India

Located in the northern city of Agra, the great 17th-century Taj Mahal was erected by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as memorial to his beloved wife, Queen Mumtaz Mahal. It is rumored that after construction of the building was complete, Shah Jahan cut off the thumbs of the construction workers so that the palace could never be replicated. To read more about the history of the Taj Mahal, visit this Web site:

This panoramic tour of the Taj Mahal lets you view multiple features of the mausoleum and watch videos explaining the materials and techniques used in the Taj Mahal's complex tile designs and architecture.

India Travelogue offers reading selections, detailed destination guides, and travel blogs from fellow globetrotters.

Delhi's Mughal Gardens are some of the most ornate and colorful gardens in the world, set on the estate of the Mughal palace in Old Delhi, also called the Red Fort. Read a brief history of the city of Delhi here:

See a photo gallery of the gardens here:

And see a 360-degree tour of the gardens here:

Kerala is one of the lesser-known and untouched areas in India; home to beaches, forests, and mountains. Watch a 10-minute video on Kerala from Travelistic, a premier site for travel videos uploaded by tourists, travel companies, governments, and documentarians:

An American traveler is guided by his taxi driver, who cruises through the busy streets to the Temple of Jupiter in Varanasi, through a marketplace, and finally down to the river. It's as close as we virtual tourists can get to actually being there.

Goa, a former Portuguese territory, is a seaside paradise 300 miles south of Mumbai. American hippies came to Goa in droves during the 1960s. Today, spiritual seekers, partiers, cultural rebels, and globetrotters looking to escape from the real world have made the city their home.

For breathtaking photos and insights on visiting Goa, check out the travelog Neon Carrot:

Kamat's Potpourri is a site devoted to the "History, Mystery, and Diversity of India." Here you'll find information about prehistoric Indian cave paintings, an essay on Hindustani classical music, and a photographic portrait series called "The Faces of India.”

India History has maps illustrating the major cities and regions of India from prehistory through the present day.

Mumbai’s most famous monument, The Gateway to India, is one of the last remnants of British colonialism. Check out a photo slideshow of The Gateway in addition to other popular attractions in Mumbai (formerly Bombay).

Look at some Indian Socialist posters from the '40s and '50s:

Director Wes Anderson’s newest movie, The Darjeeling Limited, chronicles three brothers (actors Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, and Adrien Brody) on a spiritual journey across India. Watch the trailer for The Darjeeling Limited here: