India- The Ultimate Travel Destination

India , one of oldest civilizations of the world is land of more than billion people. It is seventh largest in area , second largest in population and world's largest democracy.

It has been historical trade route and has been world's economic super power thrice in ancient history. Being trade hub and larger agricultural area and developed civilization , India attracted many tribes/people from central Asia and other places.

Some communities like parsis migrated while other invaded. Some came for looting , some settled and formed government. The people who came to India brought their own culture , belief along with them . They mingled with people already settled and this mixture formed one of most unique and one of most diverse culture in the world.

India is also blessed with different environmental conditions where snow , desert , beaches , all exist. Faiths like Jainism , Buddhism , hinduism , Sikhism originated from Indian subcontinent while Christianity , Islam , Zoroastrian were brought by invaders/traders/migrants . All stayed and formed India.

India is huge , vast and so in this hub I am not going to write about places but about various states which has uniqueness and can be ideal travel destinations. Here would be only few states which would be listed .

If you love beaches , deserts , snow fall , hill stations , tigers , lions , birds , white tigers , human history , epic history India is place to be in. Who ever you are , where ever you are , India has something to offer to you.

1) Rajasthan :

Nothing more pleasurable to start with rajashtan. The land of rajputs , the synonyms of bravery and rich heritage. The land of legendary rana pratap , hemu , padmini. The land of kings , the royal rajasthan.

Rajasthan has it all. It is part of Indus valley civilization , had one of oldest mountain range , has great desert of India , has city of lakes called udaipur , pink city called jaipur , famous shrine in ajmer , rare temple of bharma , two national tiger reserves and numerous folk tales of bravery. If one comes to visit India and doesnot go to rajashtan , that visit in Incomplete.

2) Kerala :

Beautiful , captivating and classic kerala is one of most visited states in India by tourists. It is named as one of ten paradise in the world and named as one of top 50 lifetime places by national geographic travel magazine. Visit kerala once to know the feel , the experience , the wonders.

3) Gujarat :

Two communities of India can be found in every place of world. They are gujaratis and punjabis. Gujarat has been commercial hub since ancient history. Part of harappan civilization , gujarat has first port of India (lothal).Lothal, Dholavira, and Gola Dhoro are ancient cities belonging to Indus valley civilization (one of oldest civilizations in the world).

Gujarat is only place for asian lions. It has got some wonderful beaches in mandvi and experience of desert can be felt in rann of kutchh. Gujarat is home to famous somnath temple and dwarka .Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park is UNESCO world heritage site.

Mahatma gandhi made ashram in Ahmadabad and it became one of prime centers of Indian Independence movement.

Famous for kite flying festival and navratris gujarat is best to visit during this two festival. Kite flying festival is in January , every year while navratri falls in oct-nov depending on Hindu calendar.

4) Madhya Pradesh :

One of oldest places where humans settled in India. Bhimbetka rock shelters stands witness to inhabitant of human race.

Bhimbetka rock shelters are unesco world heritage site. Rock paintings are very old , ranging form 9,000 years to 30,000 years.

Another unesco world heritage site in madhya pradesh in Khajuraho Group of Monuments which is also considered as seven wonders of India.Sanchi too comes in unesco world heritage site. The buddist mounments date back to 3rd century.

Madhya pradesh is home to tigers , the national animal of India. It is home to white tiger too which are found in rewa.

5) Chhattisgarh :

Originally in madhya pradesh , chhattisgrah was carved out and made a separate state. While coming back to my home state on train , I had first glimpse of chhattisgarh's beauty. It is home to stone paintings , wild life much like madhya pradesh.


6) Uttar Pradesh :

Largest most populous state of India , uttar pradesh is home to tajmahal (one of seven wonders of the world) , varanasi (know as cultural capital of India , fatepur sikri (unesco heritage site) , Agra fort (again unesco heritage site).

Archeological evidence confirm presence of stone age homo sapiens in uttar pradesh. Being one of main lands which was occupied by aryans , uttar pradesh played important role in defining Indian history. Land where lord ram , lord krishna were born , uttar pradesh is the state to be visited.

One of main attraction of uttar pradesh is Kumbh Mela which is held every four years. Last mela saw 17 million hindus visiting it. It is one of biggest human gathering in the world .

7) Uttarakhand :

Amazing place . Truly refreshing and worth experiencing. Naturally beautiful uttarakhand has number of hill stations like Nainital, Mussoorie, Almora, Kausani, Bhimtal and Ranikhet.

Nanda Devi is the second-highest mountain in India and nanda devi national park is UNESCO heritage site.

8) Himachal Pradesh :

Situated in western himalayas , himachal pradesh is wonderful place to visit . British India had made simla as its summer captial.The state is famous for its handicraft. The capital of himachal pradesh (simla) is asia's only natural ice skating rink.Thaneek Pura and Chintpurni are pilgrimage center .

9) Tamil Nadu :

How can India's journey be complete without tamil nadu. One of most ancient places in India with continued civilization. Rich heritage , rich culture. Tamil nadu is also one of the places in India from where dinosaurs eggs have been found .

Tamil nadu is world in itself. Home to classical architectures , temples , hill stations , tamil nadu is one of most wonderful places to visit.

10) West Bengal :

Famous for tigers , west bengal has had many intellectuals who changed the thinking pattern of India. Raja ram mohan roy was born here . Great souls like vivekanand , tagore were bengalis.

Sundarbans National Park is one of UNESCO world heritage sites and home to tigers , the national animal of India.Gorumara National Park, Neora Valley National Park and Singalila National Park are perfect for nature lovers.

11) Punjab :

One of most lively places in India , punjab has rich heritage of sikh architecture. The golden temple is one of best places to visit in the world. It is amazing , captivating and most important site for sikhs.

Jallianwala Bagh is the place which saw inhuman manslaughter by Britishers where 1,526 protesters were killed. The event which stayed in psychics of Indian. It shocked us , it shocked the world.

12) Diu-Daman-Goa :

Love beaches div , daman and goa are right place to visit. Goa , div and daman were under portugese control till 1961. These places are totally different than rest of India. Tourism is main industry of goa. It is famous for its beaches , Basilica of Bom Jesus (helds mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier) ,Fort Aguada (Portuguese fort) are other attractions for tourist.

13) Karnataka :

This southern state of India has rich heritage , beaches , hill stations , ancient temples national parks and two UNESCO world heritage sites (Group of Monuments at Hampi , Group of Monuments at Pattadakal), cave temples.

14) Orissa :

One of best states to visit for wild life lovers. It has Asia's biggest brackish water lake ,Olive Ridley Sea Turtles,Simlipal National Park .

For lovers of history and architectures , orissa is rich with temples .It is home to famous jaganath puri , sun temple.

Other than above two of best places to visit in India are jammu & kashmir (known as paradise on earth) and north east region.