India Country Guide | Guide to India

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Country Guide India

India is a powerful shock to the senses; a full blooded assault of vibrancy and color. It's not for everyone and it's never what you expect but it can be so much more than you ever imagined. It's a country of contrast, of extremes. Of immense riches and abject poverty, of blistering heat and bitter cold. It's a land of mythology and celebration, of legend, religion and tradition.

From the size of the Maha Kumbh Mela – the 2001 festival in Allahabad attracted an estimated 100 million people over its 42 days – to the spectacle of Diwali – the festival of lights – to the exuberance of Holi – the festival of color – Indian celebrations are all out affairs. To profess to offer any more than a glimpse of the thousands of festivals celebrated in India each and every year would be an out and out lie. So take a look below at the tip of the iceberg. Enjoy!

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India Facts

Capital:

New Delhi

Population:

1,103,371,000

Currency:

Indian rupee (INR)

Religions:

Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Government:

federal republic

Languages:

English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language

Climate:

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Phone Code:

Festivals in India

Holi [article]

Navratri Festival [snippet]

Jaisalmer Desert Festival [photo gallery]

Holi - Festival of Colour [photo gallery]

Hare Krishna Festival [video]

Chennai International Film Festival [web site]

Pongal Festival [web site]

Click here for the full range of India festival articles, snippets, videos, photo galleries and links

Indian Reading

India is as spectacular and as diverse as a Bollywood movie - colourful, exuberant, exciting and loud. This top-selling guide is better than any blockbuster at conjuring up the highlights, be it soaring Himalayan peaks or sun-soaked Keralan beaches.

feast your eyes on the sights in our 16-page colour highlights section
tease your tastebuds with review of thousands of restaurants and cafes
meet and greet the locals using our handy language chapter
find your way with 218 maps, including a full-colour country map
follow the safest path with our vital information on health risks, scams and regions in conflict

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