Places You Must Visit on a Short Trip to India

India, the seventh largest country in the world, often gets travellers confused between where to go and where not to. With numerous places spread all across India where you can go for chilling, meditating, adventure sports, and revering, it’s pretty hard to select only a bunch of them for your tour.

Even though you can travel to far off places in the south such as Andaman and Nicobar island or to the north-east towards Shillong or Gangtok, there are some places around Delhi which are easier and faster to reach. These include:

1. Taj Mahal, Agra: One of the seven wonders in the world, Taj Mahal is the most famous tourist destination in India. The mausoleum which Shah Jahan built for his wife Mumtaz Mahal epitomises the Mughal architecture and is known around the world as the “Symbol of Love”. Situated in the historical city of Agra, Taj Mahal translates to “Crown of Palaces” in the Persian language. The unexplainable beauty of Taj Mahal attracts around 7 to 8 million users annually. Seeing the glorious monument with the first ray of sunlight is a heavenly experience as the white-marbled structure escalates all your emotions. Completed in 1653, it took almost 17 years in building Taj Mahal, which is now a UNESCO world heritage site. The monument beautifully reflects Mumtaz’ changing moods, as it takes a pinkish hue in the morning, milky white in the evening, and turns golden at night with the showering moonlight.

2. Hawa Mahal, Jaipur: Built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, in 1799, the Mahal’s original purpose was to keep the women of the royal family hidden whilst they enjoyed the ongoing festivals from the inside. It gets its name ‘Palace of Winds’ due to the 953 windows (Jharokhas) of the Mahal, specially constructed to let in the cool breeze to keep the Palace comfortable in the summer season. What makes Hawa Mahal so interesting is the fact that it is the tallest building in the world without a foundation. The structure of the building resembles the crown of Hindu god Krishna, beautifully showing the artistic brilliance of Rajput architecture. Observe all the five floors of the Mahal, each designed with uniquely decorated chambers. You can also enjoy a stupendous view of the City Palace, Jantar Mantar, and the ever-busy Siredeori Bazaar.

3. Fatehpur Sikri, Agra: Home to Jodha Bai’s Palace, Jama Mosque, Buland Darwaza, and the tomb of Salim Chisti, Fatehpur Sikri is one of the finest examples of Akbar’s architectural finesse. The UNESCO world heritage site, which was once the capital of Mughal Emperor Akbar’s empire, is a famous tourist attraction which provides a perfect blend of religiousness and serenity. When you visit Fatehpur Sikri with an Indian tourist visa, turn to the locals to seek the facts and history associated with the ‘City of Victory’. Make sure to click photographs of the fascinating infrastructure of the city which includes the Anup Talab, Panch Mahal, and the Diwan-i-Khas. As it was the capital of Akbar’s empire for 15 years, it is an ideal place to learn about the traditions and culture of Mughals.

4. Golden Temple, Amritsar: One of the most spiritual places of India, the Golden Temple, also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib, is the holiest shrine in Sikhism. The religious fervour of this temple is impossible to explain in words. Situated in Amritsar, not far away from Delhi, it is a meditational retreat for travellers seeking tranquility and spirituality. Even after facing several attacks by other ethnic groups, the Golden Temple remains intact and functional thanks to the multiple repairs by the Sikhs, making it even more beautiful with every renovation. The Golden Temple also organizes the largest “langar” in the world every day, feeding approximately 40,000 people daily for free! The astonishing figure rises to 1,00,000 people on religious holidays and weekends. Such an incredible feat is only possible due to the massive donations and the dedication and hard work of the volunteers. All the visitors attending the free “langar” have to sit on the floor which symbolizes the central Sikh doctrine’s principle of the equality of all people irrespective of their caste, status, wealth, and creed. In your visit to the Golden Temple, you can also volunteer for serving food, cleaning utensils and preparing dishes in the langar.

If you intend to stay in India for a longer period, you can also visit other famous significant places such as Goa, Ooty, Puducherry, and many more. So, what are you waiting for? Apply for Indian Visa Online and explore the beautiful country to your heart’s extent!

The post Places You Must Visit on a Short Trip to India appeared first on Indian e-Tourist Visa Online Agency.

Indian Tourist Application to Witness the Magnificent Fusion of Colors

From the mighty Himalayas to the extreme southern end, India is housed with divine creations and colorful places chanting the song of awe-inspiring pulchritude. The rich history of India is making it the most sought-after destination in the world. When it comes to comparing the tourist stats, it finds a place at a top spot in the list of countries with a high number of tourist visitors.

But what makes “India” the place to make a tour of. Let’s take a deeper analysis of it.

Today, be it business purposes or with a motive of visiting a tourist destination, the influx of visitors to different countries have become rampant. In order to make the visit safe and negate all the problems while dealing with the authorities reading unauthorize entry, Visa is the legal document you would definitely need. And when it comes to visiting India, it is no different. You could apply for Indian Visa application online and avail yourself the opportunity to see some of the wonderful places that India is endowed with. Following are some of the places you need to visit upon arriving here.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple: “Treasures found in the Padmanabhaswamy Temple”. Back in 2011, the news read like this. Heard of it? This very temple grabbed the attention of everyone throughout the world. Located in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, this temple is built in intricate Kerala and Tamil style. This temple is devoted to Lord Vishnu and built with the purpose of spreading the word for the promotion and development of Vaishnavism. Every day devotees converge here for worship and shower the offerings. Due to the excavation of treasures, this temple was closed for sometimes. Today, as this enigmatic temple remains a mystery to every everyone, there has not been a hiatus in the movement of devotees on daily basis. As India stands as a symbol of spirituality and cultural ethnicity, the visit to such temple, not only by Indians but also people around the world, is not a surprise.

Sarnath: Buddhism or Gautam Buddha, who does not know about him. With just ten miles away from Deer Park in Sarnath, Lord Buddha had his Dharma taught and inculcated with divine knowledge as we know today. Since then, this place has been sacrosanct. Apart from that, Sarnath is also famous for Jainism as well. As this place holds such spiritual significance, it’s a must on the part of the visitors to make a tour of this place. In the present spectrum, the popularity of Buddhism and Jainism is not a recent phenomenon. And with the inflated number of followers of these religions around the world, such stunning place demand a must visit.

Ajmer Sharif Dargah: This shrine was built for the purpose of promoting Islam. The inside hall of this shrine contains the grave of the revered saint Moinuddin Chishti, who is otherwise known as Gharib Nawaz, literally stands as the “Benefactor of Poor”. Today, this place has become a spiritual hub for people looking to attain eternal peace. Apart from that, the Moghul architecture and creative artworks did on the walls of such a place, gravitates many.

Nowadays, the importance of Indian Tourist Visa has gone many strides. With easy Visa approval process and an astounding sixty days expiry period, this is tour would let you have the experience of a lifetime. But before that, there are some requisites you need to fulfill also.

At the end of the day, all you need to do is apply for Indian Visa application online and meet the requirements for expediting the approval process. However, it is necessary on the part of all the foreign nationals to hold valid international travel document in the form of passport along with the approved Visa before making the entry.

As Indian Visa Application has become the legal document for visiting India, upon arriving you will be amazed by the beauty and the fusion of colors it is known to poses.

The post Indian Tourist Application to Witness the Magnificent Fusion of Colors appeared first on Indian e-Tourist Visa Online Agency.

Things to Know about Indian e-Visa

People planning to visit India needs a visa from an Indian diplomatic committee unless they come from one of the visa-free countries or a country whose citizens obtain a visa on arrival or an Indian e-Visa online. The Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) service became operational for 40 eligible countries, including those which are eligible for visa on arrival. ETA is a kind of visa issued for tourism, visiting friends or family, short duration medical treatment and, business tours. The scheme was renamed to e-Tourist Visa and, then e-Visa with three sub-categories: e-Tourist Visa, e-Business Visa, and e-Medical Visa.

Although, an application for e-Visa should be given in advance which is valid for 60 calendar days from the date of arrival. On e-Tourist Visa and, e-Business Visa, double entry is available as well as the Triple entry is available for e-Medical Visa. One cannot extend the duration of stay. Also, the fees are divided into four slabs depending on the nationality.

 What is Indian e-Visa?

Indian e-Visa is an electronic authorization to travel to India for the different reasons as per the need of the tourist. It is an official document which allows entry into the country as well as one can also travel within India.

One thing you should also keep in mind that while applying, it is not necessary to submit passport and, other documents. It is an online process and, through Visa Central the applying process becomes easy. The applicants can receive their visas through email only after filling the application form with the necessary information and, details. Once the online card payment is completed, the applicant can get his Visa at the comfort of his home. The e-Visa approval will be issued in advance electronically before your departure for India, at the immigration checkpoint the original visa is placed inside their passport.

In 2014, the Government of India introduced an online tourist Visa with a vision to promote tourism industry. Due to which, travelers no longer have to visit the embassy to get their visa. At present, there are more than 160 countries from which tourists can apply their Visa depending on the motive of their visit. By using the e-Visa program travelers can apply, pay an online fee and, receive their electronic visa online while being staying at home.

Instructions and Requirements for India e-Visa:

• The Indian Tourist e-visa allows for two entries into the country. Despite that, it is significant to note the Indian Tourist e-visa can be used a maximum of two times in a year.
• Indian Tourist e-visa is valid for one twenty days. If one applies outside the validate days, it provides a unique service that ensures the application goes through on the correct date. The visitor can stay in the country for not more than 60 days. They must carry a copy along with them at the time of travel.
• The Indian Tourist e-Visa allows entry through 26 designated Airports and, five designated Seaports. Though, travelers can exit from any of the authorized Check Posts. The visa is also not -extendable.
• A passport should have at least six months validity from the date of arrival in India. Also, the applicants must arrive using the same passport with which they applied for the Tourist e-Visa. The applicant’s passport should have at least two blank pages for stamping by the Immigration Officer. For International Travelers, they must have a return ticket or onward journey ticket.
• The E-Visa services involve an online application for which means there is no facility required by any intermediary or an agent. One should not share one’s personal information with any unauthorized website as it may lead to personal date piracy. You can also visit the authorized website of Government of India for any service or clarification.

The post Things to Know about Indian e-Visa appeared first on Indian e-Tourist Visa Online Agency.

Types of Indian Visas You Never Heard Of

India, known for its authentic culture and nature’s delight attracts thousands of tourists from around the world. Coming to India has not been as easy as it is now, the Indian Visas are now easy to get. Last year, the Indian Government made some necessary changes in the kinds of visas offered to the nationals. However, there are still people who never heard of such Visa options the Indian government offered, to them this blog will turn out to be the best. Here are options of Indian Visas outlined together that you might haven’t heard of:

Tourist Visa

The first and foremost type that everybody knows of, is a Tourist Visa. India, being the country of distinct and unique cultures has a lot to offer to the nationals coming from around the world. However, there are times when the tourist visas are given for more than six months but, it all depends upon the nationality of the tourist.

Transit Visa

Transit visas are for short intervals of time granted to people for spending less than 72 hours of time. This type of visa needs a confirmed airline booking to show and is only valid until 3 days for direct transit entry and 15 days from the date of issue.

Entry (X) Visa

This type of Visa can be taken up by the foreigner having Indian origin and, this visa is not subject to the gap of two months. People taking up visas like this cannot work in India. The X-Visa holders don’t require to leave every six months and can get an extension in India.

Medical Visa

This visa is granted for quick treatments like an organ transplant, heart surgery, neurosurgery, joint replacement, plastic surgery or any urgent treatments. The person accompanying the patient is issued with Medical Attendant Visas.

Employment Visa

This kind of Visa is issued to the foreigners who are working in India for any specified term as per the contract or a period of one year. This requires proof of employment like the terms and conditions in the contract.

Research Visa

This visa has a lot of requirements before it gets issued. The research visa takes three long months to get approved from the Department of Education, and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Intern Visa

This visa is for nationals pursuing internship program in India. The visa is valid until the internship period gets over and depends on the terms of contract. This kind of visa cannot be converted into Employment Visa or any other types of Visa.

Film Visa

Film Visas are issued to people filming a commercial or a TV show in India. The F-Visa application takes 60 days to get processed and goes around The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The visa’s validity is for one year.

Student Visa

Foreigner students who seek to study in India for long-term courses are issued with Student Visa. Courses like Vedic Culture, Indian System, Yoga Study, Music, and Dance are most of the reasons why people come with a student visa. Necessary documents that are required as proof are the student registration papers. The validity can be extended as per the course plan.

Journalist Visa

This type of visa is for professional photographers and journalists. This type of Visa can be issued by any journalist wanting to meet a person. The duration allowed with the journalist visa is 3 months and comes under one of the toughest Visas to obtain. Even if you want to film an advertisement or a documentary you have to first apply for Journalist visa.

The post Types of Indian Visas You Never Heard Of appeared first on Indian e-Tourist Visa Online Agency.

What to bring home from India?

Here’s a List of the Best Luxuries to Shop for this Land of Riches

India is a shopper’s paradise, overflowing with riches. Your senses will be filled with fabulous textiles, sparkling jewels, tinkling bells, intricate art work, divine perfumes, and every spice, scent and oil you can dream of. India is truly a land of treasure, and if you take on the mindset of a treasure hunter, you will find great pleasure in searching through piles of dazzling baubles and glittering knick knacks in the ancient bazaars, markets, malls and street stalls.

Apply today and receive your e-Tourist Visa by email!

Take it slow, and don’t buy everything at first twinkle—there will be a lot of goods twinkling at you. Take your time to get a feel for prices and quality. And remember that Indians love to haggle—don’t be afraid to negotiate price. That said, there are plenty of fixed-price stores and if you really love something, go for it!

Every region has differing specialties, so you’ll enjoy shopping wherever you go. Here are just some of the things to look out for as you travel through India.

Jewels, Gems, Baubles & Trinkets

From chunky baubles on the streets with bright colors to the finer gemstones found in the shops of dealers, you’ll be impressed with the sheer array of jewelry. Indians have a diverse population with many different styles of dress—but it seems they all love to accessorize with marvelous ornaments.

Bangles: Almost every woman in India wears bangles—often matching bangles on either arm, creating a rather pleasing symmetry. You’ll find a variety of bangles, from basic day to day wear to very fashionable styles.

Nose Rings: A traditional ornament worn by many of the women of India, you’ll find more stunning nose rings here than anywhere else in the world. You may just be tempted to get your nose pierced, if it isn’t already, so you can indulge in these flattering adornments.

Earrings: If you love earrings, you will be very happy digging through the ample array of cool, bold and intricate earring styles found all over India.

Jewels: Precious gems such as sapphires, diamonds and rubies abound in India—and for very reasonable prices. Indians love sparkling gems and it is also a nation of gold lovers. You’ll find the best 24 carat gold jewelry in the world.

Semi-Precious Stones: In addition to the finer gems, India also has plenty of stunning semi-precious stones that will be lighter on the pocket, but are still very beautiful. Labradorite, quartz, lapis, garnet, moonstones and more.

Anklets (known as “Payals or Ghungroo”): These are ornamental anklets worn on the feet of Indian women. Often with little bells, they make a nice tinkle as you walk and are a lovely accessory for traditional Indian dance.

Need help? Visit our FAQs section.

Dresses, Scarves, Vests and Other Wardrobe Fashions

With an abundance of fine materials such as silks, pashminas, yak wool and cottons, Indians also have a love for bright colors and wonderful patterns. You’ll be in a textile paradise as you outfit a new wardrobe for yourself!

Scarves/Shawls: India has every kind of scarf and shawl you can imagine. If you want a heavier scarf for cool nights in the Himalayas, go for one of the large Yak Wool or Angora (rabbit wool) Kullu Shawls that come in cool geometric patterns. You can also find fine silk scarves in bright colors as well as pashmina, which is a super soft kind of wool that comes from goats in the Himalayas.

Saris: The stunning traditional dress worn by many Indian women, saris are a length of material that is draped flatteringly about a woman’s body. They come in a vast array of beautiful colors and patterns—usually silk or cotton.

Salwar Kameez: These are Indian dresses worn by Indian girls and women. You’ll find good quality both in silk and cotton to suit your taste.

Kurta Pajama: You’ll find many Indian men wearing the traditional Kurta Pajama. They are very comfortable to wear and can be used as sleeping dresses.

Vests: Commonly worn by Indian men, there are many, many varieties of vests throughout India with all kinds of cool designs and styles.

Hippie-Ware: India is the unofficial mecca of festival and hippie garb. If this is your thing, you’ll have a great time sifting through converted sari wrap skirts, maxi-dresses and Ali Baba pants.

Leather Goods: Purses, duffles, wallets, belts, vests and whatever other leather luxury you can imagine—heck, even dresses—India has it. You’ll find excellent leather craftsmanship throughout India.

See also: SPENDING WINTER IN GOA

Oils, Herbs, Incenses and Perfumes

India is a paradise of divine aromas, luxuriant oils and spiritual incenses.

Perfumes and Oils: Skin softening and fragrant, India is full of sensual delights like oils and perfumes. Almond oil is popular and affordable. Essential oils and perfumes that combine scents of Sandalwood, Kama Sutra, Patchouli, White Musk, Amber, Myrrh and Rose, you’ll love dabbing yourself with the oils to see which comes out best on your skin. Indulge.

Ayurvedic Remedies and Herbals: Home to Ayurvedic medicine, you can find a great many lovely herbal concoctions. While you can visit a doctor for a specific remedy, you’ll also find hair and skin oils, conditioners, face creams and all sorts of other concoctions made with lovely Ayurvedic herbal recipes.

Spices: With some of the biggest spice markets in the world, it’s fun to purchase some spices so you can take the wonderful, complex flavors of Indian cooking home with you. Saffron is a popular herb to purchase, since it is much more affordable in India than other places in the world.

Tea: India is also famous for their black teas—get some beautiful Assam tea to take home with you for your afternoon cuppas.

Henna: Another plant that is fun to play with is henna, which you’ll find powdered in little packets. Used for painting intricate hand and arm designs, henna is also excellent for nourishing the hair—just be aware that it will give your hair a red tint!

Incense: As you travel through India, you’ll often find yourself in the fragrant smoke of incense. Incense is burned for spiritual reasons, as an offering. You can purchase many different incenses to burn at home—Nag Champa is the most popular.

Handicrafts and Folk Art

Talented craftsmen and a profusion of creativity means you won’t get bored exploring the local handicrafts and folk art throughout the country. Among the handicrafts are very affordable marble, stunning wood carvings and Tibetan paintings in the north that are beautifully painted with incredible detail and color. There are also Hindu statues of every size, so you can take home your favorite god or goddess.

Rugs and Tapestries

Rugs: India has some of the most beautifully designed, handmade oriental rugs—made of pure wool and/or pure silk. They come in all sizes—so if you want it to fit in your bag, you can buy a small one for the side of your bed! You can always have one mailed to you as well.

Tapestries: You’ll see tons of awesome tapestries hanging everywhere—often making up the walls of a restaurant or shop. Tapestries come in all sorts of wonderful colors and feature pictures of things like Trees of life, elephants, lotuses, Bhuddas and various Hinndu gods and goddesses (usually in a nifty geometric patterning).

Knick Knacks

Don’t forget the knick-knacks! India is a treasure chest after all, remember? Enjoy looking through antiques, Indian chess boards, playing cards, ancient coins, and all sorts of odds, ends and glitz. You may just find a treasure you never dreamed of!

The post What to bring home from India? appeared first on Indian e-Tourist Visa Online Agency.

Bollywood Tours in Mumbai

Bollywood is the bright, musical, over-the-top and so-much-fun world of Indian film. India is a land that is obsessed with film and has been producing movies for over 100 years. It is crucial to your experience of India to watch some of these fabulously dramatic films on the big screen. Even better, go on a Bollywood tour—or better yet, get cast as an extra!

Apply today and get your Indian e-Tourist Visa by email!

Mumbai Film City

Home to Bollywood’s Film City, no visit to Mumbai is complete without a tour around the epicenter of the burgeoning Indian film industry. Film City was built by the Maharashtra state government in 1977 to help the Bollywood film industry flourish and seeing as how more than 100 films a year are produced here, it’s Ok to assume the plan was a success. Officially renamed Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in the year 2001 to commemorate the founder of Indian film Industry, Dadasaheb Phalke, it is still commonly known as Film City.

The sprawling complex covers nearly 350 acres and comes fully equipped with almost 20 indoor studios, as well as outdoor settings for filming. The “city” includes gardens, a courthouse, a lake, temple and church for shooting purposes. There is even a manmade waterfall!

Film City is located in the western Mumbai suburb of Goregaon, near the vicinity of Sanjay Ganhi National Park. Because Mumbai’s Film City isn’t open for public admission, you can only experience this spectacular place on a guided tour or as an extra. In fact, it’s not as hard as you may think to get yourself cast an extra! Here’s a list of some of the best tours on the market, as well as some tips for how to get onto the screen yourself.

Check here if your passport is eligible for e-Tourist Visa.

Bollywood Tours

Mumbai Film City Tours: This is the official tour of Film City, offered in conjunction with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. It is a two hour guided bus tour that will take you through various locations in Film City. While the tour advertises getting to see live shootings, it is not guaranteed. It really depends on luck—if you happen to take your tour when an accessible shooting is taking place, you might get a glimpse of some live action. However, you are not allowed to get off the bus, so don’t get your hopes up that you’ll get to flirt with the stars.

There are six tours per day, so you should be able to fit it conveniently into your schedule. They leave at: 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 2.30 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4.30 p.m and last 2 hours.

Dream Tour: Dream Tour focuses on post-production, going behind the scenes to a dubbing studio and a singing studio. In this interactive tour, you’ll get to dub your favorite Bollywood scene yourself, and sing your favorite Bollywood tune in the fully equipped singing studio. There are three tours per day: 1.00, 3.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m.  Each tour lasts 2 hours.

Live Show Tour: The Live Show Tour focuses on transporting tourists to the live shootings of a TV show, so you can see the set in action. You’ll be able to see the actors and cameras working on the set and even have your picture taken with them (assuming they say it’s OK). There are two tours per day: 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m., each lasting two hours.

Cost Saver Combination Tour: If you want the full immersive experience, you can purchase a combination tour. The Cost Saver Combo Tour is a combination of both the Film City Tour and the Dream Tour.

Half Day Bollywood Tour (by request): This is a combination of the Film City Tour and Live Show tour and includes lunch.

Full Day Bollywood Tour (by request): This full day Film City immersion combines all three tours (Film City, Dream Tour, and Live Show), and includes lunch.

Bollywood Tours: Bollywood Tours is one of the best private tour operators. Their full-day Film City and Bollywood Tour also includes a drive past some of the homes of Bollywood stars and a visit to a shooting studio. You’ll even get to see a spectacular, live Bollywood dance show! It also includes the two-hour Film City bus tour mentioned above.

Bollywood Tours also offers combination tours that include both Bollywood and either Dharavi slum or other sightseeing around the city.

The Mumbai Dream Tour: Put on by No Footprints, this foreigner focused tour is especially fun because it incorporates a Bollywood dance workshop! You’ll learn some coordination as you practice India’s celebratory dance moves. This tour also includes a short screening of a Bollywood movie, a visit to a film studio to see a live shoot, and a visit to a sound recording studio.

Film Cities in Other Locations

Mumbai isn’t the only city boasting Bollywood studios. Film cities can also be found in Noida (near Delhi), Hyderabad, and Chennai.

Noida Film City has over 25 acres of indoor sets and is used mostly for making TV serials, news, and current affairs programs. Chennai Film City is home to the Tamil movie industry. The public can enter for a small fee, and there’s an amusement park to keep the kids entertained.

Hyderabad’s Ramoji Film City is a huge tourist destination spread over 2,500 acres. It boasts of being the world’s largest production complex and it is also possible to take a special tour here.

See also: A Guide to Tipping in India

How to Be a Bollywood Extra

If you’re not content to be a spectator and long to actually participate in a Bollywood film, you might just get lucky. Foreigners are always in demand to be extras in Bollywood movies. The easiest way to make it happen is to hang around Colaba Causeway in Mumbai, particularly in the area around Leopold’s Cafe, and you’re sure to be approached to be an extra. If that fails, you could try to get in contact with the famous casting agent Imran Giles of Casting Planet at imran.giles@gmail.com.

If you do land a spot, expect long hours, lots of waiting and very little pay (maybe $15 for an entire day). However, it will be a fun experience and give you an insider’s view to the filming process.

The post Bollywood Tours in Mumbai appeared first on Indian e-Tourist Visa Online Agency.

6 Everyday Things You Can Thank Ancient India For Giving the World

India has one of the richest, most ancient cultures on earth, full of complexities and depth. It is really no wonder then that many of the things we take for granted today originated in this great land. Here’s just a few of the everyday things that were born in India and have changed human life around the world.

Apply today and get your Indian e-Tourist Visa by email!

ZERO:

It’s hard to imagine a world before the digit Zero existed. Zero is integral to all modern math and science, providing the basis of the counting system by enabling a 10 symbol system (all repetitions of 1-9 + 0). While zero was developed in several places around the world as a place holder, it wasn’t until the 5^th century AD India, that mathematician Aryabhata began using zero as an actual number. This seemingly simple act revolutionized arithmetic and calculus, paving the way for such marvelous inventions as computers.

Yoga:

Yoga has taken the west by storm and is adored by the masses. Every gym is full of yoga classes and yoga studios can be found in most towns. Yoga is an exercise that combines stretching, balancing and strength, using a variety of poses and breath work. And, it was born in ancient India (duh). While the west is focused mainly on the physical aspect of yoga, it is really much more than that. Yoga is an 8 fold practice developed to help the human being reach a state of bliss through unity with the universe.

Yoga is so old that the exact origins are not even known. The first written mention of it is found in Rig Veda, which was written 5000 years ago. In the second century AD, a man named Pantanjali, considered the father of Yoga, wrote the Yoga Sutras, which was the first concise explanation and layout of the yogic principles. Yoga began to take shape in its modern form during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s when yoga teachers traveled across India, spreading the knowledge. It has only continued to take off from there, becoming a standard form of exercise throughout the west.

Shampoo:

These days, shampoo is an assumed part of just about every person’s personal hygienic upkeep. So it’s surprising to learn that shampoo only became popular in Europe after colonial contact with India. British colonial traders took great pleasure in the Indian habit of lathering up their hair and brought the hair treatment back to the west. Indians made shampoo by boiling a variety of herbs, including soapnut, which creates a great lather and cleanses the hair, making it smooth and manageable.

The Decimal System:

Another crucial mathematical innovation that has propelled human advancements to an unfathomable degree is the decimal system, developed in India in about 100BC. Having 10 numbers and a decimal point (as in 19.6 as opposed to just 19 or 20), made arithmetic much easier to use and led to the development of complex scientific ideas.

Check here if you are eligible for e-Tourist Visa.

Chess:

Perhaps the most universal and well known game—whether you actually know how to play it or not—chess can trace its origins back to India. Originally called Chaturanga, meaning an army of four divisions, chess spread to Arabia and Persia where it was further developed into its present form. This popular board game has had a great influence on great minds around the world for hundreds of years.

Chai Tea:

Ok, some of you may be thinking it’s a stretch to say that chai has changed human life…but not if you’ve ever been consoled by a hot Chai Latte on a winter’s day. This quintessential elixir has become a coffeehouse staple and brings with it comfort, joy and connection through its warming spices. Of course, chai comes from India, where it is imbibed on a daily basis as a friendly drink.

Said to have been developed many thousands of years ago in an ancient court by a king who wanted to create an Ayurvedic healing tea, Masala Chai is the stuff of legends. Made up of a variety of warming herbs such as ginger, cardamom, clove, cinnamon and other spices, it wasn’t until the 1800s when the British set up tea plantations in Assam, India, that black tea was added to the mixture, perfecting this milk tea of the gods.

Conclusion

Let’s be real: we can thank India for a lot more than just these 5 things. Take Bhuddism, for instance, which whether or not you realize it, has had a profound influence on the world’s way of thinking about and experiencing life. Or Ayurvedic medicine, a centuries old, whole-body medicine which is becoming quite popular in the west with the movement towards herbalism and holistic medicine. Even surgery has it’s origins in India! This article is just a mere taster of the incredible gifts this spectacular land has provided to the world—thanks India!

See also: Tips for Travelling in India

The post 6 Everyday Things You Can Thank Ancient India For Giving the World appeared first on Indian e-Tourist Visa Online Agency.