Hi there,

I'll be arriving in Delhi on May 26th and leaving June 17th. I'm still in the process of determining an itinerary.

Are there any not-to-be-missed religious celebrations or other assorted festivals that fall between my arrival and departure dates?

What's a reasonable budget for my stay? I intend to rely on the cheapest single hotel rooms, local food, rail transit (cheapest seats). I really haven't done research regarding what's possible, but ideally I'd like to visit the Taj Mahal and other major monuments, ride elephants, go on a tiger safari, visit museums, snorkle, visit many major cities, etc. Would $600 for 3 weeks be adequate for my needs?

Regarding budget hotel:
1. Do they generally have a lot of vacancy? I want to keep my schedule flexible so I'd prefer to avoid having to reserve hotel rooms in advance.
2. Is it safe to leave luggage with them prior to check-in? I've got the option of relying on a large backpack (to carry everywhere) or relying on a small backpack (to carry everywhere) and a small luggage (to leave at hotels). Which would you suggest?

Thank you for the help!