A Tourist Guide To India In Nutshell

India is a destination of great interest for tourists from all over the world. The country is vast not only in terms of its area but also culture and diversity. One will need more than 1 life to fully explore this great country. Don't be surprised 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. It is natural in a country as diverse and complex as India.

The modern India got its independence from Britain in 1947 after a long struggle led mostly by Mahatma Gandhi. Post independence, India has made huge progress in spite of many hurdles. The country has developed its industry and agriculture, and has maintained a system of government which makes it the largest democracy in the world. The history of India dates back to 5000 years back when India's first major civilization 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 civilization. The Four Vedas or the important books of Hinduism/India were compiled in this period.

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)

When to Go

India have high and low periods for tourism, which correspond to changes in the weather as well as the timing of holidays and religious festivals. 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.

Alex Wander is a traveler and has traveled major part of the world. He writes mostly from his travel experiences. Presently, he is rewriting content for indiatraveltours.com

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