Most awesome temples in India

Indіа іѕ аn аrеа of many temples. Thеу vаrу from ѕmаll temples in the ѕtrееtѕ tо large hіѕtоrісаl tеmрlеѕ developed оut оf ѕtоnе. Some аrе рорulаr and аdоrnеd іn ѕіlvеr, whіlе оthеrѕ аrе much mоrе ѕіmрlе. Thеrе аrе еvеn ѕоmе tеmрlеѕ in Indіаn thаt are ѕurrоundеd by ѕеxuаl styles. If уоu сhооѕе tо ѕее a tеmрlе, рlеаѕе keep undеr соnѕіdеrаtіоn rеgаrdlеѕѕ оf the dіmеnѕіоn оr situation, be sure to еlіmіnаtе уоur fооtwеаr bеfоrе соmіng іntо. Please make sure you book your e-visa before visiting India

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Tips for travelling in India

India is a huge country, not only in size, the 7th largest in the world, but also in population, 1.3 billion, ranking them only a few millions short of China. Those numbers alone can be enough to scare off some travelers, but those willing to take the plunge are rewarded with an unforgettable tour of ancient history, divine cuisine, cheap prices and a landscape that has something for everyone! Notice, we didn’t even mention one of the seven wonders of the world! That’s a glimpse at how much this quickly growing country has to offer visitors of all ages and budgets.

While India should be on everyone’s travel list, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some potential pitfalls and potholes to watch out for. Thankfully, we are well versed in the mind-blowing culture that is India and have put together a list of tips and advice that will help you explore the country whose nicknames for cities include “Land of Black Diamond” and “Golden City of India.” Oh yeah, and don’t forget you need an Indian visa.

Adjust Your Expectations

Many times when people undertake an adventure to a foreign land, they become so excited by the variety of different cities, sights and must do tours that they bite off more than they can chew. Inevitably, that leads to long travel days, innumerable flights, tours, hotels, taxis and markets, all of which become one exhausting blur. When you do finally get home, you feel as if you need another vacation to recover from the one you just took.

India is the quintessential example of that. Remember the country is massive! Unless you are planning on spending months there, it is not physically possible to see it all in a single trip. Enjoy yourself, take an extra two or three days in a city and plan for a couple days with little or no scheduled activities. Trust us; you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the places you do visit, without wearing yourself out. Navigating foreign countries is more stressful than people realize.

Find Some Countryside.

We get it: cities are really cool with hubs of nightlife, historical sights, infectious energy and unlimited options. That is hard to turn down. However, to see the true India, you’ve got to escape the concrete jungles. Leaving the cities behind will not only give you a glimpse into the India of old but it will also give you some breathing space, as the metropolitan areas lack elbow room.

Know What You Want & Plan Accordingly

As we’ve established, India is large and the variety of all there is to see boggles the mind. Therefore, it’s key to choose what interests you most. For some, the bevy of religious sites such as the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Sun Temple in Konark and much much more are ‘can’t miss’. For others, the trekking of Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh and Manali are too much to pass up. Perhaps beaches and coastal party towns are your thing. The point is India has so much to offer; it makes sense to choose what you like and go after it.

Be sure to do your research. Hiking in the summer, when temperatures flirt with triple digits and the humidity is 90% might be a poor choice. The same is true in seeking fun in the sun during monsoon season. Each part of the country has an ideal time of year to visit; take that into account when planning your trip.

Protect Your Belly

While dressing conservatively in a religious country is a good idea, this has nothing to do with that. Living in the United States comes with so many benefits, preparing your stomach for the rigors of the third world is not one of them. Arriving at the airport and grabbing a delicious smelling curry from a street vendor is a recipe for disaster. No one wants to pray to the porcelain god on their vacation.

Don’t drink the tap water. Don’t eat fruits or any food that’s been washed in it. Salad and soups are to be considered suspect unless you’re sure the restaurant has taken proper precautions for the sensitive American stomach. The street food in India is amazing and worth a try, just give your digestive system a few days before diving in head first. Also, be prepared with pills in the chance that your tummy takes a beating.

India is a truly amazing country, worthy of all the hype and excitement within the travel industry. Yet, despite its growing popularity that doesn’t mean you’re taking a weekend trip to Vegas. Do your research, be prepared and use India Visa to square away your vital paperwork.

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Shopping in India

Shopping, the world’s most polarizing activity, never ends regardless of how many stores you’ve hit or how many bags you’ve held. The pursuit of can’t miss deals is one that exasperates some spouses while invigorates others. For many Americans, shopping has become an online endeavor, accomplished from the comfort of your desk with a cup of coffee. However, for many, the sights, sounds and thrills of bouncing shop to shop and haggling with amiable or curmudgeonly shop owners never gets old.

Unfortunately, America’s malls don’t exactly provide the exciting ambiance of a foreign adventure, dodging bustling locals who are conversing in an unfamiliar language. Nor do the prices of Europe trigger the endorphins of a great deal unearthed amongst the masses. Thankfully, there is a part of the world where, not only is the experience of shopping more closely related to an Indiana Jones movie but the prices and quality of the material will have you doing backflips.

That place is India, where the bustling bazaars, markets and emporiums provide the perfect scene for some good ole fashion shopping. Quality jewelry, art, textiles, handicrafts and spices can be found in abundance at amazing prices with ancient historical sites as your background. What more could any shopping enthusiast ask for? Just don’t forget your India visa! Here’s our guide to making the most out of your India shopping extravaganza.

Business Takes No Prisoners

Not every everything will be up for negotiation. For some that may be a blessed relief from the back and forth. Glitzy shopping malls and certain emporiums will have listed prices and that’s that. Most markets, however, will be a battleground of bloody bargaining. Spare your feelings for the proprietor; they are seasoned veterans of the game. You won’t hurt their feelings by asking for something at half the price they initially asked. In fact that’s typically a good starting point. Give yourself an amount you’d like to spend and pay up to 70% of that. Remember: there’s another train coming. 

Curb Your Impulse Purchases

Once the world of colorful textiles, shiny jewelry and aromatic spices engulfs you, the urge to buy may overwhelm you, pushing you into a purchasing spree that you might regret shortly after. One thing to remember is there will always be more. Most of the shops carry many of the same items, even in different cities. Therefore, if you’re unable to get the price to an agreeable number, walk away. We promise you: you will have another chance at that same item again, most likely at the price you were looking for. Sometimes you fall in love with an item and you must have it, that’s understandable; just remember there is always another market to explore.

A Little Recon Goes A Long Way

While almost every item is available in most cities, there are certain purchases that would be best made in a specific area. For instance, if you’re looking for tea, Darjeeling is the place to be. Certain cities may specialize in particular items that you’re after. A quick googling, or even better, asking around as you make your way around the country will provide valuable insight into where to get what. For bulky items, it may be best to buy it in whichever city you’re flying out from. Many international flights go through Delhi, which is a shopping paradise, so don’t buy yourself a lamp that you then have to haul around with you until the end of your trip.

What India Has For You

India is a shopper’s Eden. However, it’s not Walmart or Costco where one aisle has hot tubs and in the next it’s diapers. For some items the quality and price are unmatched, anywhere in the world; for others, you may be better off getting that once you’re back home. As we previously mentioned, textiles, jewelry, handicrafts and spices all fall in the former. Other specialties of India are shoes of all fashions and types. Shawls are another Indian forte with the vaunted pashmina, a type of cashmere, as the paragon example. Real pashmina won’t be available at dirt cheap prices. If you’re offered it at too good to be true prices, it’s not real. Other items of quality include: tea, scented products, movies and much more! Plan your shopping excursion to this foreign land today. For your visa needs Indian online visa has your back.

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Indian Food

INDIAN FOOD

India is a country that for many is out of sight and out of mind, unless we are talking about the food. Even the biggest homebody has at least tried the spice enriched, amalgam of vegetables, curries and marinated meats that is Indian food. However, you’d be mistaken in thinking that because you have tried the India restaurant around the corner, you have a handle on what might be the most diverse cuisine on the planet. If you’re contemplating a trip to India, check out Indian Visa Online for all pertinent visa information.

India food is as varied and multifaceted as the country itself. The surprisingly huge country, seventh largest in the world, is home to mountains, plateaus, plains, deserts, even islands. The wide ranging geography has created distinct regions of rich culinary mastery, based on the climate and culture of each region. It is a drastic oversimplification to break the country down into north and south when it comes to grub, because the chow of east and west India hold their own delicious dietary treasures. Nevertheless, it serves to draw a generic distinction between north and south.

North Vs. South

In the north the most famous of Indian food reigns: curry. Alongside India’s sumptuous staple of spices, naan bread, Aloo Ghobi and Samosas are also commonly found. The spice of the north, which may be the second most famous aspect of Indian food, is undoubtedly Garam Masala. For those who are unfamiliar, Garam Masala is a mix of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, peppercorns, cloves, coriander, mace and cumin. While it partially does translate to heat, the spice isn’t necessarily spicy but rather adds a kick of flavor to almost any dish.

Wheat breads like poori, kachori, chapati are the other core part of northern India’s menu. These listed are just a small sampling of the bevy of bread dishes. Peanut, mustard and soybean oils make up the tempering for the majority of their meals. Meat lovers will rejoice at the bounty of kebabs, chicken tikka, butter chicken and more; just don’t expect much beef as cows are held in sacred esteem. That being said, in parts of India, beef can be found. There is also a smattering of fresh water fish to be had. This region of India most closely resembles the Indian food found in western countries, only much better.

In the south, however, rice, stews and lentils are the main dishes, chock full of vegetables, spices and a host of other ingredients. Huli Pudi, known as sambar powder takes precedence over the Garam Masala. Rice dishes such as idli, appam, uttapam and dosa are the staples, which are all fermented batter mixed with rice. These replace the breads of the north. Preferred oils are coconut and sesame. For vegetarians, the south is your nirvana as the dishes are predominately meatless, outside of a wide variety of seafood options pulled from the nearby Malabar Coast.

 

India Made Easy

For many a trip to India means curry and lots of it. However, one would be dreadfully mistaken to assume that is all this cornucopia of cuisine has to offer. Northern curry is thicker, made with garlic, ginger, tomatoes and onions while the thinner curries of the south are designed to be soaked up by their delectable rice dishes. Regardless of whether you go north, south, east or west amazing food is to be found at all corners of India. However, navigating the menu can be slightly overwhelming at times. To help you out, here’s a cliff notes guide to India’s menus.

• Masala: common northern spice mixture
• Tikka: cutlets of marinated meat
• Curry: some combination of meat, seafood and vegetables in a sauce
• Murgh: chicken
• Saag: spinach or other types of greens with spices
• Aloo: potatoes
• Chana: chickpeas
• Tandoor: a vertical oven that used for marinating meats and breads. Therefore, anything Tandoori will come from said oven.

If you are planning a trip to India, be sure to get your visa first at India visa online and push your comfort zone by sampling the wide ranging options. A culinary adventure should be as high on your list as the Taj Mahal! The list of must try foods can be overwhelming; there are that many. So to make things easy, here are three of the most popular Indian dishes, narrowed down from about a hundred. Don’t be mad if your favorite isn’t on it.

Rogan Josh:

Rogan Josh is a lamb dish said to be of Persian origin. The meat is prepared in a gravy of yoghurt, garlic, ginger, and carmelized onions, topped with spices and Kashmiri chillies, not overly spicy and down right delicious.

Kosha Mangsho:

A Bengali mutton curry that millions of Indians enjoy for lunch daily. Spices, potatoes, and mutton made to perfection, also goes perfectly with rice.

Biryani:

A key rice dish in India, Biryani can come with all type of meat, seafood or even vegetarian. Think of it as India’s fried rice.

Thankfully, even if you can’t understand a single item on the menu, you’re still more than likely to end up with something delicious. So fire away and let your taste bud party begin!

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