India is a land of beautiful monuments, of beaches, of temples and mosques, of ash smeared sadhus and above all of wonderful Taj. It is a land of Himalayas which has enveloped all the beauty within itself, giving rise to the mighty rivers like Indus, Ganga and Yamuna and their tributaries.

It is a land whose fame and exotic riches turned travellers from around the world which drew Alexander the Great to its plains besides the great Mughals. It is a land of romance, mysticism and wisdom.

The tourism potential of India is vast and it attracts a large number of international tourists. We can start with Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. It is known as the Pink City. Some of the not-to-be missed places of tourist interest are the City Palace Museum, the City Place itself, the Jantar Mantar, an 18th century observatory and the legendary Hawa Mahal, which is really not a palace but an intricate facade of hundreds of ajry windows.

India offers a lot more in the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, the temples of Khajuraho, the Qutab Minar, the Red Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, the Victoria Memorial, Lingaraja Temple, the Gateway of India, the magnificent churches and dashing beaches in Goa all are India’s unique gift to the world.

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The hill resorts like Ooty and Kodaikanal, Mussoorie, Nainital, Almora, Shimla, Kulu and Manali are other beauties of India. Mussoorie offers some panoramic views of the Himalyas. As popular as Mussoorie is Nainital a sparkling beautiful lake resort in the Kumaon Hills 65 kms. From Nainital is the town Almora. Perched on 5 k.m. ridge this hill station has a majestic view of the snow clad Himalayas. These are the great attractions for the tourists.

But the Taj Mahal, the symbol of Mughal romance, has no parallel. It is such a jewel that atracts a bulk of tourists everyday. Its architectural perfection gave it a place as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Today, Taj Mahal has become synonymous with India.

And who can forget the Bhool Bhulaiya of Lucknow and the acoustic wonders of Gol Gumbaj? Who can forget Nalanda, a seat of learning in Gupta period? It is still an attraction for tourists due to the ruined complex of the erstwhite Nalanda University.

The other attractions include forests and wild life and landscapes for eco tourism, -snow, mountain, and peaks for adventure tourism, techonological parks and science museums for science tourism, centres of pilgrimage for spiritual tourism, heritage trains and hotels for heritage tourism. Thus, India offers a variety of things to her tourists.

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Now one can easily guess why Max Mueller has said these lines about India-

“If we were to look over the whole world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power and beauty that nature can bestow in some parts a very paradise on earth I should point to India.”

Such is our India. It is undoubtedly a paradise for the tourists.