We are talking of a post-COVID world or a world where COVID cases are at bay. Universities and colleges may have completely reopened and students would be looking forward to going on their annual or occasional excursions. If you're confused about where to go, the University Grants Commission has made things a tad easy for you.
A week ago, the UGC had released a list of 100 tourist destinations in the country, under the EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme, "to study the destinations and their history, scientific contributions, traditions, indigenous literature and knowledge." "All the Higher Educational institutions are requested that the visits may be organised only when COVID restrictions are lifted fully. Meanwhile, students can be encouraged to learn about these locations and have activities digitally," the UGC said in a release. Educational institutions, according to the regulator, are to send students to these destinations.
While Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have the most of them (eight each), Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have seven destinations each. At the same time, the list does not feature a number of iconic sites including the Qutub Minar, Victoria Memorial and Taj Mahal.
However, we have picked a list of top five destinations that you must consider visiting (or probably convince your college to take you to)
Srirangapatna
Also called Seringapatam by the British, this small town in Karnataka's Mandya was the capital of Mysore when the kingdom was ruled by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. The place also has forts from Tipu's time and British architectural marvels
Lepakshi
Lepakshi is a small town in Andhra Pradesh and you must totally visit the place if you fancy Vijayanagara architecture. The temples there have ceiling paintings out of natural colours
Cooch Behar
Need to beat the heat, while exploring the country's heritage? Head to Cooch Behar in West Bengal. It is a small town on the foothills of the Himalayas, one of the places that you must visit there is the palace that is modelled after Buckingham Palace in London
Yercaud
A lake, hills, coffee plantation, gardens, heritage sites — Yercaud has it all. Guess what. This town close to Salem in Tamil Nadu even has a Japanese garden
Keoladeo National Park
Formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, this 250-year-old national park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also home to 366 bird species, 379 floral species, 50 species of fish, 13 species of snakes, five species of lizards, seven amphibian species, and seven turtle species