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Practically everything about India surprises. Most are wonderful or amusing, some are whacky and weird. Festivals and events are often the best part of travelling and we offer you a cornucopia from ancient to modern, from reserved to raucous, and from significant to just plain silly.

Visitors can carry home a slice of India's multi faceted culture that thrives on its pulsating streets and malls. This explosion of colour and pageant is sure to take the breath away. This is an entirely different world, a magical world full of sights that offers over 101 things to do - once you have seen Taj Mahal, of course!

If you are in the market for camel, you will have no problem finding one at the Pushkar Camel Fair at bargain prices! The focus is on buying and selling camels; about 30,000 of the snarling beasts trade hands during the week. There is also plenty of camel racing and camel polo. And since this is a trading fair, there is a wide range of handicrafts, bangles, embroidery, and brassware available. It is a caliber of mayhem that can only happen in India- an assault of colour, laughter, and energy topped with a healthy dose of spirituality. Acrobats, jugglers, snake charmers, mystics, and fire-eaters round out the scene.

From the backwaters of Kerela and the waters of Goa to the northern frontiers in Kashmir, cruising on the calm waters surrounded by scenic beauty adds a magical charm to a unique holiday. You could choose to stay on a houseboat or Shikara in Kashmir. Or relax in the Kettuvalloms in Kerela, houseboat made out of jackwood planks sewn together with coir ropes.

Discover a tropical hill resort in the middle of the Rajasthan desert. Surrounded by forests and flowering shrubs, Mt. Abu was selected as the site of the most sacred mystic rites in ancient times, the sacrifice of the fire pit. Also, it is the centre of Jain pilgrimage. Check out the intricate carving of the marble Dilwara temples and expect to get lots of spicy vegetarian food.

Visit a heritage hotel where members of the royal family, having turned their places into hotels: hobnob with their guests. They are inclined to talk of the past and many revealing tales will make your experience an interesting one.

Take a camel safari out into the desert to watch the sunset over miles upon miles of sand. Camp on a solitary oasis, experience the dark starry nights and dance to musicians playing haunting music.

Riding a camel can take some getting used to, similar to the first time trying to sit cross-kneed. It's not like an elephant ride where one can sit back comfortably and let the animal do the rest. Be prepared for sore ankles and knees. It will be better to try a one-day safari before getting on to anything major.
This is the ideal way to spend time exploring rustic Rajasthan. A camel safari moves through the golden sands of the savage Thar Desert passing through remote villages. The fortified cities of Jodhpur, Jasalmer ad Bikaner are the best areas for camel safaris.
The camel carts are fully equipped and visitors need not bother about comfort in the desert. Ride or walk along leisurely with the safari and enjoy the deserts cape. The best time would be from mid-September to mid-March.

The Lake Palace, Udaipur is one of the most beautiful palaces in the world, arising out of the turquoise waters of the Pichola Lake, an elegant fantasy in white marble. The palace was built in the 17th century on a natural foundation of 4 acre of rock. Run by the Taj Group, the rooms are decorated with cusped arches, inland stones of pink, green lotus leaves and painted mirrors.

While in Jodhpur, visit the Bishnoi Village. The Bishnoi clan holds a special significance in the culture of India. Their commitment to the natural environment is extraordinary. The basic philosophy of the clan is that all living things have a right to survive and share all resources.
In the fifteenth century, Jambhoji, a resident of a village near Jodhpur, had a vision that the cause of the drought that had hit the area and the hardship that followed was caused by people's interference with nature. Nature protection was given foremost importance in these tents. Since then, the sect has religiously followed these tenets.
The blackbuck and the chinkara are not afraid of humans here and are often seen near the villages eating out of the villager's hand.

Balooning is a great way to see a city, New Delhi's Safdarjung Airport provides some opportunities to float past the old monuments.
Ballooning events are held annually in Rajasthan's three cities-Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.

Relieve the good old days of the sahibs and shikari (hunter) by going on an elephant safari. Elephant might seem huge, intimidating beasts but they are quite gentle really and one can soon get used to the swaying motion of the elephant's gait. Travel through the hills and wide river valleys of the Corbett National Park, named after the famous hunter turned conservationist, Jim Corbett. Wild Boar and herds of deer browse the vegetation in this scenic reserve, becoming a convenient prey for the park's leopards and tigers.

A unique culinary experience awaits visitors on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, where visitors can savor authentic. Gujarati village cuisine, before wandering through the grounds to see a museum devoted to Indian utensils.
Utensils have been placed in a simple structure set around an open courtyard. Collected from all over India, the endeavor is to demonstrate the purity of form and shape in these objects of utility. The pot to store water in, utensils to cook and serve in, spoons, rolling pins, a huge vessel in which buttermilk was churned, each object is beautifully conceived and created to prove that beauty lies in the simple objects of everyday use. The museum celebrates the simple but perfectly designed objects of everyday use.

Palitana, city of Jain temples, lies at the feet of Shatrunjaya hills, in the eastern part of the Saurashtra. From this town, a flight of steps lead to a cluster of 863 temples built over a period of 900 years. On a moonlit night the ivory coloured temples are a delectable sight. The ornate temples with deities studded with gems and jewels, can be reached after 90 minute climb.

The Rann of Kutch, which covers an area of roughly 5,000 square km., is primarily known as the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary. The sanctuary is the last natural habitat of the Indian Wild Ass, one of the three surving spices of the Wild Ass in the world-the other two being found in Central Asia and in and around Tibet.
One can also get a rare insight into the lifestyles of the numerous ethnic groups and local tribes, which live in and around the Rann.
Interestingly, the Little Rann gets a fair number of winged visitors in the winter month. Among these, the blue-tailed bee-eater that comes all the way from Europe: the common crane and the demoiselle crane from Siberian: the ceraneous vulture from Egypt and the houbara bustard from Iran and Iraq are the ones most commonly sighted.

Ganesha is the well- endowed god of prosperity. So it pays to treat him well. Celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesha along with a million others as they move towards the sea to immerse his idols. The biggest public culmination of Ganesh Chaturthi happens on Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai, in a large-scale immersion. The city comes to a standstill as thousands of worshiper's crowd the beach. As the king-sized idols are dragged into the sea, the crowd goes wild and chants, "Ganapati Bappa Morya". Simultaneously, there are processions, music performances and decorated stages (called "pandaals"). cart races, and wrestling matches.

Visit Asia's largest open-air laundry in Mumbai. Here hundreds of washer men wash clothes and leave them out in the sun to dry. This Dhobi Ghat could not be further removed in spirit from the manicured lawns of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, although it is only a few hindered yards away. This is where much of Mumbai's laundry is done, by hand in concrete sinks and dried by the sun, as it has been for generations.