Table of Contents

List of Maps. What's New in India. 1. The Best of India. 1 Experiencing Spiritual India. 2 The Best Temples, Monuments & Lost Cities. 3 Unique Places to Stay. 4 Most Memorable Moments. 5 Exploring Natural India. 6 The Best Eating & Drinking Experiences. 7 The Best Savvy Traveler Tips . 2. Planning Your Trip to India. 1 The Regions in Brief. 2 Visitor Information. 3 Entry Requirements. 4 When to Go. Calendar of Events. 5 Getting There. 6 Money & Costs. What Things Cost in India. 7 Travel Insurance. 8 Health & Safety. Surviving Scams & Con Artists. 9 Specialized Travel Resources. 10 Staying Connected. 11 Packages for the Independent Traveler. 12 Escorted General-Interest Tours. 13 Getting Around India. The Romance of Rail: India's Special Train Journeys. 14 Tips on Accommodations. Fast Facts: India. 3. Suggested India Itineraries. 1 North India Highlights in 16 Days. 2 The Golden Triangle & Rajasthan Highlights. 3 South India in 2 Weeks. 4 A Leisurely Southern Sojourn. 1 Arrival & Orientation. Neighborhoods in Brief. Fast Facts: Mumbai. 2 Getting Around. 3 What to See & Do. 4 Where to Stay. Hot Spots with Views. 5 Where to Dine. Seafood Thrillers. 6 Shopping. 7 Mumbai After Dark. 8 Aurangabad & the Ellora and Ajanta Caves. 5. Goa: Party in Paradise. 1 Arrival & Orientation. Fast Facts: Goa. 2 Panjim (Panaji) & Old Goa. 3 North of Panjim. Shopping the Global Village Markets. Psychedelic Journeys. 4 South of Panjim. 6. God's Own Country: Kerala & Lakshadweep. Ayurveda: Kerala's Healing Balm. 1 Kochi (Cochin). Fast Facts: Kochi. 2 The Backwaters. Cruising Kerala on the World's Smallest Luxury Liner. 3 Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) & Varkala. Fast Facts: Trivandrum. 4 From Kovalam to the Tip of India. Watching the Sun Rise from the Subcontinent's Southernmost Tip. 5 Lakshadweep. 6 The Cardamom Hills & Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. 7 Malabar: Northern Kerala. 7. Tamil Nadu: The Temple Tour. 1 Chennai. Rule of the Screen Gods. And Money. Fast Facts: Chennai. 2 Mahabalipurum (Mamallapuram). 3 Pondicherry (Puducherry). The City of Dawn: Sixties Sci-Fi in the 21st Century. 4 Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Thanjavur & Chettinad Region. 5 Madurai. 8. Karnataka & Hyderabad: Kingdoms of the South. 1 Bangalore. Fast Facts: Bangalore. Learn the "Art of Living" with India's Hot New Age Guru. Swinging in the Hip City of Bangalore. Rejuvenation City: Tip-Top Spas. 2 Mysore. 3 Exploring the Hoysala Heartland: Belur, Halebid & Sravanabelagola. Traveling Via Mangalore. 4 Hampi & the Ruined City of Vijayanagar. 5 Side Trip to Northern Karnataka. 6 Hyderabad. 9. The Heart of India: Delhi, the Taj, Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh. 1 Delhi. A Tale of Seven Cities. Fast Facts: Delhi. Five-Star Culinary Flagships Where You Can't Go Wrong. 2 Agra. The Life & Times of the Mughal Emperors. 3 Varanasi (Benaras). Up in Flames. 4 Khajuraho. 5 Bandhavgarh National Park. 6 Orchha. The Gems of Gwalior. 7 Bhopal & Sanchi. 8 The Fortress City of Mandu. 10. Rajasthan: Land of Princes. Land of Thirst: Rajasthan Today. 1 Planning Your Trip to Rajasthan. Once Were Warriors: The History of the Rajput. 2 Jaipur. Fast Facts: Jaipur. Understanding the Commission System. 3 The National Parks. 4 Bundi. 5 Shekhawati. 6 Pushkar. The Dargah Sharif & Other Ajmer Gems. Passport to Pushkar: Saying Your Prayers. 7 Udaipur. Indian Solutions to a Global Problem. Battling for a Glimpse of Beauty. 8 Jodhpur. 9 Jaisalmer. Bikaner & the Temple of the Rats. 11. Himachal Pradesh: On Top of the World. 1 Staying Active. 2 The Golden Temple in Amritsar. Fast Facts: Amritsar. Visiting Le Corbusier's Chandigarh. 3 Shimla. Fast Facts: Shimla. 4 Exploring Kinnaur & Spiti. 5 The Valley of the Gods: Central Himachal. 6 Exploring Dharamsala & the Kangra Valley. 7 Leh & Environs. Negotiating the Manali-Leh Highway. 12. Uttaranchal: Sacred Source of the Ganges. 1 Garhwal. 2 Kumaon. 3 Corbett National Park. 13. Kolkata (Calcutta) & East India. 1 Kolkata. Fast Facts: Kolkata. The Miracle of Mother Teresa & the "Pure Hearts". 2 Orissa's Golden Temple Triangle. 3 Darjeeling. Looking for Orchids in Kalimpong. 4 Sikkim. Appendix: India in Depth. 1 India Today. 2 India Past to Present. Dateline. 3 The Religions of India. 4 Indian Cuisine. 5 Reading India. 6 Bollywood & Beyond: India on the Big Screen. Index. List of Maps. India. North India Highlights in 16 Days. The Golden Triangle & Rajasthan Highlights. South India in 2 Weeks. A Leisurely Southern Sojourn. Mumbai. Colaba. Ellora. Goa. Kerala. Kochi (Cochin). Tamil Nadu. Karnataka. The Heart of India: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh. Delhi. Agra. Fatehpur Sikri. Varanasi. Khajuraho. Rajasthan. Jaipur. Pushkar. Udaipur. Himachal Pradesh. Uttarakhand. East India. Kolkata (Calcutta).

About the Author

Pippa de Bruyn is an award-winning journalist, travel writer (author of Frommer's South Africa), and freelance editor. Niloufer Venkatraman has a doctoral degree in anthropology from Temple University in Philadelphia. She has traveled widely since the age of 9, and has always been as awed by other places and cultures as her own. A resident of her native Mumbai, she has worked as lecturer in sociology and anthropology, giving up the bureaucratic Indian academic scene in 2001 to turn her attention to working as a freelance writer and editor. Shonar Joshi is a writer by profession and explorer by heart. A strict believer in the art of drifting, she has dabbled with environmental television reporting, filmmaking, script writing, farming. and traveling-mostly in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Her book Of Past Dawns and Future Noons is a testament to the passion with which she regards India and its rich ancient past, present, and future. Dr. Keith Bain has a doctoral degree in cinema. When he's not traveling the world in search of fantastic experiences, he spends his time writing and lecturing about film, media, theater, and contemporary culture.

Reviews

"Get a copy..." (Garavi Gujarat, December 2006)