The 15 Most Amazing Places I've Ever Visited in India
There are so many magical places in India, and these are some of my favorite places in India I have ever visited so far.
Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
Dharamshala is a very scenic hill station in Northern India.
It surrounded by the majestic view of
Himalaya mountains and there are beautiful waterfalls, nice hiking, and trekking spots. Dharamshala is also the home of the Holiness Dalai Lama since 1959 and the Tibetan government exile. You can take courses on Buddhism or attend workshops when courses are open. There's quite a lot happening in this little town and you can easily spend a week here. Dharamshala is not only popular among tourists, but also among spirituality seekers. There are nice yoga, Ayurveda centers, Tibetan cooking classes,
healing centers, and Indian musical classes and you could discover much more. You can make your stomach happy with delicious Tibetan meals if your stomach is getting tired of Indian food. For accommodation-the main street, Mcleod Ganj road is very hectic, so I would recommend you to stay in a small town, Bhagsu if you are looking for a more peaceful place to stay.
* Weather is Dharamshala is quite changeable and it can rain heavily for days. For visitors in winter. Most of the shops and activities close during winter time and the town becomes very quiet as most of the shop keepers go to Goa for tourist business. ( My second visit was during winter time and everything was pretty much closed..and it was freezing cold.)
Mysore, Karnataka
Mysore is located in Southern India. It is one of the famous city of Karnataka state due to the history of Tipu Sultan who was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. Mysore is also known as the home of Ashtanga yoga.
There are lots to do in this city, Day visit can be to Srirangapatna - Tippu palace, Ranganatittu bird sanctuary, Vishnu temple, Mysore Palace, Mysore Zoo, Chamundi hill temple, Nandi bull temple, Bandipur Safari, and many more. Mysore night market is a great market to walk around as well. You can buy anything such as Indian incense, fruits, nuts, roses and more. This city is pretty clean compared to other cities. Mysore palace is a must visit at least if you don't have a whole day.
Bangalore, Karnataka
Bangalore is is the capital of Indian states of Karnataka, commonly known as the 'Silicon Valley of India's as the main center of the IT industry and also known as a garden city as you see many trees in the city. Although Bangalore is a big city, it is very close to the nature surrounding with hill and forest. Bangalore has two famous yoga centers, one is The Art of Living International headquarter, the other one is a Laughter yoga university. there is also an authentic Japanese restaurant called " Harima" that owned by Japanese which is rare in India. Of course, it will be more pricey compared to normal Indian restaurant standard, but it's worth trying.
Marina Beach, Chennai
Chennai is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Marina Beach is considered to be the second longest beach in the world. The water is not clean at all, so this beach is not for swimming, however, you can enjoy the nice walk with many small shops and a good atmosphere. This is truly a beautiful creation along the Bay of Bengal. You will see children happily walking with family, people's relaxing smiles. It is an oasis for Tamil Nadu people in this over 8.5 million city.
Alleppey,
Kerala
Alleppy is located on the southern coast of the Arabian Sea in Kerala, which is best known for house boating. Beautiful climate, coconut trees, paddy fields, endless long beach, nice Kerala meals on banana leaves and fun backwaters experience. This is a good place to relax during your stay in India. The houseboat is a bit costly ( about 6000 RP), yet you can have nice meals on the boat, a good relaxing time. You can also have homestay experience with Indian families in a beautiful small village if you wish. They will prepare amazing Kerala breakfast, lunch, dinner and you can experience the local Indian lifestyle with them.
*There are countless houseboat agencies with all different houseboat packages, please make sure to book through official ones.
Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra
This UNESCO world heritage site is the most outstanding and breathtaking place I have ever visited in my life so far. It is a must visit if you happen to be near Bombay. These Buddhist sculptures and painting in the caves are just breathtakingly beautiful. Believe or not, The Ajanta Caves were abandoned in the 5th Century AD and weren’t discovered by the outside world until some 1,400 years later.
This amazing sanctuary for Buddhist monks was completely forgotten until it found by a young British cavalry officer.
I didn't hire a guide as I had a guidebook for Ajanta & Ellora caves. however, I highly recommend you to hire a government-approved guide. It is truly worth it. Without a guide, it is not possible to appreciate the wonderful history and you might just end of up taking pictures.
* Do visit early to avoid the strong sun and visit early as you need plenty of time to cover these caves.
Jaipur,
Rajasthan
Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan in Western India and it is called "Pink city". You will know why it is called Pink city as soon as you reach Jaipur, as most of the buildings in the city are painted pink color. Jaipur is a paradise for you if you like shopping for handicrafts, jewelry, and clothes.
You will see a number of stone jewelry shops. You can experience Rajasthani spicy Indian curry as well. ( It was too spicy for me though!) There are many places to visit like Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Amber Fort, Nahargarh Fort, Jantar Mantar and many more. You could also visit Aimer, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Jaisalmer If you wish to make a Rajasthan tour.
Haridwar,
Uttarakhand
This is one of the most memorable places in India for me. I still remember exactly how I felt when I first saw River Ganges in Haridwar in my first visit to India although it is a long time ago. This place is very holy and the holiest river of the world attracts thousands of devotee around the globe. Local People bath in the holy water and carry with them for their homes for a blessing. a market beside River Ganges is mainly popular for religious items. If you are in Haridwar, you can't miss Ganga Arati that takes place every morning and evening at
Har Ki Pauri. You will feel the spirit of the holy river. Haridwar is considered as the Temple city of India, there are numerous temples to visit. This place is also known as Kumbh Mela, which is a religious festival that is celebrated four times over the course of 12 years. For yoga information, Baba Ramdev Patanjali yog peeth is located in near Haridwar.
Ellora Caves, Maharashtra
The Ellora Caves, UNESCO world heritage site is an another must visit the place. Ellora caves are one of the best and well maintained historical
site in India as well as Ajanta caves and it is incomparably beautiful to Ajanta caves. Ellora caves are an impressive complex of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples built between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. As you walk into these caves, you will feel some amazing high vibrations that you can just close your eyes and almost meditate.
Although It can be combined with a trip to Ajanta, I will recommend you to take 2 days to visit. You will be amazed at the secret underground city of Ellora Caves.
As we all know, this place is home of yoga along with Mysore. Rishikesh is one of the most popular destinations for yoga practitioners in India. There are many yoga ashrams, numerous styles of yoga and meditation classes although I find it Rishikesh has been quite popularized and there aren't many genuine yoga schools and ashrams anymore. However, there is still traditional great yoga ashram in Rishikesh such as Sivananda ashram, Parmarth Niketan, Sadhana Mandir, and Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Ashram, Omkarananda Sadan and some more. Everyone's experience is subjective and so does mine. It is very possible that you will find a great yoga teacher to practice with and have a great life-changing experience here.
Gangotri,
Uttarakhand
Gangotri, the origin of River Ganga and the seat of goddess Ganga that can be reached only via road in a bus, privately operated jeeps, and cars. Gangotri is known as an important Hindu pilgrimage town and it's deep in the Himalayas far away from civilization. The town itself is quite small, but you will enjoy an amazing view of Himalayas and receive pure energy. Must see places are Gangotri temple and Pandav Gufa cave.
There is a hot spring called Gangnani, on the way to Gangotri is the place where devotees generally prefer to bathe in a hot water thermal spring before moving on towards Gangotri. *
*Normal cloth is required to go to the hot spring, a bikini is not allowed.
Krishna's butter ball Mahabalipuram
This massive 250 tons rock that looks like Lord Krishna's favorite butterball has been sitting here on a 45-degree slope in Mahabalipuram, over 1300 years. It feels the rock would fall down, but it just stays like that. It is a big mystery. You can go there and touch. (Who knows, you might be able to move it. ) Those Children in the photo run into my picture out of nowhere when I tried to take the picture of the rock. Mahabalipuram is about 60 km from Chennai and it is a world heritage site. It is a place must visit for anyone visiting Chennai.
Pune,
Maharashtra
Pune is one of the fastest growing economies of India and the second largest city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Pune is also known as "Oxford of the East." due to the presence of various educational institutions and it is also the educational hub of India as nearly 35 % of the total foreign students in India are studying in Pune and they are a number of academic and research institutions in the city. For yoga asana practitioner, there is Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute which was founded in 1975 by Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar who developed out of ancient techniques of yoga. You can see very committed and trained instructors in the center which was very nice. You need pre-booking to take the yoga course.
I have visited Pune to take a course at the National Institute of Naturopathy. There are a number of great Naturopathy centers in Pune that you could try.
*National Institute of Naturopathy
4,7 (36) · Naturopaat Pune, Maharashtra, India
Taj Mahal, Agra
Needless to say, The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful monuments of the world and It is seven wonders of the world. The Taj Mahal is also known as a symbol of love and t is created by Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1632 for his beloved wife.
*Try to go as early as possible to avoid the crowds.
Mumbai(Bombay)
Maharashtra
Mumbai is the largest city in India and the capital of Maharashtra state, where is the most diverse, cosmopolitan and westernized city in India and needless to say, there are lots to see in this cosmopolitan city. This is the place where you can see "real India" for better or worse, you can see from the world’s most expensive home to some of Asia’s biggest slums in Mumbai. Must see spots are Gateway of India which is a major landmark of Mumbai city, Elephanta caves, Victoria Terminus, Colaba Causeway Market, Banganga Tank, Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, Dharavi Slum, Marine Drive, Chor Bazaar, Crawford Market and many more. There is a very popular cafe called Leopold Cafe in the main area. They have pasta and risotto which was quite nice. Must visit the place is the worlds biggest outdoor laundry Dhobi Ghat in Slam area.
“ To other countries, I may go as a tourist, but to India,
I come as a pilgrim.Martin Luther King, Jr.”
