Carisia

Hi guys! I'm planning a long awaited trip to India. Since it will be my first time there, I would welcome any and all suggestions, thoughts and comments. I probably wouldn't plan for more than a month, initially, purely for budgetary reasons. But who knows what may turn out, right? Hmmm... in addition to experiencing India as a traveller, I would like to make this somewhat of a spiritual pilgrimage too, perhaps by planning my travel route through the cities that house important (hmm... this is not the right word, but cannot think of an alternative at the time) holy sites, practice some meditation and yoga. If North to South is to vast an area to cover in that preliminary period of time, then I would prefer to cover Central-Northern India first. Any suggestions on budgeting, mode of travel, places to stay, places to visit, culture/food/security tips - would be appreciated!