India Travel January 2012 Archive

Traditional Indian dancer. www.flickr.com user euthman. The annual Khajuraho Dance Festival gets underway tomorrow at the Khajuraho erotic temples, one of India's most popular historical destinations. For the next week, ... Read More

Lingraj Temple, Orissa. Wikimedia Commons. It's quite common knowledge that many of the major Hindu temples in India don't allow non-Hindus, particularly foreigners, to enter. The main reasons are because ... Read More

A few months ago, I wrote about the possibility of the frustrating two month gap rule on Indian tourist visas being removed.  Since then, a number of people have asked ... Read More

It had been a while since I'd been to Bonobo, one of Mumbai's most popular bars, so I was rapt to try the yummy new food menu there earlier this ... Read More

Pushkar Lake. Sharell Cook It's been 10 years in the making and cost just over 100 crore rupees, but the train line from Ajmer to Pushkar is finally up and ... Read More

Mumbai auto rickshaws. Sharell Cook. I had a terrible time with the auto rickshaw drivers in Jaipur during my recent trip there. Not one of them would go by the ... Read More

Door at the City Palace, Jaipur. Sharell Cook. It was back to Mumbai for me this afternoon, but I still managed to fit in a couple more sessions at the  Jaipur ... Read More

Oprah at the Jaipur Literary Festival. Sharell Cook. As expected, Oprah stole the show at the Jaipur Literature Festival today. And what a show it was! The doors had ... Read More

Crowd at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Sharell Cook. The second day of the Jaipur Literature Festival saw even more people pour in! How many? Just take a look at the ... Read More

Authors in conversation, Jaipur Literary Festival. Sharell Cook. The fifth annual Jaipur Literature Festival kicked off today, and I'm thrilled to actually be there for the first time! However, thick ... Read More

About.com Readers' Choice Awards. I'm very happy to announce that nominations are now open for the 2012 About.com Readers' Choice Awards for India Travel. This is the first year that ... Read More

WelcomHeritage Jukaso Ganges Varanasi has a new heritage hotel on the banks of the Ganges River. Called the Jukaso Ganges, it belongs to the WelcomHeritage chain. It's got fifteen rooms, ... Read More

www.flickr.com user Laurel Fan If you're after something a bit more special than the usual masala chai, it's not hard to find these days in India. In recent years, tea ... Read More

India Surf Festival. I recently came across a promotion for the first India Surf Festival, to be held early next month in Orissa. I must admit, it got me curious. ... Read More

Why is this cow decorated with balloons and paint?   It's all dressed up in celebration of the Pongal Festival in Tamil Nadu. The third day of the festival, (Mattu Pongal), ... Read More

A recent New York Times travel article suggested that to understand the world these days, it's necessary to understand Asia. And this means visiting India -- a country that accounts ... Read More

Painted haveli. www.flickr.com user pov_steve A worthwhile but often overlooked destination in Rajasthan is the Shekhawati region. Located in the triangle between Delhi, Bikaner and Jaipur, it's full of old ... Read More

Devastating Cyclone Thane, which hit the former French colony of Pondicherry (one of the top travel destinations in Tamil Nadu) a week ago, is unfortunately going to have a lasting ... Read More

Sikkim Snow Festival. Himachal Pradesh is a popular destination for snow seekers in India, however if you're looking to have fun in a winter wonderland, this year Sikkim has something ... Read More

Air India. If you're a Non Resident Indian or foreigner, and you want to save some money on domestic flights during your next visit to India, here's a special scheme ... Read More

Colorful bags. Sharell Cook If you love handicrafts and will be in Delhi over the next couple of weeks, here's one event you won't want to miss! Dastkari Haat Samiti ... Read More