Tamilnadu Science Technology Centre, Gandhi Mandapam Road
Chennai, India

The planetarium was built in the memory of B.M. Birla a leading industrialist and visionary of India. Birla Planetarium is an indoor universe, with astronomical phenomena recreated on the specially perforated aluminum inner dome. The planetarium hosts regular educational shows pertaining to astronomy. Watch the stars or the meteoroids on second Saturday of the month. The Night Watching show is held between 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

– Information provided by Live Chennai

Chennai Beach Railway Station
North Beach Road
Chennai 600001, India

Started in the late 1960s by Burmese refugees, Burma Bazaar is in Chennai’s historic George Town neighborhood right outside Chennai Beach Railway Station. It has a variety of stalls offering a wide range of products such as DVDs, perfume, cell phones, cameras, televisions, leather goods, luggage, toys, housewares, and more. Be sure to bargain with sellers for the best deals. In addition, there are many street food vendors in the area.

Chandni Chowk Road
New Delhi 110006, India

Chandni Chowk (Moonlight Square), designed by Jahanara (daughter of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan) in 1650 and now renowned for its old Delhi culture, is India's oldest covered bazaar, filled with traditional and modern shops across its classical galis (lanes). It is the most common selling and buying venue for Indian fabrics (like silk, cotton, and wool), precious and semi-precious jewelry, handicrafts, mouthwatering foodstuff, antiques, souvenirs, electrical goods, allopathic medicines, and many more colorful products. The chowk (square) also houses a number of mosques, temples, and churches in adjoining locations. Due to its bustling and vibrant activities throughout all seasons, Chandni Chowk is an inviting place for local and foreign traders, shoppers, tourists, and food buffs.

Poonamalee High Road
Parktown, Chennai, India

Home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India, the city's main rail station is a world unto itself, with bookshops, restaurants, accommodations, internet centers, and a small shopping center. Built in 1873 in the Gothic Revival style and expanded in 1922, the building has long been a landmark not just for the people of Chennai but for anyone traveling to or through South India. With 11 platforms for long-distance trains and three for suburban trains, the station sees several million travelers pass through every year.

Dadabhai Naoroji Road
Mumbai, India

Victoria Terminus is the thumping heart of the Mumbai railway system, and also happens to be a marvel of colonial architecture. Modeled by architect Frederick William Stevens on St. Pancras Station in London, the overall style is Italianate Gothic Revival, although students of the Bombay School of Art brought an Indian influence to their design of the interior woodwork, iron and brass railings, balustrades, ticket office grills, and tiles. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for both its aesthetic grandeur and its technical and practical design, Victoria Terminus' fame increased when it was featured prominently in the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. Suburban trains on the Central and Harbor Lines operate from here, as do long-distance services to the other cities and attractions of Maharashtra.

Kolkata, India

Both a sobering and educational attraction, Old Chinatown was once the vibrant home of 20,000 Chinese who moved to Kolkata at the height of the British Empire to open restaurants and work in tanneries. That was until the early 1960s, when the vast majority were driven out in the wake of India's war with China over the Himalayan borderlands. Although many of those left behind live in desperate poverty, foraging in the garbage stacked up outside the once-chic Nanking Restaurant, there are several intriguing sights to be seen here, such as the Chinese Temple and a giant elephant-size archway on Damzen Street. If you happen to be here during Chinese New Year, you'll be treated to a full-on street party including fireworks, live music, and dancing. It's also worth checking out the restaurants here, which serve a delicious hybrid cuisine known, perhaps predictably, as Indian-Chinese food. 

College Street, between Mahatma Gandhi Road and Bowbazar Crossing
Kolkata, India

The world’s largest secondhand book market is found along Kolkata’s College Street. Nicknamed Boi Para, meaning “Book Town,” the area includes many of Kolkata’s academic institutions. In addition, the stretch is home to India’s largest publishing houses and hundreds of bookstores ranging from large shops to street vendors. Shoppers can find first editions, discontinued publications, rare books, and bargain prices.

New Delhi, India

Connaught Place might have been designed as an antidote to Old Delhi's jumbled and jam-packed streets, but it has enough commerce to attract its own crowds. It was laid out by British architect Robert Tor Russell and completed in 1931. The stucco on its Palladian colonnades may be peeling, but CP, as it is known locally, shows few signs of fading. Containing shops, banks, hotels, and offices for many airlines, it is the Indian capital's main business district. With its orbital design comprising three expanding circles, it is also the major traffic hub for New Delhi. Connaught Place is also the name of the inner circle, with Middle Circle and Connaught Circus the outer two rings. CP is busy from morning until midnight, with shoppers drawn to the underground Palika Bazaar, as well as to its many restaurants and bars.

Bangalore, India

Electronics City is the nerve center of Bangalore's high-tech economy, and a visit here is likely to make you wonder whether you have traveled forward in time. This 332-acre industrial park is home to the science fiction-esque campus of Infosys, the leading company of India's IT boom. Within this mini-city's tightly guarded walls, almost 70,000 employees travel in small electric cars between the bank, gym, basketball court and five food courts. Although Infosys is not generally open to the public, you can stand outside and admire the curvaceous, shiny space-age architecture. Electronics City was the inspiration for Thomas Friedman's Pulitzer Prize-winning book The World is Flat, which makes the point that Electronics City, and by extension Bangalore, are now competing on a level playing field with the developed West.

Jamshedji Tata Road
Churchgate, Mumbai, India

Mumbai is best known around the world for Bollywood, its film industry, which churns out more movies and makes more money than Hollywood. To watch these all-singing, all-dancing cinematic feasts in the most appropriate circumstances, head to the Art Deco premises of the Eros Cinema, built according to a glamorous two-wing design back in 1938. As you head through the gold-leafed foyer and up the marble staircases, you will start to hear the audience singing along to the latest Bollywood blockbuster. Just up the road, on the western fringe of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is Film City, the official studios of Bollywood, but these can only be toured with special permission from the government. 

FC Road
Pune, India

If Deccan College is the Harvard of Pune, then Fergusson is its Yale. While the former university is older, there is more to see and do in the latter. Fergusson was founded in 1885 by men and women who would go on to become leading lights in the Indian Nationalist movement and in state and national politics. The Victorian-Gothic NM Wadia Amphitheater puts on classical Marathi plays while the beautiful Bai Jerbai Wadia Library boasts thousands of priceless books, posters, and statues relating to Western Indian culture and society. The two-acre Botanical Gardens boasts a collection of fine-looking trees such as mahogany, sita ashok, and araucaria. Even if you're not a student, it's well worth spending a day at the college to take in its numerous attractions. 

ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ
Golden Temple Road Amritsar, Punjab 143006 India

The Harmandir Sahib (informally known as the Golden Temple) was built in the early 17th century and is Sikhism's most sacred shrine. Most Sikhs visit the temple at least once during their lifetime. This three-story shrine, which extends across a platform of six square meters (67 square feet) into the midst of the Sarovar (a pool of Amrit, or Holy Water), is adorned with gold and marble artworks, an intricately styled arched door at the shore leading to the main causeway, four entrances in four directions, a wide circumambulatory path, and Har ki Paure (Steps of God). The shrine's central peak is mounted with a low gumbaz (dome) containing the golden Kalash (holy jar) with a lotus petal motif in relief at its base.

Aurobindo Marg
South Delhi, New Delhi, India

High fashion and history exist side by side in this plush South Delhi suburb. Now home to some of the capital's wealthiest families, Hauz Khas occupies the site of Siri, the second in Delhi's long archaeological progression of cities. Originally developed by Sultan Alauddin Khilji, Hauz Khas was notable for the huge water tank built as a reservoir for Siri. Although the water is long gone and the location now houses a shiny collection of restaurants and clothing boutiques, there's still plenty of history dotting this urban village. Look out for the Nili Masjid (Blue Mosque), the 14th-century tomb of Feroz Shah, as well as the grisly Chor Minar (Tower of Thieves). The stone walls of this minaret are still studded with more than 200 openings, to be used not as windows, but to hold the severed heads of robbers.

Station Road
Howrah, Kolkata, India

The graceful red-tile exterior of this 1906 colonial creation gives no clues to what goes on inside. With 26 platforms and dozens of services linking Kolkata up to cities across India, it's no surprise that the station can get almost scarily busy as literally millions pass through it each day. That's not to say that the experience isn't vital and vibrant-you'll get to see a microcosm of the nation, its rich and poor, young and old, male and female, brought together by the common need to travel. Howrah is the second-oldest train station in India, established in 1852 as the terminus for a route between Kolkata and the Bardhaman coalfields.

Nampally Darga Cross Road
Red Hills, Hyderabad, India

Another eye-catcher by the architect Esch, Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station is remarkably low-roofed but blessed with Moghul-esque eaves, turrets, and apple domes. Built at the start of World War I out of entirely modern materials (mostly precast concrete) it has lasted well, taking the pressure of millions of commuters racing through it every year. You can catch trains of varying degrees of comfort to destinations across India: Delhi, Tirupati, Mumbai, Bijapur, Purna, Chennai, and to all points within the state of Andhra Pradesh. These days the station falls under the administration of the Secunderabad Division of the South Central Railway, so it's them you'll have to speak to for tickets and information.

Opposite Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium
T. Chowdaiah Road
Bangalore, India

Enjoy an evening watching and listening to the lights and music of Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain. The surrounding park covers 6.8 hectares (17 acres), where visitors can explore landscaped gardens before seeing the fountain show. Shows are held two times per evening and run between 20 and 30 minutes. The park offers play areas for kids and street food venues are located nearby.

24 & 26, Kiadb Estates, Birmangla Cross
Bidadi, Bangalore, India

Plan a day to visit Innovative Film City, a movie theme park with an assortment of attractions. Spread across 20 hectares (50 acres) are several museums including the Tribal Museum, Fossil Museum, and Oddities, as well as a mirror maze. Take some fun photos in the 3D photo gallery and selfie gallery, while play areas include the Dino Park, water park, and toddler’s den. Get a scare in the Haunted Mansion, hunt for fossils, see animals at the petting zoo, or play a game of mini golf or delve into virtual reality. Innovative Film City host special events as well and is located about 40 kilometers (24 miles) outside of Bangalore.

Sri T, Sankey Road, High Grounds
Bangalore, India

Learn about space and its stars and planets at Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. It is equipped with a large 15-meter (49-foot) dome and a state of the art hybrid projection system. The planetarium offers monthly star gazing, monthly science movies, Sky-theatre show every day, and viewing of astronomical events. Shows are offered in both Kannada and English and summer programs, science exhibits, and workshops are offered.

– Information provided by Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium

Nirmal Hriday

251 Kalighat Road
Kolkata, India

Mother Teresa converted this crumbling old Hindu temple into a free hospice for the sick in 1952 and it's been serving that function ever since. Its Moghul-style domes and crimped roof give it an unexpected aesthetic appeal, and architecture buffs will want to take some photos. What is also unexpected is the small size of the place, although it was big enough to accommodate a papal visit in 1986. In a city where public healthcare is seriously lacking, the hospice provides free treatment to the terminally sick, allowing them to die with dignity. Critics have accused Mother Teresa herself of compelling patients to make deathbed conversions to Catholicism, but visitors can make their own minds up about the whys and wherefores of Nirmal Hriday. 

Kalighat
Kolkata, India

Kalighat may sell everything you'd hope to find in a traditional Indian market: huge mountains of multicolored spices, flowers, elaborate wind chimes, paintings of Hindu deities, and endless stacks of saris, but there's even more to it than that. A lane just off the market is dominated by artisans who paint pots, pans, rocks, and statues in varying hues. The end result is something quite singular to Kolkata and makes a perfect (and inexpensive) souvenir to take home. Similar activity goes on farther up Kalighat Road past the junction with Hazra Road. Even if you don't make a purchase, ask politely if you can take a photograph.

Off of Panna Khajuraho Road Chhatarpur District Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh India

The Khajuraho monuments, most of which were constructed during 950-1150 by the Chandela (a Hindu dynasty that ruled this region between the 10th and 12th centuries), comprise the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples in India. Considered the finest examples of northern Indian shikhara (spire) temple architectural styles, these temples contain monuments and sculptures that illustrate the traditional way of life during medieval times. The external wall carvings feature erotic and tantric (esoteric Indian religious tradition) motifs of orgiastic representations, coital and pre-coital couples, people involved in the preparation of an aphrodisiac, members of the aristocracy, erotic groups, and animals. The main temples include Lakshmana, Devi Jagadamba, Vishvanatha, Parsvanatha, Chitragupta, Kandariya Mahadeva, Adinatha, Chaturbhuja, Vamana, Duladeva, and Javari.

Chandni Chowk
New Delhi, India

Now the biggest spice market in Asia, Khari Baoli was once the site of a baoli, a stepwell known for its salty water, which locals bathed in and animals drank. Today, the market is the headquarters of the spice trade for northern India. Located on the west end of Chandni Chowk, near the Fatehpuri Masjid, it attracts hard-bitten, hard-bargaining wholesale traders from across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir. Even if you're not looking for a hundred pounds of cardamom, Khari Baoli is worth seeing, for the beautiful displays of spices, the pungent smell of chili, and the bustling atmosphere in the narrow gali alleyways packed with porters bearing burlap sacks. Some wholesale traders can boast quite a pedigree in spices, nuts, and herbs-they are part of family businesses that date back 200–300 years.

96, Jawaharlal Nehru Road
Kolkata, India

The renovated M P Birla Planetarium opens a door to a fascinating journey into the cosmos with its new makeover including a central star projector, the Starmaster ZMP, with the capability of simulating the natural night sky. See almost the same number of stars that an unaided human eye would see in a dark night sky. Over 8,000 stars are produced by the Starmaster, every star being produced by a unique optical fibre that enhances the brightness, thereby bringing the contrast much closer to nature. See an excellent representation of the Milky Way, star clusters, and nebulae with accurate simulation of more than 10,000 years of star positioning. The astronomical accuracy takes the viewer on a breathtaking journey.

– Information provided by M. P. Birla Planetarium

Keshav Rao Khadye Marg Mahalaxmi
Mumbai, India

Between August and April, Mumbaikars are obsessed with horse racing, and the best place to watch is at this 2,400-meter straight-chute racetrack. Every Thursday and Sunday afternoons during the season, thousands flock here to place millions of rupees in bets, with the tight security confiscating cellphones in case punters try to obtain better odds from downtown bookies. The climax of the season is the Indian Derby, which takes place in February. The upscale Gallops Bar serves champagne and cigars at Western prices. When the Mahalaxmi isn't being used for horse racing, the tracks are open to the public for jogging and walking on, and yoga lessons are taught inside the stadium.

Canal Bank Road
Taramani Adyar, Chennai, India

This 28-hectare (70-acre) movie production complex was built by the Tamil Nadu state government to encourage development of the local film industry. Completed in 1994 and named in memory of M.G. Ramachandran, a popular film actor who later became Tamil Nadu's chief minister, it has a film school along with indoor and outdoor shooting locations including replicas of forests, waterfalls and village and urban areas, as well as landscaped Italian, Japanese, and Moghul gardens. A major tourist attraction, it is open to the public for guided tours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Finance Center, 5th and 6th floors
New Town, Kolkata, India

Visit this museum to see a range of notable Indian figures from the music, sports, and Bollywood worlds. You and the kids have an assortment of options for arranging fun photos with wax figures including Mother Theresa, Gandhi, or cricket star Virat Kohli, to name just a few. International movie stars have replicas here as well including Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, and more. There are also world leaders and historical figures to see at Mother’s Wax Museum.

Sayyaji Rao Road Chamrajpura Mysore, Karnataka 570001 India

Mysore Palace, one of India's largest palaces, is also known as the Maharajah's Palace. Built in 1912, the three-story palace is an example of Indo-Saracenic architecture with elements of Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles. It served as the official residence and durbar (court) of the Wodeyar maharajahs of the Kingdom of Mysore, which merged with India in 1947. Made of fine grey granite, it encompasses an imposing multi-arched façade, a tall gilded central dome, pink marble domes, the Amba Vilas or Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), Diwan-i-Am (Public Court), a kalyana mantapa (marriage hall), a museum with many antiquities (royal paintings, portraits, jewelry, and weapons), Indian and European sculptures, carvings, frescoes, 12 ancient Hindu temples, lush gardens, and fountains.

Bangalore Trunk Road
Chennai, India

A variety of rides and other attractions await at Queensland Amusement Park. The park is spread over 28 hectares (70 acres) and includes a cable car to view the park from above. Dozens of rides include classic spinning rides and water rides, including bumper boats, the Himalayan water ride as well as swimming and wave pools. Catch a thrill on the Free Fall Tower, dropping from 45 meters (150 feet), or relax and tour the park on the 1.5 kilometer (.9 mile) Queens Express Train. Find the park about 30 minutes from Chennai.

قطب مینار
Off of Sri Aurabindo Marg and Kalka Das Marg Mehrauli New Delhi, Delhi 110030 India

Soaring to a height of 72 meters (239 feet), the Qutub Minar is one of the world's tallest stone minaret. It was constructed in three stages by Qutbuddin Aibak (the first Turkish sultan of Delhi), Iltutmish (Qutubuddin's successor), and Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 1199, 1230, and 1370, respectively. The monument tapers from a diameter of 14 meters (46 feet) at the base to three meters (10 feet) at its peak. Made of red sandstone with some marble at the top, it features Indo-Islamic art and architecture, a 379-step spiral stairway, stalactite balconies with honeycombing patterns, verses from the Koran, and intricate carvings. The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Minar (a 2,000-year-old iron pillar), and many ornate tombs surround the site.

1107 B/1 Hare Krishna Mandir Road
Model Colony, Pune, India

Some regard this yoga ashram as being the more serious and authentic alternative to the Osho Ashram—you can only attend classes here of you have been practicing yoga for more than eight years. The institute was founded in 1975; its three expansive stories represent the mind, body, and soul. Aside from the intensive yoga and meditation sessions, there is an exhaustive library of almost ten thousand books covering such subjects as Ayurvedic medicine, Buddhist lore, anatomy, and physiology. A quirky aspect of the place is the bust of yoga master Guruji that was crafted by the Queen Mother of Belgium. However, the overall vibe is as tranquil and serene as you would expect.

Ramoji Film City Main Road
Hyderabad, India

As the world’s largest integrated film city and India's only thematic holiday destination offering the magic of cinema, there’s something special for everyone at Ramoji Film City. Spread across 809 hectares (2,000 acres), travel through the Live Studio where your favorite celebrities have shot their scenes or tour Princess Street with its tall buildings and international cityscape. North Town recreates a North Indian city, or visit the sets of the series, Bhagavatham. Ramoji Film City includes the serene Askari Gardens in the center as well as a Japanese Garden. The Sun Fountain Garden with its horse-drawn chariot comes alive at night as does the Mughal Garden. Children will be captivated by the animal topiaries within Sanctuary Garden, where elephants, deer, peacocks, and giraffes are scattered throughout.

– Information provided by Ramoji Film City

Ganeshkhind
Pune, India

The first thing you notice about Savitribai Phule Pune University, one of Western India's most respected seats of learning, is its 300-meter-high (884-foot-high) tower. Although the college was established in 1948, its Italianate-Gothic design dates back well before that; this site was originally the official residence of the governor of Mumbai when the monsoon season would strike. Furthermore, the Battle of Khadkhi, the turning point in the war between the Marathis and the British East India Company, took place on the grounds here. Nowadays, though, Pune University boasts almost 50 academic departments and a wide selection of museums and libraries accessible by prior arrangement. Even if you don't want to browse the artifacts and books, you'll appreciate the stunning 19th-century architecture.

Hitech City Main Road
Madhapur, Hyderabad, India

A strange entity indeed, Shilparamam is a traditional art and craft market situated at the very gateway to one of India's most technology-dependent, hyper-modern suburbs. Covering 26 hectares (65 acres), it boasts all manner of rustic-style buildings and rural artifacts on sale, from jewelry and beads to woodwork and delicate cloth-and all with the skyscrapers of Hi Tec City looming behind it! This is the perfect place to gain an insight into how Hyderabad used to be before industrialization, and a handy place to pick up a present. Make sure you bring plenty of cash, as many of the stores here don't accept credit or debit cards. Opening hours are daily, 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., although a night bazaar does take place occasionally.

H. No. 8-78, Shankarpalli, Hyderabad Road
Hyderabad, India

Sky Zone is the first and the largest indoor trampoline park in India, filled with exciting jump activities covering 2,787 square meters (30,000 square feet). Visitors can bounce, flip, and dive into the foam zone, drop zone, play basketball on trampolines (Skyslam), scale the Warped Wall, and play slam dunk dodgeball. Included at Sky Zone is bowling, archery, and paintball games. Sky Zone can host birthday parties and other special events.

– Information provided by Sky Zone Hyderabad

Corner of Park Street and AJC Bose Road
Chowringhee, Kolkata, India

Don't be put off by the slightly macabre thought of a cemetery doubling as a major tourist attraction. Reclaimed from swampland in the 1760s, this place is remarkable for its scaled-down city of ornate crypts and headstones belonging to such Raj-era luminaries as the botanist Charles Kydd, the Anglo-Indian poet Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, and Sir William Jones, founder of the Asiatic Society. The surroundings are lush and fragrant semi-jungle, and count as one of smoggy Kolkata's "lungs" along with Central Park and the Maidan. Visitors are encouraged to make a small donation or purchase a guidebook from the security guard at the gate.

Afzalgunj Road
Hyderabad, India

Formerly known as Afsal State General Library, this imposing structure gazing out across the River Musi on its eastern bank was constructed in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Its highlight is its invaluable collection of ancient books and manuscripts written in Arabic, Urdu, Persian, and Sanskrit. Other gems include a vast selection of newspapers from India's pre-Independence period that can be perused. From the river or the Old City, you can't miss its enormous central arch topped by archetypally Indian chajja. Although you can admire its form from afar and take all the requisite photos you want, you'll have to pre-arrange a visit and inspection of the objets d'art.

Across the banks of the Yamuna River Tajganj Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001 India

Renowned as an enduring monument of love, the Taj Mahal was constructed during 1632-1653 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite queen, Mumtaz Mahal. The finest example of Mughal architecture with Persian, Turkish, and Indian elements, it is made of pure white marble and adorned with gold, silver, semi-precious stones, floral patterns, sculptures, unique calligraphy, and verses from the Koran. This architectural complex also features four tall minarets, a 30-meter-tall (100 feet) red sandstone gateway, a masjid (mosque), museum, small chhatris (dome-shaped pavilions), landscaped gardens, two marble canals, fountains, and ornamental trees. The Taj Mahal attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Marine Drive
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Taraporewala Aquarium was constructed in 1951 with major contributions from a Parsi philanthropist named Taraporewala. It now displays more than 100 different species of marine and freshwater fish, including seven types of coral fish from the Lakshadweep Islands, sharks, morays, and turtles. Water for the marine creatures is brought directly from the nearby Arabian Sea through a pipeline. This aquarium also exhibits various types of shells, shell-craft art, and fishery byproducts.

New No. 168 T.T.K. Road Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600086 India

Established in 1928, the Music Academy at Madras is one of India’s premier music academies. It is a bastion of Carnatic music, a style of Indian classical music that is one of the oldest music systems in the world. It is particularly famous for conducting an annual Music Festival in December that includes kacheris (Carnatic concerts), bhajans (Hindu devotional songs), music competitions, sabhas (congregations), exhibitions, and dance performances. The T.T. Krishnamachari Auditorium and the Kasturi Srinivasan Auditorium were constructed in 1955 and 1982, respectively. The latter contains a mini-hall for concerts and conferences, a recording and demonstration room, committee room, library, and photo gallery.

తిరుపతి
Northwest of Chennai Chittoor District , Andhra Pradesh India

Tirupati, a large Hindu temple town, is spread across seven peaks, namely, Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri, and Venkatadri. It houses the ancient and sacred temple of Lord Venkateswara (one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu), also known as Yelu Malai Aandava (Lord of the Seven Hills), on the seventh peak, Venkatadri. The ancient temple traces its history as far back as 300 BCE and is now the world's richest temple, with its deities and domes decorated in tons of gold. According to ancient Indian Hindu religious beliefs, one can attain mukti (the soul's enlightenment and release) through worship of Lord Venkataswara at this site.

Hans Bhugra Marg
Mumbai, India

Established in 1857, this is one of India's oldest and most prestigious universities, whose alumni include independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, senior politician Lal Krishna Advani, and cricket hero Sunil Gavaskar. The centerpiece of the University's Gothic-Moghul hybrid design is the 85-meter-high Rajabai Tower, a Gothic cathedral-like spire crowned with a Hindu shikhara (temple turret). The vaulted Nehru Library is another aesthetic gem and contains nearly a million books, rare manuscripts, microfilms, and government reports. This overlooks another iconic feature of Mumbai, the Oval Maidan, a leafy playing field where games of cricket take place almost around the clock. Many Mumbaikar men earn their cricketing spurs by playing on the Maidan as children. 

East Coast Road
Chennai, India

This is India’s first and largest walk-through aquarium housing everything from small to big aquatic animals. The animals here are housed in life-size tanks and overhead aquariums to give you a larger-than-life experience. View marine creatures in sections including Rainforest, Gorge, Mangrove, Coastal, and Deep Ocean. VGP Marine Kingdom is also home to some of the rarest and near-extinct aquatic species. Special experiences include the underwater tunnel and live feeding shows. Parties and candlelight dinners are among the special events offered at VGP Marine Kingdom.

– Information provided by VGP Marine Kingdom

East Coast Road
Chennai, India

VGP Universal Kingdom is India’s first and largest theme park, spread out over 17 hectares (44 acres). The park is home to over 45 rides, a large water park, a petting zoo, and multiple snack and dining outlets. There are classic rides for kids and families like the carousel, swings, and spinning rides, as well as thrill rides for adults and those looking for an adrenaline rush. Also part of VGP Universal Kingdom is a private beach for relaxing near the water. Snow Kingdom is another offering at the park and is one of India's largest snow theme parks. Experience snowfall, sled rides, rock climbing, and disco dancing in the Snow Discotheque, surrounded by 1,300 square meters (14,000 square feet) of snow. Additionally, a variety of other attractions at Snow Kingdom include the ClickArt Museum, Live Art Museum, and Ink Wear facilities. Entry to Snow Kingdom is through the parking section for VGP Universal Kingdom in the Golden Beach area.

– Information provided by VGP Universal Kingdom

Churchgate
Mumbai, India

When the British imported cricket to India they had no idea how passionate the nation would become about this often slow-moving and highly tactical sport. A visit to Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium during a Test match or one-day international—especially against arch-rival Pakistan—is a truly memorable and enthralling experience. The chanting crowd works up to a frenzy when boundaries are hit and wickets taken, and hawkers wander the stands selling everything from bhelpuri to black-market jerseys. Wankhede is also a design classic, its sleek circular shape holding up to 45,000 spectators comfortably. It has hosted two World Cups and many classic moments in the history of the game, so you'll feel the tradition almost buzzing in the air.