Delhi (2/3 nights) – Amritsar (2 nights) – Dharamsala (2 nights) – Lucknow (2 nights)- Khajuraho ( 2nights, three with a side-trip to Bhandavgarh National Park)- Delhi.
This itinerary gives tomes’ worth of history: in Delhi (the axis of empires) you get an opportunity to admire architecture that developed under the patronage of various empires. Be selective about what you want to see in Delhi. It’s a living, breathing museum full of magnificent buildings. You need at least a month just in Delhi if you want to see its architectural offerings at a leisurely pace.
If you choose to drive from Delhi to Amritsar then consider an over-night stop at Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of Sikhism, to explore the medieval gurdwaras.
In Amritsar, pay a visit to Jalianwalah Bagh (THE VISIT TO THE BAGH IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR NON-ASIAN BRITISH TOURISTS. THE PAIN CAUSED BY THE MASSACRE CARRIED OUT BY BRITISH FORCES IN APRIL 1919 REMAINS DEEPLY ETCHED IN THE HEARTS OF AMRITSARIS AND YOU MAY, THEREFORE, ENCOUNTER A HOSTILE ATMOSPHERE), the melancholic sight of a cold-blooded massacre carried out by the Brits. Spend an afternoon in the serene surroundings of the Golden Temple. Even atheists and agnostics are touched by the devotion and hospitality at the Temple.
Also worth visiting in Amritsar is the recently opened Partition Museum, a dignified yet deeply moving reminder of the tragedy that cast a shadow over the birth of India.
If you’ve got a couple of hours to spare before you leave Amritsar, pop over to the Wagah border post that India shares with Pakistan. It’s quite the spectacle! Try not to guffaw at Pakistani soldiers making buffoons of themselves!
Wrap up warm for Dharamsala! For a small town, it sure does attract a disproportionate number of international visitors (the town now has its own International Film Festival and it also stages tests and one-day internationals). Some come to explore Buddhism and pay their respects to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and some come to party! Spend a couple of days enjoying Tibetan cuisine and shopping for locally-manufactured garments and edibles. The revenue will ultimately benefit Tibetan refugees. Some of the bookshops in Dharamsala stock titles rarely available in the rest of the country. Don’t leave Dharamsala without visiting the Tibetan museum. The brutality of the Chinese and the hardship and suppression endured by Tibetans bring a lump to the throat.
Back down to the plains and on to Lucknow, a city that played a prominent part during the Indian Muitny of 1857. Find out about the events that lead to the Mutiny and the Siege of Lucknow in the company of one of our recommended guides.
Lucknow happens to be renowned for its Awadhi cuisine which is distinct from Mughlai (the most popular cuisine in north India, especially in and around Delhi) cuisine although there is the inevitable overlap of recipes. Do use the visit to Lucknow to try Awadhi food.
Khajuraho, where exquisite craftsmanship meets uninhibited eroticism, has got to be the sexiest place in India! Over a thousand years ago, in the fertile forests of Madhya Pradesh sprang up temples with vividly-imagined reliefs and carvings. You don’t have to be an admirer of temples (or, indeed an expert on the Kama Sutra!) to appreciate the confluence of art and sensuality.
Hear the call of the wild? Feel like you need to get off the beaten track? Then head to Bhandavgarh National Park for some tiger-spotting to conclude your holiday. Although Bhandavgarh’s size and tiger population increase the odds of sightings, tigers are, as you can imagine temperamental. No one tells them what to do so sightings aren’t guaranteed although you will certainly see other wild animals.
