India Travel and Resources

Effective Living (Places)

Summary. This page offers information and resources for India travel.

Documents. Below are some of our documents about India.

• Lucknow, India – Impressions and Observations with Photos (4-13 October 2008, and 27 December 2008 to 14 January 2009)
• Nainital, India – Photos and Video Tour (25-31 July 2010)

Northern Tour. A tour of northern India could include the following travel and destinations with Lucknow as the starting and return location. Descriptions below are from Wikipedia.

• Lucknow to Agra. Agra is a city on the banks of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh, India. It finds mention in the epic Mahabharata when it was called Agrabana, or Paradise. Ptolemy, the famous 2nd century geographer, marked it on his map of the world as Agra. Tradition and legend ascribe the present city of Raja Badal Singh (around 1475 CE) whose Fort, Badalgarh, stood on or near the site of the present Fort. However, the 12th century Persian poet Salman writes of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by one King Jaipal, by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. It was ruled by Sultan Sikandar Lodi in the year 1506. It achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658 and remains a major tourist destination because of its many splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• Agra to Jaipur. Jaipur is also known as the pink city, is the capital of Rajasthan State, India. Historically rendered as Jeypore. Jaipur is the former capital of the princely state of Jaipur. Founded in 1727 by lali-,.\, the ruler of Amber. By 2003, the population had reached approximately 2.7 million. Built of pink stucco in imitation of sandstone, the city is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets which are laid out into six quarters separated by broad streets 111 ft (34 m) wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets. Five quarters wrap around the east, south, and west sides of a central palace quarter, with a sixth quarter immediately to the east. The Palace quarter encloses a sprawling palace complex (the Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds), formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. Another noteworthy building is Sawai Jai Singh’s observatory, Jantar Mantar. With its rich and colourful past, resplendent with tales of valour and bravery, Jaipur is now one of the most important heritage cities in India, and is a must-see for tourists coming to India.
• Jaipur to Mount Abu. Mount Abu is the highest peak in the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan state in western India. It is located in Sirohi district. The mountain forms a distinct rocky plateau 22km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar, at 1722 meters above sea level. It is referred to as ‘an oasis in the desert’, as its heights are home to rivers, lakes, waterfalls and evergreen forests. The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University is headquartered at Mount Abu. The Dilwara Jain Temple is located in the area.
• Mount Abu to Lucknow. Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India. It had a population of 2,541,101 in 2006. Lucknow is also the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division. Located in what was historically known as the Awadh region, Lucknow has always been a multicultural city. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, poetry, music, and fine cuisine patronized by the Persian-loving Shia Nawabs of the city are well known amongst Indians and students of South Asian culture and history. Lucknow is popularly known as the The City of Nawabs. It is also known as the Golden City of the East, Shiraz-i-Hind and The Constantinople of India. Today, Lucknow is a vibrant city that is witnessing an economic boom and is among the top ten fastest growing non-major-metropolitan cities of India. It is the second largest city in Uttar Pradesh state. The unique combination of its cultured grace and newly acquired pace is its most promising feature that augurs well for the future.

Destinations. When visiting India, here are some popular destinations.

• Auroville – The Sri Aurobindo Ashram, established by The Mother (Mirra Alfassa), is located in Auroville.
• Dharamsala – Sometimes spelled Dharamshala, a town in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is the Headquarters of the Tibetan Government in exile, headed by the Dalai Lama.
• McLeod Ganj – McLeod Ganj or Mcleodganj, also known as Upper Dharamsala is a suburb of Dharamsala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is known as “Little Lhasa” due to its large population of Tibetan refugees. The Tibetan Government in Exile is headquartered in McLeod Ganj.
• Mussoorie – Mussourie is a city and a municipal board, about 30 km from Dehradun and in Dehradun district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. This hill station, situated in the foothills of the Himalaya ranges, is also known as the Queen of the Hills. The adjoining town of Landour, which includes a military cantonment, is considered part of ‘greater Mussoorie’, as are the townships of Barlowganj and Jharipani. Being at an average altitude of 2,000 meters (6,600 ft), Mussoorie, with its green hills and varied flora and fauna, is a fascinating hill resort. Commanding snow ranges to the north-east, and glittering views of the Doon Valley and Shiwalik ranges in the south, the town was once said to present a ‘fairyland’ atmosphere to tourists.
• Nainital – Nainital is a town in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and headquarters of Nainital district in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalayas. Situated at an altitude of 1,938 metres (6,358 feet) above sea level, Nainital is set in a valley containing a pear-shaped lake, approximately two miles in circumference, and surrounded by mountains, of which the highest are Naina (2,615 m (8,579 ft)) on the north, Deopatha (2,438 m (7,999 ft)) on the west, and Ayarpatha (2,278 m (7,474 ft)) on the south. From the tops of the higher peaks, “magnificent views can be obtained of the vast plain to the south, or of the mass of tangled ridges lying north, bounded by the great snowy range which forms the central axis of the Himalayas.” Nainital has temperate summers, maximum temperature 27 °C (81 °F); minimum temperature 10 °C (50 °F), during which its population increases more than fivefold with an annual influx of tourists predominantly from the plains of Northern India. In the winter, Nainital receives snowfall between December and February with the temperatures varying between a maximum of 15 °C (59 °F) and a minimum of −3 °C (27 °F).
• Shimla – Located in north-west Himalayas at an altitude of 2,130 metres (6,988 ft), the city of Shimla, draped in forests of pine, rhododendron, and oak, experiences pleasant summers and cold, snowy winters. The city is famous for its buildings styled in tudorbethan and neo-gothic architecture reminiscent of the colonial era. Shimla is connected to the city of Kalka by one of the longest narrow gauge railway routes in India. Shimla is approximately 115 km (71.4 miles) from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 365 km (226.8 miles) from New Delhi, the national capital. The city is named after the goddess Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Kali.

Travel. India offers convenient travel by air or railway. Below are some travel resources.

• Yatra.com – Competitive airline rates for various destinations including New Delhi to Lucknow.