India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (15 page)

■
2005
India’s $575-billion economy grows by a whopping 8.2%.

■
2008
Mumbai is rocked by a multi-pronged terrorist attack which focuses on high-profile tourist locations. Terrorists, who have trained in Pakistan under Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives, kill 166 innocent people from India, the U.K., U.S., Israel, and other countries, and cause extensive damage to the landmark Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi hotels.

■
2009
In the largest election turnout in human history, the Congress Party is given the go-ahead to continue its program of reforms and governance along nonpartisan lines. Manmohan Singh is retained as prime minister and in the days after election results are announced, India’s stock exchange becomes the best performing in the world.

3 The Lay of the Land

Note About Maps

This guide contains dozens of maps of varying sizes and complexity. If you find it hard to read a map on your device, use the zoom function to enlarge. You can also download and/or printout PDFs of all of the maps in this guide. Go to
www.frommers.com/go/ebookmaps
and click on the title of your guide.

India

India is a vast country, roughly divided—for the purposes of this book—into North, East, and |South.

The south (again, for the purposes of this book), accessed most conveniently via
Mumbai
(state capital of
Maharashtra
), refers to
Goa, Karnataka
(with an excursion to
Hyderabad,
capital of
Andhra Pradesh
),
Kerala,
and
Tamil Nadu.

The north refers to
Rajasthan,
its southern neighbor
Gujarat,
and to the west of these states, the nation’s capital,
Delhi,
and the sprawling states of
Uttar Pradesh
and
Madhya Pradesh,
which lies in the very heart of the country. Northeast of Delhi lie the largely unvisited states of
Haryana
and
Punjab
(the big exception being the Golden Temple at
Amritsar,
one of India’s most wonderful attractions), and—moving directly north of Delhi—
Uttarakhand,
Himachal Pradesh
and
Ladakh
(one province in the state of otherwise-unsafe Jammu and Kashmir) in the Himalayas.

The east refers to
Jharkhand
(not a tourist destination),
West Bengal
(centered around
Kolkata,
or Calcutta),
Orissa
(with top attraction Konark), and, moving north into the Himalayas again, the mountain state of
Sikkim
and the tea-growing hill station of
Darjeeling.
Seven more states lie farther east (north and east of Bangladesh); their infrastructure is virtually nonexistent. Because travel in these areas is considered less than safe, they are not covered here, with the exception of two outstanding wildlife reserves in
Assam.

The largest differences lie between the northern and southern regions. The former offers predominantly a plethora of medieval Mughal and Rajput architecture, ancient cities, deserts, camel safaris, heritage accommodations, tiger parks, Buddhism, and the snowcapped peaks of the Himalayas. The latter is rich with beautiful beaches, Ayurvedic spas, ancient Dravidian/Hindu temples, cosmopolitan colonial coastal towns, and a generally more laid-back atmosphere. We suggest that rather than try to cover both the north and the south, concentrate your energies on one. If you do decide to combine the two, stick to two states, or you’ll find yourself exhausted at the end of your vacation.

MUMBAI (BOMBAY) & MAHARASHTRA
Teetering on the edge of the Arabian Sea, its heaving population barely contained by palm-fringed beaches, India’s sexiest city is a vibrant, confident metropolis that’s tangibly high on energy. The state capital of Maharashtra, this is home to many of the subcontinent’s best restaurants and great hotels. It’s also the ideal starting point for a tour south along the Konkan railway to
Goa
and beyond. Whichever you choose, do plan for an eastward jaunt to the ancient rock-cut caves of
Ajanta
and
Ellora,
Maharashtra’s startling World Heritage Sites, and—if you have any interest in the esoteric or want to immerse yourself in meditation—schedule some time in
Pune,
where the
Osho International Meditation Resort
is the country’s most upmarket spiritual center.

GOA
Nirvana for flower children since the late 1960s, Goa still attracts a cosmopolitan mix of youngsters who cruise from beach to beach, looking for action. But Goa is more than a party in paradise. A Portuguese colonial heritage has left an indelible mark on this tiny enclave (India’s smallest state), from cuisine to architecture, with plenty to see. And if the crowded beaches and vibrant markets leave you gasping for solitude, you can still find the original Goan paradise on far-flung beaches or in quiet boutique hotels, reviewed in detail in this book.

KARNATAKA & KERALA
Traveling south along India’s west coast, you will pass through untouched Karnataka; it’s possible you’ll overnight in the hip city of
Bangalore.
From there you can head to
Hyderabad,
the 400-year-old capital of Andhra Pradesh, as famous for its food and minarets as for its burgeoning software industry; or south to
Mysore,
“City of Incense”; or to the coast, where you can indulge in yoga and Ayurvedic rejuvenation at
Om Beach.
Whatever you do, set aside time to explore the lost city of
Hampi,
arguably Karnataka’s most evocative attraction, or to join the Jain pilgrimage to anoint the giant feet of
Lord Gomateswara,
said to be the largest monolith in the world. There’s more besides, but who can tarry long when
Kerala,
“God’s own country,” awaits? South India’s top destination, particularly for the well-heeled traveler in search of pampering and relaxation, Kerala offers ancient backwaters plied by houseboats, herds of wild elephant, coconut-lined beaches, and, of course, the ancient healing art of Ayurveda.

TAMIL NADU
Occupying a long stretch of the eastern Indian Ocean coastline, India’s southernmost state seems little touched by the foreign influences that contributed to the cultural developments in the north. This is where you’ll find India’s most superb Dravidian temples, from
Mamallapuram
(7th c.
A.D
.) to the
Madurai temple complex
(16th c.
A.D
.). When you’re all templed out, there’s always
Pondicherry,
the former French coastal town where traditional Indian snack joints feature signs proclaiming
MEALS READY—BIEN VENUE
and loincloth-clad locals converse in flawless French.

DELHI, MADHYA PRADESH & UTTAR PRADESH
Entered through Delhi, capital of the largest democracy in the world, the central states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are the real heart of India, where great rulers battled for power over vast swaths of India, and where you’ll find arguably the densest concentration of top attractions on the subcontinent. From the “seven cities” of Delhi, it’s a short train or road journey to
Agra,
home to the Taj Mahal and other superb examples of medieval Mughal architecture. From there you can either head west to Rajasthan, or east—via the erotic temples of
Khajuraho,
considered the pinnacle of Hindu medieval architecture—to the ancient city of
Varanasi,
India’s holiest pilgrimage site, where the faithful come to die on the banks of the sacred Ganges to achieve
moksha
—liberation from earthly life. To escape the well-beaten tourist track, head south to the vast plains of Madhya Pradesh, to
Bandhavgarh National Park,
one of the best places to see tigers in Asia.

RAJASTHAN & GUJARAT
With crenelated forts and impregnable palaces that rise like giant fairy-tale sets above dusty sun-scorched plains and shimmering lakes, Rajasthan—literally “land of princes”—epitomizes the romance of India. Whether you choose to linger in the untainted medieval atmosphere of little towns like
Bundi
and
Shahpura,
browse the bumper-to-bumper shops in
Jaipur,
track tigers in
Ranthambhore,
overnight on the lake in the beautiful city of
Udaipur,
or explore the world’s oldest living fort in
Jaisalmer,
you will want to see it all. Meanwhile, Gujurat, immediately south of Rajasthan, is where you can explore a number of intriguing ancient sights in and around the capital city of
Ahmedabad,
including the magnificent Modhera Sun Temple and the 900 beautiful Jain temples atop the holy mount of Shatrunjaya. And you can venture into the remote, arid, barren, bleak and beautiful province of
Kutch,
a part of Gujarat where you’ll encounter several distinctive ethnic tribes, including the nomadic Rabari people who are known for their intricate embroidery and ornamental adornments.

HIMACHAL PRADESH & LADAKH
Bordered by Tibet to the east, Himachal Pradesh incorporates great topographic diversity, from vast, bleak tracts of the rust-colored high-altitude Trans-Himalayan desert to dense green deodar forests, apple orchards, and cultivated terraces. Together with
Ladakh
(known as “Little Tibet”), this is also where you’ll find India’s largest concentration of Buddhists, their atmospheric
gompas
(monastic temples, including
Tabo,
the World Heritage Site in
Spiti
) a total contrast to the pageantry of Hindu temples. An easy—and highly recommended—detour from the region is to Amritsar to view the
Golden Temple,
arguably the most spiritually satisfying destination in India.