Travelled to india solo last year during mid oct to start of nov. delhi > agra > jaipur > jodhpur > jaisalmer > pushkar > delhi
Took SQ @ $620 round trip. quite a good deal i think.
I would say during oct > nov is the best period to travel. manage to fit diwali in jaipur while i am in india. best experience ever!!! its like fireworks from the whole city for 3 days straight non stop!! lol
i manage to be in pushkar for the anually pushkar camel fair. the amount of livestock and dust , you cannot imagine how special it is. the camel fair is when all the camel herders from the whole country will travel to the one location in pushkar , and start trading bidding and purchasing the best camels or livestocks avaliable.
for the whole trip, its all self planned, travelled by train (which is good and cheap) , bus(bad experience for me). food wise, i have fallen in love with paneer masala! stayed in hostel, my recommendation, go for zostel, you wont go wrong.
india, totally incredible. Will go again!! =D you should go too!