Hampi
The focal point of Hampi Bazaar is this temple, one of the city’s oldest structures, and Hampi’s only remaining working temple. The main gopuram (gateway)…
Must-see attractions in South India
Gokarna
One of Karnataka's best beaches, Gokarna has a famous stretch of sand that twists and turns over several kilometres to resemble the outline of an Om…
Hyderabad
The aristocratic Paigah family, purportedly descendants of the second Caliph of Islam, were fierce loyalists of the nizams, serving as statespeople,…
Mysuru (Mysore)
Small in scale but masterly in detail, the astonishingly beautiful Keshava Temple is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture, on par with the…
Joshi's Museum of Miniature Railway
Pune
Inside the small Soudamini Instruments factory in eastern Pune is what is claimed to be India's only miniature city, the lifelong obsession of model train…
National Gallery of Modern Art
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Housed in a century-old mansion – the former vacation home of the raja of Mysuru – this world-class art museum showcases an impressive permanent…
Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
This stunning Buddhist complex is 40km west of Vizag and occupies a rocky outcrop about 300m long. Sankaram is also known by the names of its two parts,…
Karnataka
The beautiful Ibrahim Rouza is among the most elegant and finely proportioned Islamic monuments in India. Its 24m-high minarets are said to have inspired…
Maharashtra
This wildly panoramic viewpoint 12km south of Lonavla is one of the resort town's best non-kitschy sights. On a clear day, small waterfalls are visible…
Gokarna
Deeply atmospheric temple complex, encircled by lanes but peaceful inside. Here there's a (rare) stone statue of an upright, standing Ganesh, said to be…
Pune
An oddball of a museum that’s one of Pune’s true delights, housing only a fraction of the 20,000-odd objects of Indian daily life painstakingly collected…
Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
This stunning four-storey cave temple was probably originally carved out of the hillside for Buddhist monks in the 2nd century AD, then converted to Hindu…
Gokarna
This is a profoundly spiritual temple, built of granite by Mayurasharma of the Kadamba dynasty and said to date to the 4th century. It's dedicated to Lord…
Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
The stunning Ramappa Temple, about 70km north-east of Warangal, was built in the early 13th century, and is the outstanding gem of Kakatiya architecture…
Karnataka
Set within lovely manicured grounds 1km east of the fort, Tipu’s summer palace is Srirangapatna’s star attraction. Built from teak and rosewood, it has…
Hampi
At the southern end of Sule Bazaar is the beautiful Achyutaraya Temple, dating from 1534, one of the last great monuments constructed before the fall of…
South Goa
Artist and restorer Victor Hugo Gomes first noticed the slow extinction of traditional objects – from farming tools to kitchen utensils to altarpieces –…
Visakhapatnam
A fantastic attraction located towards the north end of Ramakrishna Beach, the 91m-long, Soviet-built, Indian navy submarine Kursura is now a fascinating…
Hyderabad
This is perhaps the most famous dargah (Sufi shrine) in Hyderabad, the resting place of two Sufi saints. Qawwali singers and musicians gather here every…
Hyderabad
This noncommercial 'inclusive cultural space' is an open centre that hosts plays, films, musical events, exhibitions, organic markets and lectures; some…
Andaman Islands
Little Andaman’s best beach: a spectacular, powder-soft golden-white sweep of sand, famed for having some of India's best surfing waves.
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
Thanjavur’s royal palace is a mixed bag of ruin and renovation, superb art and random royal paraphernalia. The mazelike complex was constructed partly by…
Chennai (Madras)
Housed across from the striking British-built Pantheon Complex, this excellent museum is Chennai’s best. The big highlight is building 3, the Bronze…
Cellular Jail National Memorial
Port Blair
A former British prison, the Cellular Jail now serves as a shrine to the political dissidents it once imprisoned. Construction began in 1896 and was…
Trichy (Tiruchirappalli)
The Rock Fort Temple, perched 83m high on a massive outcrop, lords over Trichy with stony arrogance. The ancient rock was first hewn by the Pallavas and…
Nashik
This sacred River Godavari bathing ghat in the heart of Nashik’s old quarter, a Kumbh Mela venue, sees hundreds of Hindu pilgrims arriving daily to bathe,…
Chennai (Madras)
Mylapore is one of Chennai's most characterful and traditional neighbourhoods; it predated colonial Madras by several centuries. Its Kapaleeshwarar Temple…
Nashik
Sula Vineyards, located 15km west of Nashik, commands around 65% of the Indian wine market. It offers a slick, professional tour (around 45 minutes) of…
Tamil Nadu
There’s a tropical bohemian groove floating around Injambakkam village, site of the Cholamandal Artists’ Village, 10km south of Chennai's Adyar River…
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Occupying a handsome 120-year-old heritage building within the Kerala Tourism complex, this intelligently presented museum traces Kerala's history and…
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Housed in an 1880 wooden building designed by Robert Chisholm (a British architect whose Fair Isle–style version of the Keralite vernacular shows his…
Maharashtra
One of Maharashtra’s most important and vibrant places of worship, the Mahalaxmi Temple is dedicated to Amba Bai (Mother Goddess). The temple’s origins…
Visakhapatnam
Opened in 2017, this museum showcases a Soviet-era TU-142M aircraft that was used by the Indian military for 29 years (and 30,000 hours of accident-free…
Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
At the northern end of the Mamallapuram Hill compound, the Trimurti Cave Temple depicts the Hindu 'trinity' amid guardian figures: Brahma (left), Shiva …
Maharashtra
Cave 1, a Mahayana vihara, was one of the last to be excavated and is the most beautifully decorated. This is where you’ll find a rendition of the…
Maharashtra
Cave 16, a vihara, contains some of Ajanta’s finest paintings and is thought to have been the original entrance to the entire complex. The best known of…
Maharashtra
Cave 19, a magnificent chaitya, has a remarkably detailed facade; its dominant feature is an impressive horseshoe-shaped window. Two fine, standing Buddha…
Maharashtra
Cave 10 is the only chaitya in the Buddhist group and one of the finest in India. Its ceiling features ribs carved into the stonework; the grooves were…
Maharashtra
Cave 2 is a late Mahayana vihara with deliriously ornamented columns and capitals and some fine paintings. The ceiling is decorated with geometric and…
Maharashtra
No trip to Aurangabad is complete without a pit stop at the ruined but truly magnificent hilltop fortress of Daulatabad, about 15km away from town en…
