lonely planet

With its mind-bending diversity - from snowcapped mountains to sun-washed beaches, crusty old bazaars to chichi designer boutiques, tranquil temples to feisty festivals, ramshackle rural villages to techno-savvy urban hubs - it’s hardly surprising that India has been dubbed the planet’s most multidimensional country. The subcontinent is home to more than a billion people, and its eclectic melange of ethnic groups translates into an intoxicating cultural cocktail for the traveller.

india is ready with its replies to the 30 questions raised by pakistan after studying the 26/11 dossier.For those on a spiritual quest, India has oodles of sacrosanct sites and stirring philosophies, while history buffs will discover gems from the past almost everywhere - from grand vestiges of the British Raj peering over frenetic city streets, to battle-scarred forts rising from forlorn country fields.


Meanwhile, lovers of the great outdoors can paddle in the shimmering waters of the palm-fringed beaches of Goa, scout for tigers on an adrenaline-pumping wildlife safari in Kanha National Park, or simply breathe the fresh air on a rejuvenating trek in Himachal Pradesh. And then there’s the food! From squidgy south Indian idlis (rice dumplings) to zesty north Indian curries, travellers are treated to a positively seductive smorgasbord of subcontinental specialities.

The U.S. victory in the Mexican-American War resulted in the 1848 cession of California and much of the present-day American Southwest. The California Gold Rush of 1848–49 further spurred western migration. New railways made relocation easier for settlers and increased conflicts with Native Americans. Over a half-century, up to 40 million American bison, or buffalo, were slaughtered for skins and meat and to ease the railways' spread. The loss of the buffalo, a primary resource for the plains Indians, was an existential blow to many native cultures