Recommend December 2017 - 77

Left: The Red Fort in New Delhi. Below: Collecting holy water in Kolkata.

(CSMVS), the city's finest museum. For
those who want to delve into the history
of Gandhi, head to Mani Bhavan, located
in the Gamdevi precinct of Mumbai.
Open to the public, it was the focal point
of Gandhi's political activities in Mumbai
between 1917 and 1934. And then, of
course, do book a Bollywood studio tour
before heading out to shop at the Central
Cottage Industries Emporium for
regional crafts or the Chor Bazaar for real
antiques and fun junk. A top sightseeing
attraction is the Taj Mahal Palace,
Mumbai's most famous landmark, in reality
a stunning hotel blending Islamic and
Renaissance styles. Among the top luxury
hotels, Oberoi Mumbai is an iconic
pick, while the 20-room Abode
Bombay-stylish, caring service, welllocated-is the city's first and really only
boutique hotel.
Mumbai is also a common departure
point for India's famous temple caves,
all of them UNESCO sites. Ferry across
the Mumbai harbor to the caves on
Elephanta Island, celebrating the god
Shiva in reliefs, carvings and sculptures.

Farther afield, the passing centuries have
done little to diminish the mysterious caves
at Ellora, made up of 34 cave temples
carved out and decorated between A.D.
550 and 1000 by artists of different faiths,
and Ajanta, a series of 30 rock-cut cave
monuments created by Buddhist monks
between 200 B.C. and A.D. 659 to serve
as residences, temples and schools.

A TAle of Two CiTies
Capital of India, NEW DELHI is two cities
in one-first, the Old Delhi of the Mughals,
created in the 17th century and still a
medieval place of forts, mosques and
bazaars; second, New Delhi, built by the
British to become a metropolis of broad
avenues, stately homes and gardens.
Both are now connected by a new metro
system providing a smooth track to the
mega-malls of the suburbs and areas such
as the Lado Sarai arts district now alive
with cutting-edge galleries and restaurants
expanding the horizons of nouvelle Indian
cuisine. In Old Delhi, visit the National
Museum and National Handicrafts
and Handlooms Museum, followed

by some serious shopping at the Central
Cottage Industries Emporium. Take time
to stroll in the Mughal gardens surrounding
Humayun's tomb, and don't miss the Jama
Masjid Mosque, an architectural wonder
set on 260 pillars and 15 domes. Views
are grand from the top of the mosque's
minaret, so are the kebabs served nearby at
Karim's and Al Jawahar. Not surprisingly,
the Delhi hotel scene is liberally dotted with
top-of-the-line American hotel brands-
Hyatt, Sheraton, and JW Marriott, but
for dramatic design sumptuousness is The
Leela Palace New Delhi.
Beyond New Delhi lies the Taj Mahal,
India's most recognizable symbol, which
with the rose-red city of Jaipur fills out
what is called the "Golden Triangle." All
lie in romantic Rajasthan, land of the
maharajas, with lavish palaces-the Hawa
Mahal (Palace of the Winds) in Jaipur, the
City Palace and the Lake Palaces (both
now fairytale-like hotels) rising above Lake
Pichola in Udaipur, and epic Mughal forts-
the mighty Mehrangarh in the "blue city" of
Jodhpur, and the hilltop Amber Fort
in Jaipur. ◆

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2017
