"So far as I am able to judge,
nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most
extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have
been forgotten, nothing overlooked." --Mark
Twain, from Following the Equator
It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth
does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and
religions, races and tongues. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a
massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative
mountains that overshadow it. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be
indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely.
Location, Geography & Climate
Set apart from the rest of Asia by the supreme continental wall of
the Himalayas, the Indian subcontinent touches three large bodies of water and
is immediately recognizable on any world map. It is the huge, terrestrial beak
between Africa and Indonesia. This thick, roughly triangular peninsula defines
the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian Sea to the west, and the India Ocean
to the south.
India's puzzle board of 26 states holds virtually every kind of
landscape imaginable. An abundance of mountain ranges and national parks
provide ample opportunity for eco-tourism and trekking, and its sheer size
promises something for everyone. From its northernmost point on the Chinese
border, India extends a good 2000 miles (3200 km) to its southern tip, where
the island nation of Sri Lanka seems to be squeezed out of India like a great
tear, the synapse forming the Gulf of Mannar.
India's northern border is dominated mostly by Nepal and the
Himalayas, the world's highest mountain chain. Following the sweeping mountains
to the northeast, its borders narrow to a small channel that passes between
Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, then spreads out again to meet Burma in
area called the "eastern triangle." Apart from the Arabian Sea, its
western border is defined exclusively by Pakistan.
India can be organized along the compass points. North India,
shaped like a throat and two lungs, is the country's largest region. It begins
with the panhandle of Jammu and Kashmir, a dynamic area with terrain varying
from arid mountains in the far north to the lake country and forests near Srinagar
and Jammu.
Falling south along the Indus river valley, the North becomes
flatter and more hospitable, widening into the fertile plains of Punjab to the
west and the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh and the Ganges river valley
to the East. Cramped between these two states is the capital city, Delhi.
The southwestern extremity of the North is the large state of Rajasthan,
whose principal features are the Thar Desert and the stunning "pink
city" of Jaipur. To the southeast is southern Uttar Pradesh and Agra, home
of the famous Taj Mahal
West India contains the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and
part of the massive, central state of Madhya Pradesh. The west coast extends
from the Gujarat peninsula down to Goa, and it is lined with some of India's
best beaches. The land along the coast is typically lush, with rain forests
reaching southward from Bombay all the way to into Goa. A long mountain chain,
the Western Ghats, separates the verdant coast from the Vindya Mountains and
the dry Deccan plateau further inland.
Home of the sacred Ganges River and the majority of Himalayan
foothills, East India begin with the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa,
which comprise the westernmost part of the region. East India also contains an
area known as the eastern triangle, which is entirely distinct. This is the
last gulp of land that extends beyond Bangladesh, culminating in the Naga Hills
along the Burmese border.
India reaches its peninsular tip with South India, which begins
with the Deccan in the north and ends with Cape Comorin, where Hindus believe
that bathing in the waters of the three oceans will wash away their sins. The
states in South India are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, a
favorite leisure destination. The southeast coast, mirroring the west, also
rests snugly beneath a mountain range---the Eastern Ghats.
Because of India's size, its climate depends not only on the time
of year, but also the location. In general, temperatures tend to be cooler in
the north, especially between September and March. The south is coolest between
Novembers to January. In June, winds and warm surface currents begin to move
northwards and westwards, heading out of the Indian Ocean and into the Arabian
Gulf.
This creates a phenomenon known as the south-west monsoon, and it
brings heavy rains to the west coast. Between October and December, a similar
climatic pattern called the north-east monsoon appears in the Bay of Bengal,
bringing rains to the east coast. In addition to the two monsoons, there are
two other seasons, spring and autumn.
Though the word "monsoon" often brings to mind images of
torrential floods and landslides, the monsoon seasons are not bad times to come
to India. Though it rains nearly every day, the downpour tends to come and go
quickly, leaving behind a clean, glistening landscape.
Culture & People
With nearly 1 billion citizens, India is the second most populous
nation in the world. It is impossible to speak of any one Indian culture,
although there are deep cultural continuities that tie its people together.
English is the major language of trade and politics, but there are fourteen
official languages in all. There are twenty-four languages that are spoken by a
million people or more, and countless other dialects. India has seven major
religions and many minor ones, six main ethnic groups, and countless holidays.
Religion is central to Indian culture, and its practice can be
seen in virtually every aspect of life in the country. Hinduism is the dominant
faith of India, serving about 80 percent of the population. Ten percent worship
Islam, and 5 percent are Sikhs and Christians; the rest (a good 45 million) are
Buddhists, Jains, Bahai, and more.