India attractions

Part of the Walkeshwar Temple Complex in Mumbai, Banganga Tank collects water from a freshwater spring. The earliest mention of this water source is in the Ramayana, a sacred Hindu text: legend has it that the spring was created when Rama asked his brother Lakshman for water and Lakshman shot an arrow into the ground, causing water to flow.

Stretching around 8 miles (13 kilometers) along Chennai, Marina Beach is India’s longest natural urban beach. While not an ideal swimming beach, Marina Beach makes an excellent spot for people watching in the cooler hours of the morning and evening, when the main stretch near Triplicane becomes a flurry of activity.

At the southernmost tip of Mumbai, Colaba is a charming old neighborhood filled with colonial-era buildings, busy cafés, vibrant markets, and hotels for all budgets. It's one of the best parts of town to go for a stroll, and the craft stalls that line the main road ensure that most travelers won't leave empty-handed.

Spread across six structures with 46 galleries, the Government Museum houses Chennai’s best collection of scientific and artistic artifacts. It also houses the most impressive collection of Pallava and Chola bronze sculptures (dating back to the 10th and 13th centuries) anywhere in the world.

Mumbai's fanciest neighborhood, Malabar Hill has some of the most expensive real estate on earth. It's a fun place to wander around and take in views of the city around you, and while the area's architecture and various attractions are the main reasons to visit, you also might spot a local celebrity or two.

SItuated on the grounds of Udaipur's Garden Hotel and Restaurant, the Vintage and Classic Car Collection Museum features a small group of vehicles from Mercedes, Rolls Royce, and Cadillac, along with a few other related objects, from rickshaws to an antique Shell gas pump that's still in working condition.

The monumental Laxmi Vilas Palace (also known as Lukshmi Vilas Palace) in Vadodara was built in 1890 for the Maharajahs of Baroda, formerly part of India’s state of Gujarat. With its upper floors still home to the royals’ descendants, the palace is India’s largest private residence and a museum where visitors can view rooms preserved from the Maharajah era.

On the banks of the Ganges River in Haridwar, Northern India, Hari ki Pauri Ghat draws in pilgrims who come to pray and bathe in the waters, which are sacred in the Hindu tradition. It's a particularly popular spot at sunrise and sunset, during aarti ceremonies that include the ritual lighting of giant lamps accompanied by songs and prayers.

A bargain hunter’s dream, this small yet buzzing market is full of energy, not to mention clothing, jewelry, and a whole range of other goods at astonishingly low prices. Popular with tourists due to its location and atmosphere, Janpath Market is busy and lively, making it an attraction even for those who just want to browse.

The Missionaries of Charity (MOC) Mother House in Kolkata is a mission center founded by Mother Teresa in 1950. It was from here that the now canonized Catholic nun began administering to the city’s poor and sick, and it now serves as a residence for the charity’s nuns and as her burial place.

One of the highlights of Amber Palace, the Hall of Mirrors (Sheesh Mahal) is a beautiful room covered with mirror mosaics. Such halls are a typical feature in Rajasthani palaces and are designed to be particularly enchanting at night, when the reflection of candlelight creates a kaleidoscopic effect across the mosaic's surface.

In a neighborhood of markets, south Mumbai’s bustling Bhuleshwar Market (Bhuleshwar Bazaar) has long been a popular shopping spot for locals and visitors alike. Here you'll find everything from vibrant textiles to shimmering costume jewelry, along with many stalls selling practical items such as fruits and vegetables and kitchenware.

Flanked by the sacred Kaveri (AKA Cauvery River, this island town was the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore during the rule of Tipu Sultan and the site of many important historical buildings, including Daria Daulat Bagh, Tipu Sultan's summer palace, Sri Ranganathaswamy and the remains of Tipu’s Fort.

Dating back to the 15th century, this white-marble mosque and shrine (dargah) is among Mumbai's most important sights for Muslim pilgrims. It was built to honor a Muslim saint, Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who was known for spreading knowledge of Islam. Today worshipers and tourists come from across India to pray and learn about the mosque.

Spread out over 200 acres near the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Qutub Minar, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park is full of ruins and tombs, some of which are 1,000 years old. You’ll find ruins from the Khajli, Tughlaq, and Lodhi Dynasties, as well as from the days when India was under Mughal and British Raj rule.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a former royal duck-hunting spot that today hosts some 350-odd of species of migratory birds throughout the year. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is lush and expansive; depending on when you visit, you may spot everything from pelicans to osprey to elusive Siberian cranes.

Believed to be the oldest burial ground in the country, the Dutch Cemetery in Kochi dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. It houses the tombs of Dutch soldiers and traders who left their homeland in order to expand their country’s colonial empire—and as a result changed the entire course of history in India.

The largest church in Goa and the seat of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, this huge white Portuguese Gothic structure was constructed from 1562 to 1619 to commemorate a Portuguese military victory over Goa that was won on the feast of Saint Catherine. Inside, images of the saint adorn the cathedral walls.

Officially known as the Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir, this temple was originally built back in 1801. It's one of the wealthiest temples in Mumbai, and it’s not uncommon to hear of Bollywood stars stopping to pray here. The temple also houses a shrine to Hanuman with an idol that was unearthed during a local road extension project.

Delhi’s National Rail Museum teaches visitors about all aspects of Indian trains and the rail network, which is one of the largest in the world. It’s a spacious museum with both indoor and outdoor exhibits, the outdoor areas designed to look like a railway yard. It displays many real locomotives from around the country, railway simulators, toy train rides, and documents, maps, books, and other items related to railway history.

The Bull Temple (aka the Nandi Temple was built in the 16th century in typical South Indian Dravidian style, and is one of Bangalore’s oldest temples. It’s referred to locally as “Dodda Basavana Gudi” (Big Bull Temple, named after the gigantic 15-foot high and 20-foot long statue of Nandi, Lord Shiva’s bull, found here.

Constructed in the 11th century under the auspices of Bhimdev I of the Solanki Dynasty, this monumental temple honors Surya, the deity manifestation of the sun. Many sections of the temple, and quite a few of its original carvings and statuary, remain in beautiful condition, a full millennium later.

Located in the heart of Kolkata, the MP Birla Planetarium is the largest planetarium in Asia and second-largest in the world. The single-story dome houses a working observatory equipped with a Celestron C-14 telescope. The outer ring of the structure is home to an astronomy gallery with a large collection of paintings and models from some of the world’s most renowned astronomers.

Construction of the red sandstone Old Fort (Purana Qila), Delhi's oldest surviving fort, was begun in the middle of the 16th century under Sher Shah of the Sur Empire. The fort was later the location of Dinpanah, built by rival Mughal Emperor Humayun and destroyed by Sher Shah. Purana Qila’s location may also have been the site of the ancient city of Indraprastha.

The Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, is dedicated to the Hindu Lord Jagganath, an eastern Indian incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It’s a major pilgrimage site and one of the four sites (dhams) in India that devotees believe will lead to liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It’s a must-visit destination while in Puri, a city south of Odisha’s capital, Bhubaneshwar.

The Dhammek Stupa is a giant cylindrical Buddhist stupa situated in Sarnath, near Varanasi. This huge structure was built on the site where the Buddha was said to have given his first sermon to his disciples after attaining enlightenment, and is one of India’s most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites.

The National Gallery of Modern Art Mumbai (NGMA) is among India's most prestigious modern art museums—alongside the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art and the national galleries in Bangalore and New Delhi. The museum holds thousands of artworks dating from the mid-18th century onward, by Indian painters such as Raja Ravi Varma, M. F. Husain, and Tyeb Mehta. There’s also a small collection of paintings by Pablo Picasso.

Ahmedabad’s Gandhi Ashram at Sabarmati is a fascinating destination for Indian history enthusiasts and anyone interested in spirituality and concepts of nonviolence. The Indian freedom fighter was from Gujarat and spent many years living at the ashram with his wife. Now, visitors can stroll through the grounds, browse the museum, or even do historical research in the archives located here.

Chennai’s most famous temple, the 7th-century Kapaleeshwar Temple honors the god Shiva with shrines dedicated to many other deities in the South Indian pantheon. The working temple offers a good example of classical Dravidian architecture, with a stepped pyramid design blanketed in colorful statues of gods, demons, warriors and royalty.

India’s expansive Bandra-Worli Sea Link (Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, which connects the western suburbs of Mumbai to the well-heeled neighborhood of Bandra, is no exception. This 8-lane bridge opened to the public in 2009 and cost the equivalent of $250 million dollars to construct.