Exploring India: Here’s the links to all the State Tourism Departments

Finding out what’s happening when and where isn’t always easy, but every State has a tourism department that has information about what’s wonderful in its state and why tourist should plan a trip.  Here’s the complete list.

This list is long, so without further ado, here’s the tourism websites of India’s 29 States and 7 Union territories (and the government’s one that tries to wrap it all together!). Some sites and great, some require more work, but all are worth a look if you’re planning a trip

Zero in on Incredible India:  The central government tourism website that wraps up Incredible India is here (be aware this website can be intermintently out of service).  Also check out the the google plus page, developed by Tourism Department in partnership with the internet giant.  This pulls together many media channels about what’s happening in and around India, .

But because there’s so much to see and do in India,  Namaste New Delhi has listed all the links to all the State and Union Territory Tourism Departments.  It’s a long list.  A really long list, but well worth a look.

Andhra Pradesh: Bordering the south eastern coastline, the north western portion of the state was carved out in 2014 to create Telegana. Hyderabad is the state capital, there’s the Borra Caves,  Araku Valley Hill Stations and with a long coastline.  Click here to head over to over to Andhra Pradesh tourism website.

 

Charminar, Hyderabad

Arunchal Pradesh: The most North Eastern state, sharing a border with Bhutan , Myanmar and China. Boasts natural beauty, Buddhist monasteries and with adventure and trekking, it’s a state growing in popularity. Here’s the Arunachal Pradesh government’s official tourism department website.

Assam: Kaziranga National Park for rhinos and elephants, there’s tea plantations, temples and the river Brahmaputra and the island of Majuli, the largest river island in the world.  Assam tourist board is here for you to have a look around this eastern state.

Bihar: Home to Buddhist pilgrimage sites, ancient ruins and Nalanda, the world’s oldest university, are some of the sites that might make a trip to Bihar worth your while. Take a closer look at the state tourist website. State Tourism website is here

Chattisgarh: Chitrakot Waterfalls, the Niagara falls of India,  Achanakumar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kawardha Palace  could make it onto an itinerary in Chattisgarh.  Chattisgarh official tourist website is just a click away.

Goa: Famed for it’s beaches, churches, yoga retreats and party scene, Goa is one of India’s top tourist attractions. Want to know more, here’s the official website.

Gujarat: India’s most westerly state, offers the traditions and textiles of the Great and Little Rann of Kutch, the UNESCO world heritage Rani Stepwell and a capital city that’s home to a Kumbh Mela. There’s also a massive coastline to explore too. More information at this link.

Hanging out in the Holy City of Kurekshetra

Haryana: Sultanapur Bird Sancturary, Holy Hindu city of Kurekshetra, Panipat and Haryana’s only hill station, Morni Hills, might make it onto your list of places to visit. Head on over to the Haryana Tourism website for more.

Himachal Pradesh: Northern state in the Himalayas, HP offers hill stations, adventure, awesome scenery. You get the picture.  Take a look at the HP website.

Jammu and Kashmir: J&K, including Ladakh, gives tourists Dal Lake in Srinagar, trekking in beyond beautiful Ladakh and even skiing in Gulmarg. For more look at the J&K tourism website.

Jharkhand: Carved out of Bihar, there’s nature reserve, Jain pilgrimage sites and forests and fauna. Jump on into Jharkhand’s official tourist website.

Karnataka: In India’s south west, Bengaluru is Karnataka’s capital and famed tech hub. The lavish palaces of Mysuru, the temples of Belur and Halebid and pilgrimage sites make this state a special place to visit. Find out more on this website.

Kathakali in Kerala

Kerala: God’s own country has an awesome coastline and beautiful backwaters, wonderful hill stations and tea plantations, and nature reserves that run along the spine of the Western Ghats. What’s not to like? Take a look around at the Kerala tourist website.

Madhya Pradesh: Huge state in the centre of India, there’s Gwalior Fort, Khajuraho world famous temple town and a reserve for tigers giving three reasons to start research into Madhya Pradesh.  Here’s the official tourist site.

Maharashtra: From the mid western coast right into the heartlands of India, Maharashtra is home to Mumbai, Ellora and Ajanta Caves and the Konkan Coast.  State website here, the tourist website was down when we last checked (February 2017).

 

Ganesha Chaturthi, Mumbai

Manipur: A north eastern state of scenic beauty, Imphal is its capital. Department of Tourism website is here.

Meghalaya: Meghalaya means the abode of the clouds (that means it’s wet here) in Sanskrit,. This north east state is famed for its root bridges, beautiful scenery and having the wettest place in the world. For more, click here.

Mizoram: Meaning the land of the hill people, Mizoram has hills! Wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and scenery. Look into more of Mizoram at its state’s tourist website right here.

Nagaland: Famed for its annual Hornbill Festival, another north eastern state that has only recently arrived on the tourist radar. Home to indigenous tribes and the Kohima War Cementry. Head on over to the tourist website to see more.

Odisha (Orissa): Home to the sun temple, coastal wonders and wildlife and tiger reserves. The state also claims to have invented the Rasgulla (which West Bengal gets very upset about).  More on the State website.

Punjab: The Golden Temple at Amritsar, the flag ceremony at the border with Pakistan at Wagga, and explore the Sikh faith at Anand Pur Sahib. Tourist websites super slow, we’ll pop back again and update this post when they come back to life.

Rajasthan: The Princely state famed for too many reasons to list here. Take a look at the Rajasthan Tourism website to decide where you want to go.

Nagaur Cattle Fair, Rajasthan

Sikkim: This tiny state famed for its mountains, Buddhist culture and tremendous trekking. Shuffle your way over to the tourist website. Sikkim Tourism tells you more here.

Tamil Nadu: Bustling, honking Chennai, ancient stonemason’s exhibition grounds at Mamallapuram, temple town Madurai and India’s most southerly point, Kanyakumari, are just four places in this southern state that might catch your eye. For more, there’s the Tamil Nadu tourism site.

Telegana: This new state (2014) shares Hyderabad as its capital with Andhra Pradesh, is home to Buddhist Heritage, Golkanda Fort (famed for its Diamonds) and the wide, rocky, Deccan plains.  To find out more head here.

Tripura: Bordered by Bangledash on three sides, Tripura is hilly and home to the magnificent Neermahal, a Mughal Palace, Thaidawr Peak and Jampui Hills for scenic beauty and Sundari Temple, where Kali’s foot is said to have fallen after Shiva danced with her dead body . Here’s the tourist website.

Taj Mahal

Uttar Pradesh: The Taj Mahal pulls people into Uttar Pradesh, but there’s far more to India’s most populous state than Shanjahan’s tomb to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Take a look what else is here at the official UP website.

Uttarakhand: Hill stations to escape the heat, valley of flowers, Ganga rituals and yoga retreats at Rishikesh and Tigers at Jim Corbett’s. Here’s the tourism website.

Asian Paradise Flycatcher in the Sundarbans

West Bengal: Darjeeling (say no more), the wonders of Kolkata and the royal Bengal tiger and birdlife in the Sundarbans. Super.  See more at West Bengal Tourism website.

There’s more, it’s now time for the Union Territories….

Andaman and Nicobar Islands:  Tropical islands in the the Bay of Bengal.  Around 300 islands famed for white sand beaches, carol reefs and .  You get the picture.  For more information, visit the Tourism pages of the Andaman and Nicobar government.

Chandigarh: The capital of Haryana and the Punjab, Chandigarh is Nehru modern post independence city created to signal the birth of the new nation.  It’s brutalist architecture, wonderful rock garden and draw in the crowds.  Click here for more about Chandigarh.

Chandigarh, Le Corbusier’s city

Dadra and Nagar Haveli: Comprising of two separate geographical entities inbetween Gujarat and Maharashtra around the foothills of the Western Ghats, the Dadra and Nagar Haveli are another area created out of India’s colonial past.  Learn more about this ex Portuguese colony at this link.

Daman Diu:  Part of Portuguese Goa until 1961, Daman Diu fort and churches reflect the Portuguese past of this coastal area of just over 100 square km.    Here’s the official tourism site

Lakshadweep: 36 atolls of the coast of Kerela make up Lakshadweep archipelego.  A few islands are populated, visitors require permits and it’s all about the beach and water sports when you are there.   Lakshadweep Tourism tells you more.

Delhi:  The urban agglomeration of Delhi is home to 25 million people, countless tombs and treasures and 7 cities that have come and gone.  The Delhi Tourism website tries to capture everything on its website.

Lodi Tomb in Lodi Gardens, South Delhi

Puducherry (Pondicherry):  Former French colony, this seaside resort brings in the crowds for its beaches, food and combination of European and Indian culture.   Find out more on the tourist website.