Introducing India ( My Country)

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Junagadh

Junagadh is a seductive little city, practically void of tourists, and ideal for aimless meanderings. It’s an ancient, fortified city at the base of spectacular Girnar Hill, which towers over town like a cloudy, holy spectre. The area around the Durbar Hall Museum is dotted with exotic old buildings, and crumbling Uperkot fort is properly spooky.

The city is named after the fort that enclosed the old city (jirna means old). Dating from 250 BC, the Ashokan Edicts nearby are testament to its earthly age.

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Kalimpong

This bustling bazaar town sprawls along a ridge overlooking the roaring Teesta River and within sight of Khangchendzonga. Kalimpong lacks Darjeeling’s crowds and commercialism, yet it boasts Himalayan views, tranquil retreats, Buddha shops, temples and churches, and a fascinating nursery industry.

Kalimpong’s early development as a trading centre focused on the wool trade with Tibet, across the Jelepla Pass. Like Darjeeling, Kalimpong once belonged to the chog*yals of Sikkim, but it fell into the hands of the Bhutanese in the 18th century and later passed to the British, before becoming part of India at Independence. Scottish missionaries, particularly the Jesuits, made great efforts to win over the local Buddhists in the late 19th century and Dr Graham’s famous orphanage and school is still running today.

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Kanchipuram

Famous throughout India for its silk saris, the temple town of Kanchipuram (Kanchi) is also a treasure-trove of Hindu temples and art from the Pallava, Chola and Pandyan dynasties. Many travellers make a day trip here from Chennai or Mamallapuram, which isn’t a bad idea as its attraction for pilgrims and tourists has led to a culture of harassment at some temples and silk shops.

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Kanger Valley National Park

The 200-sq-km park (07782-227596; Indian/foreigner Rs 25/200, camera/video Rs 25/200, vehicle entry Rs 50; 8am-4pm 1 Nov-30 Jun), some 40km southwest of Jagdalpur, consists of ancient forest flanking the Kanger River.

Some 4km from the park entrance are Tirathgarh Falls, where water drops 100m through three sets of cascades. Open all year, they’re best visited after the monsoon. Three caves (compulsory guide Rs 25, lights hire Rs 25; 8am-3pm 1 Nov-30 Jun) with stunning, pristine formations can also be visited.

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Kanha National Park

Kanha regularly tops lists of the best places to glimpse a tiger in India. Unfortunately, this attracts many visitors to its sal forests and meadows, but they are outnumbered by a four-legged population, including more than 200 tigers and leopards, 350 barasingha (swamp deer) and 22, 000 spotted deer, and more than 300 species of bird.

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Kannur (Cannanore)

Under the Kolathiri rajas, Kannur was a major port bristling with international trade – explorer Marco Polo christened it a ‘great emporia of spice trade’. Since then, the usual colonial suspects, including the Portuguese, Dutch and British, have had a go at shaping Kannur. Today it’s an agreeable, though unexciting, town known mostly for its weaving industry and cashew trade, with an excellent beach at Costa Malabari and incredible theyyam possession performances.

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Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin)

Approached through a surreal landscape of wind farms, Kanyakumari is the ‘Land’s End’ of the Indian subcontinent, where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Chaitrapurnima (Tamil for the April full-moon day) is the time to experience simultaneous sunset and moonrise over the ocean.

Kanyakumari has great spiritual significance for Hindus, and is dedicated to the goddess Devi Kanya, an incarnation of Parvati. Pilgrims come here to visit the temple and bathe in the sacred waters. Although wildly overdeveloped, the town and fishing beaches still manage a certain relaxed charm and there’s enough to keep you occupied for a day or so.

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Karnataka

If you’re looking for variety in your Indian travel experience, Karnataka fits the bill nicely. The state’s capital and international entry point is the IT powerhouse of Bengaluru (Bangalore), a modern, energetic city best savoured for its restaurants and shops. Ancient architectural gems are abundant, including the World Heritage–listed monuments of Hampi and Pattadakal. Practically untouched beaches and devout temple towns dot Karnataka’s quiet tropical coast, while in the cool highlands of Kodagu (Coog) you can trek between lush coffee and spice plantations along paths trampled by migrating elephants.

Bedecked in dazzling finery, elephants are also the stars of the show in Mysore’s justly famous Dussarah celebrations. The royal city is the jewel in Karnataka’s crown, home to a spectacular palace and an atmospheric fresh produce and spice market, as well an internationally renowned centre for yoga. Nearby are superbly crafted Hoysala temples dating from the 12th century and enormous Jain sculptures of Gomateshvara, not to mention the wildlife havens of Bandipur and Nagarhole National Parks, both part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and home to elusive tigers.

The best time for touring is October to March, when the monsoon ceases lashing the coast and baking temperatures ease in far-northern interior towns such as Bijapur, with its beautiful South Indian Islamic architecture. And although the only thing that Karnataka lacks is snow-covered mountains, you’d still be wise to pack some warm clothes to beat off the winter chill in Bengaluru.

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Karnataka Coast

The Karnataka Coast runs from Mangalore in the south on the border with Kerala all the way to Gokarna in the north. This area includes destinations such as Udupi in the south and Jog Falls and Murudeshwar in the north.

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Kasol

Kasol is the main traveller HQ in the Parvati Valley. It’s like Vashisht or Old Manali but more so, with dozens of reggae bars, traveller restaurants, internet cafés, body-piercing studios and cheap guesthouses. You’ll either love it or loathe it. The nicest places to stay are in Old Kasol on the Bhuntar side of the bridge; most of the amenities are in New Kasol on the Manikaran side.

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Kausani

Perched high on a forest-covered ridge, this tiny village has lovely panoramic views of distant snow-capped peaks, fresh air, a cool climate and as relaxed an atmosphere as you’ll find in northern India. Mahatma Gandhi found Kausani an inspirational place to retreat and write his Bhagavad Gita translation Anasakti Yoga and there is still an ashram devoted to him here.

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Kaziranga National Park

Assam’s must-do attraction is a rhinoceros-spotting safari in the expansive flat grasslands of Kaziranga National Park (1 Nov-30 Apr, elephant rides 5.30am & 6.30am, jeep access 7.30-10.30am & 2.30-5pm). Kaziranga’s population of around 1800 Indian one-horned rhinos (up from just 200 in 1904) represents over two-thirds of the world’s total. There are several ‘ranges’, but the central and most accessible one generally offers the best viewing chances for rhinos, elephants and swamp deer along with plenty of bird life, including greater adjutant storks (take binoculars). One-hour elephant-back rides are especially satisfying when a ‘team’ of several ele*phants makes pincer movements, surrounding rhinos without frightening them off.

Elephant rides start from November, but at that time grass is elephant-high so the ride can feel like sailing mysteriously on a green sea. The grass burns off in December or January improving visibility, and by February new sprouts and cooler temperatures tempt more big game to venture into the open. In especially dry years the park opens for jeep safaris from mid-October.

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Keoladeo Ghana National Park

By far the best time to visit this park (Indian/foreigner Rs 25/200, video Rs 200; 6am-6pm Apr-Sep, 6.30am-5pm Oct-Mar) is October to February, when you’ll see many migratory birds. At other times, it can be dry and relatively bird-free.

The best times for bird-spotting are either early morning or evening. Expect to see Saras cranes (and its spectacular courtship dance), herons, egrets, geese, owls, cormorants and kingfishers. Pythons are most commonly seen in the winter, when they come out from underground to sunbathe. The southern reaches are a web of deserted, tangled paths, and are officially closed, as a tigress is rumoured to roam the area.

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Kerala



Kerala is where India slips down into second gear, stops to smell the roses and always talks to strangers. A strip of land between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, its perfect climate flirts unabashedly with the fertile soil, and everything glows. An easy-going and successful socialist state, Kerala has a liberal hospitality that stands out as its most laudable achievement.

Resting on low hills in Southern Kerala, is the capital Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), used as a gateway to nearby resorts by many but boasting some of its very own attractions and dreadlocked faithfuls. North of the capital is Varkala with its stunning cliffs; but the real emerald jewel in South India’s crown are the backwaters that meander throughout Kerala. Here, spindly networks of rivers, canals and lagoons nourish a seemingly infinite number of rice paddies and coconut groves, while sleek houseboats cruise the water highways from one bucolic village to another – try stopping at Kollam (Quilon). Along the coast, slices of perfect, sandy beach beckon the sun-worshipping crowd, and far inland the mountainous Ghats are covered in vast plantations of spices and tea. Exotic wildlife also thrives in the hills, for those who need more than just the smell of cardamom growing to get their juices flowing.

This flourishing land isn’t good at keeping its secret: adventurers and traders have been in on it for years. The serene Fort Cochin pays homage to its colonial past, each building whispering a tale of Chinese visitors, Portuguese traders, Jewish settlers, Syrian Christians and Muslim merchants. Yet even with its colonial distractions, Kerala manages to cling to its vibrant traditions: Kathakali – a blend of religious play and dance; kalarippayat – a gravity-defying martial art; and theyyam – a trance-induced ritual. Combine this with some of the most tastebud-tingling cuisine in India, and you can imagine how hard it will be to leave before you even get here.

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Khajuraho

The Kamasutra carvings that swathe Khajuraho’s three groups of temples are among the finest temple art in the world. While many travellers take a quick peek at the sensuous sculptures as a stop-off between Agra and Varanasi, those who linger discover a spiritual but modern spot where everything from yoga to folk dancing can be experienced.