In a country as diverse and complex as India, it is not surprising to find that people here reflect the rich glories of the past, the culture, traditions and values relative to geographic locations and the numerous distinctive manners, habits and food that will always remain truly Indian.

Royal Retreats

Having had a glorious past ranging from old civilizations to the more recent kingdoms, India facilitates royal retreats which are nowhere to be seen elsewhere. Staying at beautiful palaces with lush green fields, huge borders etc., make some of these retreats a memory of a lifetime.

Some of the Holiday destinations covered by us are :

Old & New Delhi

Delhi, capital city of the Federal Republic of India. It is one of India's fastest growing cities. It has sprawled over the West Bank of the river Yamuna, straddling the river. The city has two distinct parts, Old Delhi & New Delhi. Delhi is the second most widely used entry point into the country, being on the route of most major airlines. It is well linked by rail, air and road to all parts of the country. The remains of seven distinctive capital cities - among them Shahjahanabad and Qutub Minar - can be seen. Here, museums, art galleries and cultural centers attract the finest exhibitions.

Delhi blends an historic past and a vibrant present. Delhi has some of the finest museums in the country. Legend has it that the Pandavas, the august heroes of the epic Mahabharata, originally founded Delhi, then called Indraprastha, around 1200 B.C. Present day Delhi is built around the ruins of seven ancient cities.

Delhi- the commercial hub has many tourist attractions to facilitate. Visit vibrant shopping complex of Connaught Place, Delhi Haat for handicraft goods and delicious food bonanza. Pay a visit to Red Fort and Qutub Minar to view the excellence of Mughal architecture.

Or just drop in at Janpath- for buying a variety of cheap and best items. If you are looking for spiritual peace, visit Lotus temple, which is also famous for its marvellous architecture and heavenly beauty. Take a stroll at Rajpath. Or pay a visit to India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan for viewing monuments made during British era.

Delhi - a canvas that reflects the complexities, contradictions, beauty and dynamism of a city where the past co-exist with the present. Many dynasties ruled from here and the city is rich in the architecture of its monuments. Diverse cultural elements absorbed into the daily life of city have enriched its character. Exploring the city can be a fascinating and rewarding experience.

Agra (Uttar Pradesh)

Agra is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders of the world - the Taj Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is a vivid remainder of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

While its significance as a political centre ended with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1634 by Shah Jahan, its architectural wealth has secured its place on the international map.

A pleasant town with comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay work on marble by craftsmen supposedly the descendants of those who worked under the Mughals on the Taj Mahal. The city is also famous for its carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes. Agra was once the capital of the Mughal Empire and even today it seems to linger in the past. Not surprising, for the Mughal emperors with their passion for building, endowed the city with some of the finest structures in the world. It is very easy to slip away here through the centuries into the grandeur and intrigues of the Mughal court. Agra is an old city and it is said that its name was derived from Agrabana, a forest that finds mention in the epic Mahabharata. In more recent times Agra came into prominence when Sikandar Lodhi made it his capital city in 1501. The Lodi rule was to end very soon and Agra passed into the possession of the Mughals. It was during the time of the third emperor Akbar that Agra came into its own. He embarked on the construction of the massive Agra Fort in 1565. Though Akbar was diverted into building a new capital at Fatehpur Sikri not far away.

Agra continued to retain its importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar's grandson ornamented the city with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture - the Taj Mahal and built several other beautiful buildings within the Agra fort.

So overwhelming is the exquisite beauty and presence of this marble mausoleum that centuries later today, even the very land where it has been located - Agra - has been immortalised as the City of the Taj. Yet, it doesn't take much for the roving eye to discover that there's more to Agra than just the fabled Taj Mahal. The city is a virtual gateway to a world of discovery… a freeze-frame from a resplendent era that's long since gone by.

Much of the city's impressive past lives in evidence even today, in the haunting presence inside the monuments, the majesty of the buildings, the exquisite arts and crafts and not to forget, the lure of an exceptional cuisine… all, cherished as priceless legacies of a nostalgic past. The older city of Agra has impressively retained much of its resplendent history… captivating every visitor with fond memories to take back home. Today, luxury and modern convenience also exist adjacent to tradition - luxury hotels, shopping malls and plazas, wide avenues and a superb choice of venues for recreation, business, sports, pleasure, education and the arts.

JAIPUR (Rajasthan)

The colourful and vibrant capital of the State of Rajasthan is popularly known as the 'Pink City' because of the pink-coloured buildings in its old city. it sits on a dry lakebed in a somewhat arid landscape, surrounded by barren hills surmounted by forts and crenellated walls. The city owes its name, foundation and careful planning to the great warrior-astronomer Maharaja Jai Singh II (1693-1743). In 1727, with Mughal power on the wane, Jai Singh moved down from his hillside fort at nearby Amber to a new site on the plains. He laid out the city, with its surrounding walls and rectangular blocks, according to principles set down in the Shilpa Shastra, an ancient Hindu treatise on architecture. It is one of India most well planned cities with wide straight avenues, roads, streets and lanes in a grid system.

The walled old city is in the northeast of Jaipur, while the new parts are spread to the south and west. The main tourist attractions are in the old city. the principle shopping centre in the old city is the Johari Bazaar (Jewellers Market). There is a timeless appeal to Jaipur's colourful bazaars where one can shop for Rajasthani handlooms and trinkets. Beautifully laid out gardens and parks, attractive monuments and marvelous heritage hotels are worth admiration. Not to mention the ambling camels and cheerful people in multi-hued costumes who make a trip to the pink city a memorable one.

The Jaipur Vintage Car Rally held annually in the month of January has become a big draw for car lovers, sports lovers, vintage beauty lovers and tourists alike. A keenly contested event, this rally is an inimitable display of well-maintained cars of yesteryears.

Places to See

Hawa Mahal - or the Palace of Winds, built in 1799 is the major landmark of Jaipur. This 5-storey building that overlooks the main street of the old city, is a stunning example of Rajput artistry with its pink semi-octagonal and delicately honeycombed sandstone windows. It was originally built to enable the ladies of the royal household to watch the everyday life and processions of the city.

City Palace Complex - located in the heart of the old city, the City Palace occupies a large series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. The palace is a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal styles. The sons of the last Maharaja and his family still reside in a part of the palace. Before the palace proper is the Mubarak Mahal or Welcome Palace built in the late 19th century by Maharaja Madho Singh II as a Reception centre for visiting dignitaries. It now forms part of the Maharaja Sawai Mansingh II Museum, containing a collection of royal costumes and superb shawls including Kashmiri pashmina (goat's wool). Other exhibits include armory of Mughals and Rajputs including swords of different shapes and sizes with chased handles, some of them inlaid with enamel and embellished with jewels and encased in magnificent scabbards.

Other interesting features of the complex are the Diwan-I-Am or the Hall of Audience, with its intricate decorations and manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit. The Diwan-I-Khas or Hall of Private Audience, with a marble-paved gallery and the exquisite Peacock Gate in the Chandra Mahal courtyard. Outside the buildings are kept enormous silver vessels in which the former Maharaja used to take the holy water of the Ganges on his trip to England. The complex also has an Art Gallery with an excellent collection of miniature paintings, carpets, royal paraphernalia and rare astronomical works in Arabic, Persian, Latin and Sanskrit, acquired by Maharaja Jai Singh II to study astronomy in detail.

Jantar Mantar - located next to the entrance to the City Palace is this Observatory, built by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1728. Jai Singh's passion for astronomy was even more notable than his power as a warrior. This is the largest and best preserved of the five observatories that he built. The others are at Delhi, Varanasi and Ujjain. The fifth, the Muthura observatory is destroyed. The complex is a collection of curious instruments, each having a specific purpose such as measuring the positions of stars, altitudes and azimuths and calculating eclipses. The most striking instrument is the sundial with its 27m high gnomon.

Museums & Galleries - there are a couple of interesting museums and galleries in Jaipur. The Central Museum, housed in the architecturally impressive Albert Hall in the Ram Niwas Public Gardens has sections on natural history, tribal wares, dioramas depicting Rajasthani dances, decorative arts, costumes, and musical instruments. The Museum of Indology is an extraordinary private collection of folk art objects and other bits and pieces of interest. There is everything from a map of India painted in a rice grain to manuscripts (one written by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb), tribal ornaments, fossils, old currency notes, clocks and much more. Near the Ram Niwas Public Gardens, in an old theater is Jaipur's Modern Art Gallery. The Juneja Art Gallery has an excellent collection of contemporary paintings.

Around Jaipur

Amber - located 11km north of Jaipur, this was the ancient capital of the Jaipur State. Construction of the fort-palace was begun in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh, the Rajput commander of Akbar's army. It was later extended and completed by the Jai Singh before the move to the plains. The fort is a superb example of Rajput architecture, stunningly situated on a hillside and overlooking a lake, which reflects its terraces and ramparts. The Fort is a beautiful complex of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens and temples. Centuries of disuse have not withered their pristine beauty. Notable structures include the Diwan-I-Am (Hall of Public Audience), a pillared hall with latticed galleries. The Jai Mandir or Hall of Victory is noted for its inlaid panels and glittering mirror ceiling. The Sukh Niwas or Hall of Pleasure has an ivory inlaid sandalwood doorway. The Shila Mata temple has the image of the patron deity Kali, a form of goddess Durga. The temple is still in use. The best way of experiencing the majesty of the Bygone era is by taking an elephant ride to the top of the fort.

The city of Amber sprawled below the Fort, once a settlement of nobles, craftsmen and common folks, is now mostly is ruins. The remnants of its rich past are the beautifully carved and planned Jagat Shiromani Temple, a Krishna temple associated with Meerabai, an ancient temple of Narsinghji and a magnificent step well, Panna Mian-ka-kund.

Jaigarh - located near Amber, this imposing fort built in 1726 by Jai Singh was opened to the public in mid 1983. The fort was never captured and hence has survived virtually intact through the centuries. Its splendour can be seen in its palaces, water reservoirs, gardens, puppet theatre, several temples, a granary, an armoury, a well planned cannon foundry, the Diwa Burj watch tower and Jaya Vana, the giant canon. It facilitates great views over the plains from the tower.

Nahargarh - also known as the Tiger Fort, overlooks the city from a sheer ridge to the north. Located about 8km from Jaipur, the fort was built in 1734 as a sentinel to the Pink City. Although much of it is in ruins, the lovely buildings added by Sawai Ram Singh II and Sawai Madho Singh II provides interest to the fort.