India is a colorful, vibrant, and spicy land. In the northwest, Rajasthan is dotted with colorful cities. Jaipur is the pink city. Udaipur is the white city. Jodhpur is the blue city. And Jaisalmer is the golden city. From a rainbow of saris and turbans to vivid culinary dishes, India is a feast for the senses.

Adventures | Must Sees: Delhi | Must Sees: Varanasi | Must Sees: Agra | Must Sees: Jaipur | Must Sees: Udaipur | Must Sees: Jodhpur | Must Sees: Jaisalmer | Food | Transportation

ADVENTURES

Amber Fort Elephant Ride

Ride an elephant up the hillside to Amber Fort. Grip tightly on the metal bars while the elephant sways back and forth. The elephant’s trunk is painted with a colorful pattern.

Ganges Boat Ride

Sail in the Ganges River, the holiest river in India. At Varanasi, witness the spiritual rituals at the ghats.

Thar Desert Camel Ride

Go on a sunset camel trek from the outpost of Sam in the Thar Desert. There are hundreds of people sitting to the tops of the dunes waiting for the sun to set.

Lake Pichola Boat Ride

Cruise Lake Pichola to view spectacular view of the City of Lakes. Sail past numerous island palaces.

 

 

Yoga by the Ganges

Take a yoga class in Varanasi by the sacred Ganges River.

MUST SEES: DELHI

Laxmi Narayan Mandir

The red and white temple is dedicated to the god Vishnu, the Preserver, and his consort Lakshmi, goddess of wealth. Inside is a complex of halls with shrines for Shiva, Ganesha, and Hanuman. There’s even a Hall of Mirrors for gazing upon the infinite.

Jama Masjid

The courtyard can hold tens of thousands of people. Shah Jahan had this marvel built by 1658 and its architecture echoes the Taj Mahal. The seashell arches, onion domes, white marble, red sandstone, minarets, inlaid stonework, and carvings are simply stunning.

Red Fort

Emperor Shah Jahan built the Red Fort as the new royal residence after moving the capital from Agra to Delhi. Mughal architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori’s design blends Persian palace architecture with Indian styles.

Chandni Chowk

Rickshaws are perfect for quickly navigating the narrow, twisty, medieval alleyways. You are elbow to elbow with passersby, motorcycles, rickshaws, and carts all trying to get through the alley. Even cows use this passage. Every stall has a story to tell.

Qutb Minar

Sultan Qutb-ud-din built the Afghan-style victory tower in 1193 to celebrate victory over the Hindu Rajput king. The minaret’s fluted columns have veneers of red sandstone and marble. There are bands of intricate carving in Islamic calligraphy, producing the appearance of bundled reeds.

MUST SEES: VARANASI

After a holy man walks past me along a narrow corridor, multiple butterflies flutter about seemingly out of nowhere. The butterflies are like his divine serene aura.

Ganges River

As you drift along the Ganges, watch the pilgrims provide offerings to the rising sun. There is chanting. There is music. When the sun appears, everyone cheers. The gleaming red sun paints a scarlet streak across the river.

Dashashwamedh Ghat

Dashashwamedh Ghat is the main ghat in Varanasi near Vishwanath Temple. At dusk, the Ganga Aarti is a ritual of offering prayer to the Ganges river that’s held daily.

Manikarnika Ghat

This is the holiest cremation area in Varanasi. Brahmins and family leaders bring the body to the edge of the Ganges and say prayers. The family places the body on a funeral pyre. Workers tend to the fire for up to 3.5 hours. The ashes are collected, saved, and taken to the river.

MUST SEES: AGRA

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a place of exquisite beauty and a story of great love. Shah Jahan’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died giving birth to their 14th child. He was so heartbroken he spent 22 years building the monument. Shah Jahan said the Taj Mahal made “the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.”

Agra Fort

On the shore of the Yamuna, Agra Fort was the residence of emperors of the Mughal Dynasty. Inside the red sandstone fort, there’s a wall with semiprecious stones and a white marble palace with golden domes.

Fatehpur Sikri

Akbar used Fatehpur Sikri as the capital of the Mughal Dynasty from 1571 until it was abandoned in 1611. The town was built per Timurid architecture, which was widespread during Timur’s empire from Central Asia to the Middle East.

MUST SEES: JAIPUR

Amber Fort

Maharaja Man Singh built Amber Fort on the Hill of Eagles. The palace blends Rajput and Mughal architectural styles with red sandstone and white marble. In the third courtyard, the Sheesh Mahal has mirrored mosaics and colorful glass flowers.

Hawa Mahal

Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh built the Hindu Rajput palace of the winds. The pink honeycomb façade has 953 small protruding windows (jharokhas) with intricate latticework. Royal ladies could privately observe festivities in the bazaar from behind the window screens.

Jantar Mantar

Sawai Jai Singh II founded the pink city of Jaipur and the Jantar Mantar observatory. This garden contains 19 gargantuan astronomical instruments. The instruments predicted eclipses and tracked positions of major stars.

Johari Bazaar

The bazaar is a whirlwind of lights, shops, and people everywhere. Each street is lined by a row of shops. Next to that is the sidewalk, hawkers, rickshaws, and road. Don’t forget the cows. The stands have multicolored gemstones and elaborate jewelry.

Chokhi Dhani

Chokhi Dhani provides a window to Rajasthani culture, food, traditions, and heritage. It showcases music performances, puppet shows, and dances. At dinner, you are treated as a royal and presented with a thali meal on plates made of leaves.

LMB Sweet Shop

The LMB sweet shop is a madhouse during Diwali. There are workers in the center of the shop frantically filling packages. There are colorful and delectable laddus and modaks behind the counter. The trays hold incredible varieties of exquisite sweets made of sugar, nuts, spices, and condensed milk.

MUST SEES: UDAIPUR

City Palace

A sage told Maharana Udai Singh II to begin building a new capital at this spot above Lake Pichola. The largest palace in Rajasthan contains marble and granite pavilions, terraces, courtyards, corridors, and hanging gardens.

Jagdish Temple

Jagdish Temple is a Hindu temple next to the royal palace. The pyramidal tower has three stories of hand-carved stone with a spire reaching 80 feet. The main shrine contains a black stone statue of Krishna. The exterior has carvings of elephants, horse riders, and dancers.

Lake Pichola

The village of Pichola built the freshwater lake to provide drinking water. The Mewar dynasty later built Udaipur by the lake. A boat ride is the best way for viewing Udaipur’s City Palace and the two island palaces. The Lake Palace was used as a film set for James Bond’s Octopussy.

Ranakpur

About three hours from Udaipur, Ranakpur is a Jain temple. Jainism practices non-violence, asceticism, and non-absolutism. The white temple is supported by 1,444 marble columns. Beneath the mountain-shaped towers is a carved figure Parshvanatha and his 1,008 snake heads.

MUST SEES: JODHPUR

Blue City

The Blue City is a sapphire gem in the Thar Desert. One theory has it that brahmins painted their houses blue to highlight their high caste status. Others believe blue keeps homes cool in summer. Either way, bring your camera. From Mehrangarh Fort, you can view the marvelous blue walls and alleys of the old city.

Mehrangarh Fort

Mehrangarh Fort is intimidating. It rises straight up from the rocky hilltop and you must pass seven gates and a spiked door. The museum displays palanquins, which were boxes for transporting royal ladies. The armory contains the swords of Akbar and Tamerlane.

Sardar Market

Take a tuk tuk to Sardar Market where you can find a swirling muddle of colorful textiles, spices, and vegetables. At night, the Ghanta Ghar clock tower is lit up in many colors.

Mandore Gardens

Just north of Jodhpur, Mandore Gardens is located in rock terraces popular with gray langur monkeys. The lush parkland also houses dark-red, cone-shaped chhatris (cenotaphs) for Jodhpur’s maharajas who are buried elsewhere.

MUST SEES: JAISALMER

Jaisalmer Fort

The honey-colored hill fort occupies the entire plateau of Trikuta Hill. Made of yellow sandstone, the fort blends into the golden city of Jaisalmer and the Thar Desert. Rawal Jaisal built the fortress at the crossroads of key trade routes, such as the Silk Road.

Nathmal-Ki Haveli

Many wealthy merchants built havelis (houses) inside Jaisalmer Fort. Two brothers built the haveli for Prime Minister Nathmal. However, they started from opposite ends and met in the middle. The haveli is not exactly symmetrical, yet still a masterpiece.

Patwon-Ki Haveli

A famous trader named Guman Chand and his sons built Patwon-Ki-Haveli inside Jaisalmer Fort. This tall five-story complex contains five mansions with intricately carved balconies. The largest haveli had two underground floors for storing opium.

Gadisar Lake

In 1156, Rawal Jaisal built Gadisar Lake to provide water for Jaisalmer. There are many chhatris and shrines in the lake. If you toss bread into the lake, a giant pile of catfish will wrestle each other to the surface.

FOOD

Thali

Thali is a royal plate of Rajasthani delicacies with a bit of everything. You dunk the baati (hard bread balls) into the dal (a soup of stewed lentils). Another bowl has kadhi (a yellow gravy made of yogurt, chickpea flour, and spices). There’s a dry curry of vegetables in a spice mixture.

Butter Chicken

The butter chicken’s (murgh makhani) tomato and butter sauce is sweet at first, with creaminess from the butter, then the subtle spices do their job. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and spices and has a nice char from the tandoor (clay oven).

Panipuri

Panipuri are hollow deep-fried shells filled with dal, onions, potatoes, and chutney. Pour the orange tamarind water or green lime mint water into the crispy shells. Watch how locals knock back panipuri with a whip-like flourish of the hand to avoid splashing juice on their clothing.

Korma

Korma is meat or vegetables braised in a sauce of yogurt, water, and stock. Kormas are typically creamy, sweet, and a little nutty. Navrattam Korma is a version with nine different vegetables, cheese, and cashews.

Mughlai Biryani

The Mughlai biryani is aromatic basmati rice with spices, potatoes, peas, and carrots. The dish is fragrant with saffron and garnished with cashews and raisins. Go easy on the extremely spicy and delicious mirchi ka salan (green chili sauce). Although you can cool it off with the yogurt-based raita.

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi masala is a dish of okra sautéed with onions, and tomatoes. The okra are stuffed with toasted masala spices.

Laal Maas

In this spicy Rajasthani lamb curry, onions and spices (cardamom, cinnamon, mace, and bay) are sautéed in ghee. The lamb is browned in the spices and a fiery red paste of Mathania red chilies and yogurt are added.

Murgh Malai Tikka

Murgh malai tikka are cubes of chicken marinaded with spices, cream, ginger, garlic, green chili, cilantro, and cardamom. The chicken skewers are then cooked in a tandoor oven for a smoky flavor. This dish is accompanied with raw onions and lemon wedges.

Palak Paneer

Palak paneer is a dish of puréed spinach with cubes of paneer cheese. The spinach is slowly simmered with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, and cumin. It’s a smooth and creamy dish punctuated with soft paneer.

Masala Dosa

Masala dosa is a thin savory rice crepe. Break off a piece of the cylindrical crispy crepe and dunk it the potato curry, chutney, and sambar.

Samosas

A samosa is a crispy triangular pastry with a savory filling of spiced potatoes, onions, and peas. They may also contain raisins and cashews with a sprinkling of cumin dust.

Makhaniya Lassi

At the bustling Sardar Market in Jodphur, try makhaniya lassi, a refreshing yogurt- based beverage. The lassi is a sweet and aromatic flavor burst thanks to cardamom and saffron.

Masala Chai

There’s always a chaiwala when you need one. These entrepreneurial tea sellers set up portable stations in the unlikeliest places. They boil water and milk with a spice mixture, and then add tea leaves and sugar. Enjoy the flavorful chai in a small cup.

Kesar Pista Kulfi

Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert. Pistachios and saffron lend tremendous flavor to this dense and creamy ice cream treat.

Mithai

Most Indians have a serious sweet tooth. Mithai are Indian sweets and desserts made with sugar, milk, condensed milk, nuts, and spices. Laddu is a round ball of sugar and chickpea flour.

Paan

At the betel nut stall, a paan leaf is brushed with lime paste, betel nut, syrup, spices, and folded into a triangular packet. You chew it like bubble gum. After a while, your teeth and gums get slightly numb. You get a mouthful of red, lumpy paan juice, and then you have to spit it all out. It’s nasty; don’t try it.

TRANSPORTATION

Rickshaw

At the bottom of the staircase, a rickshaw awaits. The rickshaw is the perfect vehicle for quickly navigating the narrow, twisty, crowded medieval Old Delhi alleyways.

Tuk Tuk

A tuk tuk is not much more than a motorized rickshaw. These three-wheelers have a small roof and are great for navigating crowded cities.

Motorcycle

Motorcycles typically carry 3-4 people. Families are perched precariously, with dad at the front, mom sitting side saddle at the back, and a couple kids between them.

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