“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!” Mark Twain, American Writer,
India is a land of multiple experiences. Its expanse of experience is so large that no one can experience it fully in her lifetime.
India is a land of the diversity of food, people, religions, culture, and destinations.
Foreign tours are in vague. Indians are going gaga over foreign destinations. I wonder how many young Indians have experienced India. How much, people who talk for hours about Effiel Tower, Swiss Alps, and Istanbul know about Indian destinations?
India is a country where Yoga, Ayurveda, Upanishads are originated. Four of the major world religions have originated from India.
India has a rich heritage of Music. This is the land where its dance form like Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Manipuri, have become world famous.
“The diversity of India, of our civilization, is actually a thing of beauty, which is something we are extremely proud of.” Narendra Modi
The reality is the grass on the Indian land is marvelous as well as mystique.
How much of this India have you experienced as an Indian?
Last week a friend posted the following picture on Facebook and wondered why people spend huge money abroad when India has enormous tourism destinations on its platter. He was echoing my sentiments.
What India has in store for tourists is a complete bouquet of experiences no other single country can offer. For foreign tourists, India cannot be covered completely even in 10 visits.
Let’s explore this land of Incredible India.
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Religious Tourism
“India has 2,000,000 gods and worships them all. In religion, all other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire.” Mark Twain
Out of the 6 major religions of the world, 4 are originated in India. Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism all have its roots in India.
Ancient Varanasi to Haridwar and Rishikesh in North India. See the mesmerizing Aarti at the Dasaswamegh Ghat at Varanasi.
In the South India temples like Rameshwaram, Madurai, are the prominent tourist destinations known for Hinduism.
Amritsar in Punjab is the holy city for Sikhism.
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Buddhist circuit includes Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Rajgir, and Kushinagar.
Important destinations of Jainism are Sammet Shikhar, Pawapuri, Palitana, Junagarh to name a few. There are several prominent other Jain destinations in like Ranakpur in Rajasthan and Southern India.
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Mountains – Hills Stations
Darjeeling in the East to the complete Himalayan Range in Himachal Pradesh which includes Manali, Dalhousie, Khajjiar, Dharamshala, Shimla, Naldehra, Mussoorie, Nainital, Munsiyari, Almora, Binsar, in Uttaranchal offer mesmerizing experiences.
In the South, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Chikmagalur, and Munnar are the leaders attracting a plethora of tourists.
The queens of all destinations are in Kashmir i.e. Srinagar, Pahalgam, and Gulmarg. The entire Tulip garden in Srinagar and Ladakh region can give Switzerland and European countries run for their money.
Several destinations in Chardham route are mind-boggling. Be it apple orchids of Harshil near Gangotri or Valley of Flowers in Auli, the experiences of nature is stupendous.
Gulmarg in Kashmir is awesome
3. Beaches
Goa has several beautiful beaches, in addition, Kovalam in Kerala, Tarkali, and Ganapatipule in the Konkan coast in Maharashtra, and on the eastern coast Puducherry and Mahabalipuram beaches are some of the finest beaches in India.
One of the best beaches in Asia, Radhanagar Beach is in Andaman.
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Deserts
Rajasthan is a land of multiple experiences. Jaisalmer desert and Khimsar manmade sand dunes are worth experiences.
Rann Utsav in Gujarat is one more feather in the cap of Tourism in India.
These places can offer a splendid experience which surpasses Dubai desert safari experiences.
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Wildlife Destinations
Jim Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal, Ranthambhore in Rajasthan, Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Periyar National Park in Thekkady, Kerala, Kaziranga in Assam, Bandipur and Gir are some of the finest wildlife destinations India has to offer for the tourists.
Bharatpur bird sanctuary is another destination worth visiting.
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Natural Beauty
Untouched North East Arunachal, Meghalaya, Assam, Tea Gardens of Coorg and Munnar, Coffer gardens of Chikmagalur in Karnataka, Lachung, and Gangtok in Sikkim, the famous mesmerizing Chardham circuit, and of course Kashmir and the Himalayan range.
Tea Garden Munnar
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North East states are another bouquet of natural beauty. Have you visited Dawki lake in Meghalaya?
Some of the famous waterfalls like Jog Falls in Karnataka, Dudhsagar falls in Goa, and Chitrakoot waterfalls in Chhatisgarh are mind-blowing.
Chikamaglur in Karnataka is another beautiful hidden destination known for its coffee plantations.
Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh is another unexplored destinations.
All these destinations are no less than the best of international destinations.
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Culinary Tourism
Food variety India offers is unmatched in the world. No country in the world can match the variety and diversity of Indian food.
We have Bengal in the East, Gujarat, and Rajasthan in the West, Punjab in the North, and Kerala and Tamilnadu cuisine in the South.
Each state and every city have its own uniqueness about the food. Indore in MP, Pune, and Mumbai in Maharashtra and of course Varanasi in Uttara Pradesh.
India is a perfect destination for culinary tourism. Which of the destinations have you visited?
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Heritage and Cultural Tourism
India was ruled by Moghul and Britishers for many years. Before independence, there were several kingdoms.
All of them have contributed some mega monuments.
One of them is one of the 7 wonders of the world i.e. Taj Mahal in Agra. There is Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort in Delhi.
Palaces in Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, and Mysore and Udaipur are unmatched and shall not be missed.
Khajuraho Temple in Madhya Pradesh, Konark Temple in Orrisa, Ajanta Ellora caves in Maharashtra, Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India Gate in Delhi, Hampi structures and Halebid in Karnataka, the list is endless.
Mount Abu in Rajasthan is known for the famous Dilwara Temples.
This is just a glimpse of Indian heritage tourism.
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Festival Tourism
India celebrates maximum festivals in the world. Festivals like Ganapati in Maharashtra, Durga Puja in West Bengal, Navratri in Gujarat and Holi in North and West India are not to be missed festivals for any tourist of the world.
& here is the famous Gujarati Garba celebrated during Navratri.
Kumbh Mela is another magnanimous experience for the tourists.
Of course, every Indian must experience these festivals to know the power of Indian festivals.
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There are Agro Tourism and Rural Tourism destinations not covered in this post. All in all, India offers unlimited and unmatched tourism experiences. The above pictures and experiences are merely a fraction of overall Indian experiences.
“So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked.” Mark Twain
This is India on a platter. It can offer many experiences to the tourists which no other country can perhaps match. Which destinations have you visited and liked it? You can add the destinations to this list to make it exhaustive.
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