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India - A land for all seasons..
by Mitesh
http://www.eholidaysindia.com
Introduction
India is one of the most attractive tourist destinations
in Asia. India is a large country in southern Asia. It's
the second largest country in the world in population,
ranking only behind China.
In 2004, foreign tourists visiting India spent 15.4
billion USD - the ninth highest in the world. India is
also ranked among the top 3 adventure tourism
destinations. One can expect to spend about $1,750 in 2005
dollars for a two week visit, staying in accomodations
equivalent to Western ones.
India is a land of often bewildering diversity. It is a
jigsaw puzzle of people of every faith and religion,
living together to create a unique and colourful mosaic.
There is a festival for every reason and for every season.
Every celebration centres around rituals of prayer,
seeking blessings, exchanging goodwill, decorating houses,
wearing new clothes, music, dance and feasting.
India also has a large variety of protected wildlife. The
country's protected wilderness consists of 75 National
parks of India and 421 Sanctuaries, of which 19 fall under
the purview of Project Tiger. Its climatic and geographic
diversity makes it the home of over 350 mammals and 1200
bird species, many of which are unique to the
subcontinent. Some well known national wildlife
sanctuaries include Corbett, Kanha, Sariska, Periyar,
Ranthambore, and Bharatpur.
Perhaps India's best-known site is the Taj Mahal, one of
the world's greatest architectural achievements. It was
built between 1631 and 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan in honor
of his wife, Arjumand Banu, more popularly known as Mumtaz
Mahal. The Taj Mahal serves as her tomb.
One of the popular tourist circuits is called the Golden
Triangle: the cities Delhi; Agra (site of the Taj Mahal);
and Jaipur. Delhi is approximately 200 kilometers away
from Agra, and 250 kilometers from Jaipur.
Culture & People
The people of India speak 14 major languages and more than
1000 minor languages & dialects.
India has three main land regions :
a. The Himalayas
b. The Northern Plains
c. The Deccan or the Southern Plateau
With nearly 1 billion citizens, India is the second most
populous nation in the world. It is impossible to speak of
any one Indian culture, although there are deep cultural
continuities that tie its people together. English is the
major language of trade and politics, but there are
fourteen official languages in all. There are twenty-four
languages that are spoken by a million people or more, and
countless other dialects. India has seven major religions
and many minor ones, six main ethnic groups, and countless
holidays.
When to Visit India
India has such a wide range of climatic factors that it's
impossible to pin down the best time to visit weather-wise
with any certainty. Most of India has three seasons :
a. Cool Season - October to February.
b. Hot season - march to June.
c. Rainy / Monsoon - monsoons start from mid June to
September.
October to March tend to be the most pleasant months for
most of the parts of the country.
The mountainous areas in North India usualy have snowfall
between December and March. Kashmir and the mountainous
regions of Himachal Pradesh are at their most accessible
between May and September.
The best time to visit Sikkim and the areas of north-
eastern India is March and August.
The best time to visit deserts of Rajasthan and the north-
western Indian Himalayan region is during the monsoon.
Events
India is blessed with a huge number of festivals, and
several are so spectacular that you would be a fool to
miss them if you were remotely within spitting distance.
For complete list of festivals you can visit :
http://www.eholidaysindia.com/festival.htm which provides
you the month wise listing of all the major festivals of
India.
The Month of particular festival may help you in
determining the timing of your visit to India.
Mitesh Rami, Web Developer, Indovision Tours.
e-mail : mitesh@eholidaysindia.com
url : http://www.eholidaysindia.com
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