History of India -  Know about the culture and civilization of this wonderful country.

Music and Dance -  A diverse culture displaying varied levels of music and dance rhythms.

The poetry and the romance that shroud what Rabindranath Tagore calls "a teardrop on the cheek of time". Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" and is in fact the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. It is best described by the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, as "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor's love wrought in living stones." It is a celebration of woman built in marble.

Address:
Taj Mahal stands on the bank of River Yamuna
Phone: (0562) 233 0496
 

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It was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 14th child. The death so crushed the emperor that all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a few months. In 1648, on the exact anniversary of Mumtaz's death, this wonderful monument was completed
This eighth wonder of the world. Admission: Rs 500

This is a massive fort across the river from the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan was imprisoned here after being overthrown by his son and he spent the last days of his life confined to his rooms overlooking the beautiful building he created in memory of his favorite wife.

Address: West bank of the Yamuna River at Agra City Centre E-Mail: info@indiaforvisitors.com
 

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Khas Mahal,one of the beautiful building in AGRA FORT. Its white marble structure. It was used as drawing room&bed room by Shah Jahan. Agra fort was build by Emperor Akber, in 1565.Later on other rulers; Jahangir, Shah Jahan & Aurangzeb also build many buildings inside. Agra fort has 4 gates only this gate is opened for public, other gates were closed. Timing: sunrise to sunset. Ticket for NRI is Rs300.

The famous erotic sculptures of Khajuraho temples are India's unique gift to the world, representing, as they do, a pageant to life, to love, to joy, perfect in execution and sublime in expression. The Khajuraho temples were built in a short span of hundred years, from 950-1050 AD.

Address: Khajuraho is situated to the west of Varanasi and Allahabad and south of the Ganges, in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Contacts : Madhya Pradesh Tourism Office

Phone: (07686) 274051
Fax: (07686) 272330
Tourist Office
Bus Stand, Khajuraho
Phone: (07686) 274163
 

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Best Season July to March
Timings: 8am to 6pm.
The creators of Khajuraho claimed descent from the moon and the legend behind the founding of this great dynasty and the temples is a fascinating one.

Hemawati, the lovely young daughter of a Brahmin priest, was seduced by the moon-god while bathing in a forest pool. The child born of this union was Chandravarman, founder of the Chandela dynasty. Brought up in the forests by his mother who sought refuge from a censorious society, Chandravarma, when established as a ruler, had a dream visitation from his mother. It is said that she implored him to build temples that would reveal human passions.

A World Heritage Site that is famous for its one-horned rhino. Tourist from India and abroad come here to see the wild life in its natural habitat. Apart from the rhino, there are elephants, wild buffalos, leopards and a host of other animals. It is also a haven for many different rare and near extinct species of birds.

Address: In the heart of Assam.
For more info contact:
Government of India Tourist Office
B.K. Kakati Road
Ulubari, Guwahati 781007

Director of Tourism
Goverment of Assam
Station Road, Guwahati 781001
Phone: 91 361 547102
91 361 542748
 

Director, Kaziranga National Park
Phone: 91 3776 68295 (Work)
91 3776 68286 (Home)
Deputy Director, Tourism, Kaziranga
Phone: 91 3776 62444
91 3776 62423

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The park covers an area of 430 sq km along the river Brahmaputra on the North and the Karbi Anglong hills on the South. The National Highway 37 passes through the park area and tea estates, hemmed by table-top tea bushes. One can even see the rhinos and wild elephants straying near the highway.
The park is open from November to April. Tourists can take rides on elephants to move around the park or cruise in a boat on the Brahmaputra along the park.
 

The Indian Museum, founded in 1814 in Calcutta, is the oldest institution of its kind in the Asia Pacific region and repository of the largest collections of museum objects in India. The largest museum in the country, the museum has six sections: Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Industry (economic botany). From the Egyptian mummy to the skeleton of the whale and some rare statues; the museum has every thing. One of the rooms has a collection of meteorites. The museum also has a unique fossil collection of prehistoric animals which includes a giant crocodile and a huge tortoise. The art collection has many fine pieces from Orissa and other temples and superb example of Buddhist Gandharan art.

Address: 27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road
Calcutta (Kolkata) 700016
West Bengal, India
Phone: 91 33 249 9902, 9979, 8948, 8931
Fax: 91 33 249 5699
E-Mail: imbot@cal2.vsnl.net.in"
 

The Buxa Tiger Reserve with an area of 759 sq. kms was established in the year of 1982-83 at the north eastern corner of West Bengal bordering Bhutan and Assam. The core area of 315sq.kms around the Buxa Duar Fort was declared a National Park in January 1992.

Address:
The Buxa National Park is a national park located in Bengal, India, in the Buxa hills of the southern hilly area of Bhutan. Located inside the national park is the 759 square kilometers Buxa Tiger Reserve.
Alipurduar Court, Jalpaiguri District
Field Director
Buxa Tiger Reserve (West)
Alipurduar,
District Jalpaiguri,
West Bengal- 736122
Phone: 03564 551129
Fax: 03564 55577 / 79
 

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Best time to visit: October to April
Main attraction: Royal Bengal Tiger
National Parks of India
Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Campbell Bay o Galathea o Mahatma Gandhi o Mt. Harriet Island o Middle Button Island o North Button Island o Rani Jhansi o Saddle Peak o South Button Island Andhra Pradesh: Kasu Brahmananda Reddy o Mahavir Harina Vanasthali o Mrugavani o Sri Venkateswara Arunachal Pradesh: Mouling o Namdapha Assam: Dibru-Saikhowa o Kaziranga o Manas o Nameri o Orang Bihar: Valmiki Chhattisgarh: Indravati o Kanger Ghati o Sanjay Goa: Mollem Gujarat: Blackbuck o Gir o Marine o Vansda Haryana: Kalesar o Sultanpur Himachal Pradesh: Great Himalayan o Pin Valley Jammu & Kashmir: Dachigam o Hemis o Kishtwar o Salim Ali Jharkhand: Betla Karnataka: Anshi o Bandipur o Bannerghatta o Kudremukh o Nagarhole Kerala: Eravikulam o Mathikettan Shola o Periyar o Silent Valley Madhya Pradesh: Bandhavgarh o Fossil o Kanha o Madhav o Panna o Pench o Sanjay o Satpura o Van Vihar Maharastra: Gugamal o Navegaon o Pench o Sanjay Gandhi o Tadoba Manipur: Keibul Lamjao o Sirohi Meghalaya: Balphakram o Nokrek Mizoram: Murlen o Phawngpui Nagaland: Intanki Orissa: Bhitarkanika o Simlipal Rajasthan: Desert o Keoladeo o Ranthambhore o Rajiv Gandhi o Sariska Sikkim: Khangchendzonga Tamil Nadu: Guindy o Gulf of Mannar o Indira Gandhi o Mudumalai o Mukurthi Uttar Pradesh: Dudhwa Uttaranchal: Corbett o Gangotri o Govind o Nanda Devi o Rajaji o Valley of Flowers West Bengal: Buxa o Gorumara o Neora Valley o Singalila o Sundarbans
 

Built in 1799, the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds, is one of the major landmarks of Jaipur. This five storey building, which looks out over the main street of the old city, is a stunning example of Rajput artistry, with its pink semi octagonal and delicately honeycombed sandstone windows. It was originally built to enable ladies of the royal household, to watch the everyday life and processions of the city. The palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, and is part of the City Palace complex.

Phone: (0141) 376 362;
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 The best season to visit Jaipur is during winters, from October to February.
Today, Hawa Mahal provides the travelers in Jaipur with some excellent views of the city and a bird's eye view of the Jantar Mantar (a medieval observatory and an important tourist place in Jaipur). The best time to view Hawa Mahal is sunrise when it catches the early morning sun and is bathed in its golden light making it glow like a gem. Visitors can go inside to see where the women once sat and view the intricate honeycombed stonework close-up.
Opening time: 9am to 4.30pm
 

QutbMinar, Jantar Mantar, Red Fort, Ajanta Caves, Elephanta Caves, Ellora Caves,
Sun Temple at Konark, charminar, and Agra Fort
Tour Operators
Government of India Tourist Office
88 Janpath
Phone: 011-23320005/ 23320008

Ashok Tours and Travels (ITDC)
L 1 Connaught Place
Phone: 011-23719039/ 23325035

Delhi Tourism
Phone: 011-23363607/ 23365358

Tourist Information Services
Government of India Tourist Office
88 Janpath
Phone: 011-23320008

Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC)
Bombay Life Bldg, N-Block Middle Circle, Connaught Place
Phone: 011-23730416/ 23315322 "
 

Thripunithura Hill palace, the largest archaeological museum in Kerala and the erstwhile official residence of the Kochi Royal Family, was built in 1865.The palace complex consists of 49 buildings in the traditional architectural style of Kerala and is surrounded by 52 acres of terraced land with ponds, fountains and lawns.

A full fledged ethno archaeological museum and Kerala's first ever Heritage museum are the main attractions here.

Address: 10 km from Ernakulam town, central Kerala.
Archaeological Museum,
Hill Palace,
Hill Palace.P.O,
Ernakulam district
Phone: 0484 2781113
Fax: 0484 2776374
 

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Tripunithura is well known for the nearby Chottanikara Temple and the Tripunithura Temple.
 

Varanasi or Banaras is one of the oldest cities of India. This city has found place in the Buddhist scriptures as well the epic of Mahabharata. 'Dasashvamedh Ghat' or the 'ghat of ten sacrificed horses'. It is said that the sacrifices were made by Lord Brahma to pave path for the return of Shiva after the period of banishment. Asi Ghat in -The southernmost ghat in the sacred city, the Asi Ghat is situated at the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Asi. Pilgrims consider it particularly holy to bathe here.

Man Mandir Ghat -Known primarily for its magnificent 18th century observatory equipped with ornate window casings, Man Mandir Ghat was built by the Maharaja of Jaipur. The northern part of the ghat has a fine stone balcony. The pilgrims pay homage to the important lingam of Someshwar, the Lord of the Moon. Manikarnika Ghat -One of the most sacred and the oldest ghats.To the north of the Manikarnika Ghat is Lalita Ghat, well known for its Ganga Keshava Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the wooden Nepali temple built in the typical Kathmandu style. The temple houses an image of Pashupateshwar, which is a manifestation of Lord Shiva at Pashupatinath, in the Kathmandu valley.

Address: National Highway No. 2 On Delhi-Calcutta Route (Uttar Pradesh)

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For every visitor Varanasi has different experiences to offer. The shimmering red and golden water of the Ganges when rays of dawn falls on them, the high banks, the temples, the Ashrams, the pavilions all are an experience in themselves.