10 places to visit in India before you die

- Dewanshu Pande

India - a land of rich cultural and geogrophic diversity. These geographical variations make it a perfect destination for travel and tourism for people from all around the world. 

From the architectural masterpieces of the Pink City, Jaipur to the Man Made Marvels in the form of Meghalaya's Living Bridges, India boasts of its rich heritage offerings for the tourists. Visiting this land of diversity will just make your bucket list a bit longer! With so many experiences to seek and places to visit in a country as varied and as beautiful as India, one can just not get enough in a trifle. Yet we try to bring you 10 breath-taking places in India one must visit at least once in their lifetime ... 

Nubra Valley, Ladakh 

A tri-armed valley located to the north east of Ladakh valley, Nubra is a high altitude cold desert with rare precipitation and scant vegetation except along river beds. Siachen Glacier lies to the north of the valley while the Sasser Pass and the famous Karakoram Pass lie to the northwest of the valley and connect Nubra with Uyghur. Much to the visitor's joy it is also connected by road with Leh.

Nohkalikai Falls, Cherrapunji

It flaunts to be the tallest plunge waterfall in India. Its height is 1115 feet (340 metres). Located near Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on Earth these falls are fed by the rainwater collected on the summit of comparatively small plateau. The name of the falls in Khasi language meaning "Jump of Ka Likai" is linked to a legend about local women Likai who jumped off the cliff next to the falls.

Leh, Ladakh

Leh, the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh is best experienced via road trips from New Delhi. The mountainous region of Ladakh in the North Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, is like no other place in the World. Because of it’s unusual terrain and barren landscape it’s sometimes referred to as ‘Moonland’. 

Tungnath, Uttarakhand

Located at an altitude of 12, 073 Feet, at Tungnath mountains you can also find the oldest Hindu shrine of Lord Shiva. Tungnath is the highest Shiva temple in the world and is one of the five and the highest Panch Kedar temples located in the mountain range of Tunganath in Rudraprayag district, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The temple is believed to be 1000 years old and is the second in the pecking order of the Panch Kedars.

Great Rann of Kachchh

The Great Rann of Kachchh is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert in the Kachchh District of Gujarat, India and the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is about 7,505.22 square kilometres (2,897.78 sq mi) in size and is reputed to be the largest salt desert in the world.

This is one of the hottest areas of India - with summer temperatures averaging and peaking at 49.5 °C. Winter temperatures reduce dramatically and can go below 0 °C (32 °F). The Government of Gujarat hosts an annual 3 month long festival called the Rann Utsav (festival of the Rann), where tourists can see the various sights of the Rann as well as get a taste of the local culture, cuisine and hospitality. Specially built local houses are also used to house tourists to give them a taste of them.

Meghalaya’s Living Bridges

Witnessed in Cherrapunji, Laitkynsew, and Nongriat in Meghalaya, these magnificient bridges are created by the Khasi tribes people by using pliable roots of the Banyan Fig tree and weaving them through the solid trunks of other trees.

Sundarbans

The Sundarbans in West bengal is the world’s largest single block of tidal mangrove and home to a wide variety of animals including the precious Bengal Tiger.

Dal Lake, Kashmir

Officially known as the 'jewel crown of Kashmir', it is known to be an integral part of tourism & recreation. It offers everyone with a breath-taking view & people who visit this place keep coming back for more.

Deodar Forest, Himachal Pradesh

Among Hindus, as the etymology of deodar suggests, it is worshiped as a divine tree. Deva, the first half of the Sanskrit term, means divine, deity, or deus. Dāru, the second part, is cognate with (related to) the words durum, druid, tree, and true. Forests full of Deodar or Devadāru trees were the favorite living place of ancient Indian sages and their families who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva.

Hampi

Located in Karnataka, the erstwhile power centre of the Vijayanagara Empire is now the town of exotic ruins. From the powerful temples to the erotic sculptures and even the curious marketplaces, Hampi is a place that unravels itself slowly.

Sources and References - 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus_deodara
http://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/beautiful-places-in-india-you-must-visit/
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubra_Valley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nohkalikai_Falls
http://imghtlak.mmtcdn.com/blog/sites/default/files/dal-lake.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Rann_of_Kutch
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http://grabhouse.com/urbancocktail/places-to-visit-in-india-before-you-die/
http://s561.photobucket.com/user/merapahad/media/HIMALAY%20KI%20GAUD%20MAIN%20UTTARAKHAND/TheTempleofTungnath.jpg.html
http://www.gujarattourism.com/file-manager/photo-gallery/large/rann_utsav_new_001.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/09/article-0-0DC446D300000578-83_964x603.jpg
http://fishtalesindia.org/wp-content/uploads/SundarbanTiger_P-Vyas-imp.jpg