Historic monuments

• The Taj Mahal is one of India's best-known sites and one of the best architectural achievements in India, located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It was built between 1631 and 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan in honour of his wife, Arjumand Banu, more popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal serves as her tomb.
• Fatehpur Sikri It was the first planned city of the Mughals and also the first one designed in Mughal architecture, an amalgamation of Indian architecture, Persian and Islamic architecture and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986
• Varanasi The ghats of one of the oldest city of the world
• The Mahabodhi Temple is a 2000-year-old temple dedicated to Gautam Buddha in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The Nalanda is located in the Indian State of Bihar, was a Buddhist centre of learning from 427 C.E to 1197 C.E partly under the Pala Empire. It has been called "one of the first great universities in recorded history."

According to historical studies the University of Nalanda was established 450 C.E under the patronage of the Gupta emperors, notably Kumaragupta.

The Victoria Memorial in Kolkata is built in memory of Queen Victoria by the British.

• The Brihadishwara Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu built by the Cholas. The temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites.

• The Airavateswara temple is located in the town of Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu

• The Shore Temple, along with the collection of other monuments in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites

• The Harmandir Sahib is one of the most respected gurudwara in India and the most sacred place for Sikhs. The gurudwara is located in Amritsar, Punjab, India.
• The Bahá'í temple in Delhi, was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. (It is also known as the Lotus Temple.)
• The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur also known as Palace of Winds
• The Taj Mahal Palace is an icon of Mumbai
• The Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, built during the British Raj
• The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, built for Queen Victoria

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) in Mumbai is a train station built in Gothic architecture in honour of Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

Nature tourism

India has geographical diversity, which resulted in varieties of nature tourism.

• Water falls in Western Ghats & Himalayas including Jog falls (highest in India)
• Western Ghats
• Hill Stations
• Lakes
• Wildlife reserves
• Deserts

 

India has the largest wild population of tigers in the world.

 

Wildlife in India

The wild population of the endangered Asiatic lions is restricted to the Gir Forest National Park in western India.

Fauna of India

India is home to several well-known large mammals including the Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Leopard and Indian Rhinoceros, often engrained culturally and religiously often being associated with deities. Some other well-known large Indian mammals are ungulates such as the domestic Asian Water buffalo, wild Asian Water buffalo, Nilgai, Gaur and several species of deer and antelope. Some members of the dog family such as the Indian Wolf, Bengal Fox, Golden Jackal and the Dhole or Wild Dogs are also widely distributed. It is also home to the Striped Hyaena, Macaques, Langurs and Mongoose species.

India also has a large variety of protected wildlife. The country's protected forest consists of 75 National parks of India and 421 sanctuaries, of which 19 fall under the purview of Project Tiger. Its climatic and geographic diversity makes it the home of over 350 mammals and 1200 bird species, many of which are unique to the subcontinent.

Some well known national wildlife sanctuaries include Bharatpur, Raiganj, Corbett, Kanha, Kaziranga, Periyar, Ranthambore, Manas and Sariska.

The world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in southern West Bengal. The Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Sundarbans and Keoladeo National Park are UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hill stations

A summer view of Khajjiar, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh.

One of the finest hill-stations in India.

List of Indian hill stations

Several hill stations served as summer capitals of Indian provinces, princely states, or, in the case of Shimla, of British India itself. Since Indian Independence, the role of these hill stations as summer capitals has largely ended, but many hill stations remain popular summer resorts. Most famous hill stations are:

• Mount Abu, Rajasthan
• Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh
• Gulmarg, Srinagar and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir
• Shillong in Meghalaya
• Darjeeling in West Bengal
• Shimla, Kullu in Himachal Pradesh
• Nainital in Uttarakhand
• Gangtok in Sikkim
• Mussoorie in Uttarakhand
• Manali in Himachal Pradesh
• Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh
• Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra
• Haflong in Assam
• Araku, Andhra Pradesh
• Munnar in Kerala
• Ooty, Yercaud and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu
• Jampui Hills in Tripura
• Khajiyar in Himachal Pradesh
• Coorg in Karnataka

In addition to the bustling hill stations and summer capitals of yore, there are several serene and peaceful nature retreats and places of interest to visit for a nature lover. These range from the stunning moonscapes of Leh and Ladhak, to small, exclusive nature retreats such as Dunagiri, Binsar, Mukteshwar in the Himalayas, to rolling vistas of Western Ghats to numerous private retreats in the rolling hills of Kerala.

Lakes

View of Lake Tsongmo, Sikkim

List of lakes in India

• Avalanche Lake
• Dal Lake
• Emerald Lake
• Chandra Taal
• Nainital Lake
• Sheshnag Lake
• Suraj Tal
• Tso Moriri
• Tsongmo Lake
• Pangong Tso
• Prashar lake
• Rewalsar lake
• Bhojtal
• Loktak lake

Beaches

List of beaches in India

Elephants and camel rides are common on Indian beaches. Shown here is Havelock Island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India offers a wide range of tropical beaches with silver/golden sand to coral beaches of Lakshadweep. States like Kerala and Goa have exploited the potential of beaches to the fullest. However, there are a lot many unexploited beaches in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These states have very high potential to develop them as future destinations for prospective tourists. Some of the famous tourist beaches are:

• Beaches of Vizag, Andhra Pradesh
• Beaches of Puri, Odisha
• Beaches of Digha, West Bengal
• Beaches of Goa
• Kovalam Beach, Kerala
• Marina Beach, Chennai
• Elliot's Beach, Chennai
• City Beach, Pondicherry
• Beaches of Mahabalipuram
• Beaches in Mumbai
• Beaches of Diu
• Beaches of Midnapore, West Bengal
• Beaches of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Beaches of Lakshadweep Islands

Adventure tourism

Skiing in Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Due to its diverse geography and a myriad of cultures, coupled with the popularity of adventure sports adventure tourism in India has become quite popular. Backpacking, or light travel, is a popular way to explore India. Many of those who have previously visit will describe the visit as not having been a holiday but an adventure.

• River rafting and kayaking in Himalayas
• Mountain climbing in Himalayas
• Rock climbing in Madhya Pradesh
• Skiing in Auli and Gulmarg
• Boat racing in Bhopal
• Paragliding in Maharashtra