Full moon above Mount Kanchenjunga

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Full moon above Mount Kanchenjunga
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INDIA
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Passports and Visas
All foreign nationals require visa to enter
India. However, there are some relaxations for
Bhutanese and Nepalese nationals. Details and
types of visa and the fee may be obtained from
the Embassy of India.
Information for Tours which offers trekking and
mountaineering expeditions to India.
1. Where the proposed tour includes any point
above 6000 mtrs, visa may be given only after
receiving the formal clearance from the Indian
Mountaineering Federation.
2. Where the proposed tour is for areas below
6000 mtrs. the visa applications should be
accompanied by an itinerary indicating days and
places to be visited along with their height, a
map of the proposed area with the distinct
markings of the places to be visited and a copy
of the brochure outlining the tour highlights.
These details are required to ensure that the
proposed tour does not violate the mandatory
conditions laid down by the IMF.
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Restricted Protected Areas Certain parts of the
country need special permits before they can be
visited. These permits are issued by
NAGALAND 1. Under Secretary, Ministry of Home
Affairs, Foreigners Division, Lok Nayak Bhavan,
Khan Market, New Delhi 2. Directorate of
Tourism, Nagaland, Kohima, Phone- 91 (370)
21607/ 22214/ 21945 3. Secretary, Tourism,
Nagaland, Kohima, Tele-Fax- 91 (370) 33067
ARUNACHAL PRADESH AND MIZORAM Under Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division,
Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi 110 003
at least 4weeks before the date of the expected
visit. SIKKIM Certain areas of Sikkim have
been declared as restricted areas. Permits can
be issued by all Indian Missions abroad, all
FRROs, Immigration Officers at Airports at
Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai and New Delhi. Manipur.
MANIPUR Manipur has also been opened to foreign
tourists permits can be issued by all Missions
abroad, all FRROs, Home Commissioner, Manipur,
Imphal. ANDAMAN NICOBAR ISLANDS Individual
foreign tourists can visit Port Blair Municipal
Area, Havelock Island, Long Island, Neil
Island, Mayabunder, Diglipur, Rangat, where a
night halt is allowed and Jolly Buoy, South
Cinque, Red Skin, Mount Harriet, Madhuban where
only day visits are allowed. Prior permit is
necessary. LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS Only Bangaram
and Subeli Islands are open to foreign tourists.
Permits are required, obtainable from
the Lakshadweep Administration, Wellington
Island, Harbour Road, Kochi -3.
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Health Regulation Yellow fever Any person
(including infants) arriving by air or sea
without a certificate is detained in insulation
for a period up to 6 days if arriving within 6
days of departing from an infected area.
Malaria risk exists throughout the year in the
whole country excluding parts of the States of
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir and Sikkim. No
certificate required, but a course of
anti-malaria pills is recommended.
Drinking water Bottled water is available and
usually provided in flasks in hotel rooms. For
people with delicate digestive systems. It is
advisable to use bottled mineral water, this is
widely available. Medical It is advisable to
bring specific medicines. There are state
operated facilities in all towns and cities and
private consultants and specialists in urban
areas.
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Language The official language is Hindi in the
Devanagri script. The States are free to decide
their own regional languages for internal
administration and education, so there are 18
official languages spoken throughout the country.
English is widely spoken.
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Tip It is usual to tip waiters, porters, guides
and drivers. Tips are not included in the bill.
Guides Trained English speaking guides are
available at fixed charges at all important
tourist centres. The Govt. of India Tourist
Offices can be contacted by tourists for the
services of approved guides. French, Italian,
Spanish, German, Russian and Japanese speaking
guides are available at some cities. Unapproved
guides are not permitted to enter protected
monuments, and tourists are, therefore, advised
to ask the guides for the identity card issued by
the Department of Tourism, Govt. of India.
Time GMT 5 1/2 hours.
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Electricity Voltage in most places is 220 volts
AC, 50 cycles, although some areas also have DC
supplies

• Photography
• Special permission of the Archaeological Survey
  of India, New Delhi, is required for use of
  tripod and artificial light.
• Photography in the wildlife sanctuaries is
  allowed on payment of a prescribed fee.
  Photography is prohibited in tribal areas.

Communications Fax/Telex/Telegram International
24-hours service from large hotels and telegraph
offices in major cities. Telephone Telephone
calls to most countries are now direct. There are
telephone facilities between the most cities and
towns. The international direct dialing code for
India is 91.
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Money Currency Rupee 100 Paise. Coins are in
denominations of 10, 25 50 Paise l, 2 5
Rupees. Notes are in denominations of Rs 1, 2,
5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500.
Money Currency Rupee 100 Paise. Coins are in
denominations of 10, 25 50 Paise l, 2 5
Rupees. Notes are in denominations of
Rs 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000.
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Currency Regulations There are no restrictions
on the amount of foreign currency or travelers
cheques a tourist may import, provided a
Declaration Form is completed on arrival, This
will facilitate the exchange of imported currency
as well as the export of unspent currency on
departure. Cash, bank notes and travelers
cheques up to US 2,500 or equivalent need not be
declared at the time of entry. Any money in the
form of travellers cheques, drafts, bills,
cheques, etc. which tourists wish to convert into
Indian currency should be exchanged only through
authorised money changers. There are 24 hour
exchange facilities available at all big cites
and international airports.
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Custom Regulations All personal objects which are
required in India are free from duty. Under this
heading fall personal jewelry, presents up to a
value of Rs. 600, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars and
0.95 l alcoholic beverages. Professional material
and articles which have a high value can only be
imported duty free if the traveler gives a
written undertaking that these articles will be
re-exported. Airport Tax Passengers embarking
on journey to any place outside India will have
to pay an airport tax of Rs. 500. For journey to
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
and the Maledives Rs. 150. Generally airport
tax is included in the airfare.
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Public Holidays There are many festivals and
special events in India, but only a few of these
are full public holidays. These are 26 Jan
Republic Day, 15 Aug. Independence Day, 2 Oct.
Mahatma Gandhis Birthday.
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Weather and Climate Hot tropical weather with
variations from region to region. Coolest weather
lasts from November to mid-March, with cool,
fresh mornings and evenings and dry, sunny days.
Really hot weather, when it is dry, dusty and
unpleasant, is between April and June. Monsoon
rains occur in most regions in summer between
June and September.
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India Facts - General
India Facts - General

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• India Facts - Social
• Politics
• Largest secular parliamentarian democracy of the
  world
• 35 States and Union Territories
• Languages
• 16 regional languages
• Official language are Hindi and English
• Religions

• History
• 5000 Years of History
• 2300 Years of Cultural exchange with Europe
• 60 Years of independence 15. August 1997
• In addition to the British social and cultural
  influence, the Portuguese and the French have
  also left their hallmark in Goa and Pondicherry.

RELIGION

• Politics
• Largest secular parliamentarian democracy of the
  world
• 35 Union states and -territories
• Languages
• 16 regional languages
• Official language are Hindi and English

History

• 5000 Years of History
• 2300 Years of Cultural exchange with Europe
• 50 Years of independence 15. August 1997
• In addition to the british social and cultural
  influence, the Portuguese and the French have
  also left their hallmark in Goa and Pondicherry.

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Festivals and Fairs The Indian calendar is a
long procession of festivals if you can find
yourself in the right place at the right time, it
is possible to go through your visit with a
festival each day. The harvest festivals of the
south, the immersion of Ganesh in Mumbai
(Bombay), the car Festival of Puri, snake-boat
races in Kerala, Republic Day in Delhi... every
region, every religion has something to
celebrate.
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                                          The
Indian craftsman has been perfecting his art for
centuries, passing down traditions and techniques
from generation to generation. Each region has
its own specialties, each town its own local
craftsmen, its own particular skills. The results
is a consummate blend of ancient skills and
modern aesthetics. Silks, spices, jewellery and
many other Indian products have long been famous
and widely desired, and merchants would travel
thousands of miles, willingly enduring the
hardships and privations of the long journey in
other to make their purchases. Nowadays, the
marketplaces of the subcontinent are only 9 hours
away, and for fabrics, silverware, carpets,
leatherwork, antiques the list is endless India
is a shopping paradise. Goods are exotic,
attractive, beautiful hand-crafted and excellent
value for money. Half the fun when buying goods
in the bazaars is the bargaining, and you can
always check for reasonable prices at state-run
emporiums. Below are some of the best buys,
either for the souvenir hunter or the
connoisseur.
SHOPPING
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Cuisine The unforgettable aroma of India is not
just the heavy scent of jasmine and roses on the
warm air. It is also the fragrance of spices so
important to Indian cooking - especially to
preparing curry. The world "curry" is an English
derivative of "kari", meaning soice sauce, but
curry does not, in India, come as a powder. It is
the subtle and delicate blending of spices such
as turmeric, cardamom, ginger, coriander, nutmeg
and poppy seed. Like an artists palette of oil
paints, the Indian cook has some twenty-five
spices (freshly ground as required) with which to
mix the recognized combinations or "masalas".
Many of these spices are also noted for their
medicinal properties. They, like the basic
ingredient, vary from region to region. Although
not all Hindus are vegetarians, you will probably
eat more vegetable dishes than is common in
Europe, particularly in South India. Indian
vegetables are cheap, varied and plentiful and
superbly cooked.                      Broadly
speaking, meat dishes are more common in the
north, notably Rogan Josh (curried lamb),
Gushtaba (spicey meat balls in yoghurt), and the
delicious Biriyani (chicken or lamb in orange
flavoured rice, sprinkled with sugar and rose
water). Mughlai cuisine is rich, creamy,
deliciously spiced and liberally sprinkled with
nuts and saffron. The ever popular Tandoori
cooking (chicken, meat or fish marinated in herbs
and baked in a clay oven) and kebabs are also
northern cuisine.
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Dance and Music                           India
n music (Hindustani in the north and Carnatic in
the south) has been evolving as part of Indias
culture for centuries. Aspects of musical from
such as tonal intervals, harmonies and rhythmical
patterns are the unique products of a wealth of
musical traditions and influences they are also
very different from those familiar in the west.
Much of the music recalls Indian fables and
legends, as well as celebrating the seasonal
rhythms of nature. Indian dancing, similarly
unique and timeless, is also widely performed
throughout the country, either at major festivals
and recitals, or at the many cultural shows which
are staged in hotels.
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Wildlife Sanctuaries                           
                       The Indian peninsula is a
continent in itself, whose geographical diversity
has encouraged the flourishing of a whole range
of wildlife with over 350 species of mammals and
1200 species of birds in the country. While there
is an overlap in the habitats of many species,
each region has something special to offer - the
hangul is restricted to the valley of Kashmir in
northern India, the rhino is found in North-East
states of India and pockets along the Brahmaputra
river area, the black langur in the western
ghats, and western India is the home of the last
remaining Asiatic Lions. Two of India's most
impressive animals, the Bengal/Indian Tiger and
the Asiatic Elephant are found in most regions,
The tiger originated in Central Asia and migrated
over the great Himalayas to the dense tropical
forests, adapting itself well to the plains.
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Ayurveda "A gateway to Indian Medical Heritage."
                              Ayurveda in
Sanskrit means "the science of Life". It is an
ancient, unfailing system of treatment based on
medicines prepared from herbal plants found in
abundance in India. Ayurveda is an integral part
of the people of India. In the recent years this
ancient knowledge system of medicine has gained
global acceptance especially for alternative ways
of preventive, curative and rejuvenative
processes making life a more pleasurable
experience. We can find historical evidence of
Ayurveda in the ancient books of wisdom known as
the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparation
were mentioned that could be used to assist an
individual in overcoming various ailments. The
Rig Veda was written over 6,000 years ago, but
really Ayurveda has been around even longer than
that.
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• Dos Donts
• DOs
• All foreign tourists must pay hotel bills in
  foreign currency. This can be paid in rupees if
  the tourist has a bank receipt as proof of
  currency exchange
• Exchange money only through authorised banks and
  money changers
• Insist on a receipt when exchanging money
• Retain all receipts to facilitate re-conversion
  of unspent money on departure from India
• Shopping recommended from Government Emporia and
  suggested shops on the list of Dept. of Tourism
• Export of most wildlife and their products is
  either banned or strictly regulated.
• Try to avoid the touts and brokers of
  shopkeepers
• It is obligatory to cover your head before
  entering Sikh shrines
• DONTs
• Dont get lured by shopping bargains on the
  street
• Dont purchase travel tickets through strangers
  or unauthorised travel agents
• Dont encourage beggars by giving them money or
  other articles
• Dont buy silver / ivory articles or peacock
  feathers in bulk
• Dont wear any footwear inside any places of
  worship. Some temples do not permit leather
  articles to be taken in

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