Section

Travel

Places worth the flight, and how to see them properly.

Badami's Cave 3 Is the Largest of Four Rock-Cut Caves in the Chalukya Capital, and a Pillar Inscription Dates Its Completion as a Vishnu Temple to Saka 500, or 578 to 579 CE

A worn slab on a pilaster names a king, a full-moon day, a village and sixteen Brahmans, and it is the cave's key inscription. Two editors read it in the 1870s and differ on details.

The seven Mauryan caves of Barabar and Nagarjuni in Bihar, cut from solid granite and polished to a mirror finish for Ajivika monks

Inscriptions at Barabar and Nagarjuni record gifts of caves to a sect of ascetics 2,200 years ago. Here is what they say, who the Ajivikas were, and where the scholars differ.

Sirpur's Brick Temples, the Baratang Mud Volcanoes and the Barren Island and Narcondam Volcanoes Joined India's UNESCO Tentative List, Which Now Shows 81 Entries

A fifth-to-twelfth-century riverside capital of brick temples and monasteries, four clusters of cool mud vents and two volcanic islands 138 and 240 kilometres from Port Blair are now on UNESCO's waiting list for India.

The Kailasanathar Temple in Kanchipuram Was Built by the Pallava King Rajasimha Around 700 CE, and Twelve Sanskrit Verses Cut in Granite Round Its Sanctum Name Him as the Founder

Granite verses that name the founder, four tiers of royal titles, Chola gifts of sheep and lamp oil, and a Chalukya conqueror who returned the temple's property: the stone record of one Shiva shrine at Kanchi.

Matheran Hill Railway: The 19.97 km Two-Foot Line an Indian Family Opened in 1907, With 221 Curves and One Tunnel on the Climb to a Hill Station Without Cars

A private tramway paid for by one Bombay family still lifts passengers 765 metres into the Sahyadris. Here is how it was built, which of its published numbers differ by source, and what the 2026 timetable looks like.

The Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat Is Dated to About 1026 to 1027 CE, Faces East Over a Stepped Surya Kund of 176 by 120 Feet and Has Been on India's UNESCO Tentative List Since 2022

A village on the Pushpavati river holds one of Gujarat's best-preserved Solanki temples, its pillared hall and stepped pool still standing after about a thousand years. This guide sorts the dated stone from the dating guesses and says what the official tourism pages list for a visit.

Before the Nagarjuna Sagar Reservoir Rose, the Archaeological Survey Dug 130 Sites at Nagarjunakonda, Recovered the Ikshvaku Capital Vijayapuri and Rebuilt Its Monuments on Higher Ground

A citadel with gates and barracks, a brick arena 94 metres long, nearly forty Buddhist sites and two Roman gold coins came out of one valley in six years. Today you cross the reservoir by launch to see what was saved.

Sarnath Became India's 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site on 25 July 2026, and Visitors Can Walk Its Dhamek Stupa, Ashoka Pillar Stump and 1904 Museum 10 Kilometres From Varanasi

Two protected sites, 8.05 hectares in all, hold a Gupta-period stupa, the base of an Ashoka pillar and the ruins of seven monasteries. The museum across the road keeps the Lion Capital that became India's emblem.

Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple, Was Built Low With Four Doors in 1604, Gilded in Ranjit Singh's Reign, and Now Serves Free Meals to Tens of Thousands a Day

A shrine set lower than its surroundings so that every visitor steps down to it, with a kitchen that runs day and night. Here is what the SGPC, the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism and the press record, and where they differ.

Nagaland's Hornbill Festival Gathers the Tribes' Morungs at Kisama from 1 to 10 December, Drew 2,14,493 Visitors in 2025 and Runs on a Rs 200 Inner Line Permit for Indian Visitors

Sixteen tribal houses, ten days of dance, games and concerts, and a visitor count that reached 2,14,493 last year. What the festival holds, how to get to Kisama and which permit you need.

Khangchendzonga National Park Became India's First Mixed World Heritage Site in July 2016, With a Climb of Over 7 Kilometres From 1,220 to 8,586 Metres and a Trek From Yuksom to Goecha La

A Buddhist hidden land, a Lepcha homeland and a park with six wild cat species share one boundary in western Sikkim. Here is what UNESCO wrote, who runs the park, how the Goecha La route is walked and which permits the state lists.

Kolkata Is the Only Indian City Still Running Trams, 153 Years After a Horse-Drawn Car First Ran From Sealdah to Armenian Ghat

A London-registered company, steam engines tried in 1882, wires from 1900, a state takeover in 1976 and a feasibility study awarded on 28 September 2026: the tram's timeline, with the sources' disagreements on dates shown.

The Konkan Railway Runs About 740 km From Roha to Thokur Through 91 Tunnels and Took About Seven Years to Build

A rail line that cut the Mumbai to Mangaluru distance, built by Indian Railways engineers on a plan to share the cost with four states. The numbers, the delays, the monsoon rules and the doubling now being studied.

The Pushkar Camel Fair Is Listed for 17 to 24 November 2026 at a Lake With 52 Ghats and a Brahma Temple, in a State That Holds 84 Per Cent of India's 2.52 Lakh Camels

Where the two official tourism pages agree on the fair and where they do not, what the Brahma temple pages say about its age, and what the 20th Livestock Census counted. Every figure carries its source.

Tawang Monastery Has 65 Residential Buildings Inside a 925-Foot Wall at About 10,000 Feet, and the Sela Tunnel Dedicated on 9 March 2024 Gives It an All-Weather Road

A Gelug monastery above the Tawang valley with its own printing press, a Dalai Lama connection that runs from the 6th to the 14th, and a pass road that now has a tunnel under it.

The Chadar Is the Frozen Zanskar River That Zanskari Families Have Walked in Winter for Generations, and 1,325 Trekkers Followed It in 2023 Under the Leh Administration's Written Rules

A winter footpath for Zanskar's villages became a regulated trek with a four-day arrival routine, a group cap and a medical check. Here is the route, the rulebook, the road and the 2026 season.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Built in Mumbai From 1878 to a Design by F. W. Stevens, Joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004, and 94 Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Buildings Followed in 2018

A stone dome over a working railway headquarters, and across a public park a row of Art Deco cinemas and apartment blocks on reclaimed land: what UNESCO, ICOMOS and Central Railway have put on record about Mumbai's two listings.

Santiniketan, an Ashram Named in 1863 and Tagore's School for Five Students in 1901, Was Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 17 September 2023

A meditation house, a school that began with five students, a glass prayer hall and a winter fair: the story behind the Birbhum campus, and the nine steps the World Heritage Committee asked India to consider.

UNESCO Listed Seven Churches and Convents of Old Goa in 1986, Among Them the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Consecrated in 1605 and Home to the Tomb of St Francis Xavier, and the Sé Cathedral

Seven buildings survive from the sixty churches counted in Old Goa in the 18th century. Their dates, the style each follows and the points on which UNESCO, the tourism ministry and other sources differ are set out here.

Auroville, Founded on 28 February 1968, Now Has 3,527 Residents From 60 Nationalities and 1,244 Acres of Forest, 10 Kilometres North of Pondicherry and Its French Quarter

From an urn holding soil from 124 nations to the grid of White Town, this is what the Auroville Foundation, the Government of Puducherry, INTACH and the Matrimandir's own site say, with the date each page was read.

Fatehpur Sikri, the Red Sandstone City Akbar Began Building in the Early 1570s, Has Been a UNESCO World Heritage Site Since 1986 and Is Kept by the Archaeological Survey of India

A ridge city with a six-kilometre wall, nine gates and a gateway that official pages put at 40 or 54 metres sits 36 to 40 km west of Agra. Here are the dates, buildings and official records, including where the sources disagree.

Spiti Valley Has Tabo Monastery, Founded in 996, Key Monastery at 4,116 Metres and Tashigang, the Polling Station at 15,256 Feet Where All 52 Voters Voted in 2022

Within about 50 km of Kaza stand a hilltop gompa with more than 300 lamas, a monastery that has been there since 996 and a village booth where 52 voters turned out in 2022.

The Elephanta Caves, a Rock-Cut Shiva Temple on an Island Off Mumbai, Became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 11 December 1987

An island in Mumbai Harbour holds a Shiva temple cut into basalt, a stone elephant that gave it a Portuguese name, and a dating question that no surviving inscription can settle. Here is what UNESCO, the ASI and art historians have set down.

UNESCO Inscribed Six Rajasthan Hill Forts, Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Gagron, Amber and Jaisalmer, as a World Heritage Property on 21 June 2013

One fort in a forest, one beside a river, one in the desert and one whose design is credited to an architect known by name. Here is how six Rajput strongholds earned a place on the World Heritage List.

Chandigarh's Capitol Complex, Designed by Le Corbusier for a City Planned from 1948, Joined the UNESCO World Heritage List on 17 July 2016 as One of 17 Sites in Seven Countries

From a site approved in March 1948 to a concrete esplanade with an Open Hand, a Tower of Shadows and a hill of geometry, the city and the monuments UNESCO protects, plus a Rock Garden that began in secret.

Ghoghla Beach in Diu Was One of India's First Eight Blue Flag Beaches in October 2020, on an Island With a Portuguese Fort Begun in 1535 and a Church Consecrated in 1610

One of India's first eight Blue Flag beaches is on an island whose fort withstood sieges in 1538 and 1546. What the ministry, the Archaeological Survey and the Diu administration each say, and where their dates differ.

Rani ki Vav, the Patan Stepwell With Over 500 Principal Sculptures, Won UNESCO World Heritage Status on 22 June 2014 and Is on the Rs 100 Note

An 11th century queen's memorial in north Gujarat went under river silt for about seven centuries, came out in the Archaeological Survey's digs, and now appears on a banknote. Here is what the official records say about it.

A Snake Boat Won the 2026 Nehru Trophy by 0.12 Second on Alappuzha's Punnamada Lake, in Backwaters Where Rice Grows Below Sea Level

One race result, one lake and one kind of boat explain why Alappuzha draws visitors: a trophy begun in 1952, rice farmed below sea level, and houseboats tied together with coconut rope. What the race society, Kerala Tourism and the FAO say.

The White Rann of Kutch Floods Every Monsoon and Dries to Salt by Summer, and Its Rann Utsav Tent City Is Listed for 1 November 2026 to 7 March 2027

Two official pages give different festival dates. Behind them sit a fault scarp raised in 1819, a flamingo colony that nests only when the water is right, 7,672 wild asses and salt raked by hand in the Little Rann.

The 88 km Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Reaches 2,258 Metres on a 2 ft Track Through Six Zigzag Reverses and Three Loops, and UNESCO Listed It in 1999

UNESCO and IRCTC give different lengths and reverse counts for the Darjeeling toy train. Here is what each says, what runs on the line now, and what has stopped it.

Hampi Has More Than 1,600 Surviving Remains on 4,187 Hectares, and Here Are the Hours, Fees and Routes the Official Pages Give for Seeing Them

Opening times, the one ticket price an official page confirms, and the gaps in the record, from Virupaksha's two daily sessions to a sunrise climb up Matanga Hill. Each figure carries the date it was read.

The 96 km Kalka-Shimla Railway Climbs More Than 1,400 Metres on a 2 ft 6 in Track, and Its Tunnel and Bridge Counts Differ by Source

Search results quote 103 tunnels and 800-plus bridges for the Shimla toy train. UNESCO's advisers, a Himachal government page and a railway story on Google Arts each give another total, and this year's monsoon damage has stopped most services until the end of November.

Entry to the Khajuraho Temples Is Listed at Rs 40 for Indian Visitors and Rs 600 for Foreign Ones, and Here Are the Hours, Show Times and Routes the Official Pages Give

Which temples sit in which group, what the ASI page says about tickets and hours, when the evening show starts, and the gaps no official page fills. Every figure carries the date it was read.

Leh Sits at 3,500 Metres, Indian Visitors Have Needed No Inner Line Permit for Nubra, Pangong or Tso Moriri Since August 2021, and the Official Green Fee Is Rs 400 a Head

Who needs a permit, what the Rs 400 fee is, how long to rest in Leh, when the two highways run, and why no official page can tell you today's road status. Each rule is dated.

Guinness Lists Majuli at 880 Square Kilometres, While the Assam Government's Own Pages Give 421, 475 and 483 for the Same River Island

Four current areas for one island, a ferry that stops when the river runs too high or too low, and a bridge that has changed contractors. What the Assam pages say about Majuli, with the date each was read.

The 46 km Nilgiri Mountain Railway Climbs 1,877 Metres and Needs a Toothed Rail for Its Steepest Stretch

The Ooty train climbs at about 13 km/h because a toothed rail in the middle of the track has to grip the engine on the steepest part. Here is how the line was built, what pulls it, and how to ride it.

The Valley of Flowers Is 87.5 Square Kilometres, Only a Fifth of It Meadow, and Its 2026 Season Runs Until 31 October

The walk is 13 km to Ghangaria and a few more to the valley, and the figures for its height, its entry fee and its flower count change from page to page. Here is what the documents say, and where they disagree.

India's UNESCO Dossier Names 84 Ghats Along Varanasi's 6.5 Kilometre Riverfront and the District Website Says 88, and Here Is What Official Pages Give for the Aarti, Boats, Temple Hours and Routes

Which ghats matter and why, what the official pages say about the evening aarti and the dawn programme at Assi, when boats are stopped, and which temple timings the trust itself gives. Each figure carries the date it was read.

In the Wettest Place on Earth, People Grow Their Bridges Instead of Building Them

In Meghalaya, villages do not build bridges so much as grow them, coaxing a fig tree's roots across a river for a generation at a time. A 2019 survey of 74 of these crossings found they thicken and strengthen with every passing year.

Bhutan Charges Tourists to Visit. If You're Indian, It's About ₹1,200 a Night, Not $100.

The last Himalayan kingdom decided crowds were the problem, so it rations them by price. Most foreigners pay $100 a night. Indian nationals pay Nu 1,200, about ₹1,200, in rupees, and can hand it over at the border.