The soil of their native land is dear to all the hearts of mankind. - Marcus T. Cicero
Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts -- the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art. - John Ruskin
NOTE: This review is only about Tourism aspect of India. No socio-political comment is in this review
INTRODUCTION
For the starters, India is a vast country with many climatic regions. You have the some of tallest peaks in the world and some great places to visit. The greatness of the subcontinent is its diversity. Diversity in many forms is an order of the day. If you are a traveler, you may need to know at least a few languages to survive in interiors. In the metros, you can be a master with your English. Before I delve into the review, some pointers noted.
Travel in India is an adventure in many aspects.
You need to be very prepared for various climates.
It is better to carry a map with you, if you are in a new place.
INDIA – An Introduction
India has been a wonder for centuries. Without the knowledge about the greatness of India, Columbus wouldn’t have discovered Americas. Indus Valley Civilization is one of the oldest and greatest. There are many kings from India that are known for their bravery and innovativeness. Indian kings never invaded any country except for an exploratory expansion by cholas in the 10/11th century.
The Indian peninsula is a great local in the world map. You have great mountains, beautiful rivers, sandy beaches and millions of pilgrimage places to find solace. You have great architecture of structure that is over 2000 years old. India came up with the zero without which no scientific progress would’ve been possible. India also housed the first university in the world at Nalanda. The intelligence and the greatness of the authors is known worldwide and there can is no comparison, except for Greco-roman civilizations for a civilization that has endured for such a long time.
India is a tourist paradise. You need to spend at least a month(during subtler climate) to enjoy this wonderful locale. Let me delve into the places you can visit.
NORTH INDIA
You start off with New Delhi where you see the Governmental places. Rashtrapathi Bhavan, Parliament, Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple, Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Purana Qila before you pay tribute to the great Mahatma at Rajghat.
After you do some great shopping @ Delhi, you can see the flowery greenery when you ride to Agra for the most widely traveled spot in India to see the symbol of love Taj Mahal You feel so humbled to see the greatness of love of a man. You think of the wonder it is for it was completed in the 17th century, long before many of the powers of the world are formed.After you enjoy the Yamuna river, Go to Fatehpur Sikhri to see great Mogul architectural buildings.
After Agra, you travel to Rajashtan. Here is a place that is so beautiful. You need to take a camel ride in the desert to thank God without whom; we will be walking in a desert (in life) instead of a comfortable journey. You also go to Jaipur to see Hawa Mahal and other great buildings. Pink and Red are everywhere. Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Udaipur are some other great places to visit.
You are then set off to Chandigarh which is a great new city built by Le Corbusier. You can also enjoy the greatness of the agricultural heartland of India in Punjab. You see Golden Temple of Amritsar. See Jalianwalabagh and Patiala. The palace of Maharajah of Patiala is a nice one to visit too.
In Himachal you have Kullu, Manali Dalhousie and Dharamsala. Needless to say the greatness, you visit to Srinagar which was once called the paradise on earth. After an stay in Ladakh and Leh, you travel to Uttaranchal to visit Darjeeling. If you are a pilgrim, you visit Gangotri, Yamunotri, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Allahabad and Banaras to find your solace. You see many people take a bath in the holy river of Ganga In UP, you can visit Lucknow and other great towns.
In MP, you visit Gwalior which is great. Do not forget the beautiful Khajuraho temples.
SOUTH INDIA
South India has many places to visit. Chennai (Madre-de-Sois) is a great place to start with. Here you see the second longest beach in the world (marina). Governmental buildings, visit Mahabalipuram, Cholamandalam, drive along the Bay of Bengal, visit a lot of holy places before you set off to Kanchipuram, the temple town of India. You have temples on each corner. After a holistic feeling, you can go to Pondicherry to see the old French setup and beautiful beaches. You then visit Rameshwaram, Thanjavur and Madurai for a religious and historical tour before you land up in Ercaud, Ooty and Kodaikanal for a hill station stop. You see the sunset at Kanyakumari before you see Coimbatore and the western ghats.
Now you enter the God’s own country and see the majestic Trichur, Munnar and Chalakkudy falls. You then are in backwaters of Kerala at Alapuzha. You take a boat ride to see the beautiful Kurmarakom and enter the majestic port of Cochin. You see the mattanchery and the old jewish synagogue, ship building yard, palaces, harbour before you enter Thiruvananthapuram. You see the high tidal waves at Kovalam beach and travel to Calicut where the first foreign ship arrived in Indian shores. You see the forts of Northern Kerala.
Now you are in Mysore, a place of great architectural wonders. After seeing the great palaces and gardens, you see Bangalore, the silicon valley of India. After all great buildings and departments in Bangalore, you see Shravanabelagula, Belur, Jog Falls Somnathpur and you see the origin of Cauvery at Srirangapatna. You end up having a nice coffee at coorg hils before a sumptuous lunch at Mangalore and Udipi.
After you escape the Veerappan infested jungles, you see Lakshadweeps and Andaman Nicobar Islands beauty.
Now you take a flight to Cyberabad. Since the CEO has left the building, you go to Char Minar and Salar jung museum. You are in awe of Golconda fort and see Nagarjuna Dam. You see the vibrant beach of Vishakapatnam and see the agricultural fields of Telangana, Royalseema and Guntur. You see Krishna and Godavari Basins and you enter Goa in an awestruck manner.
WEST INDIA
No foreign tourist leaves India without a visit to the great Goa. The portugese culture is widely eminent. After a prolonged and entertaining stay, you enter Nagpur. You see the beauty of Nagpur before entering the beautiful Nashik and then travel to Pune, a city with rich heritage. After Pune, you go and see Ellora caves before going to Mahabaleshwar and Matheran. You enjoy the Raigadh fort and finally end up in the financial capital of India, Mumbai. After a roaring stay at the city that never sleeps, you are off to the great Gujarat.
In Gujarat you visit the Gir sanctuary to see the Asiatic lions. Then you are off to rann of kutch to see the beauty of waterfront. Then you see the border with Pakistan before you enter Surat, where you have more gems and diamond than people. You then see Vadodara and enter the great city of Ahmedabad before you pay tribute to the father of nation’s home at sabarmati. After enjoying Ahmedabad, you take a flight to Kolkata
(Continued in comments. 8K is too less for my country)