|
Facts
for the Traveler
Visas: Six month
multiple-entry visas are now issued to most nationals
regardless of whether you intend staying that long or
re-entering the country. Only six-month tourist visas
are extendable. Be careful to check whether your visa
is valid from the date of entry or the date of issue.
Health risks: Cholera,
dengue fever, dysentery, hepatitis, malaria, meningitis
(trekking areas only) and typhoid. Many of India's larger
cities are highly polluted and travellers with respiratory
ailments may wish to take precautionary measures.
Time: GMT/UTC plus
five hours 30 minutes
Electricity: 230-240V,
50 HZ
Weights and measures:
Metric
When to Go
India
has such a wide range of climatic factors that it's
impossible to pin down the best time to visit weather-wise
with any certainty. Broadly speaking October to March
tend to be the most pleasant months over much of the
country. In the far south, the monsoonal weather pattern
tends to make January to September more pleasant, while
Sikkim and the areas of north-eastern India tend to
be more palatable between March and August, and Kashmir
and the mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh are
at their most accessible between May and September.
The deserts of Rajasthan and the north-western Indian
Himalayan region are at their best during the monsoon.
The
trekking season in the Indian Himalaya runs roughly
from April to November, though this varies widely depending
on the trek, altitude and region. The ski season is
between January and March. The dates of particular festivals
which may determine the timing of your visit are listed
in the events section.
Events
 India
is blessed with a huge number of festivals, and several
are so spectacular that you would be a fool to miss
them if you were remotely within spitting distance.
They start with the secular Republic Day Festival in
Delhi each January, which includes elephants, a procession,
and plenty of military might and Indian princely splendour.
Holi in February is one of the most exuberant Hindu
festivals in the north of India. It marks the end of
winter and basically involves throwing coloured water
and red powder over as many people as you can in one
day.
The
10-day Shi'ite Muharram
festival commemorates the martyrdom of Mohammed's grandson.
It's marked by a grand parade and dedicated penitents
scourge themselves with whips in religious fervour.
It's best seen in Lucknow, the principal Indian Shi'ite
city and takes place in April/May for the next couple
of years. The massive Kumbh
Mela festival commemorates an ancient battle
between gods and demons for a pitcher (kumbh). During
the fight for possession, four drops of nectar fell
from the pitcher and landed in Allahabad, Haridwar,
Nasik and Ujjain. The mela is held every three years
rotating through these four cities.
Don't
mistake the great car festival Rath
Yatra for a rally race. This spectacle in
Puri in June/July involves the gigantic temple car of
Lord Jagannath making its annual journey, pulled by
thousands of eager devotees.
The
festival of Ganesh Chaturthi
in August/September is dedicated to the popular elephant-headed
god Ganesh. It's celebrated widely, but with particular
enthusiasm in Maharashtra. Shrines are erected, firecrackers
let off, clay idols are immersed in rivers or the sea,
and everyone tries to avoid looking at the moon. September/October
is the time to head for the hills to see the delightful
Festival of the Gods in Kullu. This is part of the Dussehra
Festival, which is at its most spectacular
in Mysore and Ahmedabad.
November
is the time for the huge and colourful Camel
Festival at Pushkar in Rajasthan. Diwali
(or Deepavali) is the happiest festival of the Hindu
calendar and is celebrated over five days in November.
Sweets, oil lamps and firecrackers all play a major
part in this celebration in honour of a number of gods.
It may be a tired old scene, but a beach party in Goa
is still the only place to be for Christmas.
|
