With us, you can traverse the North, where, the mighty and expansive snow-capped Himalayas are, to the tip of peninsular South India. The breathtaking landscapes of the cold desert with -40-degree Celsius temperature in the barren Karakoram-West Tibetan plateau of Ladakh, the valley of beautiful people and places of Kashmir, the mountainous Himachal, dense forests of Uttarakhand, inhabited by the Tiger and Elephant in the Kumaon range, and the land of five rivers and valiant warriors, Punjab. The fertile Gangetic plains in the east of India, covering the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Orrisa, where the philosophy of Buddha flourished and found its routes in the entire Asian Continent. This is where the mighty and sacred Ganga meets the sea of the Bay of Bengal forming a deltaic labyrinth and mangroves inhabited by the Royal Bengal Tigers.
The central Indian rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges quietly flows the most revered Narmada. The land of Madhya Pradesh has a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna with several National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. This is where the North meets the South. To its west, lies the volcanic plateau or upland of Historical Malwa. Further west, is the land of Gurjara, where one of the most ancient Indus Valley civilisations expanded and declined at numerous sites in space-time of over 5000 years. The colourful people of Gujarat and Rajasthan inhabit the indomitable deserts of Thar and the saline Great Rann of Kutch. It is also the land of erstwhile princely states with well-preserved heritage. Its coasts are washed by the Arabian Sea and in the west, guarded by the Aravalli Ranges in the north.
There is more in store as we come across the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in the east and Maharashtra in the west, where a huge number of petroglyphs have been found recently in the western ghats. It is also the land of the Maratha raiders, exquisite Buddhist caves and rock-cut temples; The first two states are famous for their dense forests Indigenous people and some among them are still hunters and gatherers.
Before we travel to the south of India let’s not miss a completely different part of India, the Seven Sisters of North East. One can experience the mighty transnational Brahmaputra, varied lifestyles, food, landscapes, and wildlife. It is rich in biodiversity and pristine. There are hundreds of ethnicities within this small patch of landmass. Their culture is unique, and hospitality is inviting.
South of India, The Dravidian land is unique in many perspectives. The languages are different and so are the food and culture. The state that you get into from the top is Telangana, a landlocked state with its capital in Hyderabad having landmark monuments of the state, temples and lakes. Taking a deep dive, we will be crisscrossing scenic valleys, natural caves, beautiful beaches, and different architecture of the medieval Hindu Temples of Thanjavur and its famous silks. The ruins of Vijayanagar, Badami and Aihole, are sites inhabited from prehistory to the present day, sandalwood and silk of Bangalore and Mysore Palace. We will end with the backwaters of Kerala in houseboats and culinary delicacies. Last but not least, India has several islands, one in the East and one in the West, Andaman Nicobar and Lakshadweep, particularly for their uniqueness, weaving the tapestry that is India.
