India in World Map

India is the largest country in the Indian Subcontinent in the south of Asia. Though it's the seventh largest country in the world by area, it's second only to China in population. India prides itself on being the largest democracy on earth (by population). It's also an extremely diverse country, with vast differences in geography, climate, culture, language and ethnicity across its expanse.

Regions of India

India is administratively divided into 28 states and 7 union territories. The states are broadly demarcated on linguistic lines. They vary in size; the larger ones are bigger and more diverse than some countries of Europe. The union territories are smaller than the states - sometimes they are just one city - and they have much less autonomy.

These states and union territories are grouped by convention into the following regions.

Himalayan North — Mountainous and beautiful, a tourist destination for the adventurous and the spiritual. This region contains some of India's most visited hill-stations and religious places. Also includes the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir

The Plains — India's Hindi-speaking heartland. The country's capital New Delhi is here. The rivers Ganga and Yamuna flow through this plain. Many of the events that shaped India's history took place here.

The West — deserts and beautiful cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Goa, vibrant and biggest Indian city Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), wonderful beaches and Bollywood (Indian film industry in Bombay)

The South — colorful Hindu temples, tropical forests, Backwaters of Kerala, beaches and ghats of Karnataka and islands off the mainland.

The East — India's mostly rural region, its largest city Calcutta (now known as Kolkata), the temple cities of Puri of Lord Jagannath fame and Bhubaneswar, both in Orissa.

The North-East — remote and sensitive, the country's tribal corner, with beautiful landscapes and famous for Tea Gardens.

Indian Cities

India has many large and famous cities; below is a list of nine of the most well-known. Other cities are listed under their specific regional section.

Large cities

India's largest cities, listed below, are known as metros.

• New Delhi, the Capital of Ancient Bharat and Modern India - The political capital of India
  
  
• Calcutta (Kolkata) — cultural capital of India, biggest port of East India known as City of Joy.
  
  
• Jaipur Capital of Rajasthan, Worrier city of Rajputs also known as pink city.
  
  
• Ahmedabad — known as Textile Capital of India - located in Gujarat.
  
  
• Bangalore — Garden City, Pub City, Silicon Valley of India, Land of Silk, Gold, Sandal Wood, Incense etc.
  
  
• Chennai (Madras) — main port in South India, cradle of Carnatic Music and Barathanatiyam, Home of famous Marina Beach, Automobile Capital of India.
  
  
• Cochin — queen of Arabian sea, spice trade and tourism - industrial hub of state of Kerala.
  
  
• Hyderabad — Pearl city of India, and part of the Silicon Plateau with Bangalore
  
  
• Mumbai (Formerly Bombay) — the financial capital of India, "Bollywood" (Indian Film Industry's hub)
  
  
• Pune — Maharashtra's cultural capital.

Other destinations

Landmarks:

India has many outstanding landmarks. Below are four of the most notable that are not in a large city nor a sacred site.

• Taj Mahal — Agra, Uttar Pradesh
  
  
• Historical Ruins — Hampi, Karnataka
  
  
• Mysore Palace — Mysore, Karnataka
  
  
• The Mall - Victorian heritage — Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

Sacred sites:

As the birthplace of several world religions, India is home to many sacred and holy sites. Below is a list of nine of the most notable. For other sacred sites refer to regional articles.

• Amritsar, Punjab — The Golden Temple, Sikh holy city
  
  
• Bodh Gaya, Bihar — the place where the Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment.
  
  
• Gangotri, Uttaranchal — Origin of the Ganges (mother Ganga) in the Himalayas
  
  
• Haridwar, Uttaranchal — Gateway to the GOD
  
  
• Shravanabelagola, Karnataka — one of the most sacred places for Jains.
  
  
• Swamithoppe, Tamil Nadu — the most important and one among the five sacred places (Panch Pathi) for Ayyavazhis and the religious head quarters of Ayyavazhi worship centers.
  
  
• Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh — one of the most sacred places for Hindus with Golden Temple on Seven Hills.
  
  
• Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh — A sacred Hindu city located on the banks of the Ganges.
  
  
• Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh — Birth Place of Lord Krishna
  
  
• National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

India mixes ancient civilizations, fascinating religions, 22 official languages and over 200 other languages and dialects, monuments and cultures with modern technology, economy, and media.

History Indians date their history from the Vedic Period which historians place between 2000 and 1000 BC. This is the period when the Vedas, the oldest and holiest books of Hinduism, were compiled. The earliest archaeological traces are from the Indus Valley Civilization which peaked around 1800 BC before declining and disappearing around 1500 BC, possibly due to a drought. The excavations reveal an extremely advanced urban civilization, with no evidence of weapons or fortifications. There is a major dispute over whether Vedic people were the same as the Indus Valley people, with the majority of the historians arguing that they were later migrants, who encountered a civilization in decline and perhaps hastened that decline. The minority view says that the Indus Valley people were in fact the Vedic people.

The Vedic civilization influences India to this day. The roots of present-day Hinduism lie in them. Some rituals of Hinduism took shape during that period. Most North-Indian languages come from Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas. These languages together with Sanskrit are members of the Indo-European group of languages. In the 1st millennium BC, various schools of thought in philosophy developed, enriching Hinduism greatly. Most of them claimed to derive from the Vedas. However, two of these schools - Buddhism and Jainism - questioned the authority of the Vedas and they are now recognized as separate religions.

Many great empires were formed between 500 BC and AD 500. Notable among them were the Mauryas and the Guptas. This period saw a gradual decline of Buddhism and Jainism. The practice of Buddhism, in particular, disappeared from the Indian mainland, though Buddha himself was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon. Jainism continues to be practised by a significant number who are ambivalent about whether they consider themselves Hindus or not.

Geography Mountains, jungles, deserts and beaches, India has it all. It is bounded to the north, northeast and northwest by the snow-capped Himalayas, the largest mountain range in the world. In addition to protecting the country from invaders, they also fed the perennial rivers Ganga, Yamuna (Jamuna) and Sindhu (Indus) on whose plains India's civilization flourished. Though most of the Sindhu is in Pakistan now, five of its tributaries flow through Punjab. The other Himalayan river, the Brahmaputra flows through the northeast, mostly through Assam.

South of Punjab lies the Aravalli range which cuts Rajasthan into two. The western half of Rajasthan is occupied by the Thar desert. The Vindhyas cut across Central India, particularly through Madhya Pradesh and signify the start of the Deccan plateau, which covers almost the whole of the southern peninsula. It is bounded by the Sahyadri range to the west and the Eastern Ghats to the east. The plateau is more arid than the plains, as the rivers that feed the area, such as the Narmada, Godavari and the Kaveri run dry during the summer. Towards the northeast of the Deccan plateau is what used to be a thickly forested area called the Dandakaranya which covers the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, the eastern edge of Maharashtra and the northern tip of Andhra Pradesh. This area is still forested, poverty stricken and populated by tribals. This forest acted as a barrier to the invasion of South India.

India has a long coastline. The west coast borders the Arabian Sea and the east coast the Bay of Bengal, both parts of the Indian Ocean.

Climate In India, it rains only during a specific time of the year. 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. The Southwest monsoon is the more important one, as it causes rains over most parts of the country, and is the crucial variable that decides how the crops (and therefore the economy) will do. It lasts from June to September. It hits the west coast the most, as crossing the western ghats and reaching the rest of India is an uphill task for the winds. The western coastline is therefore much greener than the interior. The Northeast monsoon hits the east coast between October and February, mostly in the form of occasional cyclones which cause much devastation every year. The only region that gets rains from both monsoons is Northeastern India, which consequently experiences the highest rainfall in the world.

India experiences at least three seasons a year, Summer, Rainy Season (or "Monsoon") and Winter, though in the tropical South calling the 25°C (75°F) weather "Winter" would be stretching the concept. The North experiences some extremes of heat in Summer and cold in Winter, but except in the Himalayan regions, snow is almost unheard of. November to January is the winter season and April and May are the hot months when everyone eagerly awaits the rains. There is also a brief spring in February and March, especially in North India.

Opinions are divided on whether any part of India actually experiences an Autumn, but the ancients had certainly identified such a season among the six seasons ( or ritus - Vasanta - Spring, Greeshma - Summer, Varsha - Rainy, Sharat - Autumn, Shishira - Winter, Hemanta - "Mild Winter") they had divided the year into.

Culture "Atithi Devo Bhavah"

Increadible India

India's tourism ministry has started a programme to sensitise and train participants of the tourism industry to show more courtesy and to display sensitivity to the needs of tourists. It has named the initiative Atithi Devo Bhavah, which is an ancient Indian dictum meaning "Guest is a God". The term will develop as a brand, to certify that a service provider ensures a certain minimum level of quality. Look out for the badge or sticker with these words when you are searching for taxi drivers, tour operators, etc.

India has a rich diversity of culture and tradition. It's probably the only country where people of so many different origins, religious beliefs, languages and ethnic background coexist.

Holidays There are three national holidays (Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti) which occur on the same day every year. Most other religious holidays occur on different days, because the Hindu and Islamic festivals are based on their respective calendars and not on the Gregorian calendar.

Here is a list of important holidays. The dates given are correct for 2007. Not all holidays are celebrated with equal fervour, or celebrated at all in all regions of the country. Different regions might give somewhat different names to the same festival. Check the state or city you are visiting for information on whether there will be closures. To cater to varying religious practices, offices have a list of optional holidays (called restricted holidays by the government) from which employees are allowed to pick two, in addition to the list of fixed holidays. This may means thin attendance and delayed service even when the office is officially open.

• January 1 — New Year's day. Not an official holiday, but thin attendance because of partying the previous night. Also Id ul Zuha, Islamic festival, might be an optional holiday.
• January 20 — Muharram, Islamic new year. Might be an optional holiday.
• January 26 — Republic Day -Celebrates the adoption of the constitution and the day India became a republic
• February 15 — Maha Shivaratri. Optional holiday, no disruptions.
• March 3 — Holi - The festival of color. Stay away from the streets unless you want to be drenched in water and showered with colored powder. Mostly friendly...
• March 20 — Ugadi/Gudi Padwa. New year according to the Hindu lunar calendar. Some religious observances, no major disruptions.
• March 27 — Ram Navami. Birthday of Lord Rama. Some religious observances, no major disruptions.
• April 6 — Good Friday. Christian festival, may be an optional holiday.
• April 14 — New Year per Hindu Solar calendar. Some religious observances, no major disruptions.
• May 1 — Martyr's Day / Labour Day. Holiday in most offices.
• May 2 — Buddha Purnima, birthday of Buddha. Some religious observances, an optional holiday.
• August 15 — Independence Day - Celebrates the birth of independent India
• August 28 — Raksha Bandhan. Sisters tie the rakhi or the sacred thread of love on their brothers' wrists and the brothers give gifts and promises of protection in return. Holiday in North India.
• September 3 — Krishna Janmashtami/Gokulashtami - Celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna
• September 15 — Vinayaka (Ganesha) Chathurthi - Celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. The most important festival in Maharashtra. Festivities go on for 10 days during which the idol of Ganesha (or Ganpati) is worshipped at homes and every street corner. On the tenth day (or earlier in some cases) it is ceremonially immersed in the sea or a lake after being taken out in a lavish procession. A sight to watch, but traffic is disrupted for those days in cities like Mumbai and Pune.
• October 2 — Gandhi Jayanti - birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. National holiday.
• October 14 — Ramzan-Id/Id-ul-Fitr. Muslim religious observances. Holiday in many places.
• October 21 — Dussera/Ayudha pooja - locals worship the deity Durga and perform pooja for their objects of daily use. Workers are given sweets, cash bonuses, gifts, new clothes etc. It is also new year for businessmen, when they are supposed to start new account books. The nine nights of Navratri before this comprise the second most important festival in India. In some places like West Bengal, it is the most important festival. There Goddess Durga gets the same treatment that Ganesha gets in Maharashtra (see above). In the north Ram Lila celebrations take place and the slaying of Ravana by Lord Rama is ceremonially reenacted.
• November 9 — Deepawali (or Diwali) - Festival of lights, celebrates the slaying of the demon Narakasura. Probably the most lavish festival in the country, reminiscent (to US travellers at least) of Thanksgiving (the food) and Christmas (the shopping and gifts) combined. This is by far the most spectacular festival of all: houses are decorated, there is glitter everywhere, and if you wander the streets on Deepawali night, there will be firecrackers going off everywhere including sometimes under your feet.
• December 21 — Id ul Zuha, Islamic festival, might be an optional holiday. (Twice in 2007, because the Islamic lunar calendar has only 354 days.)
• December 25 — Christmas. Religious observances, holiday.