India: The Taj Mahal and Beyond

With 21 million residents, India’s largest city is a loud whirlwind of experiences: impromptu cricket matches in winding gullies (alleys); a twinkle-eyed barter in the Chor Bazaar; the first fiery bite of a potato-stuffed vada pav street snack. Lavish, dome-topped palaces stand as grand bookmarks in a storied past, while the Gateway of India – a symbol of the nation, on the city’s busy waterfront – is brought to life as the saffron beams of the setting sun pass through its graceful arch. 

A city of palaces, islands and sunsets reflected in lotus-strewn waters, Udaipur is India at its most evocative – set on the banks of tranquil Lake Pichola. Some of the country’s most lavish temples and havelis (mansions) are here, as if clamoring for a spot by the water. Explore the ornate tombs of the Jagdish Temple, wander amid the fountains and ponds of the Saheliyon-ki-Bari garden or take in the city’s timeless grace from the water, with the Aravalli Range rolling away behind the rooftops.

Like the forts that dominate its graceful skyline, Jaipur is regal to its blushing-pink core. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II commissioned the construction of this majestic place beneath the Aravalli mountains in 1727, endowing it with grand sights, from the Mughal facades of the City Palace to the ornate havelis that crowd the Old City. The romantic soul of the Rajasthani capital reveals itself in that rose-pink tangle of streets where the intoxicating scent of laal maas curries drifts through bazaars heaving with wood carvings, pottery and gleaming lacquer bangles.

Though Agra bustles with bazaars and is littered with grand forts and mausoleums, many visitors find themselves lured to one wondrous thing: the Taj Mahal, the ivory-white crown jewel of Muslim architecture. Built in the mid-17th century by Shah Jahan for his late wife, it looms over the stillness of the Yamuna river, an edifice of elegance shimmering against the rise of the morning heat as bare feet step quietly across its marble floors.

This vast metropolis surrounding the capital, New Delhi, is a frenetic web at the heart of the nation, sending winding roads and railways in all directions – though Delhi has much to keep travelers within its grand, historic grip: the crimson towers of the Red Fort, the former home of Mughal emperors; the grand palm trees and lavish mausolea of the Lodi Gardens; and the bustling bazaars of Chandni Chowk, where everything – from heaps of spices to ornate rugs – is sold side by side.