Lonely Planet India

With its mind-bending diversity – from snowcapped mountains to sun-washed beaches,
crusty old bazaars to chichi designer boutiques, tranquil temples to feisty festivals, ramshackle
rural villages to techno-savvy urban hubs – it’s hardly surprising that India has been dubbed
the planet’s most multidimensional country.

The subcontinent is home to more than a billion people, and its eclectic melange of
ethnic groups translates into an intoxicating cultural cocktail for the traveller. For those on a spiritual quest, India has oodles of sacrosanct sites and stirring philosophies, while history buffs will discover gems from the past almost everywhere – from grand vestiges of the British Raj peering over frenetic city streets, to battle-scarred forts rising from forlorn country fields.

Meanwhile, lovers of the great outdoors can paddle in the shimmering waters of one of many
palm-fringed beaches, scout for big jungle cats on an adrenaline-pumping wildlife safari, or
simply breathe in the scent of wildflowers on a rejuvenating forest walk. And then there’s the
food! From squidgy south Indian idlis (rice dumplings) to zesty north Indian curries, travellers
are treated to a positively seductive smorgasbord of subcontinental specialities.

Demystifying India is a perpetual work-in-progress and for many travellers that’s precisely
what makes her so deeply addictive. Ultimately, it’s all about surrendering yourself to the unknown: this is the India that nothing can quite prepare you for because its very essence – its elusive soul – lies in its mystery. Love it or loathe it – and most visitors seesaw between the two – India will jostle your entire being and no matter where you go or what you do, it’s a place you’ll never forget.

Table of Content

Highlights 4
The Authors 18
Destination India 22
Getting Started 23
Itineraries 28
Snapshot 37
History 39
The Culture 56
Environment 81
Activities 90
Food & Drink 104
Delhi 119
History 122
Orientation 123
Information 123
Dangers & Annoyances 125
Sights 127
Activities 138
Courses 138
Tours 139
Sleeping 139
Eating 145
Drinking 149
Entertainment 151
Shopping 152
Getting There & Away 154
Getting Around 157
GREATER DELHI 161
Tughlaqabad 161
Qutb Minar 161
Rajasthan 163
EASTERN RAJASTHAN 165
Jaipur 165
Around Jaipur 178
Bharatpur 180
Keoladeo Ghana
National Park 182
Deeg 183
Alwar 183
Sariska Reserve &
National Park 184
Shekhawati 185
Ajmer 189
Pushkar 192
Ranthambore
National Park 197
SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN 199
Bundi 199
Kota 203
Around Kota 214
Chittorgarh 214
Around Chittorgarh 217
Udaipur 217
Around Udaipur 228
Mt Abu 229
Around Mt Abu 234
WESTERN RAJASTHAN 234
Jodhpur 234
Around Jodhpur 242
Jaisalmer 243
Around Jaisalmer 251
Bikaner 252
Around Bikaner 257
Punjab & Haryana 258
Chandigarh 261
Around Chandigarh 267
PUNJAB 267
Sirhind 267
Patiala 268
Northern Punjab 269
Amritsar 269
India–Pakistan Border at
Attari/Wagah 275
Pathankot 275
Anandpur Sahib 276
HARYANA 277
Kurukshetra 277
South & West of Delhi 277
Himachal Pradesh 279
EASTERN HIMACHAL
PRADESH 282
Shimla 282
Around Shimla 291
Kinnaur Valley 292
CENTRAL HIMACHAL
PRADESH 297
Mandi 297
Rewalsar Lake 298
Mandi to Kullu 298
Great Himalayan
National Park 299
Bhuntar 299
Parvati Valley 299
Naggar 305
Manali 306
Around Manali 315
WESTERN HIMACHAL
PRADESH 318
Dharamsala 318
McLeod Ganj 319
McLeod Ganj to
Bharmour Trek 328
Around McLeod Ganj 329
East of Dharamsala 330
Southwest of Dharamsala 331
Chamba Valley 332
LAHAUL & SPITI 338
Lahaul 339
Spiti 341
Jammu & Kashmir 347
JAMMU &
THE KASHMIR VALLEY 350
Srinagar 353
Around Srinagar 360
Gulmarg 360
Pahalgam 361
Amarnath 362
Sonamarg 362
Sonamarg to Kargil 363
Southern Kashmir 363
LADAKH 365
Leh 367
Trekking in Ladakh 379
Around Leh 380
Chemrey Valley 383
Nubra Valley 383
Rupsu Valley 385
West of Leh 386
Kargil 388
ZANSKAR 389
Padum 390
Around Padum 391
Trekking in Zanskar 391
Uttar Pradesh 393
Agra 394
Fatehpur Sikri 408
Mathura 410
Vrindavan 412
Lucknow 413
Allahabad 420
Around Allahabad 423
Faizabad & Ayodhya 424
Varanasi 425
Sarnath 438
Gorakhpur 439
Kushinagar 440
Sunauli & the Nepal Border 441
Uttarakhand
(Uttaranchal) 443
Dehra Dun 446
Mussoorie 450
Around Mussoorie 454
Haridwar 454
Rajaji National Park 459
Rishikesh 459
Around Rishikesh 466
Uttarkashi 467
Garwhal Temple Treks 467
Joshimath 469
Around Joshimath 470
Valley of Flowers &
Hem Kund Trek 470
Badrinath & Mana Village 471
Kuari Pass Trek 471
Nanda Devi Sanctuary Trek 471
Corbett Tiger Reserve 472
Nainital 474
Ranikhet 478
Almora 480
Around Almora 481
Kausani 482
Around Kausani 483
Bageshwar 483
Pithoragarh 483
Pindari Glacier Trek 483
Milam Glacier Trek 484
Banbassa 484
Kolkata (Calcutta) 485
History 486
Orientation 486
Information 487
Dangers & Annoyances 492
Sights 492
Activities 502
Courses 502
Kolkata for Children 502
Tours 503
Sleeping 503
Eating 506
Drinking 509
Entertainment 510
Shopping 511
Getting There & Away 512
Getting Around 513
West Bengal 516
SOUTH OF KOLKATA 517
Sunderbans Tiger Reserve 517
Diamond Harbour 520
Sagar Island 520
Bakkali 520
Digha 521
NORTH OF KOLKATA 521
Up The Hooghly 521
Bishnupur 521
Shantiniketan 522
Nabadwip & Mayapur 522
Murshidabad &
Berhampore 522
Malda 523
Gaur & Pandua 523
WEST BENGAL HILLS 523
Siliguri & New Jalpaiguri 523
Jaldhapara Wildlife
Sanctuary 527
Mirik 528
Kurseong 529
Darjeeling 530
Trekking Around Darjeeling 542
Kalimpong 543
Around Kalimpong 548
Bihar & Jharkhand 549
BIHAR 552
Patna 552
Sonepur 556
Vaishali 556
Kesariya 557
Raxaul 557
Bodhgaya 557
Dungeshwari Cave Temples 562
Gaya 562
Rajgir 563
Around Rajgir 565
JHARKHAND 565
Ranchi 566
Betla (Palamau)
National Park 567
Parasnath 567
Sikkim 568
EAST SIKKIM 571
Gangtok 571
Around Gangtok 577
Towards Tibet 578
SOUTH SIKKIM 579
Namchi 579
Jorethang 580
WEST SIKKIM 580
Gangtok to Pelling 580
Geyzing, Tikjuk & Legship 582
Pelling 582
Around Pelling 584
The Monastery Loop 585
NORTH SIKKIM 588
Gangtok to Singhik 588
Beyond Singhik 589
Northeast States 591
ASSAM 594
Guwahati 595
Northwestern Assam
(Bodoland) 600
Tezpur 601
Around Tezpur 602
Kaziranga National Park 602
Upper Assam 603
South Assam 606
MEGHALAYA 607
Shillong 607
Around Shillong 610
Jaintia Hills 611
Garo Hills 612
TRIPURA 613
Agartala 613
Around Agartala 615
North Tripura 616
NAGALAND 616
Dimapur 617
Kohima 617
Around Kohima 618
Northern Nagaland 618
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 619
Itanagar 619
Central Arunachal Pradesh 619
Western Arunachal Pradesh 621
MIZORAM 622
Aizawl 623
Rural Mizoram 624
MANIPUR 624
Orissa 625
Bhubaneswar 628
Around Bhubaneswar 642
SOUTHEASTERN ORISSA 643
Puri 643
Raghurajpur 648
Konark 648
Chilika Lake 650
Gopalpur-on-Sea 652
WESTERN ORISSA 653
Taptapani 653
Baliguda 653
Rayagada 653
Jeypore 654
Around Jeypore 655
Sambalpur 655
Around Sambalpur 656
NORTHEASTERN ORISSA 656
Similipal National Park 656
Jashipur 657
Baripada 657
Cuttack 657
Balasore 657
Chandipur 658
Bhitarkanika Wildlife
Sanctuary 658
Ratnagiri, Udayagiri &
Lalitgiri 659
Madhya Pradesh &
Chhattisgarh 660
NORTHERN MADHYA
PRADESH 662
Gwalior 662
Shivpuri 668
Jhansi 669
Orchha 670
Khajuraho 673
Around Khajuraho 681
Satna 682
CENTRAL MADHYA
PRADESH 682
Bhopal 682
Around Bhopal 688
Sanchi 689
Around Sanchi 692
Pipariya 693
Pachmarhi 693
WESTERN MADHYA
PRADESH 695
Ujjain 695
Indore 698
Around Indore 700
Mandu 702
EASTERN MADHYA
PRADESH 705
Jabalpur 705
Around Jabalpur 708
Pench Tiger Reserve 708
Kanha National Park 709
Bandhavgarh
National Park 711
CHHATTISGARH 712
Raipur 712
Around Raipur 713
Northern Bastar 713
Jagdalpur 713
Around Jagdalpur 714
Gujarat 715
EASTERN GUJARAT 717
Ahmedabad (Amdavad) 717
Around Ahmedabad 727
Gandhinagar 729
Vadodara (Baroda) 729
Around Vadodara 731
Bharuch 732
Surat 732
Around Surat 732
Daman 733
SAURASHTRA 735
Bhavnagar 735
Around Bhavnagar 737
Palitana 738
Diu 739
Veraval 744
Somnath 745
Sasan Gir Wildlife
Sanctuary 746
Junagadh 748
Gondal 751
Porbandar 752
Dwarka 753
Jamnagar 754
Around Jamnagar 757
Rajkot 757
KUTCH (KACHCHH) 759
Bhuj 760
Around Bhuj 763
Mandvi 764
Little Rann Sanctuary 765
Mumbai (Bombay) 766
History 767
Orientation 770
Information 770
Sights 773
Activities 779
Walking Tour 780
Courses 780
Mumbai for Children 781
Tours 781
Sleeping 782
Eating 786
Drinking 789
Entertainment 791
Shopping 792
Getting There & Away 793
GREATER MUMBAI 797
Elephanta Island 797
Sanjay Gandhi
National Park 798
Maharashtra 799
NORTHERN
MAHARASHTRA 801
Nasik 801
Around Nasik 804
Aurangabad 805
Around Aurangabad 808
Ellora 809
Ajanta 812
Jalgaon 815
Lonar Meteorite Crater 815
Nagpur 816
Around Nagpur 817
Sevagram 817
Around Sevagram 818
SOUTHERN
MAHARASHTRA 818
Konkan Coast 818
Matheran 820
Lonavla 822
Karla & Bhaja Caves 824
Pune 825
Around Pune 832
Mahabaleshwar 832
Around Mahabaleshwar 834
Kolhapur 835
Goa 837
NORTH GOA 843
Panaji (Panjim) 843
Old Goa 849
Torda 852
Mapusa 852
Fort Aguada & Candolim 852
Calangute & Baga 856
Anjuna 861
Vagator & Chapora 863
Chapora to Arambol 866
Arambol (Harmal) 866
Terekhol (Tiracol) Fort 868
SOUTH GOA 868
Margao (Madgaon) 868
Chandor 870
Loutolim 871
Bogmalo & Arossim 871
Colva & Benaulim 872
Benaulim to Palolem 875
Palolem & Around 875
CENTRAL GOA 877
Ponda & Around 877
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary 877
Molem & Bhagwan Mahavir
Wildlife Sanctuary 878
Dudhsagar Falls 878
Karnataka 879
SOUTHERN KARNATAKA 881
Bengaluru (Bangalore) 881
Around Bengaluru 894
Mysore 894
Around Mysore 902
Bandipur National Park 903
Nagarhole National Park 904
Kodagu (Coorg) Region 905
Hassan 908
Belur & Halebid 909
Sravanabelagola 911
KARNATAKA COAST 912
Mangalore 912
Dharmastala 915
Udupi (Udipi) 915
Malpe 915
Amgol 916
Murudeshwar 916
Jog Falls 916
Gokarna 916
CENTRAL KARNATAKA 919
Hampi 919
Hospet 925
Hubli 926
NORTHERN KARNATAKA 926
Badami 926
Around Badami 929
Bijapur 930
Bidar 933
Andhra Pradesh 935
Hyderabad & Secunderabad 937
Nagarjunakonda 949
Warangal 951
Around Warangal 952
Visakhapatnam 952
Around Visakhapatnam 954
Vijayawada 954
Around Vijayawada 955
Tirumala & Tirupathi 956
Around Tirimula & Tirupathi 958
Puttaparthi 958
Lepakshi 959
Kerala 960
SOUTHERN KERALA 962
Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum) 962
Around Trivandrum 968
Kovalam 969
Around Kovalam 973
Padmanabhapuram Palace 973
Varkala 973
Kollam (Quilon) 977
Around Kollam 980
Alappuzha (Alleppey) 980
Around Alleppey 985
Kottayam 985
Around Kottayam 987
THE WESTERN GHATS 988
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary 988
Munnar 999
Around Munnar 1001
Parambikulam Wildlife
Sanctuary 1002
CENTRAL KERALA 1002
Kochi (Cochin) 1002
Around Kochi 1014
Thrissur (Trichur) 1014
Around Thrissur 1017
NORTHERN KERALA 1017
Kozhikode (Calicut) 1017
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary 1019
Kannur (Cannanore) 1020
Bekal & Around 1022
LAKSHADWEEP 1022
Bangaram Island 1023
Agatti Island 1024
Kadmat Island 1024
Minicoy Island 1024
Tamil Nadu 1025
CHENNAI (MADRAS) 1026
History 1028
Orientation 1029
Information 1029
Dangers & Annoyances 1033
Sights 1033
Activities 1036
Courses 1036
Tours 1036
Sleeping 1036
Eating 1038
Drinking 1039
Entertainment 1040
Shopping 1040
Getting Around 1043
NORTHERN TAMIL NADU 1044
Chennai to
Mamallapuram 1044
Mamallapuram
(Mahabalipuram) 1044
Around Mamallapuram 1050
Vedantangal Bird Sanctuary 1050
Kanchipuram 1051
Vellore 1054
Tiruvannamalai 1055
Gingee (Senji) 1057
Puducherry (Pondicherry) 1057
Auroville 1064
CENTRAL TAMIL NADU 1065
Chidambaram 1065
Around Chidambaram 1067
Kumbakonam 1067
Around Kumbakonam 1068
Cauvery Delta 1069
Thanjavur (Tanjore) 1070
Around Thanjavur 1073
Trichy (Tiruchirappalli) 1073
SOUTHERN TAMIL NADU 1077
Trichy to Rameswaram 1077
Rameswaram 1078
Madurai 1080
Kanyakumari (Cape
Comorin) 1085
THE WESTERN GHATS 1088
Kodaikanal (Kodai) 1089
Around Kodaikanal 1093
Indira Gandhi (Annamalai)
Wildlife Sanctuary 1093
Coimbatore 1093
Around Coimbatore 1096
Coonoor 1096
Kotagiri 1097
Ooty (Udhagamandalam) 1098
Mudumalai National Park 1104
Andaman &
Nicobar Islands 1106
Port Blair 1112
Around Port Blair &
South Andaman 1117
Havelock Island 1118
Neil Island 1120
Middle & North Andaman 1121
Little Andaman 1123
Directory 1124
Transport 1163
Health 1181
Language 1190
Glossary 1197
Behind the Scenes 1205
Index 1213
World Time Zones 1234
Map Legend 1236

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