Category Tourist Spots in India

               Standing against the backdrop of the Vindhyas, Khajuraho presents a magnificent view to the beholder.

               It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. It is also one of the most popular tourist spots in Madhya Pradesh. It is famous for its ancient temples that depict some of the finest art in the world. Built between 950-1050 AD by the Chandela dynasty, these temples depict various forms like meditation, spiritual teachings, kinship, wrestling, and royalty.

               Some of the famous temples in the complex are the Lakshmana Temple, the Vishwanatha Temple and the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple.

               The temples in Khajuraho are broadly divided into three parts: the Eastern group, the Southern Group and the Western group of temples. The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held every year in February. It features various classical Indian dances set against the backdrop of this architectural marvel. The Khajuraho temple complex hosts a very good sound-and-light show every evening.

               If you are an adventurer and a wildlife enthusiast, Kaziranga is the place for you. Kaziranga National Park which is also a world heritage site, hosts two-thirds of the world’s greater one-horned rhinoceros.

               Kaziranga also boasts the highest density of tigers among the protected areas in the world, and was declared a tiger reserve in 2006. Though sighting of tigers is difficult, because of the tall grasses that provide excellent camouflage, their presence can be felt everywhere by way of pug marks, kills, and territorial markings. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.

               First established in 1908 as a reserved forest, it subsequently was designated a wildlife sanctuary before becoming a national park in 1974. Kaziranga National Park is a birding paradise; the grasslands are a raptor country that can be seen on safari makes a remarkable experience. Huge numbers of migratory birds descend on the park’s lakes and marshy areas during winters, including grey-lag geese, bar headed geese, gadwall, falcated duck, red crested pochard, and the northern shoveller.

               Located at about 1,600 metres above the sea level, Munnar is a beautiful hill station in the district of ldukki, Kerala.

               Once a summer resort for the British, Munnar is known for its pleasant climate and pristine beauty. The rolling hills covered in mist, intersected by the winding road, the dark emerald green coloured plantations, and the few lone houses in their midst, will make you fall in love with this place instantly.

               Munnar is also an ideal place for nature lovers, wildlife lovers and adventure enthusiasts alike. You can indulge in boating, trekking and paragliding. Munnar rises as three mountain streams merge – Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala.

               Among the flora found in the forests and grasslands here is the Neelakurinji. This flower which bathes the hills in blue once in every twelve years will bloom next in 2018. Munnar also has the highest peak in South India, Anamudi, which towers over 2,695 metres.

               Some of the main attractions here are the Eravikulam National Park, Mattupetty Dam, Pallivasal, Munnar Tea Museum, trekking to Chokramudy, Kundala Dam etc.

               If you wish to see two million tulips over 60 hectares of the Kashmiri landscape at an altitude of 1706 metres, you must visit Asia’s largest tulip garden — the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden.

               One of the best gardens to visit in the month of April, this Tulip Garden was formerly known as the Siraj Bagh. The garden covers the banks of Dal Lake with a colourful carpet of flowers. This Tulip Garden was created in the year 2007. Overlooking the picturesque Dal Lake, the enchanting garden sprawls over the foothills of the Zabarwan mountain range.

               The climatic condition of Kashmir is ideally suited for tulips. The garden is built on a sloping ground in a terraced fashion, consisting of seven terraces. Apart from tulips, many other species of flowers, including hyacinths and daffodils have been added as well.

               The Tulip Festival is an annual celebration that aims to showcase the range of flowers in the garden as a part of the tourism efforts undertaken by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.

               A popular weekend getaway from Mumbai, Matheran is located just 90 km from the big city. Perched on an elevation of about 800 metres on the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, the hill station has a pleasant climate. Literally meaning ‘forest on the head’, Matheran refers to the thick woods at the top of the hill. This is the smallest hill station in India.

               Matheran was first frequented in the mid-19th century by British officials and visitors from Bombay, and it has continued to be a popular tourist destination. It is Asia’s only automobile-free hill station. Automobiles are not permitted here, and with ponies transporting luggage, people on horseback and the lack of tarred roads, Matheran retains the vintage charm of hill stations developed by the British.

               There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Panorama Point that provides a 360-degree view of the surrounding area, and also the Neral town.

               The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is the highlight of a visit to the popular hill settlement of Ooty, in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu.

               The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) was built by the British in 1908. NMR is the only rack railway in India. Although the railway was proposed in 1854, it wasn’t completed until 1908, as the rocky terrain and thickly forested hills made the work difficult. A Swiss inventor, Riggenbach, worked on the first part of this mountain railway, and built up the initial line up to Coonoor by the year 1899.

               The railway mostly relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. Covering a distance of 46 km in around 5 hours, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway takes tourists from Mettupalayam to Ooty. This is a truly amazing journey that takes tourists from a height of 325 to 2203 metres. The uniqueness of this rail line lies in it being the steepest one in Asia. It covers a total distance of 116 km and crosses 250 bridges and 16 tunnels.