Free India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) by Keith Bain Page B

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    ■ 2009 In the largest election turnout in human history, the Congress Party is given the go-ahead to continue its program of reforms and governance along nonpartisan lines. Manmohan Singh is retained as prime minister and in the days after election results are announced, India’s stock exchange becomes the best performing in the world.
    3 The Lay of the Land
Note About Maps
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    India

    India is a vast country, roughly divided—for the purposes of this book—into North, East, and |South.
    The south (again, for the purposes of this book), accessed most conveniently via Mumbai (state capital of Maharashtra ), refers to Goa, Karnataka (with an excursion to Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh ), Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
    The north refers to Rajasthan, its southern neighbor Gujarat, and to the west of these states, the nation’s capital, Delhi, and the sprawling states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, which lies in the very heart of the country. Northeast of Delhi lie the largely unvisited states of Haryana and Punjab (the big exception being the Golden Temple at Amritsar, one of India’s most wonderful attractions), and—moving directly north of Delhi— Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh (one province in the state of otherwise-unsafe Jammu and Kashmir) in the Himalayas.
    The east refers to Jharkhand (not a tourist destination), West Bengal (centered around Kolkata, or Calcutta), Orissa (with top attraction Konark), and, moving north into the Himalayas again, the mountain state of Sikkim and the tea-growing hill station of Darjeeling. Seven more states lie farther east (north and east of Bangladesh); their infrastructure is virtually nonexistent. Because travel in these areas is considered less than safe, they are not covered here, with the exception of two outstanding wildlife reserves in Assam.
    The largest differences lie between the northern and southern regions. The former offers predominantly a plethora of medieval Mughal and Rajput architecture, ancient cities, deserts, camel safaris, heritage accommodations, tiger parks, Buddhism, and the snowcapped peaks of the Himalayas. The latter is rich with beautiful beaches, Ayurvedic spas, ancient Dravidian/Hindu temples, cosmopolitan colonial coastal towns, and a generally more laid-back atmosphere. We suggest that rather than try to cover both the north and the south, concentrate your energies on one. If you do decide to combine the two, stick to two states, or you’ll find yourself exhausted at the end of your vacation.
    MUMBAI (BOMBAY) & MAHARASHTRA Teetering on the edge of the Arabian Sea, its heaving population barely contained by palm-fringed beaches, India’s sexiest city is a vibrant, confident metropolis that’s tangibly high on energy. The state capital of Maharashtra, this is home to many of the subcontinent’s best restaurants and great hotels. It’s also the ideal starting point for a tour south along the Konkan railway to Goa and beyond. Whichever you choose, do plan for an eastward jaunt to the ancient rock-cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora, Maharashtra’s startling World Heritage Sites, and—if you have any interest in the esoteric or want to immerse yourself in meditation—schedule some time in Pune, where the Osho International Meditation Resort is the country’s most upmarket spiritual center.
    GOA Nirvana for flower children since the late 1960s, Goa still attracts a cosmopolitan mix of youngsters who cruise from beach to beach, looking for action. But Goa is more than a party in paradise. A Portuguese colonial heritage has left an indelible mark on this tiny enclave (India’s smallest state), from cuisine to architecture, with plenty