India Travel Guide - Useful India Travel Information

India Travel Guide - Useful India Travel Information

"If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!" - French scholar Romaine Rolland

India in Nutshell

The history of India dates back to 5000 years back when India's first major civilisation flourished along the Indus River valley. The Indus civilization at one point of time extended nearly a million square kilometres across the Indus river valley and existed at the same period as the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Sumer but far outlasted them. Aryans came around 1500 BC and were mainly responsible for collapse of Indus Valley civilisation. The Four Vedas or the important books of Hinduism/India were compiled in this period. The modern India got its independence from Britain in 1947 after a long struggle led mostly by Mahatma Gandhi. However, the country was divided into two countries, in the process of becoming independent. Post independence, India has made huge progress inspite of great problems, and has developed its industry and its agriculture, and has maintained a system of government which makes it the largest democracy in the world. In a country as diverse and complex as India, it is natural to find that people here reflect diverse culture, traditions and values and the rich glories of the past, habits and food that will always remain truly Indian. Ethnically Indians speak different languages, follow different religions, eat the most diverse varieties of food all of which add to the rich Indian culture. Vibrant Indian cities are home to world-renowned temples and palaces, while the tranquil coast offers the perfect recipe for rest, recuperation and a sense of peace. A lot of festivals like Diwali, Holi, Id, Christmas, Mahaveer Jayanthi are all celebrated by sharing sweets and pleasantries with family, neighbours and friends. Weather India experiences at least three seasons a year, Summer, Wet (or "Monsoon") and Winter, each of which can vary in duration from north to south. The heat starts to build up on India's northern plains from around February, and gradually summer hots up by April or May and is at its peak in June. In central India temperatures of 45°C and above are commonplace. Even South India also becomes uncomfortable during summer season. The first signs of the monsoon (rainy season) are visible in some areas of India as early as in the early part of May. It rains heavily when the monsoon finally arrives around 1 June in the extreme south and later sweeping north to cover the whole country by early July. The season as well as the phenomenon that causes it is called the monsoon. There are two of them, the Southwest and the Northeast, both named after the directions the winds come from. Around October the climate starts becoming cooler and most of the northern cities become crisp at night in December. In the far south, the temperatures are comfortably warm rather than hot, since it never gets cool there. November to January is the winter season. There is also a brief spring in February and March, especially in North India. Places to See Popular Cities: Agra Darjeeling Delhi Goa Jaipur Kolkata Mumbai Landmark Destinations: Taj Mahal - Agra, Uttar Pradesh Historical Ruins - Hampi, Karnataka Mysore Palace - Mysore, Karnataka The Mall - Victorian heritage - Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Ajanta Caves - Near Aurangabad / Jalgaon Crawford Market - Kalbadevi, Mumbai Gateway of India - Colaba, Mumbai Humayun's Tomb - Delhi Jaisalmer Fort - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan Kerala Backwaters - Kerala Khajuraho temples - Madhya Pradesh Sacred Cities: Amritsar, Punjab Bodh Gaya, Bihar Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh Madurai, Tamil Nadu Shravanabelagola, Karnataka Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh Uttaranchal Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh Large Cities: New Delhi Ahmedabad Bangalore Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) Chennai (formerly Madras) Hyderabad Jaipur Mumbai (formerly Bombay) Pune Festivals & Events Indian celebrate a huge number of festivals, most of them highly spectular and filled with colours. Therefore, it is a huge task to list all of them over here. However, given below is the list of some prominent festivals & events of India. Republic Day - is celebrated on 26th January, every year. This is the day when India adopted the constitution and became a republic. Holi - the festival of colour is celebrated some time during the month of February/March It marks the beginning of spring and is one of the most colourful Hindu festivals in the north of India. People throw coloured water and powder to each other. Muharram - the 10-day Shi'ite festival, also celebrated in February/March, commemorates the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson. It's marked by a grand parade in which participants scourge themselves with whips in religious fervour. Kumbh Mela - this huge festival commemorates an ancient battle between suras (gods) and asuras (demons) for a pitcher (kumbh) containing the nectar of immortality. During the fight for possession, four drops of nectar fell from the pitcher and landed in Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain. The mela is held every three years rotating through these four cities. Ram Navami - is birthday celebration of Lord Rama and involves religious observances. Independence Day - Indians on August 15 every year celebrate the birth of independent India. Rath Yatra - the procession in Puri, every year in June/July involves the temple car of Lord Jagannath making its annual journey, pulled by thousands of eager devotees. Ganesh Chaturthi - celebrated widely, but with particular enthusiasm in Mumbai and Pune is dedicated to the popular elephant-headed god, Ganesh. Festivities go on for 10 days during which the idol of Ganesha (or Ganpati) is worshipped at homes and every street corner. On the tenth day (or earlier in some cases) it is ceremonially immersed in the sea or a lake after being taken out in a lavish procession. Gandhi Jayanti - October 2, birthday of Mahatma Gandhi is a National holiday, every year. Dussehra & Durga Puja - September/October is the time to witness the Dussehra and Durga Puja Festivals, which are celebrated almost all over in India, but is perhaps at its most spectacular in West Bengal, Kullu, Mysore, and Ahmedabad. Diwali - the festival of lights is the happiest festival of the Hindu calendar and is celebrated over five days in October/November. Sweets, oil lamps and firecrackers all play a major part in this celebration in honour of a number of gods. Fall some time in October/November every year. When to Go The best time to visit India is during October to first week of March. This is the period when climate is relatively cooler as compared to other part of the year. Interesting Fact Varanasi, also known as Benares, a sacred Hindu city located on the banks of the Ganges is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities of the world. Even in 500 B.C.E, when Lord Buddha visited the place it was called "the ancient city". Source: www.joy-travels.com