India

lies in the south of Asia, between Pakistan, China and Nepal. The north is bordered by the world's highest mountain chain, where foothill valleys cover the northernmost of the country's 26 states. Further south, plateaus, tropical rain forests and sandy deserts are bordered by palm fringed beaches . India's history goes back to 3,200 BC when Hinduism was first founded. Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism. Judaism. Zoroashtrianism, Christianity and Islam all exist within the country today. As a consequence of India's size, the history of the country has seldom been the same for two adjoining territories, and its great natural wealth has lured a succession of traders and foreign influences to it, each having left their imprint in the country, however faint or localized.


KERALA More beautiful than the canals in Thailand, infinitely less crowded than those in Milan, the backwaters of Kerala offer an enchanting experience of fun and relaxation and a chance to see authentic local life. It is a world apart, a world of coconut trees, marshy groves, shallow lakes, deep canals, and long boats… plenty of long boats. This is where you would also see mountain streams. waterfalls,wildlife parks and hill stations where the British government stays as wummer resorts in South India. Sprawling tea plantations, picture - book towns, winding lanes and holiday facilities make these places popular resorts. Neelakurinji is the flower which bathes the hills in blue once every twelve years, they will bloom next in 2006 a.d. Munnar has the highest peak in South India, with Anamudi - which towering over 2695 meters. Anamudi is also an ideal spot for trekking.	THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE - One of the angles of the Golden Triangle tour will be the amazing city of Agra. The city that is home to the Wonder in white marble - Taj Mahal. More than being the mausoleum of the Mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal and the labor of love by the Mughal emperor Shahjahan the Taj Mahal is the pride of India. The masterpiece of art in white makrana marble has been worked on by several precious gems like jade, crystal, turquoise, lapis, lazuli, sapphire, coral and diamonds to add to the beauty. The other two destinations of the Golden Triangle tour are Delhi and Jaipur. This famous city is the capital of Rajasthan and has earned universal renown as the 'Pink City', and pink it is, with beautifully constructed palaces, havelis and forts. Tall, rugged men with handle-bar whiskers sport bright pink coloured trubans. Built in 1772 A.D., by Sawai Jai Singh-II, Jaipur was the first planned city of its time.	GOA beaches are the most attractive and frequented spots in Goa. Nearly the entire coastline is dotted with world-class beaches, which acquire their names after the nearby village or locality. Two continuous stretches of beaches – northern and southern stretches – mark the Goan coastline. Kissed by the passionate, azure sea and embraced by the land and shaded by swaying palms, these miles of golden sand sparkling in the sun are the most desired places you can ever love on earth. This cathedral was built in 1605 and is dedicated to the Infant Jesus. The center of attention in this cathedral however, are the remains of St. Francis Xavier. His body lies in a silver casket placed on a marble mausoleum that is located in a side chapel to the right of the main alter. The last exposition of his body was in 1994. Expositions are made every twenty years.
SHOPPING can be very rewarding and exciting in India. There are numerous tourist shops on the main streets and in the hotel arcades of the cities brimming with tempting jewelry, statues, saris, silks, brassware, carpets, dhurries and other typical Indian handicrafts. Browsers will enjoy the various cities's numerous traditional markets that overflow with vegetables, fruit and other goods.	DINING - The Hindus, the Sikhs and the Zoroastrian Parsees do not eat beef. Pork is taboo to both Hindus and Muslims but is popular in Goa among the Christians. Among Hindus, the caste at one time dictated the food habits-Even today Brahmins are to a large extent vegetarians ( the exceptions being the Brahmins from Goa, the Konkan and Bengal). Certain sub-sects of Brahmins do not eat vegetarian food if the food is cooked with onions and garlic. Most of the other castes in general eat meat and this also depends on the region they come from.	MEDITATION, YOGA AND AYURVEDA , The wisdom of yoga and Ayurveda go back thousands of years to the Vedas, and are gifts India gave to the world . . . and to you! Join the yoga, meditation and chanting classes at the Shivananda Ashram near Trivandrum or at any of the Ayurvedic Resorts in India.