Vedic period

The Vedic period is characterized by Indo-Aryan culture associated with the texts of Vedas, sacred to Hindus, which were orally composed in Vedic Sanskrit. The Vedas are some of the oldest extant texts, next to those of Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Vedic period lasted from about 1500 BCE to 500 BCE, laid the foundations of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society. The Aryas established Vedic civilization all over North India, and increasingly so in the Gangetic Plain.

This period was a result of immigrations of Indo-Aryan speaking tribes who called themselves Arya (ārya, Aryans). They overlaid the existing civilizations of local people whom they called Dasyus. The origin of Aryans are disputed, one stream of thought insists on their origin in Central Asia whereas another stream of thought says that they were already living in India since the times before Indus Valley civilisation as evidenced by some of the writings in Rig Veda. The Out of India theory even claims that Aryans emigrated from India to settle all of Central Asia and Europe. The late 19th century “Aryan Invasion theory” has long been substituted by scholars with a more nuanced theory of migrations, various scenarios of which are being presently researched.

Barren Island

Barren Island (Island Sterile) lies on the Sea Andamańskim, is one of the most advanced on the eastern islands Andamańskich. This is the only confirmed active volcano in southern Asia. Island along with the rest of Andamanów is part of Indian territory Andamanów and Nikobarów and lies some 135 km north-east of the capital Port Blair. The first recorded volcanic eruptions are dated for the year 1787. Since then, the volcano wybuchał more than six times as 2 May 2006.

After a year of further eruptions in 1787 were registered in the years 1789, 1795, 1803-1804 and 1852. Then followed nearly two centuries sleep until 1991. Eruption lasted six months and caused significant damage. Another eruption took place between the years 1994-1995 and the last in 2005, however, considered to be consistent from erupting in 2004 after the earthquake in the Indian Ocean.

Andamane

Andamane – lying archipelago in the Indian Ocean between the Gulf and Sea of Bengalþerna Andamańskim. It falls into the Indian territory of Andamane and Nicobar Islands.

Archipelago length of 352 km and a width to 51 km, consisting of 576 islands of which 26 are inhabited. Nikobarów separates them from the tenth Stage Channel. Andamane occupy an area of 6,408 square kilometers and an 314 239 inhabitants (2001). Capital city and main center of Port Blair.

The main part of the Great Andaman archipelago. This is focused in an area 251 km long group of islands, of which three largest are: North Andaman, Middle Andaman and South Andaman. To the east of it creates a group of smaller islands archipelago Ritchie, while the south is the fourth big island of Little Andaman archipelago, separated by the Straits pięćdziesięciokilometrową Duncan, acting principal route by sea islands. Farthest easternmost island in the archipelago, dismissed 135 km away from the Great Andamane, Barren Island is an island, which is the top active volcano. Geographically, the archipelago are among the Cocos Islands, territorially belonging to Burma. From the Indian Andamanów Strait separates them Kokosowa.

Andamane this mountainous island, surrounded by rafami koralowymi, covered by dense tropical forest. Were originally inhabited by indigenous peoples negroidalne, whose last representatives live in isolated nature reserves (see Andamane). On the islands there are numerous military installations.

26 December 2004 tsunami caused by a powerful earthquake with a force 9 on the Richter scale severely destroyed archipelago.

Restaurants

Tourists who have read or heard about exquisite cuisine of India, after his arrival in India is often disappointing food served by local restaurants. Menu, especially in small towns, it is not diversified and consists mostly of dishes of rice, lentils and vegetables.

In India there is a lot of restaurants specializing in European cuisine, but the quality of food served there differs from the commonly accepted standards. This applies to all small towns. Meals served in the restaurant wagons are cheap and tasty. Stopping the trains at stations oblegają crowds of vendors, offering drinks and something to eat. They work out around the clock, and often even sleeping at night travelers raises piercing cry: Chai! Chai! or Ah, coffeecoffeecoffee! These cries, how noisy characteristic of the Indian stations, to remain long in the memory of tourists.

Even the most cost effective tourists from time to time should allow themselves to elegant meal in the hotel or one of the luxury restaurant. Those which deters the amount of bill, let him compare the price, which for so delicious food would have to pay in Poland!

In most of the premises, called here dhaba or bhodźanalja, ordered dishes are prepared in the presence of customers, who can watch the cook work. Boil vegetables in the open fire throughout the day, it przybyszom from Europe, they probably spend too soft and spongy. Popular Indian dish – Dhal, prepared with lentils with sharp spices, you can usually get in these premises for free (you pay per however ćapati, parathę, puri and rice). The set consists of vegetables, dhalu and several kromek ćapati cost around 15 INR. To make a meal, you can ask for half portions of several dishes, for which he paid for it less respectively. When ordering extra spicy chutney along with free plates bulbs, gets a solid vegetarian meal for around 30 INR (if its composition is also included meat, the price is 40 INR). Stołujący in dworcowych restaurants and other low-cost premises should always check whether or not they are issued with too high a bill.

The dishes served in high-end luxury restaurants and guesthouses are compared with Polish prices – relatively cheap. In many high-class hotels, such as Umaid Bhavan clown in Dźodhpurze, guests pay a fixed price for the buffet, the use of any quantity of food. Especially recommended is the Lake Palace in Udajpurze, where for only $ 10 you can try any number of Indian culinary specialties and is one of the most beautiful corners of the country. The price includes the show dances and a fee for the ride by boat. It is a unique opportunity for tourists who do not have large amounts of cash and have something like wykwintnego.

Language

In India, more than 1,600 languages are spoken. In addition to the national official language Hindi and English, there are 21 regional languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

Of the 23 constitutional languages include Sixteen of the Indo-Aryan, four of the Dravidian (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam), one of the Asian Austro (Santali) and the Sino tibetoburmesischen or language family (Manipuri) to. Aggravating effect from the fact that most of the languages different type systems. While Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabi through a separate document characterizes are used for Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Konkani and Sanskrit a font for Bengali, Manipuri Assami and another as well as Urdu, Kashmiri Sindhi and a third, each of the three languages used by different writing systems through complementary, linguistically related to different characters. India is the country with the world’s most languages.

The attempts by the central government on regional Hindi as a lingua franca to establish in the north are only successful. One can roughly of Goa from a line drawn across the continent from the south from the people rather than traffic Tamil language. The result is that Indians from the north with the south speak English and vice versa. On ceremonial occasions there are no problems with English. The standard of education is, however, many very low, especially in the countryside or in less developed tourist towns can arge communication problems. In shops, restaurants, taxis and Rikshas there are no problems of principle but because the English skills usually at least for basic substantive exchanges rich.

Sports

India’s national sport is field hockey although cricket is the most popular sport in India. In some states, particularly those in the northeast and the states of West Bengal, Goa, and Kerala, football (soccer) is also a popular sport.

In recent times, tennis has also gained popularity. Chess, commonly held to have originated in India, is also gaining popularity with the rise in the number of Indian grandmasters. Traditional sports include kabaddi, kho kho, and gilli-danda, which are played nationwide. India is also home to the ancient martial arts, Kalarippayattu and Varma Kalai. Martial arts practised in neighboring countries are said to have been influenced by this country.

Kerala Backwaters

Fringing the coast of Kerala and winding far inland is a vast network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals. Travelling the backwaters is one of the highlights of a visit to Kerala. The larger boats are motorised but there are numerous smaller boats propelled by punting with a long bamboo pole.

The boats cross shallow, palm-fringed lakes studded with cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, and travel along narrow, shady canals where coir (coconut fibre), copra (dried coconut meat) and cashews are loaded onto boats. Along the way are small settlements where people live on narrow spits of reclaimed land only a few metres wide.

Although practically surrounded by water, they still manage to keep cows, pigs, chickens and ducks and cultivate small vegetable gardens. Prawns and fish, including the prized karimeen, are also farmed, and shellfish are dredged by hand to be later burnt with coal dust to produce lime.

A comprehensive listing of backwater tours throughout Kerala is available in the brochure The Backwaters of Kerala Tourist Guide , available from tourist offices. The brochure includes prices and telephone booking contacts. More information is available on their website.

When to Go

Climate plays a key factor in deciding when to visit India. Keep in mind that climatic conditions in the far north are distinctly different to those of the extreme south.

Generally, India’s climate is defined by three seasons – the hot, the wet (monsoon) and the cool, each of which can vary in duration from north to south. The most pleasant time to visit most places is during the cooler period: November to around mid-February.

The heat starts to build up on India’s northern plains from around February, and by April or May it really hots up, peaking in June. In central India temperatures of 45°C and above are commonplace. South India also becomes uncomfortably hot during this time.

Late in May the first signs of the monsoon are visible in some areas – high humidity, electrical storms, short rainstorms and dust storms that turn day into night. The hot season is the time to abandon the plains and head for the cooler hills, and this is when hill stations are at their best (and busiest).

When the monsoon finally arrives the rain comes in steadily, generally starting around 1 June in the extreme south and sweeping north to cover the whole country by early July. The main monsoon comes from the southwest, but the southeast coast (and southern Kerala) is largely affected by the short and surprisingly wet northeast monsoon, which brings rain from around October to early December.

Things don’t really cool down: at first hot, dry and dusty weather is simply replaced by hot, humid and muddy conditions. It doesn’t rain all day, but it generally rains every day. Followed by the sun this creates a fatiguing steam bath environment.

Around October the monsoon ends for most of the country. This is when India sees most tourists – however, it’s too late to visit Ladakh (May to October is the optimum period). During October and November it’s generally not too hot and not too cool (although October can still be hot and/or humid in some regions). In the thick of winter (around mid-December to mid-January), Delhi and other northern cities can become astonishingly cold, especially at night – and it’s bone-chilling in the far north. In the far south the temperatures become comfortably warm during this period.

It’s worth checking the dates of particular festivals – you may be attracted or repelled by the chaos (and jacked-up prices) that attend them. There are virtually no festivals in May/June. The wedding season falls between November and March, when you’re likely to see at least one lively procession through the streets.

New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital city of India. With a total area of mere 42.7 km², New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi and serves as the seat of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Planned by Edwin Lutyens, a leading 20th century British architect, New Delhi is known for its wide, tree-lined boulevards and houses numerous national institutions and landmarks as well.

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometers (4,671 mi). It borders Pakistan to the west;^[15] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.

Home to the Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.^[16] Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region’s diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became a modern nation state in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistance.

India is the world’s twelfth largest economy at market exchange rates and the fourth largest in purchasing power. Economic reforms have transformed it into the second fastest growing large economy; however, it still suffers from high levels of poverty,^[18] illiteracy, and malnutrition. A pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.