Athidhi Devo Bhava

“The guest is God Himself” is the slogan upheld by the great men of yore that has been practiced throughout India till date. Every tourist to India is treated with awe and respect. This is one reason why more and more foreign tourists flow down to India.

Peace loving

There is a misapprehension about India among many outsiders – why, even among certain Indians outside. Yes, she is a terra firma of divergent and fabulous contradictions. Superstitious metaphysics, transcendental mysteries, black magic, witch-hunting, fortune telling – all co-exit with science and technology spearheading at amazing pace – on the face of the spontaneous explosion of multimedia. With over 110 crore of populace it cannot be otherwise. Nevertheless, it still is a peace loving and peaceful country.

The contrast

There is a story of a group of blind men who went to ‘see’ and understand an elephant. One who was led to its legs was convinced that an elephant was like a pillar. Another was taken towards its tail and by touching which he was appraised that an elephant was something like a broomstick. The one who touched its belly decided that an elephant was a wall-like substance. Everyone concluded on the basis of his inadequate experience. This is the cas with many who vouchsafe to know what India is. The real India is an altogether different reality.

The Heritage India is a confluence of many cultural heritages, many rich languages, several territorial and religious rituals, umpteen myths and legends, bounteous resources, many holy rivers and dales, mountain ranges and valleys, picturesque scenes etc. india’s history of civilization dates back to 7000 BC. A profound system of education existed in India and our universities of yore, Nalanda and Texila, attracted very many students from Europe and elsewhere.

The birth place of Wisdom India is a sacred land which gave birth to many great seers, saints, prophets and yogis. It is the land of saint-poet Valmiki, composer of the “Ramayana”, the first epic; poem ever written; of vyasa, the complier of 18 puranas, of Charaka and susruta, the codifier and practitioners of Ayurveda System of medicines and surgery respectively. India gave birth to Sankara, the spokesman of the Adwaita (non-duality) philosophy, panini, the first grammarian, etc. among others. It is told that Jesus Christ, during his exile, spent several years in Kashmir and learned yoga from our Acharyas. Self-realization has always been the pursuit of India although it never attached too much importance for mundane opulence and progress.

Non-violence India achieved independence during 1947, after several decades of foreign rule, through Satyagraha led by M.K. Gandhi ( Father of the Nation ) who advocated non-violence, truth and celibacy. India has never confiscated or invaded another country. She had never wished to war with others – neighbor or distant. We trust in tolerance and coexistence.

Diverisity

From east to west, and north to south, the people in India are different, their cultures are different, and their clothing, food and customs are different. They speak different languages.

There are hardly any countries on earth with such an enormous variety that India can offer.

India is a country of colour. This is reflected in all the rituals and festivities from the Himalayas to Kanyakumary. Holi one of festivals of India has a custom of pouring different colours and pumping coloured waters. Bhangda, the festical dance of Punjab has a costume of different colours. All the marriages in India whether it be of Gujarathy, Maharashtrian, Tamilian or Keralites is a commingling of various colours in cloths, decorations, food and even the procession parties. ‘Pookkalam’ a decoration of flower of various colours bedecked in the front courtyard of every household for 10 consecutive days during Onam season.

From the mighty Himalayn mountain top we can observe the intriguity Tibetian region of Ladakh and the astonishingly beautiful areas of Himachal Pradesh,

the Garwal of Uttar Pradesh, the Darjeeling and Sikkim regins. South of this is the flat Ganges basin with the resplendent and affluent Punjab to the north-west, the capital city Delhi and important tourist attractions like Agra, Khajuraho, Varanasi and the Holy Ganges. This plain reaches the sea at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal, aside Kolkotta.

South of this the Deccan plateau starts. Here you will find the rise and fall of the Hindu and Muslim kingdoms and the modern metropolis like Mumbai. Down south there are the historic twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad, the reverberating Chennai, with the embodiment of Dravidian culture. At the southwestern tip of India lies the narrow, beautiful “God’s own country – Kerala”.

Climate:

There are two extreme climates in Delhi and suburbs. From May to Septermber – unbearable hot while from December to February end unbearable cold. March - April and August to November are the good seasons to visit Delhi. In other parts of the country particularly in down south the climate is different. In Kerala there will be continuous rain from June to August/September.