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| India - Delhi - Mumbai - Chennai - Goa - News - China - Nepal - Bhutan - Bangladesh - Myanmar - Sri Lanka - Pakistan - Oman - UAE - more - City Travel | ||
Facts for the TravelerArea: 3.28 million sq km Population: 1 billion Capital City: New Delhi People: 72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, 3% other Language: Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Kashmiri, English, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam Religion: 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4% other |
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| Visas: Six month multiple-entry visas are now issued to most
nationals regardless of whether you intend staying that long or re-entering
the country. Only six-month tourist visas are extendable. Most Indian
embassies and consulates won't issue a visa to enter India unless you hold
an onward ticket. Be careful to check whether your visa is valid from the
date of entry or the date of issue. Time Zone: GMT/UTC +5.5 (Indian
Standard Time) When to GoIndia has such a wide range of climatic factors that it's impossible to pin down the best time to visit weather-wise. Broadly speaking October to March tend to be the most pleasant months over much of the country. In the far south, the monsoonal weather pattern tends to make January to September more pleasant, while Sikkim and the areas of northeastern India tend to be more palatable between March and August, and Kashmir and the mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh are at their most accessible between May and September. The deserts of Rajasthan and the northwestern Indian Himalayan region are at their best during the monsoon.The trekking season in the Indian Himalaya runs roughly from April to November, though this varies widely depending on the trek, altitude and region. The ski season is between January and March. It's worth checking the dates of particular festivals - you may be attracted by them, or conversely may want to avoid the chaos and jacked-up prices that attend them. |
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EventsThe King Khan to acheive his 'knighthood' on Dec 6The King Khan aka the Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan will be in a traditional Malay outfit and will achieve his delayed Malaysian knighthood, said on Monday by the state's top civil servant. Mr. Khan will be in Malacca for only a day and will be ... India is blessed with a huge number of festivals, some so spectacular that you would be a fool to miss them if you were remotely within spitting distance. They start with the secular Republic Day Festival in Delhi each January, which includes elephants, a procession, and plenty of military might and Indian princely splendor. Holi in February is one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals in the north of India. It marks the end of winter and basically involves throwing colored water and red powder over as many people as you can in one day. The 10-day Shi'ite Muharram festival commemorates the martyrdom of Mohammed's grandson. It's marked by a grand parade and dedicated penitents scourge themselves with whips in religious fervor. It's best seen in Lucknow, the principal Indian Shi'ite city; its timing varies with the Islamic calendar. The massive Kumbh Mela festival commemorates an ancient battle between gods and demons for a pitcher (kumbh). 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. Don't mistake the great car festival Rath Yatra for a rally race. This spectacle in Puri in June/July involves the gigantic temple car of Lord Jagannath making its annual journey, pulled by thousands of eager devotees. One of the big events of the year in Kerala is the Nehru Cup Snake Boat Races on the backwaters at Alappuzha (Alleppey), which take place on the second Saturday of August. The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi in August/September is dedicated to the popular elephant-headed god Ganesh. It's celebrated widely, but with particular enthusiasm in Maharashtra. Shrines are erected, firecrackers let off, clay idols are immersed in rivers or the sea, and everyone tries to avoid looking at the moon. September/October is the time to head for the hills to see the delightful Festival of the Gods in Kullu. This is part of the Dussehra Festival, which is at its most spectacular in Mysore and Ahmedabad. November is the time for the huge and colorful Camel Festival at Pushkar in Rajasthan. Diwali (or Deepavali) is the happiest festival of the Hindu calendar and is celebrated over five days in November. Sweets, oil lamps and firecrackers all play a major part in this celebration in honor of a number of gods. Public Holidays
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