Travelogue From India

India is the 7th largest country in the world but has a population second only to China.  It shares the Indian Subcontinent in South Asia with several other countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar and is divided up into 28 states and 7 smaller union territories.  India experiences three major seasons every year, summer, monsoon and winter, which is generally quite warm and which features snow only over the Himalayas.  India has 22 official languages, but, as it is a former British Colony, English is still widely spoken.  The Rupee is the Indian currency and, when in India, wise-buys would include paintings, jewelry and wooden, stone or marble carvings.  Indian cuisine is generally spicy and well-flavored and ranges from the fiery Andhra to the relatively bland Bengali.

India is an extremely diverse and fascinating country and offers a visitor much to see and do.  The most well known attraction is North India's Taj Mahal, that awe-inspiring mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, but there are plenty of other top-notch sights.  In East India, you will find the Black Pagoda Konark Sun Temple at Orissa.  This World Heritage temple dates back to the 13th century, was constructed entirely out of sandstone and takes the shape of a gigantic chariot.  With its extremely ornate carving that covers the entire temple surface, it is considered one of the Seven Wonders of India.

The city of Hyderabad in South India is home to the elegant Charminar Mosque, also called the Mosque of the Four Minarets because of its distinctive four towers.  Built in 1591 by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutab Shah to celebrate the eradication of the plague, the mosque is made of granite, lime, mortar and possibly crushed marble, and its delicate yet sturdy spires are an impressive 49m high.  And then there are the magnificent Elephanta Caves, which are located on the Arabian Sea's Elephanta Island that lies just off the West Indian coast.  Proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, this 60,000 square foot cave complex contains uncounted high-relief sculptures of Hindu Shaivistic gods and goddesses and was painstakingly created by the kings of the Silhara Dynasty over a period of 450 years between the 9th to the 13th centuries.

Exotic India has something to offer everyone and you will forever treasure your memories of your visit to this most dynamic and vibrant country.