INDIA Travel guide

India travel guide>> tourism India, travel guide and tourist information on India, sightseeing in India. India, its cities, economy, climate, people and festivals. India tour guide and city guide.
India – the land to travel to, a haven of tourism delights, a civilization to tour through. Tourists come to India for its wealth of sights, cultural exuberance, diversity of terrain and in search of that special something, an extra punch that only India promises and delivers. Teeming with over a billion people who voice over a million concerns in fifteen hundred different languages, India is where people live with variety, thrive on diversity and are too familiar with largeness to let it boggle them. Mud huts and mansions face off across city streets. Lurid luxury and limp living are inhabitants of the same lane.
Kathakali Dancer, India

From the smoky mangroves of the Sunderbans to the steaming Thar Desert, sizzling cities like Mumbai and Delhi to the scintillating villages of Khajuraho and Hampi, from the heights of the Himalayas to the deep blue waters around the Andamans, India is a travel haven – a tour package that frustrates and delights, as demanding as it is rewarding.

It demands that the traveller be prepared for its own strange forms of tourism offerings - the crowds at Pushkar, for pushy mendicants at Haridwar, for high commercialism at spiritual retreats. But equally, it means that he be prepared for an overwhelming warmth in the people, ease of conversation, and to be stunned into speechlessness by the beauty, sometimes the manmade and often the natural.
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
But what exactly is it that gets two and a half million people to pack their bags, book their tickets, buy industrial size cans of suntan lotion and enough toilet paper to supply the entire population of Liechtenstein for a month, and wing their way to India? Given that this is the land of the Taj, granted too that tea, tobacco, tempestuous democracy and terrific travel are a great combination but surely that's not reason enough.
There must be more because between truisms and half-truths, India has inspired more than any one place's fair share of travel lore. And, perhaps that's what it is - the legends of India - that's what inspires people from far and near to travel here, to sort out for themselves what's true and what's just a whole lot of tourism pamphlet hype.

If that's what you're going to be doing, here's a bit of India tourism mantra to help you on your way: expect nothing and everything will be yours.

INDIA Travel guide

Arts and Crafts of India

Arts & Crafts of India The first thing that startles most visitors to India is the sheer abundance of color. Just look around you – the many idols of gods and goddesses, the clothes, the trucks and all the knick-knacks in the dozens of shops you see at Delhi’s Janpath are a riot of color.


¤ Skilled Artisans

All this is the work of thousands of unsung, unappreciated artisans and crafts persons who make magic with their very hands. They are the ones who make those fabulous tie-and-dye skirts, those fantastically embroidered Gujarati cholis, that lacquered furniture and that beautifully studded silver jewellery. India may be a land of farmers but it is equally a land of artisans.

Unfortunately, Indian arts and crafts have been teetering on the edge of extinction for a long time. Demand for indigenous arts and crafts nose-dived with the setting up of large-scale industry in India. After all, in a poor country like India, machine-made saris – to give you but one example – are cheaper and therefore more affordable than handloom saris. The list is endless. This has left artisans with little choice but to abandon their age-old professions and become common laborers, factory workers or government clerks. In either case, the loss has been of ours.

Thankfully, efforts have been made by both government and non-government agencies to keep our art and craft tradition alive and kicking. Here then is an overview of the major arts and crafts of India.

Arts and Crafts of India

Culture of India

Culture of India
India is blessed with rich culture and heritage. The culture of India is one of the oldest cultures in the world. Right from the medieval period there prevail diverse cultural diversities in form of dances, languages, religions, people, their customs, festivals. Every state of India has its own distinct cultures and has carved out its own cultural niche. In spite of so much of cultural diversities, Indian's are closely bond and makes India as a great country perhaps because of its common history. Dating back to over 5000 years old civilization, India's culture has been adorned by migrating population, which over a period got absorbed into the Indian way of life. This great Indian culture comprises of Indian music, Indian Dance, Indian cuisine, costumes and Indian Festivals.

Culture of India

Kerala Travel

Natural beauty, clean air and primordial greenery amidst the vast expanse of water and sky, typifies the state of Kerala – better known as God's own country.
The enigmatic strip of land is replete with endless miles of placid backwater that adds to its marine beauty. The slopes of the Western Ghats are a perfect rundown of rare flora and fauna and the fragrance of its coffee blossoms waft in the air round the year.


If the strain of urban life has your nerves jangling, Kerala's popular Ayurvedic centres will help you unwind and drain the tension out of you.
The state's rich cultural past finds expression in dance forms like Kathakali and Mohiniattam, while Kalaripayattu – the traditional martial art form of Kerala has been practised for ages.

Kerala Tourism
Kerala - India

¤ Kerala At Glance

It so happened that Parshurama annihilated 21 Kshatriyas (warriors) and wanted a secluded place to perform his penance. The gods offered to give him a land of his choice. Parashurama hurled his axe over the sea and ordered the sea to retreat from over the area covered by his axe. The land that emerged from those receding waters is the present day Kerala.


Keralites are a peaceful lot. They can best be described as religious, intelligent, warm and progressive. Hospitality runs in their blood. Over the years, people from far off places (the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Chinese, the Arabs, the Europeans) have come here, only to find themselves trapped forever in the irresistible charm of the state. Kerala has taken them all in its fold and the result is reflected in the religious and cultural mix, as well as the cosmopolitan outlook of the masses here.

The state's rich handicrafts is a part of Kerala Tourism. Shining brassware, wood and horn carvings, bell metal castings, gold and silver ornaments are only some of them. Kerala is also affluent in art and culture. One the one hand is Kathakali, a classical dance-drama that has survived the test of time, and on the other is Mohiniyattom, filled with grace and passion – two classical dance forms with distinct styles that hold the spectator spellbound.

Numerous festivals add colour to the lives of people. The most popular festival is the harvest festival of Onam, celebrated on the Malayalam New Year Day, Chingam. The famous snake boat race is held every year around the time of Onam. The very sight of so many long, narrow boats racing past each other, the splash of water, amidst the delightful cheer of spectators and drum beats, adds a touch of thrill and freshness to the air. There are other fairs and festivals, each of which reveals a unique flavour of the culture that thrives here.

Kerala is indispensable for Ayurveda,an ancient Indian healing system that uses naturalised methods to cure the affected part of the body and to restore the balance of the individual. Many Ayurvedic resorts offer 'health holiday packages' where you can go, get pampered by experts and come back feeling rejuvenated.

Quick bytes

Population :

29,032,828

Area :

38,863 sq km
Population Density :

749 (per sq km)
Principal Languages :

Malayalam
Capital :

Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Date of Statehood :

Nov 1, 1956
Religion :

Hindus 60%, Christians 20%, Muslims 20 %
Best time to visit :

October-February



¤ Tourist Delight

To the uninitiated, Kerala Tourism comes as an extremely pleasant surprise. It unveils an endless list of destinations, each one of which has a hidden treasure of its own.
The bewitching beaches at Kovalam, Varkala, Kappad, Bekal; the inviting backwaters of Kochi, Kumarakom, Kolam, Veli, Kuttanad, Karunanagapally; the wild waterfalls at Munnar, Devikulam, Peermade, Wynad, Ponmudi, Nelliyampathy seem to amply prove that God was more than partial while designing this land. Man took over after God, further beautifying this land with temples, palaces, forts, synagogues and many more structures.


Kerala Backwaters
Backwaters in Kerala are inter connected freshwater rivers and canals that feed towards the sea. It is a network of esquisite channels, lakes, lagoons and deltas of approximately 44 rivers emptying in the Arab sea, that makes the body of water , backwater. The principal mode of transport on these backwaters is by houseboats bus. You get of Backwaters in Alappuzha, Vembanad lake is the largest of the lakes, covering an area of 200 sq km, and bordered by Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts which makes Kerala Venice of East.

¤ Wildlife in Kerala

Explore the greenery of Kerala. The state bestowed with tremendous beauty and enchanting springs. The rich flora and fuana of Kerala is a surprise package for many travellers. You could explore the enticing beauty of Kerala through its dramatic contours. As you move away from the daily routine of Kerala, and enter its wildlife, you would be able to explore some fascinating aspects of the state. The State is a most sought destination for nature lovers. Some of the fascinating wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala are : Periyar National Park.

Beaches
Kerala owns finest beaches in India. The tranquil , palm fringed beaches are spread on the coast of Arabian sea with gentle surf fampus beaches in Kearala are Alappuzha beach , Kovalam beach, Varkala Beach , Marai Beach and so many other beaches , quite popular among tourists. The unforgettable image of the coconut-palms-lined high rock promontory that cuddles the calm and wide expanse of the blue waters.


Kerala Backwaters
Backwaters in Kerala are inter connected freshwater rivers and canals that feed towards the sea. It is a network of exquisite channels, lakes, lagoons and deltas of approximately 44 rivers emptying in the Arab sea, that makes the body of water, backwater. The principal mode of transport on these backwaters is by houseboats bus. You get of backwaters in Alappuzha, Vembanad lake is the largest of the lakes, covering an area of 200 sq km, and bordered by Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts which makes Kerala Venice of East.

Beaches

Kerala owns finest beaches in India. The tranquil , palm fringed beaches are spread on the coast of Arabian sea with gentle surf fampus beaches in Kearala are Alappuzha beach , Kovalam beach, Varkala Beach , Marai Beach and so many other beaches , quite popular among tourists. The unforgettable image of the coconut-palms-lined high rock promontory that cuddles the calm and wide expanse of the blue waters.

Cities

¤ Getting There:

Air
Trivandrum is the state capital of Kerala. It is connected to the major airport in India. Major airports in India includes Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Trivandrum is an international airport and there is considerate to Gulf countries. Kochi and Calicut are the other two airports which connects the capital city with other cities.

Kerala Travel