Tag: India

Agra & Braj

The irony of the two distinct Hindu and Muslim vibes of the Braj and Agra circuit of Uttar Pradesh are unavoidable as you hop between monuments and temples. Even though the two regions are segregated by thousands of years, the undertone is inimitable. However, this observation is only limited to the general ambience of the […]

Food Guide

Good food is close to divinity. In Varanasi and places around, you are closer to heaven, not only because of the spiritual legacy of the region, but the mouth-watering local food. Like the region itself, the food here is a fusion of generous flavours, unabashedly rich creamy dishes and characterized by a myriad regional variations. […]

Filmi Escapes

Major Bollywood filmmakers have gravitated towards Uttar Pradesh for more than five decades, drawing from its history, culture and atmospheric locales to create celluloid history. Fortunately for the traveller, many of these destinations that have been immortalised on film are within easy reach, offering plenty in the way of sightseeing, eating and shopping too. Octopussy […]

Bundelkhand Circuit

A fusion of inimitable architecture, stories of dynastic struggles and roaming the stark arid topography, which has witnessed the valour of some of the most eminent freedom fighters of India, will leave you in thrall at Bundelkhand. Bundelkhand lies wedged between the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the north and the low Vindhya Mountain range to the […]

Hornbill Festival

Come December, a festive air engulfs Nagaland’s capital city Kohima as people assemble for the annual Hornbill Festival (www.hornbillfestival.com; Kohima; 1–7 Dec). Sneakers and Ipods are abandoned by the Nagamese youngsters as they don traditional gear and join their elders to celebrate Nagaland’s biggest annual jamboree. Sixteen main tribes of the state converge at a […]

Travel Safe With Lonely Planet

Twitter Chat: Meet Supriya Sehgal, who has been willingly getting lost for the past 11 years on her solo travels, but managed to curb her vagabondish ways to create Lonely Planet travel guides that kept her on the road for 250 days last year. She also contributes to national and international publications and scripts TV shows, documentaries, […]

The Indian Festival Calendar: March-April

The last month of the travel season, March is a great time to explore not only wildlife sanctuaries and other tourist hotspots. After the frenzy of Holi, April seems a little low-key. But for the offbeat traveller, this may be a chance to explore unchartered territories.

Festival Of The Month: Surajkund Crafts Mela

Even though the wintery fog of Delhi’s February engulfed the stalls, the bright colours pierced through the haze to establish the vibrant labyrinth that sprawled in front of us. This was back in the year 2000. I remember walking into the gates of Surajkund Mela with three other friends and staying wide-eyed the entire day. […]

Festival Of The Month: Jodhpur Flamenco & Gypsy Festival

Now in its second edition, the Jodhpur Flamenco and Gypsy Festival celebrates the rich gypsy cultures of Spain and Rajasthan by transcending all musical and geographical boundaries. The message is simple – to teach everyone the importance of keeping folk music alive. Reportedly, Flamenco’s roots first took hold in Rajasthan, and to see it all […]