Mysore Palace

The Wodeyar dynasty's Indo-Saracenic showpiece — stained glass, carved rosewood doors, the golden howdah and a durbar hall of turquoise-and-gold pillars. On Sunday nights and through Dasara, nearly 100,000 bulbs trace every dome and arch in light.

Why visit: India's most-visited palace — jaw-dropping inside, spellbinding when illuminated.

History: The present palace was completed in 1912 by British architect Henry Irwin after fire destroyed the old wooden palace; Mysore's Dasara durbar tradition dates to 1610.