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Colva Beach
If it’s a beach paradise you’re after, you’ll likely be disappointed with what’s waiting to greet you in Colva. A large concrete roundabout marks the end of the beach road and the entrance to the beach, and is filled with daytrippers and listless hawkers. The main beach drag is lin
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Vijayalaya Cholisvaram
This small but stunning 8th-century temple stands on a dramatically deserted rock slope 1km southwest of Narthamalai village, about 16km north of Pudukkottai. Reminiscent of the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, without the crowds, it was probably built in late Pallava times. The caret
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Utorda Beach
A clean, if slightly characterless stretch of beach, Utorda makes for a pleasant afternoon. Approach via sandbag stepping stones and rickety bridges over a series of fairly stagnant pools, and take your pick from a ragtag bunch of beach shacks, most of which come equipped with sunb
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Sheikh Chaheli’s Tomb
About 2km northwest of the Panorama (turn right as you exit, then left to cross the railway line, then left again and follow the road round to the right) is the impressive mausoleum of the Sufi mystic Sheikh Chaheli, who provided spiritual guidance for the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh
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Fateh Sagar
One kilometre north of Lake Pichola, this lake – which also dries up if the monsoon has been poor – is ringed by hills and is a popular local hang-out. Overlooked by a number of hills, it was originally constructed in 1678 by Maharana Jai Singh but reconstructed by Maharana Fateh S
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Bhalka Tirth
One kilometre from Veraval towards Somnath, Bhalka Tirth is where Krishna was mistaken for a deer (he was sleeping in a deerskin) and fatally wounded by an arrow. The temple here is an architecturally mundane affair, but it contains an image of Krishna reclining, a tulsi tree plant
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Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum
The former residence of Indira Gandhi is now a museum dedicated to the former Prime Minister’s life and family, India’s Kennedys. It displays her personal effects, including the blood-stained sari she was wearing when she was assassinated in 1984. Many rooms are preserved in state,
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Bandipur National Park
About 80km south of Mysore on the Ooty road, the Bandipur National Park covers 880 sq km and was once the Mysore maharajas’ private wildlife reserve. The park is noted for its herds of gaurs (Indian bison), chitals (spotted deer), sambars, panthers, sloth bears and langurs, apart f
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Menezes Braganza Institute
The yellow-and-white Menezes Braganza Institute occupies part of the old buildings that were once the Portuguese army headquarters. It’s worth poking your head in, at the building’s northeast entrance, to examine the grand and dramatic azulejos (traditional blue-and-white painted c
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Terekhol Fort
As north as north Goa goes, this historic bastion just across the river from Querim was built by the ruling Maratha dynasty in the early 18th century. It was soon taken by the Portuguese, against whom a failed mutiny was attempted here by a plucky Goan governor-general in 1825. Now
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Satkhanda
This decaying watchtower looks like a medieval painting of the Tower of Babel. Known as Satkhanda, it actually has only four storeys because construction was abandoned in 1840 when Mohammed Ali Shah died. The 67m red-brick clock tower, reputedly the tallest in India, was built in t
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Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
About 60km northeast of Munnar, this wildlife sanctuary hosts deer, leopards, elephants and the endangered grizzled giant squirrel. Trekking and tree house or hut accommodation within the sanctuary are available, as well as ecotour programs like river-trekking, cultural visits (two
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Anamalai Tiger Reserve
A pristine 850-sq-km reserve of tropical jungle, shola forest and grassland rising to 2400m and spilling over into Kerala between Kodaikanal and Coimbatore in the Western Ghats, Anamalai Tiger Reserve is well off most tourists’ radar. Declared a tiger reserve in 2007, it’s home to
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Iron Pillar
Standing in the courtyard of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque is a 7m-high iron pillar that is of such purity that it hasn’t rusted in over 1600 years. This extraordinary pillar vastly predates the surrounding monuments. A six-line Sanskrit inscription indicates that it was initially ere
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Mandrem Beach
Mandrem is, for many, the best-kept secret on the north Goan coast, as laid back and languid a destination as you could possibly hope for. Yoga, meditation and ayurveda are the orders of the day, and you’ll find ever-changing options for spiritually slanted exercise and enlightenme
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Sinhagad
The ruined Sinhagad, about 24km southwest of Pune, was wrested by Maratha leader Shivaji from the Bijapur kings in 1670. In the epic battle (where he lost his son Sambhaji), Shivaji is said to have used monitor lizards yoked with ropes to scale the fort’s craggy walls. Today, it’s
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Ram Janam Bhumi
If you turn left at Dashrath Bhavan, when coming from Hanumanghari, you soon reach the highly contentious temple that marks the birthplace of Rama. Security here is staggering (think crossing from West Bank into Israel!). You must first show your passport, then leave all belongings
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Anantnag
While its not a destination in itself, Anantnag (also known as Islamabad) makes a useful transit point for Pahalgam or the route to Kishtwar via Sinthan Top. The SNDN Sumo Stand for Srinagar and Pahalgam is in front of Summit Restaurant on Court Rd, around 10 minutes walk from the
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Kankwari Fort
Deep inside the sanctuary, this imposing small jungle fort, 22km from Sariska, offers amazing views over the plains of the national park, dotted with red mud-brick villages. This is the inaccessible place that Aurangzeb chose to imprison his brother, Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan’s chose
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Cubbon Park
In the heart of Bengaluru’s business district is Cubbon Park, a sprawling 120-hectare garden where Bengaluru’s residents converge to steal a moment from the rat race that rages outside. It’s surrounded by wonderful colonial architecture, including the red-painted Gothic-style State
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