India is a both beautiful and bamboozling place, where holy cows bask on heavenly beaches next to modern hotels, and ancient temples sit perfectly at home besides shiny offices. Glittering trains pass through rural villages where life hasn’t changed for hundreds of years, and through it all teems one sixth of the world’s population. India is vast, varied and, above all, unforgettably beautiful.
India’s intoxicatingly rich history has spawned a number of exquisite palaces, temples and monuments. The most frequently visited part of India is the Golden Triangle, comprised of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The people-packed cities of Mumbai (Bombay) and Kolkata (Calcutta) have a bustling, colourful charm, while the holy city of Varanasi and the awe-inspiring temples of Tamil Nadu are rewarding places of pilgrimage.
Goa and Kerala’s palm-fringed beaches await those in search of tropical bliss. And for fresh air and serenity, India ripples with pristine mountains and hills, from the towering beauty of the mighty Himalayas to a bevy of beautiful pine forests, orchards and babbling streams.
Destination :
Kolkata is a city of ornate Raj-era balconies, elegant gardens, cavernous bookshops, graceful churches, packed temples and mammoth monumen
ts.
Although its problems of overpopulation and poverty are well documented, its faded decadence and historical, cultural and religious buildings are among the lesser-known highlights that astonish first-time visitors.
Kolkata originally emerged as a prominent city in Indian history when it became a British trading port and a significant commercial centre during the British Raj.
Today, it continues to remain significant; a city with a soul, a fabled past and a rich artistic tradition. The city's reputation as the cultural and intellectual capital of India is thanks to its most famous sons, Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) and renowned film director Satyajit Ray (1921-1992).
Meanwhile, the rise of modern sky rise offices and glossy shopping malls has enhanced Kolkata's appeal as a city that has just as much to offer visitors as any other metropolis in India.
Chennai, the industrial capital of Tamil Nadu in southern Ind
ia, is where the history of British settlement in India has ancient roots. This has resulted in some splendidly monumental municipal buildings and a number of broad avenues and gardens.
But Chennai's history stretches way beyond the British presence, with its resourceful citizens actively engaging in trade with the Chinese,
Romans, Greeks and others more than 2,000 years ago.
Still retaining much of its traditional charm, this bustling city, for
merly called Madras, provides a captivating insight into southern heritage. Chennai is proud of its Tamil culture and in many ways is still traditionally conservative, lacking the cosmopolitan flavour (and nightlife) of Mumbai, Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Delhi.
Music, dance and many other art forms from south India are widespread in Chennai and the Tamil film industry is huge. Religious heritage has left its mark with old churches, ancient temples and of course the wonderful shore tem
ple of Mamallapuram, under two hours' drive away.
Chennai has grown dramatically over the past few decades and has enjoyed marked economic growth in recent years, thanks mainly to a booming IT industry. Today, Chennai sprawls out in all directions over the flat land along the coast and up the river valley and feels somewhat uncentred and chaotic as new shopping malls and modern skyrises spring up, residential districts spread, and squatter settlements are scattered throughout.
Although the devastating tsunami of 2004 hit Tamil Nadu and affected some of the settlements on the beach in the city, most areas have now been repaired.
Delhi is a city of jarring juxtapositions: extreme wealth and brutal poverty, outstanding natural beauty and polluted urban sprawls, modern metropolises and medieval bazaars.
For the first-time visitor, a trip to India's capital can be daunting; the sense of chaos sharpened as Delhi was preparing to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games
. This year, it falls under the microscope once again when it hosts the Grand Prix for the first time in October. However, look beyond the surface of Delhi, and you'll find a place rich with history, culture and overwhelming colour.
There are monuments, mosques and tombs in abundance, impressive colonial architecture, brilliant museums, excellent restaurants and more than enough bazaars, markets and shops. In fact, your only problem will be fitting it all in.
Bengaluru has reinvented itself; ditching its previous name of Bangalore and transforming into a cosmopolitan city, with hotels, restaurants, bars and shops to rival other major Indian cities.
The explosive growth of Bengaluru over the last decade has been propelled by the city's IT sector, which has attracted leading Indian and multinational companies and led to the creation of thousands of jobs. The consequent rise in the city's young workforce, with their increased disposable income, means entertainment options have mushroomed, creating a more vibrant veneer.
Away from the commercialism, Bengaluru retains its old-fashioned charm from ornate temples and old buildings to quiet gardens and bustling street markets. Bengaluru has something for everyone: it is a case of just knowing where to look.
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