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OUR READERS Jozef Avgoustakis, Julian Vadas, Jyoti Care- swell K Kacie Youso, Kamal Paliwal, Kate Many thanks to the travellers who used the Vallance, Ken Badenoch, Ken Lau, Kevin last edition and wrote to us with helpful Parsons, Kevin Yuih, Koisty Jones L Laska hints, useful advice and interesting anec- Pare, Laura Monfort, Laurent Guillet, Lenita dotes: Canon, Lily Martens, Linda Johansson, Linda A Aar Nuss, Adi Bloom, Alerta Suvion, Vega & Rowan Fraser, Lisa Chung, Lodewijk Alex Jones, Alexa Owen, Alice Bell, Alwin Portielje M Maarten Dallinga, Marcel Ottiger, Siegersma, Amy Benson, Andrea Andersen, Marcel Phaf, Maria Morera, Mark Anderson, Andrew Johnson, Andy Brown, Anne D’hey- Mark Bell, Markus Kremmler, Marta Rasi, gers, Anne & Michel Ropion, Avril Ingram Martin Salamanca, Mary Fairfield, Matan Gilat, B Bar Sayada, Behemoth Lopez, Benoit Michael Snaith, Michal Sasson, Mick Radford, Milena Schulz, Molshree Aggarwal N Nadav Valdelievre, Bernhard Bouzek, Bronte Rhodes C Carrie Campbell, Catherine Heintz, Cerafin Atik, Niccki Brooks, Nicholas Tippins, Ni- Lampion, Charlotte Bibby, Charlotte De Val, kesh Jethva, Noele Phillips, Ntsiki Anderson Chris Beales, Cindy Bendat, Cord Rehren, O Oliver Heard, Olwen Herbison, Orian Craig Wilson, Cyriac Schmit D Daniel Shalev P Patrick Berg, Pernilla Becker, Peter Walker, Petra O’Neill, Philippa Watts R Ra- Brewer, David Hanslian E Emily Crawford, Estela Roman F Faezah Sani, François chel Hirschi, Rachel Savin, Rafael Higuerars, Béga, Francois-Alexandre Tremblay, Frank Reinout Hekel, Renata Grabowska, Richard Gordon, Richard Jenkins, Rishabh Jain, Robin Damato G Gayle Wells, Geoff Spencer, Gerard Hengeveld, Ginevra Massari, Graeme Hedges, Robyn Williams, Rod Little, Roya Rou- Spedding, Guenter Gloeckle, Guy Kohn, Guy zbehani, Rupert Hart, Ryrie Bridges S Sajid Saunders H Hanna Tadesse, Hans Heckel, Chougle, Sam Burns, Sanne van Heuveln, Hidde Jansen, Hironobu Ichikawa, Hoel Shah Singh, Shelby Sangster, Sion Massip, Achermann, Holly Pearson I Ian Curwen, Sue Sullman, Suzanne Jacob & David Lloyd Indara Rodriguez, Indrani Ganguly, Itamar T Tania Sadler, Tanneke Huttner, Terry Rugg, Weissbein J Jadwiga Rudy, James Clark, Tom Salman, Tom Stuart, Tony Walmsley James Nolan, James Wales, Jay Prasuna, U Uwe Müller V Veronika Stalz, Viacheslav Jeffrey Gold, Jessica Smith, Jessica Tracey, Shuper, Vishvas Vasuki W William Cous- Jo Kirkpatrick, Joanna Schmidt, John Fuhr- ins X Xaver Reinhardt & Jaqueline Mayer man, Jon Dean, Jon Vegard, Jordan Thomas, Y Yulia Yulish, Yuma Nakamura 1222 limericks and the gin, and in Pushkar, Anna AUTHOR THANKS Voss for the fairy lights and being a lovely Sarina Singh neighbour. Thank you also to fellow authors Coordinating a book of this scale was a Sarina Singh, and Daniel McCrohan for the delight thanks to a dedicated team of accom- kebabs, Karim’s and Kingfishers in Delhi. plished writers and editorial staff – massive Mark Elliott BEHIND THE SCENES thanks to you all. Gratitude, also, to our many readers who took the time to send in their Many thanks to Rouf and family in Srinagar, feedback and share travel experiences. Final- Najum, Hamza and Muzamil in Kargil, Rajesh, ly, warm thanks to my parents for being so Mowgli, Jai and Bunny in Kolkata, high-flying incredibly awesome. Simone, Aadil in Anantnag, Selim and Cham- ba in Leh, Stenzin Motup, Jaweed Ahmad, Michael Benanav Zalina and Nabila, Lal Kumar, Sumit, Tony Huge thanks to Lalji, Neeta, Sonal, Ashwin and Inge, Sophie, Tim and the crazy Nimaling and their families, for their hospitality and yoga gang. Bless you Kate for joining the ever-deeper insights into all things Gujarati. Himalayan adventures and making the treks In Uttarakhand, thanks go to Manto and De- so much more memorable. Eternal thanks as bopam for help getting beneath the surface ever to my beloved parents. of the state. A special thanks to Adina, for running down a few details for me, for picking Paul Harding up that book about Rajula Malushahi, and for Thanks to Hannah and Layla for accom- entertaining musings on the terrace in Kasar panying me to Goa and putting up with my Devi. And thanks to Kelly and Luke, for keep- absence while in Kerala. Cheers to Joe for ing everything cool back home. entrusting me with such a great part of India. In India, thanks to all who offered advice and Abigail Blasi company but especially to all the friends in Thank you Joe Bindloss and Sarina Singh, Goa and Kerala that I met up with again – you CE and CA supreme, and to my wonderful all know who you are! co-authors. Thanks in Delhi to Sarah Foth- eringham, to Nicolas Thompson and Danish Trent Holden Abbas, to Dilliwala Mayank Austen Soofi, to Thanks first up to Joe Bindloss for giving me Rajinder and Surinder Budhraja, to Nirinjan the opportunity again to work again on In- and Jyoti Desai, my Delhi family, and to Luca dia – a seriously dream gig. As well as to my for holding the fort. co-authors, especially Sarina for all the help and tips along the way. A shout out to all the good folk I met along the road and shared a Paul Clammer beer with. But as always my biggest thanks Thanks – and apologies – to everyone I met goes to my beautiful girlfriend Kate, and my on the road who helped with research, with- family and friends who I all miss back home out realising that Rajasthan is a place best in Melbourne. covered anonymously for Lonely Planet. I wish I could have told you what I was doing! Anirban Mahapatra It would have been immeasurably harder My thanks, as always, to the entire editorial however if I hadn’t had a confidante along and production team at Lonely Planet, and to the way, so my biggest thanks and love go to my awesome fellow authors for making this Robyn – sidekick and constant companion, colossal project a reality. On the ground (in in India as she is everywhere else I go. In no particular order), my sincerest thanks to Fatehpur and Bikaner, thank you Jean for the Sangey, Oken, Aaron, Audrey, Babul, Monjit, This guidebook was Dankell, Kate Evans, Carly Hall, THIS BOOK produced by the following: Gabbi Innes, Kellie Langdon, This 16th edition of Lonely Rosie Nicholson, Samantha Planet’s India guidebook Destination Editor Joe Bindloss Forge, Paul Harding, Victoria was researched and written Harrison, Kate Kiely, Lauren Kate by Sarina Singh, Abigail Product Editors O’Connell, Kathryn Rowan, Mathews, Alison Ridgway Blasi, Michael Benanav, Gabrielle Stefanos, Ross Taylor, Paul Clammer, Mark Elliott, Book Designer Jeanette Wall Paul Harding, Trent Holden, Katherine Marsh Cover Researcher Anirban Mahapatra, Daniel Assisting Book Designer Naomi Parker McCrohan, Isabella Noble, Clara Monitto Thanks to Lonely Planet John Noble, Kevin Raub Assisting Editors Kate and Iain Stewart. Cartography, Wayne Murphy, Chapman, Nigel Chin, Melanie Ellie Simpson 1223 Jyoti, Anit, Nino, Kanno, Bambang, Hoihnu, Jakamur Chauhan, Jonty Rajagopalan, Ashish Yishey, Hemanta, Rahul, Norden, Hemlata, and Rucha Gupta, Praveen Sood, the Dhami Rintu, Binod, Ajay and Boomoni for all their family of Chamba, Karanbir Singh Bedi, Ankit help in fields as diverse as spirited long-dis- Sood and Vaneet Rana. Thanks also to Alice tance driving, logistical troubleshooting, McGuigan and Sarina Singh and the fantastic local knowledge, culinary prowess and, author team, especially Isabella Noble with above all, for being great hosts, co-travellers whom it was wonderful to share so much of BEHIND THE SCENES and friends in general. Finally, hats off to this project! Castleton Tea Estate, for their awesome teas that kept me awake through the wee writing Kevin Raub hours. Thanks to my wife, Adriana Schmidt Raub, who gladly ships me off to India without Daniel McCrohan her! Joe Bindloss; at LP On the road, Anil My biggest thanks goes to my uncle, David Whadwa, Mini-Google, Shiron Haider, Shibab Campos, who had to put up with me dragging Haider, Naghma Haider, Aisha Khan, Mukal him round half of India, just so that I could Kumar, Guatam Singh, Megha Singh, Naheed have some company on my trip! All my love, Varma, Harish Rijhwani, Malika Rijhwani, too, to the rest of my family back home, es- Rochikant Mishra, Nicole Seregni, Fernanda pecially my darling wife and our two amazing Polacow, Marta Delellis, Rashi Rajoria, R.K. children. In Punjab, thank you to Bimla Lyall Rai, Saptarishi Saigal, Awesh Ali, Eli Rasaero MBE for a fascinating introduction to Sikhism and Ivan and Pixie Lamech. (and for being the first person I’ve met who’s got an MBE!). In Odisha, thanks to John Dun- Iain Stewart can and the rest of the Southampton Univer- It was great to hang with Laksh in Bandra sity research team. And many thanks to my and have a virtual beer with Paul Harding by colleagues Kevin Raub, Mark Elliott and Trent the sea.