Vacation Travel India

You can choose from several India tour packages but one of the most important parts of your travel must be getting to know the Indian people.

It would be almost impossible to pick out a single person as a typical Indian. The diversity among more than 1 billion citizens is mind-boggling: from the Adivasi societies of the Northeast to the Tamil-speakers of the South, this incredible array of humanity spices up the spectacle of crowd-watching. Any description of this huge variety of societies and cultures must, of necessity, be highly simplified, and for each assertion made there are bound to be many examples that contradict it.

India’s melting pot

At least six different sets of peoples converge in present-day India, after millennia of traders, conquerors, colonizers, mercenaries and missionaries that swept through South Asia from outside.

The first settlers are thought to be the forebears of the present-day Adivasis. These peoples still dwell in mountainous or jungle zones in a belt that stretches from Arunachal Pradesh’s high forests to India’s southern tip at Kanniyakumari.

The Dravidian-speaking peoples, who drove the Adivasis into the margins, away from plains lush with sugar cane and rice, now live mainly in the south Deccan. Apparently related to the pre-Hellenic Aegeans and Cretans, they brought the Harappan culture to its zenith at the cities of Harappa and Mohenjadaro. (The most impressive archaeological ruins are sited in what is now Pakistan.) The Dravidians were in turn pushed back by peoples who galloped into India from Central Asia and dominated the Indo-Gangetic plain from around 1,500 BC.

These new peoples were warriors and herdsmen who found the urban settlements of the Indus Valley peoples alien to their traditional way of life as nomadic herders. However, as they spread out across the plains of North India they began to settle in agricultural village communities. The language of their earliest writings, Sanskrit, and Latin share many root words and a basic grammar pattern, pointing to a common ancestry with peoples in southern Europe. From the Bharatas, a dominant Indo-European speaking people, comes Bharat, the official name for India - the “B” in BJP, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which won political power in the late 1990s.

This wave of invaders was followed by Arab Semites from the area now comprising Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. They settled in large numbers. Jews escaping from Nebuchadnezzar arrived around 600 BC at the Malabar coast and became spice traders. Refugee Zoroastrians fled from Persia in the 10th century, and ended up in Mumbai. Persecuted Baha’is from modern Iran arrived more recently. In the Himalayas and on the northeastern frontier with Burma (Myanmar), most peoples have more in common, in terms of both culture and history, with neighboring societies to the north and east than with people of the Hindi-speaking belt of the central plains. Added to these are several million Tibetans in exile, who have taken sanctuary in India since 1959 and cluster in mostly mountain communities, although there are some monasteries as far south as Karnataka.

Early European court visitors and explorers included Portuguese, Danes, British and French, and long-term settlers soon followed. Eurasians, as the offspring of many mixed marriages were called during the British Raj (often now known as Anglo-Indians), are acutely aware of the slightest skin tone variance even today. Bleaching away a suntan with harsh chemicals is a standard practice in beauty parlors. There are few coy euphemisms about racial distinctions in polite society because they are one obvious key to prestige. Yet ancestry is only one component of India’s complex social hierarchy.

Vivid multi-striped foreheads in earth tones of white, yellow, or saffron are not decoration, but a marking that denotes affiliation to a particular deity or a sign of religious devotion. They range from a simple tilak, a religious mark smeared with a vermilion-dipped thumb, to elaborate patterns daubed across the forehead. Don’t confuse these marks with the bindi (bhindhya, kum-kum, tikkaj, worn by women over their “third eye”. The round red forehead dot traditionally signifies that a woman is married. But the glittery stick-on bindis sold in the bazaar are decorative and just for fun. Grandmothers, teenagers, movie stars, and even babies wear bindis.

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Deccan peninsula

It was on the “table-tops” of the steep-sided hills of the black lava-covered Deccan that the Marathas built a series of impregnable fortresses. Cut across by the Krishna, Godavari and Kaveri rivers flowing east, the wet Karnataka plateau has dense sandal, teak and sissu forests, where elephants roam wild. The Telengana plateau to the east has only a thin cover of red lateritic soils with rocky humps between. Thorny scrub and wild Indian date palms grow on this soil. Tanks are built in the dried river channels to hold water when the rivers are briefly in flood. Here is the former princely state of Hyderabad, the pearl city, surrounded by vineyards.

Southwest of the plateau, separated from Kerala by the blue Nilgiris, with coffee and tea plantations, and the cloud-covered Palani Hills in the rain shadow, is the Coimbatore plateau, which extends east to the coast near Chennai. The Kaveri, which rises here, flows east into the Tamil Nadu plains. The fertile Kaveri delta is the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, its prosperity expressed in the exuberant temple architecture of towns such as Thanjavur.

Looking east

India’s stony east coast, with vast exposed spaces scattered with aloes and palm trees and swampy alluvial shores, merges northwards into the fertile deltaic lowlands of the Krishna, Godavari and Mahanadi rivers. Wooded forests replace fields of sugar cane and tobacco in places reached by the summer monsoon.

Replenishing itself in its passage over the Bay of Bengal, the southwest monsoon continues westwards along the wide Ganga plain and eastward along the Brahmaputra gorge.

Eastwards, the Brahmaputra Valley cuts across the Shillong plateau, by the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills, through the Assam-Burma range. The Brahmaputra swings across its wide valley in an immense rocky corridor. Tiny hamlets are surrounded by rice fields and tea plantations. On the slopes tussar silkworms are bred on mulberry trees, and pineapple plantations are prolific.

Mangrove delta

The Brahmaputra reaches the wet Ganga delta dominated by the port of Kolkata. Criss-crossed by the distributaries of an ever-growing delta, the mangrove forests offer cover for the endangered Bengal tiger. Inland, jungle has been cleared to cultivate barley and pulses.

Following the monsoon winds westwards comes the Middle Ganga plain where the annual rainfall decreases from 140 cm (55 inches) to 80 cm (31 inches) near Delhi. North of this plain are the foothills of the Himalaya across which the tributaries of the Ganga flow through steep reed-filled courses in sal forests. Here, as in the Dooars of Bengal, the Terai has jungles of sisoo and tamarisk that afford excellent hideouts for tigers.

When the now comparatively dry monsoon winds reach the upper course of the Ganga, the fields are ready for sowing. The canal-irrigated wheat plains of Punjab merge into the dry land of Haryana to the southwest. Delhi, the gateway to the Ganga plain, is located here. Northward, the foothill ridges of the Shivaliks and the gravel vales rise through ridges and valleys to the snowcapped peaks of the Himalaya. The ascent is from around 300-600 metres (980-1,960 ft) above the plain to 4,800 metres (15,750 ft) in the middle Himalaya where the peaks of Nanda Devi rise up to 7,000 metres (22,970 ft).

The Teesta Valley in the Eastern Himalaya lies opposite the Ganga delta at the head of which is Sikkim. Orchids and rhododendrons grow wild here and the musk deer and rhinoceros are found in these dense forests. The valleys are a patchwork of paddy fields, and on the terraced slopes are yellow maize and millet fields.

The Central Himalaya, in Himachal Pradesh, is a favourite for trekking and fishing. Here the golden snowcapped Dholadhar ranges separate the River Beas from the Ravi. At the head of the Beas are apple orchards and the Kullu Valley. Chir and deodar jungles enclose the sloping river terraces of the Sutlej, covered with potato and rice fields. From Kullu the traditional routes of the Bhutia shepherds enter the upland pastures of Ladakh. The lowest valleys of the Himalayan foothills, the Terai, are hot and sultry in summer and have heavy rainfall in July. Here the nomadic ways of the Bhutias are replaced by a settled pastoral economy on the forest edge, and farming in the valleys.

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There are several India tour packages available and if you’ve chosen the right one for you, it’s time to learn about the country itself.

The southwest monsoon dominates most of the country from late June to the end of September, bringing high humidity and heavy rain. As these winds retreat in October, the land dries out and humidity levels fall. The southeastern coasts, however, have rain and cyclonic squalls until January.

In November, with the strength of the sun diminishing, the winter season starts in the northern plain. Until February the weather remains cold (below 5°C/41°F) in the Himalaya and its foothills (where skiing is possible), pleasant in the plains (between 15°C/59°F and 20°C/68°F), and warm (above 20°C/68°F) in South India, except in the cooler uplands.

India’s summer, which runs from March to May, is hot and dry, with flurries of wind raising a dusty curtain over the northern plain and maximum daytime temperatures averaging 40°C (104CF). South India is sultry and hot but temperatures are usually bearable, between 27°C (80°F) and 29°C(84°F).

Come June, the intense heat of the northern plain causes the upper air currents to move north of the Himalaya and draw the monsoon across the entire country. Starting from the southwestern coast, it branches eastward and northward, and on reaching the Ganga delta follows the wide river valleys bounded by the Himalaya with its heavily forested foothills.

Luxuriant rainforests blanket the hills along the southwest coast, in Kerala, where the lowland lagoons are canopied by coconut trees. The coast stretches north to the estuarine plains of Goa where wide sunny beaches are lapped by the gentle waves of the Arabian Sea. The rest of the coast is mostly rocky, rising to the low red lateritic plateaus and then more steeply to the black, forest-covered slopes of the Western Ghats. Further north, in Kathiawar, the coast becomes salt-encrusted with marshy lowlands rich with flamingo.

Inland, open country covered with cotton and sunflower fields merges into rocky desert. From the Rann (saline marshlands) of Kutch in the west to the Luni River is the Great Desert, and further north between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur is the Little Desert. Here is open scrub country with rocky hills often capped by the forts of the Rajput kings. Wandering herds of sheep and goats, and camels carrying cotton and marble, are seen in this area.

Separating the desert from the Gangetic plain and the Deccan lava tableland are the rugged plateaus of Malwa, Bundelkhand and Rewa. Stony, harsh and covered with only a thin layer of soil, the plateau is drained by the Chambal, Ken and Betva rivers. Badlands are formed by the ravines made by the rivers, and fields of mustard and wheat form a patchwork of green and gold.

On the west, steeply rising from the plain to the lava plateau, is the Vindhya range of hills. The Narmada river, flowing through a narrow gorge, and the river Tapi, through a broad valley, are separated by the Satpura range. South of the Tapi are the hills housing the carved and painted caves at Ajanta and Ellora. At the mouth of the Tapi is the ancient port city of Surat, famous for its gold and silver brocade (zari). It was here, in 1608, that the British East India Company set up its first “factory”, as its trading centres were called.

By 15 June, the eastward-moving monsoon winds reach the Chota Nagpur plateau in Jhark-hand, which is drained by the Damodar. It is a wide plateau with conical and dome-shaped hills that look like gigantic bubbles.

During the three long monsoon months the brown forests of sal, bamboo and teak turn green and Adivasi peoples collect lac (the secretion of a forest insect) and mahua flowers. The steel city of Jamshedpur and the coal and iron-ore mines contribute to India’s increasing pollution and deforestation. The plateau is flanked in the east by the Rajmahal Hills, which descend steeply to the Ganga plain where the river takes a sharp bend to the sea.

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An integral part of your north India tour must be the food, especially the sweets. Often too sweet for the non-Indian palate, the huge array of Indian confections and desserts is largely milk-based. Bengal is particularly well-known for its confections. These include the rasagulla, sandesh, rasamalai and the steaming hot gulab-jamuns. Typical of the north are the barfis (milk cakes), some of pure milk, others of coconut or various types of nuts. Crisp gold-znjelabis, dripping with syrup, made even in the tiniest bazaars all over the country, are breakfast and tea-time favorites.

Kheer, the Indian equivalent of rice pudding; sllahi tukra, a variation on bread pudding; phirni, made of powdered rice and served in earthenware bowls; and kulfi, a rich nutty ice cream, are common northern desserts. Sweets from the South include Mysore pak and the creamy payasam, while the Gujaratis are partial to srikhand made of drained, sweetened and spiced dahi. Halvas are created from ingredients as diverse as carrots, semolina, dais, eggs, or even wholemeal flour.

Finally, there is the satisfying ritual of the after-dinner pan, which is lauded for its digestive and medicinal, if addictive, properties. It is a fragrant combination of betel leaf, areca nut, catechu, cardamom, cloves and other fragrant ingredients.

Meals in the South revolve around rice, eaten with dal-based soups, thin and spicy rasams and the thicker sambars, often flavoured with tamarind. To these are added “sarnbar powder”, made up of spices such as coriander, methi (fenugreek) seeds, cumin and the pungent asafoetida. Often they are finished by “tempering”, chillies and whole spices heated in oil until the important black mustard seeds “pop”; the whole lot is then poured on the top of the dish. Dry vegetable dishes (and in certain places, notably Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, spicy meat and fish preparations) are also served with the rice, to which is added copious quantities of curd (yoghurt) and fiery pickles.

If you go on a north India tour, you must try Kadi, which is made from dahi and gram with spices. Gur or jaggery (unrefined sugar) adds a hint of sweetness to piquant sauces. Am rasa, the pureed pulp of mangoes eaten with puris, is a special treat on summer days.

Although Bengali food is never actually sweetened, it is customary to serve a sweet along with the other food as a foil to the hot chillies, or for a change in flavor. In keeping with religious mandates, Gujarati (especially Jain) and Bengali vegetarian food is often cooked without the garlic, ginger, onions, and the “heating” or stimulating spices.

Possibly the “purest” form of North Indian vegetarian food is the Banarsi. Lightly spiced, many specialities are based on panir (soft cheese). A good source of protein, it is cooked in innumerable ways, with spinach (palak panir), in a gravy with peas (matter panir) or lotus seeds (panir phulmakhana).

Then there are the deep-fried or stuffed breads, made of combinations of refined and wholemeal flour; the golden puffs called puris, the parathas, baturas and so on. Most widely eaten is the simple chapatti, baked on a griddle.

Meat and fish delicacies

Muslim influence is most evident in the cooking of meats. The major contribution was the tandoor, the conical earthen oven from which, emerged a delectable array of kababs and rotis This was the origin of the famous tandoori cooking, brought from the Northwest Frontier but available all over the country - the tandoori chicken, seekh, boti and barra kababs, and tan doori fish. Among the rods are the elongated naan, the tandoori rod, or its richer equivalent the tandoori paratha. All are delicious breads.

The fastidious Mughals transformed local recipes, developing what has become known as Mughlai cuisine, with its luscious sauces of dahi, cream and crushed nuts. An amazing variety is on offer, including: the rich kormas and nargisi koftas (meatballs shaped around a hard-boiled egg) of Lucknow; the pasandas or mutton steaks cooked in an almond sauce; the biriyani, a layered rice and meat concoctior. famous in Hyderabad; and a variety of kababs that literally melt in the mouth.

Laden with nuts, dried fruits and saffron. Kashmiri Muslim food is a gourmet’s joy and bears much in common with Persian food. Haleem, mutton pounded with wheat; gaustaba, incredibly light meatballs; and rogan josh are well-known Kashmiri specialities.

Fish too, is prepared in many ways: the mustard-flavoured macher jhol and malai or cream prawns of Bengal, the chilli-hot curries of Andhra, the coconut and curry-leaf flavored specialties of the south and the memorable fish and shellfish curries of Goa. Hilsa, a Bengali specialty, has spiky bones that support melt-ingly delicate flesh and requires careful chewing. Dried fish, misleadingly known as Bombay Duck, is cooked with vegetables or dais and adds interest to the simpler fare of Maharashtra.

The Parsis also contributed interesting dishes. Dhansak, meat cooked with five different dais and an unusual blend of spices, and patrani machi, lightly spiced fish steamed in banana leaves, are just two examples.

Chutneys and pickles, sweet, sour, hot, or all three, stimulate the appetite and add relish to a meal. Many ingredients can be used: mint, coriander, mango, ginger, lime and vegetables with extravagant spices or just salt.

Papads (or papadams), roasted or fried savoury crisps, add crunch. They are made from a previously prepared dough of dal, rice, or vegetable flour.

One of the most important “part” of the India tour packages is the food. Characteristic of the many and diverse styles of Indian cookery is the use of spices, used not only for flavor but also as appetite nulators and digestives. Care is taken to ensure that the spices enhance rather than dominate the basic flavor. Traditionally, the ingredients in each meal were governed by the time of the year and classifications of heating or cooling foods, age, and even personality. Once there were also injunctions on the six rasas or flavors to be included in every meal: sweet, salty, bitter, astringent, sour and pungent. Each was believed to have its particular physical benefit and was prescribed in specific ratio to the others.

Essential ingredients

Other than spices, the important ingredients in Indian cuisine include milk and milk products, particularly ghee and dahi (curd). To the orthodox, a meal is “pure” only if cooked in ghee; an emphasis that derives not just from its distinctive fullness and unique flavour but from its acclaimed preservative qualities.

Dahi is part of almost any Indian menu. Served to mitigate the chilli “hotness” of some dishes, it is often mixed with vegetables or fruit and is lightly spiced to create the raitas of the North and the pachadis of the South. An important ingredient in several recipes, dahi is also churned and salted or sweetened to taste and served in summer as lassi, a cooling drink.

Dais (split lentils) are common to most parts of the country. Regional preferences and availability have resulted in a bewildering variety, from the thick tamarind-flavored sambars of the South and the sweetish dais of Gujarat to the delicious makhani dal of North India.

Vegetarian variety

The style of vegetable cooking is determined by the cereal or main dish with which they are served. Deep-fried vegetable crisps are perfect accessories to the sambhar and rice of Tamil Nadu. The thick avial stew of Kerala cooked in coconut oil, or the kaottu in a coconut and gram sauce, are perfect for rice-based meals. Sarson ka sag, mustard greens, eaten with maki ki roti (maize bread), is a particular favorite in the Punjab, while the delicately flavored chorchori of Bengal complements Bengal’s rice and fish.

India presents a vast range of vegetarian cooking. The roasted and steamed food of the south is lighter than northern cooking. Rice is the basis of every meal. It is served with sambar, rasam (a thin peppery soup), vegetables, both dry and in a sauce, andpachadi. Coconut is used in cooked foods as well as chutneys. Made of fermented rice and dal batter, the dosa, vada and idli are South Indian snacks popular all over the country.

The semolina-based upma, cooked with curry leaves and garnished with nuts and copra, is another favorite. Other in-between bites found everywhere are the samosa, a three-cornered deep-fried pastry parcel with potatoes, and pakoras or bhajiyas - vegetables coated in a gram batter and deep-fried. In Gujarat, another region famous for its vegetarian food, gram flour, a source of protein, is used in bread-making and as a component of various dishes.

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