The Republic of India is a major country in South Asia. It covers 3,287,263 sq km (1,269,219 sq mi) and has a population of 1.2 billion people. India is the 7th largest country in the world, while in terms of area. It is also the second most populous country in the world after China, but with a birth rate of 23 per 1000 versus China's 13.1 per 1000 (according to United Nations), the population of India is growing at a much faster rate than China's.
Guide to India Hotels
Here's a list of hotels in India, city by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map and evaluation. Spend a little time going through the list to find the hotel that suits you best. Pick the hotel and view the rates offered by different booking sites. Then select the site that offers the best rate, according to the date of your stay, length and room type.
More about India
India shares land borders with Bhutan, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan. It is also the closest neighbour of Sri Lanka. Union territories of India include the Laccadive Islands (now written as Lakshadweep) in the Arabian Sea, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the Andaman Sea, south of Myanmar.
Street-side vendor in India (17 November 2004)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
The whole of India is five and a half hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+5:30). The official currency of the country is the Indian rupee (INR). Hindi and English are the official languages, although many regional languages are also recognised. Traffic is driven on the left in India, similar to Britain. The phone IDD code for India is +91.
India is a huge country with a lot of things to see, do, and experience. To many first-time visitors, India can come across as quite a shock, but after a while, you begin to accept the country for what it is, and begin to appreciate the many wonders and pleasures that come with making a visit there.
Sunset at Pushkar Lake
Author: Ekabhishek (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zedzap/) (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
India has the 11th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the 4th largest by purchasing power parity. Since the introduction of market-based economic reforms in 1991, it is also one of the fastest growing major economies in the world, despite the existence in India of a gulf between the very rich and the absolute poor. In 2010, India had an estimated nominal GDP of $1.538 trillion, equivalent to a per capita nominal GDP of $1,265. Its per capita GDP at purchasing power parity stood at $3,339.
India is a founding member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation and the G20 industrial nations.
Gateway and Great Stupa of Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh
Author: Tom Maloney (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
India comprises 28 states and 7 union territories. New Delhi, a metropolis of 13.8 million people, was chosen by the British to be the capital of the then British India in 1911, and it has held the position ever since. New Delhi was designed by the British to the south of the Old City of Delhi which established by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
India sits atop the Indian tectonic plate. It has 7,517 kilometers of coastline of which 5,423 (3,400 mi) is along the Indian peninsula, while the remaining 2,094 km belong to the Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. The Ganges and Brahmaputra are the two important rivers of India. The Ganges is regarded as a sacred river to the Hindus, as is the Yamuna, one of its major tributary.
The climate of India is influence by the Himalayan mountain range and the Thar Desert. The Himalayas form a natural barrier that prevents the cold Central Asian Katabatic wind from blowing in. This keeps India warmer than most places along the same latitude. The Thar Desert helps attract moisture-laden summer monsoon winds that blow between June and October. This provides the bulk of the rainfall of the country.
Kathakali dance
Author: yue (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Visiting India
India is a vast country. Tourism infrastructure can be described as uneven. The bulk of tourists to India do the "Golden Triangle" circuit between the cities of New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. This is the part of India most first-time tourists visit, and hence, it has better tourist infrastructure than other parts of India. But India is much more than that, and on this guide, I will take you to every region of the country. Your journey through India will probably start in Delhi. You will find that Delhi hotels offer great service and low rates.
India is not a gentrified society, and at times, tourists accustomed to the comfort of home will experience cultural shock. There are things and people to be wary of the whole time, from bottled water sold by the street side, to "helpful people" approaching you on the street. Having said that, to truly appreciate India, you need to expose yourself to life on the streets of India, rather than remain cocooned in your hotel room.
One of the alleyways - called gali - in Varanasi (16 November 2004)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Except if you're a citizen of Nepal or Bhutan, you will need a visa to enter India. Do check with the nearest embassy of India on the visa requirements for your country. For most nationals, a tourist visa lasting six months from the date of issue (not date of arrival) will be issued. Since 1 January, 2010, the nationals of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore can also get 30-day non-extendable visa-on-arrival at the airports in Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata, for US$60. If you are a US national, your India visa application is processed by Travisa , a third-party company outsourced by the Indian government.
Most international travelers to India arrive at the airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. These major cities have just unveiled a new airport (Bangalore in 2008, Delhi in 2010 in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games) or upgrading an existing one. In addition, the cities of Kolkata, Hyderabad and Goa also receive some international flights.
The main airlines serving domestic routes include flag-carrier Air India, as well as Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways. There are also other private operators including SpiceJet, IndiGo Airlines, Go Air and Kingfisher Red.
A good way to explore India is to travel by rail. The country has one of the biggest network of railway lines in the world, a legacy left behind by the British. It can be considered the safest way to discover India and at the same time get to know the people. Trains in India ranges from the basic to the luxurious. The tourist trains such as Palace on Wheels and Indian Maharaja feels like five-star hotels on rails. To buy your ticket, visit the Indian Railway's Online Reservation Service or the website of the respective tourist train (I will provide these under "Traveling by Train in India").
City Palace, Udaipur
Author: Richard Moross (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
The Cheerful Traveler
Something to cheer up your trip.
A bank manager was interviewing four very different applicants from his short list for the position of clerical. He devised a simple test to select the most suitable person for the job. He asked each applicant the question, 'What is two and two?' The first interviewee was a journalist. His answer was 'Twenty-two.' The second applicant was an engineer. He pulled out a slide rule and showed the answer to be between 3.999 and 4.001. The next person was a lawyer. He stated that in the case of Jenkins v Cromwell two and two was proven to be four. The last applicant was an accountant. When the bank manager asked him, 'How much is two and two?', the accountant got up from his chair, went over and closed the door. He came back, sat down, leaned across the desk and said in a low voice, 'How much do you want it to be?' He got the job.
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