Introducing India
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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.
Ready to go? Our recommended tours make it easy:
- Discover the highlights of India in 15 days
- Cycle through Southern India in 15 days
Last updated: Apr 2, 2012
Tips & articles
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Believe your eyes: the world’s strangest optical illusions and mirages
10 May 2012
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Live it up! The greatest mansions and grand houses.
1 May 2012
Explore these magnificent palaces and mansions and see how the other half lived…1. Marble Palace Mansion, Kolkata, IndiaThe extraordinarily grand ...
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Top tourist hot spots worth the crowds
29 April 2012
The hordes come to these places for a reason. Don’t hate them just because they’re popular or you’ll miss out!...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Re: Ethiopia general question
by Forbin79 27 May 2012
Where is the "backpacker ghetto" in AA? i.e., where do most budget travellers stay? I want to go to a place like Delhi where one is…
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Re: Tipping Drivers and Guides in India
by randy44 27 May 2012
thanks, Abbas...s I found your response and it'll serve me well in tipping................
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RE: Megabus London to Scotland
by botswanabill 27 May 2012
i was surprised thinking UK was expensive but its cheaper than India by God.!
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Things to do
- All things to do (3,593)
- Activities (453)
- Entertainment (289)
- Restaurants (1,170)
- Shopping (470)
- Sights (1,126)
- Tours (85)
Make it happen
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%
Our favourite India Blogs (beta)
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Miniature Railway Museum
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 27 May 2012
My fascination with model railways goes back a long way. From the time I read in books about people setting up their own model railways in their lofts to when I grew older and heard of actual miniature villages with working models of trains running through them. Unfortunately, the nearest I could get to a miniature train was one going round and round in a track.
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Serving Water to the Thirsty
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 26 May 2012
It is said that the best charity is giving food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. The latter is especially true in the hot summer months, when a parched throat can make life feel miserable, and nothing is more welcome than a glass of cool water. All over India, there are people who take this literally, and serve water on the roads in summer, free of cost.
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Somnath - A Story of Constant Change... My post on the Club Mahindra Blog
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 19 May 2012
The stepped seating arrangement made the place look like an amphitheatre – a small one though. In front of us was a huge temple, behind us the sea. The cool breeze was a welcome respite from the scorching heat of the day. Over us, the moon shone, brighter than usual, for it was a full moon night, and all around, the stars twinkled, perhaps smiling at us humans who had gathered to hear a story, almost as old as time. And why not?
