Quick Facts

Capital: New Delhi
Population : 1, 027, 015, 247 (2001 Census)
Language: Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Kashmiri, English, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam
Area :3.3 million square kilometers
Climate : semiarid; warm winters and hot summers.
Official Currency :Rupee (One Rupee=100 paise)

Stacking your Postcards

Taj Mahal
For those of you who are romantic at heart, this destination is unparalleled; the synonym of India, the magnificent architecture and the aesthetic beauty in White Makrana marble invites everyone from the world over for an experience of a lifetime. Historically, it is the mausoleum of the mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal. The majestic and marvelous tomb is a must visit for the historians and the romantics alike since ages. The image of the one of the man's proudest creation is unique as a tomb and the grandeur associated with the mortal remains is till date unmatched on Earth. The splendid building is not only emperor Shah Jahan's symbol of love for his beloved, or just another example of the mughal architecture it is a contribution to the world heritage. This love's labor involved 22 long years of effort by 20,000 odd people. The construction of the tomb began in 1931, when Mumtaz Mahal passed away while giving birth to Shah Jahan's 14th child and was finally completed in 1953.

Khajuraho Temples
Discover a matchless architectural gem, a unique creation that is one of the most famous wonders of India. Travel and get to know the world famous Khajuraho Temples built between 9th and 12th centuries by the Chandela Rajput rulers. Out of 80 temples originally constructed, only 20 are left. Carved with mythical and historical figures, the temples are situated in the central state of Madhya Pradesh in India. The Khajuraho temples have immortalized the Chandela rulers in the history of art and architecture.

India Gate
India Gate, a majestic structure, 42 metres high, is set at the end of Rajpath, perhaps the most beautiful area of New Delhi with plush green lawns in the backdrop. It is a popular picnic spot during the winters and equally popular as a relaxation area during the summer evenings.Designed and built by Lutyens, it was originally called All India War Memorial in memory of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died in the campaigns of World War I, the North-West Frontier operations of the same time and the 1919 Afghan Fiasco.On the walls of the structure are inscribed the names of all the soldiers. An eternal flame called Amar Jawan Jyoti that runs on gas was lit in 1971 to honour the martyrs. During the night, it is intensely floodlit and the fountains nearby are lit up with coloured lights.Close by is the canopy which once became controversial and under whose red sandstone roof was the marble statue of King George V which has been shifted from there. The canopy was also designed and built by Lutyens.

Humayun Tomb
This excelllent piece of architecture was said tohave been the major idea that is said to have inspired Shahjahan to construct the wonderful, Taj Mahal at Agra.The red and white building has a close resemblance to the Taj Mahal. The inspiration for construction of the tomb came from the death of Humayun and was a tribute to his memory from his widow, Haji Begum in 1565-66. Its unique character lay in the fact that the Begum was said to have spent million and a half rupees on its construction.The grandeur of the building is visible at once when one enters through the lofty double-storeyed gateway. The tomb is set in the centre of a huge square garden enclosed by high walls on three sides while a river could have been its fourth boundary.

Jim Corbett National Park
Corbett National Park, based at Ram Nagar, 250 kms north east of Delhi and 63 kms south west of Nainital, is one of the India's premier wildlife reserves, established in 1936 by Jim Corbet as 'Hailey National Park', the park was renamed in his honour. The park is one of Himalayan India's last expanses of wilderness. Corbett has been a haunt for tourists and wildlife lovers for a long time. Tourism is allowed in selected areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve so that people get an opportunity to see its splendid landscape and the diverse wildlife living here. In recent years the number of people coming here has increased dramatically. Presently, every season more than 70,000 visitors come to the park from India and abroad. Corbett National Park lies in two districts - Nainital and Pauri - in the hill state of Uttaranchal in northern India. It covers an area of 521 sq. km together with the neighbouring Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and Reserve Forest areas.

Ayurveda
Ayurveda evolved around 600 BC in India. This Indian system of medicine has been popularized by Kerala for centuries. Ayurveda mean science of life & health. Today, it is a unique, indispensable branch of medicine - a complete naturalistic system that depend son the diagnosis of your body's humours - vata, pitta and kapha - to achieve the right balance. Kerala's equable climate, natural abundance of forests (with a wealth of herbs and medicinal plants), and the cool monsoon season (June - November) are best suited for Ayurveda's curative and restorative packages. In fact, today, Kerala is the only state in India, which practices this system of medicine with absolute dedication. Traditional texts reveal that the monsoon is the best season for rejuvenation programmes.

Destination Guide

Agra
Agra has long been renowned as the city of the Taj Mahal. This has often overshadowed the fact that this royal Mughal has, in addition to the legendary Taj, many magnificent monuments that epitomise the high point of the Mughal architectural achievement. Not even Delhi the seat of kings and emperors for over a thousand years, can boast such a heritage of architectural and cultural splendour from the golden age of the Great Mughals.

Delhi
India’s capital city, Delhi is the second most widely used entry point into the country, being on the route of most major airlines. It is well linked by rail, air and road to all parts of the country. The remains of seven distinctive capital cities – among them Shahjahanabad and Qutab Minar – can be seen. Here, museums, art galleries and cultural centers attract the finest exhibitions and performances from India and abroad. Shopping encompasses virtually everything that can be bought in the country; hotels range from the deluxe to the more modest.

Jaipur
Jaipur, also known as the Pink City of India, was founded by Maharaja Jai Singh II (1693-1743) and is the capital of Rajasthan. Jaipur is surrounded by hills and dotted with forts, and is one of the links to the famed Golden Triangle of North India along with Delhi and Agra. Jaipur also serves as the most convenient entry point to Rajasthan, India's most colorful and vibrant state.An extremely well planned city, Jaipur was designed by an engineer and scholar Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, in accordance with ancient Hindu treatise on architecture, the Shilpa Shasta (Vastu). It was planned in a grid system with wide straight avenues, roads, streets and lanes and uniform rows of shops on either side of the main roads. Jaipur remains the only place where the nine sectors that sub-divide the city symbolize the nine divisions of the universe. Jaipur is surrounded by a wall having seven gates and was built for protection from invading armies and wild animals that lurked just outside in the jungles that surrounded the city.

Kerala
Kerala is situated on the south-west coast of India, sandwiched between the Lakshwadeep Sea and the Western Ghats. The country is full of rice fields, mango and cashewnut trees and above all, coconut palms. Kerala is also an important center for spices and this has drawn merchants of spices to stop here. Its wide contact with the outside world has given the Malayalis (the natives of Kerala) their cosmopolitanism. This is also the state with the highest literacy rate.Kerala is a land of rivers and backwaters. Forty-four rivers (41 west-flowing and 3 east-flowing} criss-cross the state physique along with countless runlets. Backwaters are an attractive, economically valuable feature of Kerala. These include lakes and ocean in lets which stretch irregularly along the Kerala coast. The biggest among these backwaters is the Vembanad lake, with an area of 200 sq km, which opens out into the Arabian Sea at Cochin port.

Goa
Goa- the name conjures up images of sun-baked sands, heady feni, and palm fronds waving in a cool sea breeze. All that may sound a wee bit clichéd, but Goa definitely isn’t. One of India’s hottest destinations for well over two decades now, Goa was- and still is- where everybody goes to party. A sunkissed land dotted with coconut trees and rice fields; old Portuguese churches and the prettiest of beaches- where February means Carnival and every day is an occasion for celebration.