  • City Palace architecture

    City Palace

    Jaipur

    A complex of courtyards, gardens and buildings, the impressive City Palace is right in the centre of the Old City. The outer wall was built by Jai Singh…

  • India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, Amber Fort

    Amber Fort

    Eastern Rajasthan

    This magnificent fort comprises an extensive palace complex, built from pale yellow and pink sandstone, and white marble, and is divided into four main…

  • Carved wheel of the Sun Temple at Konark.

    Sun Temple

    Odisha

    Conceived as the cosmic chariot of the sun god Surya, this massive, breathtakingly splendid temple was constructed in the mid-13th century, probably by…

  • Thanjavur (Tanjore) - Brihadishwara Temple, Tamil Nadu, India - stock photo

    Brihadeeshwara Temple

    Thanjavur (Tanjore)

    Come here twice: in the morning, when the honey-hued granite begins to assert its dominance over the white dawn sunshine, and in the evening, when the…

  • Golden Temple

    Amritsar

    The legendary Golden Temple is actually just a small part of this huge gurdwara complex, known to Sikhs as Harmandir Sahib. Spiritually, the focus of…

  • Dilkhusha (Tomb of Muhammad Quli Khan)

    Mehrauli Archaeological Park

    Delhi

    There are extraordinary riches scattered around Mehrauli, with more than 440 monuments – from the 10th century to the British era – dotting a forest and…

  • Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India, Asia, Indian Sub-Continent

    Kanha Tiger Reserve

    Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh

    Madhya Pradesh is the king of the jungle when it comes to tiger parks, and Kanha is its most famous. The forests are vast, and while your chances of…

  • Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

    Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh

    If your only reason for visiting a tiger reserve in India is to see a tiger, look no further. A couple of days at Bandhavgarh should net you a tiger…

  • Diwan-i-Am at Delhi's Red Fort.

    Red Fort

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    Founded by Emperor Shah Jahan and surrounded by a magnificent 18m-high wall, this fort took 10 years to construct (1638–48) and is rumoured to have had…

  • Kailas Temple, Ellora

    Kailasa Temple

    Maharashtra

    One of India’s greatest monuments, this astonishing temple, carved from solid rock, was built by King Krishna I in AD 760 to represent Mt Kailasa (Kailash…

  • Mahabodhi Temple

    Bodhgaya

    The magnificent Unesco World Heritage-listed Mahabodhi Temple, marking the hallowed ground where Buddha attained enlightenment and formulated his…

  • Humayun's Tomb complex. New Delhi, India

    Humayun’s Tomb

    Delhi

    Humayun’s tomb is sublimely well proportioned, seeming to float above its symmetrical gardens. It's thought to have inspired the Taj Mahal, which it…

  • Jama Masjid

    Jama Masjid

    Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)

    A beautiful pocket of calm at the heart of Old Delhi's mayhem, the capital's largest mosque is built on a 10m elevation. It can hold a mind-blowing 25,000…

  • Boats on River Ganges

    Manikarnika Ghat

    Varanasi

    Manikarnika Ghat, the main burning ghat, is the most auspicious place for a Hindu to be cremated. Dead bodies are handled by outcasts known as doms, and…

  • Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

    Victoria Memorial

    Kolkata (Calcutta)

    The incredible Victoria Memorial is a vast, beautifully proportioned festival of white marble: think US Capitol meets Taj Mahal. Had it been built for a…

  • LAKSHMANA TEMPLE: Facade.Western Group, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India
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    Lakshmana Temple

    Khajuraho

    The large Lakshmana Temple took 20 years to build and was completed in about AD 954 during the reign of Dhanga, according to an inscription in its mandapa…

  • Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah Tomb

    Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Dargah

    Delhi

    Visiting the marble shrine of Muslim Sufi saint Nizam-ud-din Auliya is Delhi's most mystical, magical experience. The dargah is hidden away in a tangle of…

  • Botanical Garden

    Botanical Gardens

    Kolkata (Calcutta)

    Despite being an awkward journey by public transport, Kolkata’s lovely 109-hectare Botanical Gardens makes for a great place to escape from the city’s…

  • [UNVERIFIED CONTENT] One of the highlights of Chandigarh is the Rock Garden designed by local artist Nek Chand.

    Nek Chand Rock Garden

    Chandigarh

    Chandigarh's Rock Garden is unique: it's the surreal fantasy of the much-missed Nek Chand (1924–2015), a local transport official who, starting in 1957,…

  • Hawa Mahal palace, Jaipur

    Hawa Mahal

    Jaipur

    Jaipur’s most-distinctive landmark, the Hawa Mahal is an extraordinary pink-painted, delicately honeycombed hive that rises a dizzying five storeys. It…

  • This is a photo of Qutub Minar, showing the intricate engraving and carvings done. The photo instills a sense of strength and poise.

    Qutb Minar Complex

    Delhi

    If you only have time to visit one of Delhi's ancient ruins, make it this. The first monuments here were erected by the sultans of Mehrauli, and…

  • Ellora caves, Aurangabad

    Ajanta Caves

    Maharashtra

    Ajanta’s caves line a steep face of a horseshoe-shaped gorge bordering the Waghore River. Five of the caves are chaityas (assembly or prayer halls) while…

  • Samrat Yantra (Giant sundial), Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

    Jantar Mantar

    Jaipur

    Adjacent to the City Palace is Jantar Mantar, an observatory begun by Jai Singh II in 1728 that resembles a collection of bizarre giant sculptures. Built…

  • MUMBAI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 21: The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel on Febuary 21, 2014 in Mumbai, India; Shutterstock ID 214733773; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Mumbai’s most famous landmark, this stunning hotel is a fairy-tale blend of Islamic and Renaissance styles, and India’s second-most-photographed monument…

  • Purana Qila

    Delhi

    Shh, whisper it quietly: this place is better than the Red Fort. Delhi's 'Old Fort' isn't as magnificent in size and grandeur, but it's far more pleasant…

  • Kandariya-Mahadev Temple

    Khajuraho

    The 30.5m-long Kandariya-Mahadev, built between 1025 and 1050, is the largest Western Group temple and represents the high point of Chandela architecture…

  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Imposing, exuberant and overflowing with people, this monumental train station is the city’s most extravagant Gothic building and an aphorism of colonial…

  • Kedarnath

    Uttarakhand

    Kedarnath is in the most dramatic location of the char dham temples, located at the base of 6970m peaks and 22km from the nearest road. The puja offered…

  • Mysuru Palace

    Mysuru (Mysore)

    The second-most-visited sight in India (after the Taj Mahal), this palace is among the very grandest of India’s royal buildings and was the seat of the…

  • Tughlaqabad

    Delhi

    This magnificent 14th-century ruined fort, half reclaimed by jungle and gradually being encroached on by villages, was Delhi's third incarnation, built by…

  • Govindgarh

    Punjab (India)

    Of all the ruined forts in Punjab, Bathinda’s Govindgarh is the mightiest and most impressive. It’s also the oldest, dating way back to the 7th century,…

  • Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

    Maharashtra

    One of the best places to see tigers in India, the seldom-visited Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, 150km south of Nagpur, is now much more accessible thanks…

  • Qutab Minar

    Delhi

    The Qutab Minar that gives the complex its name is an unmissable, soaring Afghan-style victory tower and minaret, erected by sultan Qutb-ud-din in 1193 to…

  • Tawang Gompa

    Arunachal Pradesh

    The magical Tawang Gompa, founded in 1681 in what was then a Monpa royal palace, overlooks the town from its ridgetop site. Reputedly the world’s second…

  • Vittala Temple

    Hampi

    Hampi's most exquisite structure, the 16th-century Vittala Temple stands amid boulders 2.5km from Hampi Bazaar. Work possibly started on the temple during…

  • Valley of Flowers National Park

    Uttarakhand

    The bugyals (high-altitude meadows) of tall wildflowers in the Unesco World Heritage–listed Valley of Flowers are a glorious sight on a sunny day,…

  • Ellora Cave Temples

    Maharashtra

    The saga of the hammer and chisel comes full circle at the Unesco World Heritage-listed Ellora cave temples, located 30km from Aurangabad. The pinnacle of…

  • Kangla Fort

    Northeast States

    The vast, low-walled fort at the heart of Imphal was, with a few interruptions, the political and religious heart of Manipur for many centuries until…

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