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India Holidays Guide - India Cheap Flights
IndiaHolidays & Cheap Flights Guide. Browse travel information on India
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India Holidays, India Holiday Packages Overview
From the snow-capped Himalayas in the north to the sun drenched coastal villages of the south, India unfolds like an ancient tapestry. At times threadbare and fading, the land stretches from desert dunes and scattered slums to the rich embroidery of ancient, jewelled palaces, and the majestic domes of forgotten empires.
Since the first civilisations rose on the banks of the Indus River almost 5,000 years ago, India has given birth to Buddhism and Hinduism, been touched by the Empire of Alexander the Great, seen the ancient empires of the Mauryas and Guptas rise and fall, and has traded with Pharaohs and Caesars.
An invasion by the white Huns scattered its people until the sweeping hand of Islam saw new kingdoms rise, heralding the era of the Sultans. Defeat came again as the Mogul Emperors marched over the mountains and into the Punjab. The decline of the Mogul Empire gave way to the Marathas, who consolidated control of India just in time for the arrival of the British. The sun finally set on the British Empire as India reclaimed independence in 1947, heralding a new age of democracy.
India is a feast for the senses; where the air is heavy with the scent of jasmine and dancers trail frenetic melodies in colourful silk saris. Its cooks compose dishes from a palette of exotic spices that may leave a lingering taste of saffron or aniseed. In India's cities, the stench of slum living competes with the cacophony of seemingly endless traffic and a myriad of other textures, colours and movements all jostling for your attention.
India Regions, Provinces & Travel Destinations
Delhi
Through a sweltering bazaar with each vendor crying out louder than the next, clamouring through a sweaty crowd, a beggar tugs at your shirt as the sticky stench of the city pierces your nostrils. Navigate your way across the road through a perennial traffic jam of blasting horns and angry shouts, and suddenly you'll find yourself stepping through the trees into a deserted courtyard, flanked by gurgling ponds below the huge glittering dome of an ornately patterned mosque.
Agra
The last Lodi Sultan moved his capital to Agra in 1504, and although he was defeated in 1526 by Babur, the founder of the Mogul empire, it remained India's premier city for almost two centuries. The city's greatest days were during the reign of Babur's grandson, Akbar the Great (1556-1605) who built Agra Fort, and although Shah Jahan created a new Capital in Delhi his heart remained here; in 1631 he chose Agra as the spot to construct the world's greatest monument to love - the Taj Mahal.
Udaipur
Udaipur was once the capital of the powerful state of Mewar and has great pride in being the only one of the seven major Rajput states to have upheld its Hindu allegiance in the face of Muslim invasions. The Mewar household is the longest lasting of all the ruling powers in Rajasthan, and possibly the oldest surviving dynasty in the world. The current ruler is the seventy-sixth in an unbroken line of Mewar rulers dating back to 568 AD.
Jaipur
Situated 190 miles (300km) southwest of Delhi, Jaipur is an essential stop in any tour of Rajasthan. The old walled section of the city is known as the Pink City; it was painted red (a lucky colour in Hindu culture) to welcome England's Prince Alfred in 1853 and the fading old buildings retain their hue. Jaipur is one of India's newer cities, founded in 1727, and was the creation of Jai Singh II, the Maharaja of the Kuchwaha Rajputs, who decided when Mogul power was on the decline to move from his outmoded hillside fortress at Amber to establish a new capital on the plains further south.
Varanasi
One of the ancient seats of learning in India, Varanasi is situated between Delhi and Kolkata at a bend in the sacred Ganges River. Home to some of the most ancient and revered monasteries in the world, Varanasi is the place where scholars still come to learn the ancient knowledge of the Vedas and debate on nature of God.
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