Maharashtra
Calm and contemplation infuse the 12 Buddhist caves, which stretch to the south of Kailasa. All are Buddhist viharas (monasteries) used for study and…
Must-see attractions in South India
South Goa
Braganza House, built in the 17th century and stretching along one whole side of Chandor’s village square, is the biggest Portuguese mansion of its kind…
Tiruvannamalai
With three separate hilltop citadels and a 6km perimeter of cliffs and thick walls, the ruins of enormous Gingee Fort rise out of the Tamil plain, 37km…
Mumbai (Bombay)
This bold basalt arch of colonial triumph faces out to Mumbai Harbour from the tip of Apollo Bunder. Incorporating Islamic styles of 16th-century Gujarat,…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Rising up like a mirage from polluted Gorai Creek is this breathtaking, golden 96m-high stupa modelled on Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda. Its dome, which…
Mumbai (Bombay)
A hive of daily activity, packed with judges, barristers and other cogs in the Indian justice system, the newly Unesco-recognised High Court is an elegant…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Floating like a sacred mirage off the coast, this Indo-Islamic shrine located on an offshore inlet is a striking sight. Built in the 19th century, it…
Matha Amrithanandamayi Mission
Kerala
The incongruously salmon-pink Matha Amrithanandamayi Mission, 30km northwest of Kollam, is the famous ashram of one of India’s few female gurus,…
Pune
The grand Aga Khan Palace is set in a peaceful wooded 6.5-hectare plot northeast of the centre. Built in 1892 by Sultan Aga Khan III, this graceful…
Maharashtra
Drama and excitement characterise the Hindu group (Caves 13 to 29). In terms of scale, creative vision and skill of execution, these caves are in a league…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Built on reclaimed land in 1920 and a part of Mumbai's recently crowned Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles Unesco World Heritage Site, Marine Dr arcs…
Maharashtra
The five Jain caves, the last created at Ellora, may lack the ambitious size of the best Hindu temples, but they are exceptionally detailed, with some…
Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
Legends about the hill itself and the surrounding area appear in the Puranas, and the temple’s history may date back 2000 years. Devotees flock to…
The Western Ghats
In the foothills of the Nilgiris, this newly enlarged 765-sq-km wildlife reserve is like a classical Indian landscape painting given life, with chital…
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
For a taste of traditional urban India, dive into the bustling, gritty Krishnarajendra Market and the dense grid of commercial streets that surround it…
North Goa
Opened to the public in 2012 as a cultural centre, Reis Magos Fort overlooks the narrowest point of the Mandovi River estuary, making it easy to…
Mumbai (Bombay)
This storied wadi (hamlet), a heritage village nearly 180 years old, is clinging onto Mumbai life as it was before high-rises. A Christian enclave of…
Karnataka
A steep climb up 614 steps takes you to the top of Vindhyagiri Hill, the summit of which is lorded over by a towering naked statue of Jain deity…
Karnataka
West of the Kabini River is the 643-sq-km wildlife sanctuary of Nagarhole National Park (pronounced nag-ar-hole-eh). The lush forests here are home to…
Maharashtra
The moody Trimbakeshwar Temple stands in the centre of Trimbak, 33km west of Nashik. It’s one of India’s most sacred temples, containing a highly…
Maharashtra
Karla Cave, the largest early chaitya (Buddhist temple) in India, is reached by a 20-minute climb from a mini bazaar at the base of a hill. Completed in…
Karnataka
Barring a few that date to the 3rd century, most of Pattadakal's World Heritage–listed temples were built during the 7th and 8th centuries. The main…
Karnataka
Commissioned in 1116 to commemorate the Hoysalas’ victory over the neighbouring Cholas, this temple took more than a century to build, and is currently…
Mysuru (Mysore)
Back from the dead, this stunning 12th-century Hoysala temple was submerged when the Kaveri River was dammed in 1930. However, villagers had tantalising…
Karnataka
The second-highest waterfall in India, Jog Falls only comes to life during the monsoon. The tallest of the four falls is the Raja, which drops 293m. For a…
Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
This former monastic compound, on a hilltop overlooking a vast expanse of forest and paddy fields, is well off the beaten path and makes a very scenic…
Maharashtra
Sevagram (Village of Service) was chosen by Mahatma Gandhi as his base during the Indian Independence Movement. Throughout the freedom struggle, the…
Hyderabad
The Purani Haveli was a home of the sixth nizam, Mahbub Ali Khan (r 1869–1911). He was rumoured to have never worn the same thing twice: hence the 54m…
Hyderabad
This mosque is one of the world’s largest, with 10,000 men praying here at major Muslim festivals, and also one of Hyderabad's oldest buildings, begun in…
Karnataka
Construction of the Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebid’s claim to fame, began around 1121 and went on for more than 80 years. It was never completed but…
Maharashtra
With carved dwarfs supporting the pillars, cave 17 has Ajanta’s best-preserved and most varied paintings. Famous images include a princess applying make…
Gokarna
Lovely, isolated Paradise Beach is a mix of sand and rocks, and a haven for the long-term ‘turn on, tune in, drop out’ crowd. It's around a 45-minute walk…
South Goa
About 8km southeast of Chandor is the busy small town of Quepem. Here the Palácio do Deão, the renovated 18th-century palace built by the town’s founder,…
Archaeological Excavations at Mansar
Maharashtra
Believed to be the excavated 5th-century remains of a temple and residential palace complex known as Pravarapura, once the capital of the Vakataka King…
Karnataka
Udupi is home to the atmospheric 13th-century Krishna temple, which draws thousands of Hindu pilgrims through the year. Surrounded by eight maths …
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Recently restored to its former glory thanks to the financial might of Samsung, the British-era Opera House has been transformed into a temple of tech,…
Karnataka
Whitewashed Hanuman Temple, accessible by a 570-step climb up Anjanadri Hill, has fine views of the surrounding rugged terrain. Many believe that this is…
Kerala
This reserve on the 5-hectare site of a former rubber plantation on Vembanad Lake is the haunt of a variety of domestic and migratory birds. October to…
Maharashtra
Cave 32, the Indra Sabha (Assembly Hall of Indra), is the finest of the Jain temples. Its ground-floor plan is similar to that of the Kailasa, but the…
Karnataka
This tiny island off Malpe is where Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama supposedly landed in 1498, and has curious hexagonal basalt formations. Locals sell…
