Varanasi
Varanasi is one of the most unique places in the entire world. This is where many Hindus come to be cremated, along the Ganges River. It is the holiest city in Hinduism as well as having a syncretic tradition of Muslim artisanship that underpins its religious tourism. The city also lies 121 kilometres (75 mi) downstream of Allahabad (officially Prayagraj), where the confluence with the Yamuna river is another Hindu holy city.
Varanasi is one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities. Kashi, its ancient name, was associated with a kingdom of the same name 2,500 years ago. The Lion capital of Ashoka at nearby Sarnath has been interpreted to be a commemoration of the Buddha’s first sermon there in the fifth century BCE
Rann of Kutch
Rann of Kutch is a massive expanse of cracked earth, inland from the sea, that promises to take your breath away. The nothingness for miles is both nerve wracking and stunning with small oasis of water bodies and shrub forests doubling up as homes for pink flamingoes and wild asses. Tribal hamlets with cylindrical mud bhungas (huts) are the epicenter for Kutchi embroidery, tie and dye, leatherwork, pottery, bell metal craft and the famous Rogan painting by the only surviving expert family. Approximately 200 km east of the Rann, is the Little Rann of Kutch, which houses the 4953-sq-km Wild Ass Sanctuary. It homes the only remaining population of the chestnut-coloured Indian wild ass (khur), as well as blue-bulls, blackbuck and chinkara. The area was once a sprawling shallow of the Arabian Sea until a constant geological shift closed off the connection with the sea. Over the years, the region eventually became a seasonal marshy salt desert. During monsoons, the marsh fills up with water and the wetland extends from the Gulf of Kutch on the west through to the Gulf of Cambay on the east. In the summers, the water dries to create a crunchy based bed of white salty land.
Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. The park, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.
Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, criss-crossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the park includes numerous small bodies of water. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, songs, and documentaries. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.
Hampi
The austere, grandiose site of Hampi was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Its fabulously rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces which won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned.
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (meaning “abode of clouds”) is a state in northeastern India. The state of Meghalaya is mountainous, with stretches of valley and highland plateaus, and it is geologically rich. About 70% of the state is forested, of which 9,496 km2 (3,666 sq mi) is dense primary subtropical forest. The Meghalayan forests are considered to be among the richest botanical habitats of Asia. These forests receive abundant rainfall and support a vast variety of floral and faunal biodiversity.