Destinations

Cities

Below is a selection of nine of India's most notable cities. Other cities can be found under their specific regions.
* Delhi — the capital of India for a thousand years and the heart of Northern India.

* Bangalore (now Bengaluru) — The garden city, once the sleepy home of pensioners now transformed into the city of pubs, technology and companies.

* Chennai (formerly Madras) — main port in Southern India, cradle of Carnatic Music and Bharatanatyam, home of the famous Marina beach, Automobile Capital of India and a fast emerging IT hub.

* Jaipur — the Pink City is a major exhibit of the Hindu Rajput culture of medeival Northern India.

* Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) — the cultural capital of India, Kolkata is home to numerous colonial buildings. It is known as The City of Joy.

* Mumbai (formerly Bombay) — the financial capital of India, "Bollywood" (Indian Film Industry) hub.

* Shimla — the former summer capital of British India located in the Himalayan foothills with a large legacy of Victorian architecture.

* Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum) — capital of Kerala and gateway to the sandy beaches and backwaters of south west India.

* Varanasi — considered the most sacred Hindu city, located on the banks of the Ganges, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities of the world.



Other destinations

India has many outstanding landmarks and areas of outstanding beauty. Below is a list of nine of the most notable:

* Bodh Gaya — the place where the Buddha Sakyamuni attained enlightenment.


* Ellora/Ajanta — spectacular rock-cut cave monasteries and temples, holy place for the Buddhists, Jains and Hindus.

* Goa — an east-west mix, beaches and syncretic culture.


* Golden Temple — Sikh holy site located in Amritsar.

* Hampi — the awesome ruins of the empire of Vijayanagara.


* Khajuraho — famed for its erotic sculptures.

* Lake Palace — the Lake Palace of Octopussy fame, located in Udaipur.
* Meenakshi Temple — a spectacular Hindhu temple in Madurai.

* Taj Mahal — the incomparable Taj Mahal in Agra

http://wikitravel.org/en/India