Incredible India

Where I went

Hover over an icon to see the name, then click it to read about that place.

The places

Delhi

The capital, where Mughal monuments sit right beside busy modern streets.

Jaisalmer

The Golden City in the Thar Desert, built around a fort people still live in.

Udaipur

The City of Lakes, with palaces built along the water by the rulers of Mewar.

Chittorgarh

The largest fort in India, taken three times and abandoned for Udaipur.

Gujarat

My family's towns of Anand and Balasinor, and the palace of a former Nawab.

West Gujarat

Three temple towns across Saurashtra that are central to the Swaminarayan tradition.

Festivals and food

A lot of what I remember from this trip was not the buildings but everything happening around them. January is a good time to travel because two big celebrations fall in that month.

Uttarayan is the kite festival held on the 14th of January, and it is at its biggest in Gujarat. Whole families climb onto their roofs for the day and the sky fills with kites from morning until dark.

Navratri runs for nine nights and Gujarat holds the largest celebrations in the country, where people dance garba in circles late into the night.

The food changes a lot as you move between states. Rajasthan leans on dishes that keep well in a dry climate, like dal baati churma. Gujarati food is mostly vegetarian and a thali arrives as a tray of small bowls so you get a bit of everything. In Delhi the best eating is street food around Chandni Chowk.

Glossary

Uttarayan: The kite festival held on the 14th of January, biggest in Gujarat.
Navratri: A Hindu festival of nine nights, celebrated most heavily in Gujarat.
Garba: A folk dance from Gujarat performed in large circles during Navratri.
Thali: A meal served as a tray of small bowls so you can try a bit of everything.
Dal baati churma: A Rajasthani dish of lentils, hard baked wheat balls and sweetened crushed wheat.
Rajasthan: The large desert state in north western India that holds Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Chittorgarh.