Introducing India
Travel Alert: On August 5, 2010 heavy rain caused flash flooding and landslides in the northern Indian region of Ladakh. Major infrastructure and transport routes have been affected. Check the most up-to-date information before you go to avoid difficulties.
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Bamboozling. There’s simply no other word that convincingly captures the enigma that is India. With its in-your-face diversity, from snow-dusted mountains to sun-washed beaches, tranquil temples to feisty festivals, lantern-lit villages to software-supremo cities, it’s hardly surprising that this country has been dubbed the world’s most multidimensional. Love it or loathe it, and most visitors see-saw between the two, India promises to jostle your entire being, and no matter where you go or what you do, it’s a place you’ll never forget.
Home to more than one billion people, the subcontinent bristles with an eclectic melange of ethnic groups, which translates into an intoxicating cultural cocktail for the traveller. For those seeking spiritual sustenance, India has oodles of sacrosanct sites and stirring philosophical epics, while history buffs will encounter gems from the past almost everywhere – from grand vestiges of the British Raj serenely peering over swarming spice bazaars, to crumbling fortresses looming high above plunging ravines. Meanwhile, aficionados of the great outdoors can paddle in the shimmering waters of one of many balmy beaches, scout for big jungle cats on a blood-pumping wildlife safari, or simply inhale pine-scented air on a meditative forest walk. And then there’s the food! From squidgy South Indian idlis (fermented rice cakes) to zesty north Indian curries, foodies can look forward to savouring a seductive smorgasbord of specialities.
Once you touch down on subcontinental soil, you’ll quickly discover that cricket – India’s sporting obsession – is one of the most spirited topics of conversation, along with the latest shenanigans in the razzle-dazzle world of Bollywood. However, it is politics – whether at the national, state or village level – that consistently dominates news headlines, with middle- and upper-class India also keenly keeping its finger on the pulse of international events. On the home front, economic matters feature high on the national political agenda. With one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India has certainly made giant strides over the past decade. However, despite averaging an annual growth rate of around 9% in recent years, vast sections of the country’s billion-plus population have seen little benefit from the economic boom. Indeed, the government’s ongoing challenge is to spread both the burden and bounty of India’s fiscal prosperity. Not an easy task given that the gap between the haves and the have-nots is far from shrinking, and poverty is set to spiral upwards if India’s population rate continues to gallop beyond that of its economic growth.
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Travel Alert: Jammu and Kashmir (with the exception of Ladakh) are subject to political violence: travellers should seek consular advice before entering any area bordering Pakistan. Similar advice should also be sought before travelling to Assam, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur in northeast India. There is a high security risk in Bihar and Jharkhand. Several Indian cities suffered violent attacks during 2008-2009 including Bangalore, Ahmedabad, New Delhi and Mumbai. Check out Safe Travel for updated government warnings or the Thorn Tree travel forum for advice from other travellers.
Last updated: Aug 18, 2010
Tips & articles
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Photo competition winner: glamorous girls on parade in India
2 September 2010
Lonely Planet’s photo mosaic competition – to mark the publication of our 100 millionth guidebook – opened in January this...
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20 great things to do in Delhi
31 August 2010
As Delhi has been spruced up ready for the Commonwealth Games in October, there’s never been a better time to...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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What to do!?!?!
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India
Our Top Picks For India
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1 Darjeeling
Wrap your chilly hands around a hot cuppa in this quintessential Indian hill station
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2 Varanasi
Take a soul-soothing dawn boat ride along the ghat-lined Ganges River in this sacred city
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3 Khajuraho
Blush at the erotic sculptures embellishing these exquisitely carved temples, a Kama Sutra in stone
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4 Agra
Imbibe the legendary beauty of the milky white Taj Mahal, the ultimate monument to love
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5 Leh
Get lost in the old town's alleyways, nuzzled amid the soaring moonscape of the Himalaya
Fast Facts about India
- Literacy rate
53.7% (women) and 75.3% (men)
- Wrong way!
Columbus was actually searching for black pepper from Kerala’s Malabar Coast when he stumbled upon America.
- Cuppa tea? Legend says that Buddha, after falling asleep during meditation, decided to cut his eyelids off in an act of penance. The lids grew into the tea plant, which, when brewed, banished sleep.
- Varieties of mangoes in India
over 500!
- Ushas, Vedic and Hindu deity Represented by a beautiful woman riding a golden chariot across the sky, Ushas is a welcoming deity, teaching to embrace truth and truth's beauty.
- Population growth rate
1.4%
Related Groups
Our favourite India Blogs (beta)
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Rakhi: Celebrating The Brother-Sister Bond
Blog: Topics of the World - 1 September 2010
In North India, the festival of Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on full moon in the Hindu month of Shravana (July-August). In this, the sister ties a rakhi (holy thread) on the right wrist of her brother. In turn, the brother gives her a gift and promises to look after her. They both offer sweets to each other.
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Tibet in Exile: Dharamsala, India
Blog: WildJunket - 30 August 2010
As our bus crawled into the misty highlands of Dharamsala, we felt like we had left India behind. The humid heat and raucous chaos were all gone, only to be replaced by cool mountain air and calm serenity. Tibetan monks stroll languidly through the town’s narrow alleys.
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The Quiet Train
Blog: Indian Bazaars - 30 August 2010
It was the quiet train that I had never experienced until my first time travel outside India. It is not the memory that you expect will remain with you for so many years, but that’s the one that I now think of narrating. The Indian train had been a place of social exchange and camaderie. The American train was a means of travel. Why would a train be anything but that?
