1 Hampi/Vijayanagar • Deserted capital of the last great Hindu empire, scattered over a bizarre landscape of giant golden-brown boulders.
2 Taj Mahal • Simply the world's greatest building: Shah Jahan's monument to love fully lives up to all expectations.
3 Palolem • Exquisite crescent-shaped beach in Goa's relaxed south, famous for its dolphins and local alcoholic spirit, feni.
4 Bandhavgarh National Park • Deep in the eastern tracts of Madhya Pradesh, this park is rich in animal and birdlife, including tigers and leopards.
5 Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur • The epitome of Rajput power and extravagance, its ramparts towering above a labyrinthine, blue-painted old city.
6 Kaziranga National Park • Take a dawn elephant ride as the mists slowly lift: sightings of the one-horned rhino, symbol of Assam, are virtually guaranteed.
7 Varanasi • City of Light, founded by Shiva, where the bathing ghats beside the Ganges teem with pilgrims.
8 Kathakali • Kerala is the place to experience Kathakali and other esoteric ritual theatre forms.
9 Amritsar • Site of the fabled Golden Temple, the Sikhs' holiest shrine.
10 Mysore market • Jaggery, incense and garlands are made and veggies and kitsch paraphernalia are sold in Mysore's covered market.
11 Dharamsala • Perched on the edge of the Himalayas, this is the home of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism in exile.
12 Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur • Asia's most famous bird reserve, where millions of migrants nest each winter. The perfect antidote to the frenzy and pollution of nearby Agra and Jaipur.
13 Gokarna • The beautiful beaches on the edge of this temple town are popular with budget travellers fleeing the commercialism of nearby Goa.
14 Madurai • The definitive South Indian city, centred on a spectacular medieval temple.
15 Khajuraho • Immaculately preserved temples renowned for their uncompromisingly erotic carvings.
16 Ajanta caves • Extraordinarily beautiful murals, dating from 200 BC to 650 AD, adorn the walls of caves chiselled into basalt cliffs.
17 Zanskar • A barren moonscape with extraordinary scenery and challenging trails over the high passes.
18 Camel trekking in the Thar • A wonderfully romantic if utterly touristy way to experience the Great Indian Desert. Most visitors trek out of Jaisalmer, but Bikaner offers more variety.
19 Jaisalmer • A honey-coloured citadel, emerging from the sands of the Thar Desert.
20 Kochi • Kochi's atmospheric harbourside is strung with elegant Chinese fishing nets.
21 Fatehpur Sikri • The Moghul emperor Akbar's elegant palace complex now lies deserted on a ridge near Agra, but remains one of India's architectural masterpieces.
22 Pushkar camel mela • November sees the largest livestock market on earth, where 200,000 Rajasthani herders in traditional costume converge on the desert oasis of Pushkar to trade and bathe in the sacred lake.
23 Orchha • This semi-ruined former capital of the Bundela Rajas is an architectural gem, rising up through the surrounding jungle.
24 Manali– Leh Highway • India's epic Himalayan road trip, along the second-highest road in the world.
25 Konark • A colossal thirteenth-century temple, buried under sand until its rediscovery by the British.
26 Mamallapuram • A fishing and stone-carving village, with magnificent boulder friezes, shrines and the sea-battered Shore Temple.
27 Udaipur • Arguably the most romantic city in India, with ornate Rajput palaces floating in the middle of two shimmering lakes.
28 Varkala • This pleasantly low-key Keralan resort boasts sheer red cliffs, amazing sea views and a legion of Ayurvedic masseurs.
29 Ellora caves • Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves, and the colossal Hindu Kailash temple, carved from a spectacular volcanic ridge at the heart of the Deccan plateau.
30 Gangotri • An atmospheric village on the Ganges that serves as a base for the trek into the heart of the Hindu faith – Gomukh, the source of the Ganges.
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