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Information about India | MedIndia

Information about India India is a country of amazing contrasts and colors, full of life, ancient history, thousands of religions and languages, world-renowned achievements and the latest developments. India

Information about India

India is a country of striking contrasts and colors, full of life, ancient history, thousands of religions and languages, world-renowned achievements and the latest developments.

India can be called the cradle of human civilization, which gave the world chess and the decimal system, laid the foundations of many modern sciences, without which it is impossible to imagine the development of mankind – algebra, geometry, astronomy, medicine.

Long before the advent of a new era, Indians already had a vast knowledge of the nature of diseases, methods of pain relief, hygiene and pharmacology, as well as performing cataract operations, prosthetics, caesarean sections, removal of bladder stones, plastic surgery and even brain surgery. The fundamental principle of Indian medicine was the position of the integrity of the human body, according to which not only the disease was treated, but also the specific patient himself with his individual characteristics. Ayurveda (“science of life”) is the traditional system of Indian Vedic medicine and, being one of the oldest medical systems, it had a huge impact on the development of European medicine, has not lost its relevance to this day and is practiced in many countries around the world.

Today, India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world, which has made tremendous breakthroughs in the fields of high technology, academia, information technology and electronics, space research, nuclear energy, biotechnology and healthcare over the past decades. Over the past 30 years, large private hospital networks have radically changed the Indian healthcare system – they have attracted world-class modern medical and rehabilitation technologies to the country,Western hospital management systems, through partnerships with leading Western medical universities, have gained access to the most modern medical knowledge and currently provide the quality of treatment at the level of the best world standards.

Everyone who comes to India notes that there are, as it were, 2 very contrasting worlds in parallel: one is luxurious, modern and high-tech, in which India is a space and nuclear power and its fashionable hotels, offices of major international companies are adjacent to the other world – poor and backward, in which people work for food and sleep on the street.

Landmarks of India

India is a country of one of the oldest civilizations in the world, a rich cultural heritage, diverse natural conditions and a warm climate, which has a colossal attraction for people of all ages, nationalities and religions, which can stun even an experienced traveler.

The majestic Himalayas and the sacred Ganges River, the Golden Triangle, numerous architectural monuments of past centuries, the rainforests of the Western Ghats, the excellent beaches of Goa and the Ayurvedic resorts of Kerala attract millions of tourists to India.

You can talk about the sights of India endlessly, but we will list the main ones and let you get to know India better on your own with the help of proven online resources and guides to India.

Northern India is the center of unique natural and historical monuments.
Here tourists are waiting for the capital of Delhi with a huge number of historical and modern attractions. Among the historical monuments of the capital, the famous Red Fort with the vast palace complex of the Mughal era and the "multi-colored palace" Rang Mahal located inside, the ruins of the oldest monument of Delhi – the Bhairon Temple, the Kutub Minar ensemble, the ruins of Lalkota, the "Old Fortress" of Purana- quila,the Raj Ghat complex, the Jantar Mantar observatory, the ruins of Rai Pithora, the “ship palace” Jahaz Mahal, the memorial arch of the Indian Gate, the building of the former British Secretariat, which now houses the University of Delhi, the Parliament House, the Presidential Palace, the Ashoka Pillar, and also one of the wonders of the world – a stainless metal column near the Kuvwat-ul-Islam mosque, etc.
The city is literally saturated with temples of all world religions, often so close to each other that a Buddhist stupa can be seen behind the minaret of the mosque, and the dome of the Christian church contrasts with Hindu buildings. The most interesting are the Lotus Baha'i Temple, the Sis-Ganj Sikh Temple, the Yogmaya Temple, the Lakshmi-Narayan Temple, the Digambar-Jain Jain Temple with a unique "bird hospital", the oldest Christian temple in the country – the Baptist Church on Chandni Chowk, the Anglican Church of St. James , the main Tibetan temple of the capital – the Buddhist stupa Vihara, the temple of the goddess Kali, as well as the magnificent mosques of Delhi – the Juma Masjid Cathedral Mosque, the Kila-Kuhna Mosque, Kher-ul-Minazel (1561), the “One Seed Mosque” Moth-ki -Masjid, Sonehri Golden Mosque and Pearl Moti-Masjid and many others.

In Delhi, it is worth visiting the National Museum, the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Archaeological Museum of the Red Fort, the National Museum of Natural History, the Jawaharlar Nehru Memorial Museum "Tinmurti House", the Indira Gandhi memorial with the famous "crystal river", the Museum of National Crafts, the International Puppet Museum, The National Children's Museum and Aquarium at the Children's Palace, the Tibet House Museum on Lodi Road, a good Air Force Museum at the airport. Indira Gandhi, the Lalit Kala Academy of Fine Arts, the Museum of Applied Crafts in the large exhibition center Pragati Maidan, the Academy of Music and Dance with the original Museum of Musical Instruments and the Delhi Zoo.

Almost everything can be bought at the traditional colorful bazaars located in the area of Baba Kharak Singh, Chandni Chowk, Hari Baoli streets, south of the university, near the Lahore gate, in the Urdu Bazaar area, etc.

Delhi is a green city with many charming garden complexes and small green areas – Mughal gardens in the Presidential Palace, Roshanar and Shalimar gardens with a mirror pavilion Shish Mahal northwest of "old Delhi", Coronation parks, Jainati Buddha , Qudsiya gardens, Mahatab-bagh gardens in the Red Fort and others.

Agra – the former capital of the Mughal Empire, located 200 km from Delhi, is truly the pearl of India. Many real "wonders of the world" are concentrated here – the famous white marble mausoleum Taj Mahal, erected by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his adored wife Mumtaz Mahal, as well as the Great Fortress of Agra (Red Fort). Not far from Agra is the "ghost town" of Fatehpur Sikri, the former capital of the Great Emperor Akbar.

In the sacred Mathura, according to legend, Krishna was born. In the "city of five thousand temples" Vrindavan there is another "pearl" of the country – the temple of Krishna-Balaram-Mandir, which is a place of pilgrimage for thousands of people. The quiet village of Khajuraho is literally teeming with temples, including the world-famous temples of the goddess of love Kali, replete with erotic scenes. The north-east of the country – the states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, is occupied by the vast mountain system of the Himalayas, in which ancient Buddhist monasteries and communities are located. Such places as the Ladakh region, the city of ashrams Rishikesh and one of the 7 sacred cities of Haridwar are famous all over the world. Kullu, the residence of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, the beautiful Parvati valley with hot springs, the sacred cave of Amarnath and much more are no less famous.

Extremely interesting are the Tibetan monasteries of Tabo, Dankar, Lalung, the sacred city of the three religions Rewalsar, the temples of Hanuman in Shimla, Bhimakali, Basheshwar Mahadeo, Bijli Mahadeo and Raghunath, as well as the high-mountain temples of Shiva and Vishnu in Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Learn more about North India:
Agra
Taj Mahal
Fatehpur Sikri
Mathura
Vrindavan
Khajuraho
Ladakh
Rishikesh
Haridwar
Dharamsala
Rewalsar
shimla
Amritsar
Chandigarh

Naggar

Nanital
Ranthambore

Western India is a real territory of contrasts. The mountainous sections of the Western Ghats alternate with the lowlands and forests of Gujarat, and then give way to the deserts of Rajasthan, and the beautiful beaches of Goa give way to the diverse architecture of the old quarters of Mumbai (Bombay) or the “pink city” of Jaipur. The state of Rajasthan is widely known for its military history, which has left us many fortresses and forts. Here, among the Thar desert, such colorful cities as Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur were built. In Udaipur, on the shores of the picturesque Lake Pichola, rises a whole complex of palaces of Maharani, Jagmandir and Jagnivas.

The state of Goa lies south of Mumbai and is the best seaside resort area in India, attracting a huge flow of tourists from all over the world. The main "treasure" of the state of Goa is its wonderful beaches, the best of which are the beaches of St. Ines and Miramar in the Panaji area, the complex in Majorda Beach, the resort villages of Aguada, Anjuna, Vagator, Palolem, Colva, Arambol and Calangute, as well as Baga Beach, Candolim and Shiridao, interspersed with picturesque bays and cliffs. In Goa, you can find many ancient monasteries, fortresses and villas in the colonial Portuguese style. Old Goa (Velha Goa) is very interesting, where the Cathedral Square, the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the churches of Santa Monica and St. Augustine, the church of St.Cayetana, the royal chapel of St. Anthony, the Cathedral of Francis of Assisi and the largest Christian cathedral in Asia, the Cathedral of St. Catherine.

In Panaji, the capital of the state, the majestic Church of the Immaculate Conception, the old district of Fontainehas, the Mahalakshmi temple, the Latin Quarter built up with old buildings, the chapel of St. Sebastian, the Panaji Secretariat building and the National Museum.

Learn more about Western India:

South India is a region of concentration of hundreds of ancient Tamil temples, colonial forts and many kilometers of sandy beaches.

The largest city in this part of India is Chennai (Madras) with a large number of Christian attractions, such as the Cathedral of St. Thomas the Apostle, the Anglican Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, Fort St. George,. Also very interesting are the Shiva Temple, the Madras Musical Academy of Music and Dance Kalakshetra, the oldest Madras University in India, the International Center for Theosophy. Blavatsky with a beautiful park and the Madras State Museum. Not far from the city, on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, there is a large temple complex of Mahabalipuram.

To the south-west of Chennai is the famous center of pilgrimage – Madurai with a huge temple of the goddess Menakshi and the Shiva temple complex. Unique religious centers are scattered throughout the state of Tamilnadu – Kanchipuram, Srirangam, Tirupati, Chitambaram, Thanjavur, Trichi, Tiruvanamalai, Rameshwaram. The city of Pondicherry is home to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and one of the oldest alternative settlements in the world, Auroville.

In the southwest of India lies the state of Kerala, about which in India they say that when creating the earth, God created Kerala for himself. Here, the beauty of nature and magnificent beaches are combined with a rich cultural heritage and excellent clinics of Ayurveda, the traditional system of Indian Vedic medicine.

In the capital of the state of Kerala – Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), the temple of Padmanabhaswami, canals, the palace of the Maharaja of the Principality of Travankur, the Trivandrum Art Gallery with Roerich's paintings and the Research Center for the Indian Space Program located in the suburbs of Tumbu attract attention.

Thousands of tourists visit the mountain resorts of Ootacamunda (Ooty) and Kodaikanal, the beautiful seaside resort center of Kovalam, as well as the Laccadive and Amindive Islands off the western coast of the state.
Learn more about South India:

Eastern India is the country's most diverse territory in terms of natural conditions, sandwiched between the coast of the Bay of Bengal in the south and the spurs of the Himalayas in the north.

East India includes the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Sikkim. The main city of the region is Kolkata (Calcutta), where you should definitely visit the Memorial Museum. Queen Victoria, the formidable Fort William, the richest Indian Museum, the wonderful Botanical Garden, the temple of Kali, the mission of Mother Teresa and the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Society.

A huge number of religious centers are concentrated in the vicinity of the city, including the famous Mahabodhi Mandir temple, the sacred place of the Jains – Pavapuri, the sacred place of the Hindus – Gaya, the Bo tree in the city of Bodhgaya and the Sikh temples in Patna. The popular resort area of Darjeeling is also widely known.

Tourists from all over India and around the world seek to get to the mysterious city of Varanasi. To the north, high in the mountains, is the state of Sikkim – the best trekking area in the country and the focus of Buddhist monasteries. The main attractions of the state of Orissa, stretching along the western coast of the Bay of Bengal, are the three great temple cities – Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konarak. The completely uninhabited Andaman and Nicobar Islands are also becoming increasingly popular.

Learn more about East India:

Time in India

Time ahead of Moscow by 1.5 hours.

Money and credit cards

The currency of India is the Indian rupee.

It is advisable to exchange currency in banks and avoid exchanging money in shops, taxis, hotels in order to avoid possible "surprises", hidden fees and unfavorable exchange rates.

Local currency can be withdrawn at ATMs of large banks, which are everywhere – Citibank, ICICI, Standard Chartered Bank and others.

In hospitals, hotels, large stores, credit cards are widely accepted for payment – Visa and Mastercard. We recommend that large payments in trusted places be made with credit cards, and small purchases, taxis and payments in unfamiliar places with cash Rs.
To pay for treatment in the hospital, you can use US dollars / Euros in cash, which will be exchanged for you at the hospital's cash desk.

Citizens of Russia and the CIS require a pre-arranged visa.

To travel for treatment, you need to apply for a medical visa. The patient escort also receives a special medical escort visa.

Learn more about visa

How to get there

From Moscow, Kyiv, Almaty, Tashkent there are direct regular flights to Delhi. So, for example, Aeroflot airline flies from Moscow to Delhi daily, the flight lasts about 6 hours and the Moscow-Delhi-Moscow ticket costs from 18,000 rubles.

In addition to direct flights, it is often convenient and economical to fly to Delhi or other cities in India with a connection, such as Emirates Airlines via Dubai, Qatar Airways via Doha, Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi, as well as connecting in Europe, such as Lufthansa and Swiss Air .

Customs regulations

The import of foreign currency is not restricted, but amounts over $5,000 in cash must be declared. Export of currency is possible within the limits declared in the entry declaration. Adults are allowed to import duty-free: up to 200 pieces. cigarettes, up to 2 liters of spirits, up to 60 ml of perfume and up to 250 ml of eau de toilette. Medicines, household audio, photo and video equipment, jewelry, foodstuffs, items and household items are imported duty-free only within the limits of personal needs. It is forbidden to import drugs and narcotic drugs.

Climate and weather

With the exception of the northern regions, India's climate can be jokingly described as having two seasons – hot and very hot. The climate is predominantly tropical with a monsoon season from June to September. October to March is the cool dry season and is the best time to visit India. However, in the northern regions of India, it can be unexpectedly cold in winter, for example, in Delhi in January, the temperature can drop to 0 ° C.

Languages

The official languages are English and Hindi, although according to the latest census, over 1,500 languages and dialects are registered in India. English is widely spoken, so even its elementary knowledge makes life much easier.

If necessary, for shopping and sightseeing, it is easy to arrange a Russian-speaking interpreter or guide. In many hospitals, a Russian-speaking translator is provided for the duration of treatment.

Pharmacies and medicines

In India, the pharmaceutical industry is well developed, drugs from large manufacturers are of high quality and inexpensive. There are many pharmacies in India, but it is recommended to purchase medicines in large pharmacies and pharmacy chains, such as Apollo Pharmacy, Religare, Medplus, Trust.

Voltage and electricity

The mains voltage is 220 V. In many places, you may need an adapter for three-socket sockets. Even in large cities, there are power outages, but large institutions, hotels, and hospitals are necessarily equipped with autonomous power generators that turn on automatically.

Clothing and footwear

In different regions of India, different types of traditional Indian silk and cotton clothing are used, which are very popular – sari, salwar kurta for women and dhoti or lurga for men. However, European-style clothing is also very common, especially among men. In the rainy season, the most correct shoes are simple open flip flops and sandals. Too revealing outfits are not welcome and will be uncomfortable for the wearer, as they can cause increased attention.

Indian Cuisine

Indian culinary tradition is one of the oldest and most popular in the world, the number of original dishes of Indian cuisine is incalculable. The basis of the cuisine is a variety of vegetables, legumes, rice, fish, chicken, flour products, flatbread, as well as various dairy products. The hallmark of Indian chefs are spices – masala, which give Indian cuisine a bright, spicy, spicy taste and are added to any dish.Very popular in India tea, which is drinking sweet with hot milk and spices, as well as coffee, fresh juices and fruit waters. Alcoholic beverages at the table are not accepted, most dishes are powered by clean cold water.

The cow is revered by the sacred animals in Hinduism, so the beef dishes are practically not found. Pork is also not accepted to cook, but everywhere you can find a chicken, lamb and fish. Vegetarianism is common, everywhere in the restaurants the menu is divided into "VEG" and "Non-VEG" ("Vegetarian and Nevoezetarian"). By the way, very often only vegetarian food is offered in hospitals.

Shopping
India – Paradise for the buyer, where you can buy high-quality and inexpensive fabrics: silk, cotton, passage, cashmere, chiffon. With great pleasure in stores, on any bazaar, in souvenir shops, tourists buy bright national clothing from natural fabrics and shoes. Inexpensive can be bought silver jewelry, precious stones: diamond, ruby, sapphire, as well as pearls, but a jewelry shopping in India requires caution – a great probability to buy a fake, so for gold and precious stones you need to go to large stores, but you can crafts from folk crafts Buy and in the bazaars. The return of India is unthinkable without aromatic incense, spices, tea, seasonings and Ayurvedic products. You can buy bells as small souvenirs, carved boxes, medallions with the image of the gods, as well as the figures of elephants and peacocks in various versions. Handmade carpets from wool and silk – a very common shopping object in India. But even the existing cheapness in India, it is possible to bargain – this will allow purchasing goods at an optimal price.

Holidays

The Indian calendar is a practically continuous series of state, religious, folk and other holidays and colorful festivals. India is a multinational and multicultural state, so the holidays of various religions are celebrated here.In addition to a huge number of religious ones, India celebrates official national holidays: Independence Day, Republic Day and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.

Learn more about holidays in India

Religion

Over 80% of the population is Hindu. The second most common religion is Islam (about 13% of the population). About 2% are Christians, 2% are Sikhs, and 0.7% are Buddhists. Indians, being truly religious people, are generally very tolerant of various religions and beliefs.

Transport in India

The most comfortable form of urban transport for a foreigner in India is, of course, a taxi, which is very affordable in India. In hospitals, hotels, shopping centers, airports, you can easily call an air-conditioned taxi (AC taxi). With a long stay and for active movement within the city, it is convenient to rent a car with a driver, which is also quite affordable. Do not rely on strangers offering taxi services, many of them do not know addresses, do not speak English, and it is simply not safe.

In cities, we do not recommend renting a car for personal driving. A right-hand drive car, left-hand traffic and a huge flow of various vehicles, carts, pedestrians and animals “flowing” along the roads will not make driving easy and enjoyable. In resort areas, Goa and Kerala, it is convenient to rent mopeds and bicycles, showing special care in the first days.

Intra-city transport – metro, buses, electric trains, motorcycles and cycle rickshaws – all this has a place to be, it is inexpensive, but it requires good knowledge of the city and free orientation.

Domestic flights in India are operated by a number of high quality airlines with regular flights to all corners of the country – Easy Jet, Kingfisher, Air India, Indigo and between air travel and rail travel, we recommend choosing air travel.

Mobile communication and Internet

In India, mobile coverage is available even in the most remote corners, and with connected roaming on your native mobile operator, you will not be left without a connection.Before departure, it makes sense to connect services from its mobile operator services that will reduce the cost of international roaming (for example, connect the service providing free incoming calls abroad, SMS packets). For a long stay in India, it will be reasonably purchased by the SIM card of the local operator – Airtel, Vodaphone, Relience, which will significantly reduce the costs of communication. The hotel and hospitals are widely available. In hospitals you will be connected to a local WiFi network, so it is logical to take a laptop or tablet with you on the trip.
Behavior rules

Indians are very tolerant for someone else's opinion and behavior, but some rules are very desirable to observe. In Sikh temples, it is necessary to enter only with a covered head, in a mosque, a woman can get only with a covered head and shoulders, as well as in long clothes and before entering most temples need to be removed shoes. By tradition, you should leave some money in the temple in the donation box. It is possible to take pictures with the permission of the servant of the temple, and for shooting in museums, reserves and national parks, it is necessary to pay if the rules require. It should be respectful to any objects of the cult. The soles of the shoes should not be addressed towards the interlocutor, it is considered a sign of disrespect. Do not show anywhere in the index finger. In conversation, it is desirable not to raise the voice, not to go out of myself and show respect for the interlocutor, whatever difficult situation was.
It is not customary to hug and kissing publicly. The traditional greeting looks like a folded palm. There are no handshake between men. However, the desire is not made first to shake hands – many religious taboos may generally prohibit the Hinda these gestures. You can not mind your hand with a woman (if only she doesn't hold out his hand) or put his hand on the shoulder to the interlocutor.

Tips in restaurants are usually 10% of the count amount, taxi drivers or ricksham can leave 10-20 rupees, as well as porters.In general, it is enough just to behave benevolently, respectfully and not to do what they would not do in their country.