India

Quick Facts

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Capital

New Delhi

Government

Federal Republic

Nationality

Indian

Population

1 147 677 000 ^[1]

Languages

Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Panjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, English

Religions

Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism

Currency

Indian Rupee (INR) Rs

Calling Code

+91

Time Zone

IST (UTC+5:30)

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Introduction

Shikaras on the Dal Lake, Srinagar

© All Rights Reserved kavitajain

India's civilization stretches back at least 5000 years and, remarkably, has been maintained to an extremely high level in the 20th century. Whereas other Asian nations have seen the decline of traditional culture, Indians, particularly those away from the major cities, maintain their traditional way of life. Thus, traveling to India is very much an unforgettable experience, as it is in many ways confronting to Western notions. It is confronting when you set foot in Delhi, where pollution is likely to revolt you with its stench. And it is confronting when you notice Hindu's entrenched class system and ill-treated outcasts. But while India may send your Western ideas of humanity into torrents of outrage, it will also doubtlessly impress you with some of the less confronting aspects of Indian cultural heritage: the glorious Taj Mahal in Agra and dozens of other beautiful temples, the traditionally beautiful state of Kerala (often referred to as God's Own Country), rich cultural and architectural heritage in Rajasthan, Indians' love for cricket and a cuisine that is simply superb.

Brief History

Geography

India is a vast country and that is why this region (which also includes Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal) is popularly known as the "Indian Sub-continent". The term gives an idea about the vastness and diversity found in this region. It hosts a major portion of the highest mountain ranges in the world, the Himalayas. On the southern end, India has a coastline which measures over 7600 km.

Regions

India is a union of twenty-eight states and seven federally governed union territories. A broader regional breakdown could be as follows:

• Himalayan North - includes Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashimir and the mountaneous state of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal
• The Plains - extending from Punjab to West Bengal comprising the important cities of Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Amritsar, Gaya and Lucknow
• Central India - home to the erotic structures of Khajuraho, wildlife reserves of the state of Madhya Pradesh
• Western India - home to the the cities of Rajasthan - Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Goa, as well as Mumbai, Gujarat and Dui.
• Southern India - which comprises of the beautiful state of Kerala, Palace cities of Bangalore and Mysore, temple cities of Madurai, Kanyakumari, Chennai and Islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Eastern India -includes the state of Orissa and the famous city of Kolkata.
• North-Eastern India - also known as the Seven Sister States, comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

Cities

Listed below are 14 of the most popular cities for travellers to India.

• Delhi - The capital of India
• Agra - Home to the Taj Mahal
• Bangalore
• Chennai
• Kochi (formerly Cochin)
• Jaipur - The capital of Rajasthan
• Kolkata (formerly Calcutta)
• Mumbai (formerly Bombay)
• Udaipur
• Varanasi
• Jaisalmer
• Jodhpur
• Jamnagar
• Khajuraho

Sights and Activities

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

© All Rights Reserved sam.m.

India's most famous attraction, the Taj Mahal, is a mausoleum in Agra that was constructed under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died after giving birth to their son.

Agra Fort

The imposing Agra Fort at Agra is something which should not be missed. The construction of this fort was started by Mughal Emperor Akbar and later on additional building were added by his son and grandson. The fort complex has numerous building of importance like the Moti Masjid, Sheesh Mahal, Jehangir’s Palace, Deewane-E-Am and Deewane-E-Khas.

Kerala

The state of Kerala, divided into 14 districts has emerged as one of the hottest tourist destination in India over the period of years. This place is also famous for its Backwaters.

Khajuraho

Khajuraho is a town located in Madhya Pradesh famous for groups of Hindu and Jain temples. These temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their beautiful and erotic rock carvings. About 20 temples remain today, dating back to the 10th and 11th century A.D.

Wildlife watching

India is one of the best countries outside Africa and probably the best in Asia to watch wildlife. Wildlife include the Asian Big Five (leopard, lion, elephant, rhino and asian buffalo) but there is one animal that even is more impressive and elusive. That animal is the tiger and seeing one is a matter of luck and staying long enough in several national parks that offer this opportunity. Kanha National Park and Bhandavgarh National Park are among the best in the country with the highest density and chance to see this massive cat. Although Ranthambore is equally famous tiger population here has dropped recently due to poachers still active in the area.

Three others parks to be visited which, because of its outstanding natural beauty and significance, are on the Unesco list as well. These are Kaziranga National Park in the northeast of the country, the Sundarbans National Park, which India shares with Bangladesh and the Keoladeo National Park, which is particulary interesting because of its birdlife, including the rare Siberian crane.

Gir National Reserve in Gujarat is the only place in Asia which has Asian lions.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan is one of the most visited parts of India and it has several great cities to visit, including Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur. All these cities have their own characteristics, fortresse, maharadja palace and even colours (pink city, blue city).

Varanasi

According to Hindu mythology, Varanasi is considered to be one of the holiest cities in India. It lies along the banks of the sacred Ganges River, and it's believed that taking a dip in it washes away all the sins and purify the soul.

Other Sights and Activities

• Ladakh - The place to be for hiking in the Himalaya Mountains and is the best place to see Budhist monasteries.
• Goa - This is a hippy paradise with beaches, relaxing and nothing much more.
• Sun Temple - a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Konarak on the Bay of Bengal.
• Sikkim and Darjeeling - enjoy the ride with the toytrain up in the mountains of Darjeeling and Sikkim.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

The major international airports of India are located in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata with Delhi receiving the bulk of flights.
Others than these, with the tourist inflow to India increasing manifold during the past few years, airports at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode have become international airports.
The national airline of India is Air India with hubs in Delhi and Mumbai. Destinations include lots of cities throughout Asia, both in the east and southeast as well as closer to home in the Middle East. European destinations include Paris, London and Frankfurt, North American destinations include Toronto and New York. From 2009, flights to Sydney and Melbourne are about to start.
Many lowcost airlines started flights in recent years. One of the biggest is Jet Airways, which has flights as far as Johannesburg, London and New York, but also closer to home to Shanghai, Bangkok and Singapore.

By Train

• According to plans, trains are running again since late 2007 between Calcutta in India and the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, for the first time in over 40 years. Although there were connections from Calcutta to the border and across the border further to Kulna, there weren't any connections to Dhaka at all from the west. This direct option takes about 12 hours including border formalities.

• Since February 2006, a train travels between the Indian city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan and the coastal city of Karachi in Pakistan. It's the first international train travelling directly between the two countries since 1965.

The Thar Express leaves Karachi at 11pm on Fridays, taking almost 24 hours before arriving in Jodhpur on Saturday evening. In the opposite direction, trains leave and arrive on approximately the same time on the same days taking 24 hours as well.

• On Mondays and Thursdays the Samjhota Express leaves Amritsar at 7 in the morning, scheduled to arrive in Lahore in Pakistan just after 2pm. In the other direction, trains leave Lahore on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8.30am to the Indian town of Atari, from where there are connections to Amritsar, arriving at 3pm.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting around

Indian Railways operates India's train service, which is comprehensive.
There are train services between most cities.

By Plane

Indian is quite a vast country and travelling by trains and buses can be tiring if it is over long distances. Travelling by air within India is an affordable option with the launch of budget carriers namely, Air Deccan, Spicejet, Go Air and Indigo Air.
Regular service carriers like Indian Airways, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines are also available for domestic flights

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Red Tape

Money

Work

Study

Language

India has over 15 official languages and hundreds of dialects but English is spoken everywhere. Indian English is unique and can sound rather funny. If you pay attention to signs, posters and other printings you can probably find some entertaining misspellings. A menu card somewhere in India along the West coast some years ago advertised for "Roasted Chicken with Smashed Potatoes".

Eat

Reams can be read and pages can be penned on Indian gastronomical wonders. But for the truly inspired gourmands and culinary enthusiasts - witnessing the preparations of the rich Indian foods is truly a gratifying experience. India is definitely the Mistress of Spices. Cuisine is regional, ancient, subtle, fiery and ultimately unforgettable. Flavors are as varied as the climate. Spices from the four corners of the country can be fragrant or pungent and sometimes just therapeutic. These spices are then blended in meticulous proportions in accordance to cooking tenets that are possibly centuries old. The use of these spices again can vary from region to region and it is this, which so sharply distinguishes and categories the food into its geographical divisions.

While in Delhi you can look for a Cooking demonstration of an Indian style cooking at a nominal cost.

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Health

Safety

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