India General Information

India is a country of various cultures and traditions. India is a triangle with the top formed by the mighty Himalayan Mountain chain. Here you will find the intriguing Tibetan region and the astonishingly beautiful Himalayan areas of Kashmir (The Heaven on Earth), Himachal Pradesh, Gharwal, Darjeeling, Sikkim. South of this is the capital city, New Delhi, and important tourist attractions like Agra (TajMahal), Khajuraho, Varanasi and the Holy Ganges.

India is a country of various Religions, Cultures and Languages. Though there are many religions in India you can find "UNITY IN DIVERSITY" among the people of India. That's why India is called a Secular State.Hinduism dates from 1500 BC, its precepts being defined in the Bhagwat Gita, Vedas and The Upanishads. By the 11th and 12th centuries AD, Hinduism was priest-dominated and tied down by the unrelenting caste system.
The intellectual ferment in Asia during the 6th century BC, produced new religious thought. Buddha and Mahavir founded two distinct religious systems, both based on the sanctity of life- `ahimsa' (non-violence).Islam was brought to India in the 8th century by traders and missionaries, Islam became a dominant religious force during the time of the Mughul Empire.

Christianity came to India long before Vasco da Gama. There are Christian communities, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, throughout India and among the many churches there are a number which are of historical and architectural interest as well as of religious significance.One of the recent faiths of India is Sikhism. It was founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab, in the 15th century. The main shrine of Sikh's, The Golden Temple Situated in Amritsar (Punjab) is a famous landmark in India.Judaism and Zoroastrianism had a massive and positive influence on the Indian masses. These two religious groups found their shelter on the West Coast of India. These were known as the Bene Israel Jews and Parsis respectively.

 

Weather condition of India

In a country where topography varies wildly, climatic conditions are only bound to vary wildly too.
Classified as a hot tropical country by many, that is a definition that holds true for most of but not all of India. Exceptions include the northern states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir in the north and Sikkim in the northeastern hills.

In most of India summer is hot. It begins in April and continues till the beginning of October. The heat peaks in June with temperatures in the northern plains and the west soaring above 46° C. The monsoons hit the country during this period too, beginning 1st of June when they are supposed to find the Kerala coast. Moisture laden trade winds sweep the country bringing relief to a parched northern India but devastation in the east where the rivers Brahmaputra and Ganga flood annually. Tamil Nadu in the south receives rainfall between October and December, beneficiary of the retreating monsoons.

India’s extensive coastline lies almost entirely below the Tropic of Cancer. The coast is usually warm and moist, prone to heavy rains in the monsoons and high summer temperatures. The eastern coast is vulnerable to cyclones. Winters here are mild and pleasantly sunny.

Hill Stations are the happy peculiarity that came up here when British wives and officers needed to flee the oppressive heat and malaria of the plains. Quaint towns that buzz along "mall roads", tucked away in hills all over India, they are now weekend getaways at the height of summer for families and couples from India’s cities.

The plains in the north and even the barren countryside of Rajasthan reel under a cold wave every year in December-January. Minimum temperatures could dip below 4° C but maximum temperatures usually do not fall lower than 12° C. In the northern high altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, it snows through the winter and even summer months are only mildly warm.

The east receives rain from April to August. September to November is relatively dry and the region only has sporadic showers. There are winter rains in December and January. This abates for two months and then it’s time for the monsoon season yet again. The central plateau has similar climate to the north but the mercury does not dip as low in winter. It rains from mid-June to September.

 

Religion of India:

With the origins of Hinduism and Buddhism in India, religion is considered to be extremely important. Of the two religions, Hinduism is infinitely more popular, with an incredible 82 percent of the population practicing it. Within this majority, there are significant differences in the belief systems and caste divisions. Although there is division in some areas of Hinduism, there are many areas in common. They will all go to the pilgrimage sites, coming from all over India and will- if they go to a Brahman priest for birth, marriage and/or death rituals- hear the same Sanskrit verses from hundreds of years ago.