GLOBAL NOMAD// For the Independent Female Traveler

Even if you don’t understand a word of Hindi, it’s worth taking in a flick to soak up some Bollywood glam. The Raj Mandir cinema in Jaipur, Rajasthan is perhaps the best-known cinema in India and can seat up to 1,237 moviegoers. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

It’s considered one of the modern wonders of the world, with legions of sculptures created from junk in mosaic courtyards linked by walled paths and twisting walkways, through gorges and past waterfalls. The 25-acre Nek Chand Fantasy Rock Garden in Chandigarh, capital of Punjab in India, is one of the country’s most visited attractions, seeing up to 5,000 visitors every day. But it’s also one of the country’s most effective recycling programs. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

After reading Climbing the Mango Trees, a memoir of a childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey, you may want to replicate the experience of picnicking in the Himalayan foothills on meatballs stuffed with raisins and mint tucked into freshly baked spiced pooris. Here, ordinary picnic spots were not enough – they were “picked not only for their natural grandeur but for their inaccessibility in terms of distance or the climbing required.” To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

Back in the days of the British Raj, India’s elite would head to the hills – the Himalayan foothills, that is – to beat the summer heat. And Shimla (or Simla, as it was referred to then) became the summer capital of India, when the who’s who of Delhi would transfer to the hill station to breathe cool mountain air and attend to the business of running an empire. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

It’s considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, with one of the most romantic stories behind it. But the Taj Mahal, an elaborate marble mausoleum, is only one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Agra in India’s state of Uttar Pradesh. Here’s a rundown of Agra’s top sites. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

It’s the iconic image of India – pilgrims washing away their sins in the holy River Ganges in Varanasi. The best time to take photos (or simply soak up the atmosphere) is sunrise or sunset at the ghats. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

No visit to India is complete without a stop at one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the country, and one of the more adventurous – and daunting – destinations for foreign travelers. It’s chaotic, colourful and overwhelming, but it’s quintessential India. Just come prepared with patience and a sense of humour. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

Unique to India, the historical town of Fort Cochin is one place you’ll find a mish-mash of cultural influences living side-by-side, from ancient mosques to a 400-year-old synagogue to Hindu murals in a “Dutch Palace,” along with vestiges of the British Raj and the Portuguese. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

Aymanam is the village setting of Arundhati Roy’s controversial first novel, The God of Small Things, a story of lost dreams and forbidden love set in 1969. Today, you can sip a cold beverage at the original History House in Roy’s novel, now the Taj Garden Retreat. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media

There are many reasons to travel to India, and food is one of them – despite its reputation for Delhi Belly. While dishes vary across the country – from the seafood curries of Kerala to the tandoori flavours of Punjab – one common dish you’ll find almost everywhere is the thali. To read the full story, click here.

Photo Copyright @ 2010 VH Media