27+ reasons why you should visiting India

India has beautiful palaces, bustling cities, and a diverse and peaceful countryside filled with mountains, lakes, and exotic animals.

The intricate architecture of India’s palaces and temples is both fascinating and breathtaking, and most of the sites are unlike anything you’d find in the Western world.

From stunning temples to lush tea plantations, here are 27 images that will make you want to visit India.

1. In northeast India, the Assam tea plantations have lush green tea fields that seem to go on forever.

2. The Meenakshi Temple is a beacon of bright blues, yellows, pinks, and greens in Tamil Nadu, India’s southernmost state. The temple’s incredibly detailed layers extend far into the sky.

3. The vibrant Wagah border ritual takes place on a daily basis in Punjab, India’s border state with Pakistan.

4. The most well-known feature of Jaipur’s Amber Fort is the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors). The palace gets its name from the paintings and flowers carved from glass that cover the walls and ceilings.

5. India has a lot of beautiful beaches. Palolem Beach in Goa is no longer the hidden gem that it once was, but it still offers a peaceful paradise.

6. The Lotus Temple in New Delhi stands in stark contrast to India’s more traditional temples. Its modern appearance exudes a simple elegance.

7. New Delhi’s street markets sell an exotic and eye-catching array of nuts, fruits, spices, candies, and other items.

8. The gleaming Golden Temple is located in Amritsar, which serves as a spiritual center for Sikhs and was once the gateway to Punjab for travelers from Central Asia.

9. The intricate design of Jaipur’s five-story Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds, was intended to allow royal women to observe street festivities from the confines of the palace, as they were not permitted in public.

10. Kanha National Park is one of India’s best-preserved wildlife areas, home to tigers, leopards, wild dogs, deer, and birds.

11. The Taj Mahal, India’s most well-known monument, is a stunning architectural masterpiece made of white marble that houses the tomb of a former Mughal emperor’s wife. The reflection of the Taj Mahal in the water in front of it is arguably as beautiful as the structure itself.

12. The Victoria Memorial is a monument in Kolkata dedicated to the British Empire, which explains the building’s more western architecture.

13. The Buddhist monuments that adorn the Ajanta Caves in west-central India tell stories from the first and second centuries B.C.

14. Udaipur’s City Palace is a complex of 11 majestic palaces on the banks of Lake Pichola, complete with gardens, gates, courtyards, terraces, and corridors.

15. The Ganges River, which flows through India’s northern plains, is revered in Hinduism. Every 12 years, millions of Hindus flock to the river to bathe and wash away their sins.

16. Varanasi is a holy city on the banks of the Ganges for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains who bathe in the river.

17. Buddhists believe that the founder of the faith attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya, northeastern India. It is now a Buddhist spiritual pilgrimage site.

18. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai’s historic railway station, is a fusion of Victorian Gothic and Indian architecture. The terminal, originally known as Victoria Terminus Station, was built in 1878 and served as a merchant hub.

19. The Nilgiri Mountain Rail, which runs from Mettupalayam to Ootacamund (Ooty) in southern India, is the steepest rail line in the country. The five-hour ride provides breathtaking views of India’s countryside.

20. With its dome and detailed walls and archways, Humayun’s Tomb, built for India’s second Mughal emperor, resembles a palace. The tomb later influenced the design of the Taj Mahal.

21. The Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observation site in Jaipur built in the early 1700s, is a striking mix of patches of bright green and looming instruments. Although there are other astronomical sites from this era in the country, the Jantar Mantar is the best preserved.

22. The Charminar, also known as the Arc de Triomphe of the East, is the city center of Hyderabad.

23. The backwaters of Kerala in southern India are best explored on a luxury houseboat.

24. The landscapes of Kashmir in northern India are vast, diverse, and amazingly scenic.

25. Northern India has valleys filled with rivers that are bordered by mountains.

26. Here, Buddhist monks still practice in monasteries surrounded completely by nature.

27. Top travel publications consistently name the Oberoi Udaivilas hotel in Udaipur the world’s best hotel. Guests arrive by private boat and stay in luxury accommodations modeled after a traditional Indian palace.