National tourism (India)

Have you visited India? I am sure you must have heard of the famous Taj Mahal which is one of the seven wonders of the world. Many tourists visit India just to visit the Taj Mahal.

There are many marvelous tourist spots all over the country and some may even contend with the Taj Mahal but I guess it is better that those remain hidden from the world. Not all tourists are very careful about preserving the beauty of the place.

The west side of India is famous for the beaches like that in Goa. Goa is also most famous for its seafood and the local 'Feny' made from cashew nuts.

Down south, Kerala is famous for the backwaters, beaches, resorts and Ayurveda treatments, and religious pilgrimages too. The neighboring state of Tamil Nadu is full of beautiful temple architecture dating back to the time of the Cholas and other ancient kingdoms. I hope our bloggers from Tamil Nadu write about such temples.

When you travel north, you hear about the Tirupati Balaji temple and the Puri Jagannath temple in the east. West Bengal is full of marvels like the ashram by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and his disciple Swamy Vivekananda who was the first Indian to let the West realize the greatness of India. (Chicago Address)
Rabindranath Tagore, the famous poet, and Iswar Chandra Vidya Sagar are some of the names that have immortalized Bengal.

The national forests in Assam, the beauty of the far eastern states, and the hill stations in the northern states like Manali are all famous tourist destinations. It is every biker's dream to ride to the Himalayas.

A lady friend of mine - Baljit holds tours nowadays for ladies alone. They cover India and Nepal. Baljit is from Punjab and she is also middle-aged like me and yea, wants to make the most of it before old age strikes. I love her spirit and hope I can join her on one of her trips, someday.

The beauty of Punjab lies in the hearts of the people who welcome all with their hearts and feed them and then there is the golden temple which is a very beautiful 'Gurudwara' one must visit.

Most foreign tourists must have heard of Rajasthan and the desert safari. The festivals are conducted for tourists and all of them enjoy wearing colorful clothes and visiting the heritage spots.

If you are interested, there are many bloggers from India who have written about the culture and the dress on hive.

It will take many years of traveling to cover the whole country. So, if you get a chance to visit India, do try to cover the main attractions but also look out for the hidden gems that are not so famous.

There are precautions that a tourist must take when traveling alone or as a couple. Never trust a stranger and never go along with a 'guide' who magically appears as you could be thwarted or worse, attacked. Always rely on a trusted agency.

Images - @filler