People of India

People of India India has been defined as a 'Country of Caravans". The country has seen the arrival of diverse groups, races and religious communities from the very beginning. Aryan, Chinese, Turkish, Arabs, Mongols and Europeans came here and merged in great Indian nation. India is the only country of the world where you will experience such a diverse kind of amalgamation of the people. It is very difficult to fine out any single origin of Indian People. Generally, it is believed that the Ramapithecus species which were found in the Shiwalik foothills of north western Himalayas were the first in the line of hominids (Human Family) lived some 14 million years ago. According to anthropologists, species resembling the Austrapithecus lived in India some two million years ago. Since Ramapithecus, we find an evolutionary gap of 12 million years. There are sufficient reasons to call India a world in itself. During the last 1000 years, various tribal groups of the world and civilized nations came in India. They absorbed the way India live and also influenced It. Today, around 1,065,070,607 lives in the lap of Mother India. All these Indian people attribute several identities, all of them attractive and worth to be explored. They can be classified on the basis of races, regions, languages and religions. As per race is concerned, people of India belong to 6 main ethnic groups: Negrito, Proto - Australoids or Austrics, Mongoloids, Mediterranean or Dravidian, Western Brachycephals, Nordic Aryans. Negroids The Negritos also known as the Brachycephalic (broad headed) migrated from Africa in earlier period of India and settled in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Some of them include Jarawas, Sentinelese, Onges and the Great Andamanese. Pro-Australoids or Austrics Pro-Australoids or Austrics was the race of unique physical structure. It laid the foundation of Indian civilization. Now, these races are found in some parts of India, Myanmar and the islands of South East Asia. Their language is survived in the Central and Eastern India. Mongoloids Mongoloids are people with yellow complexion, oblique eyes, high cheekbones, sparse hair and medium height. They are found Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Ladakh etc and northern part of Bengal. Dravidians Founder of the city civilization of the Indus valley, Dravidian consist south Indian people. They came India before the Aryans. They are further classified into sub groups like the Paleo-Mediterranean, the true Mediterranean, and the Oriental Mediterranean. Western Bracycephals Bracycephals are broad headed people living mainly on the western side of the country such as the Ganga Valley and the delta, parts of Kashmir, Kathiawar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Parsis and Kodavas are also included in this race. Nordics or the Indo-Aryans The Indo-Aryans constitute around 72 per cent of the Indian people. It was the last racial group to immigrate to India. They came to India somewhere between 2000 and 1500 B.C and now they are mainly found in the northern and central part of India. Religious Stratification of India People Another classification of the Indian people can be according to their religions. The majority of the Indian people (81.3%) consists of Hindu religion. It is the largest population of Hindu any where in the world. Sikh (1.9%), Buddhist (0.7) and Jains (0.5%) are other religions which have their origin in the soil of India. Islam (12%) and Christian (2.3%) are two other religions which came from out of India and had a very deep impact on the culture and traditions of India. There are some other religions which constitute 0.4% population of India.

Travel geography of India

Travel geography of India

India is set apart from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, the uppermost, youngest and still developing mountain chain on the planet. The subcontinent as it is correctly called, touches three large water bodies and is immediately familiar on any world map. This broad, roughly triangular peninsula defines the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian Sea to the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south. India holds nearly every kind of landscape imaginable. An abundance of mountain ranges and national parks give ample opportunity for eco-tourism and trekking, and its pure size promises something for everyone. From north to south India expands a good 2000 miles (3200 km), where the island nation of Sri Lanka seems to be squeezed out of India like an immense tear, the synapse forming the Gulf of Mannar. Himalayas, the world's highest mountain chain and Nepal as its Neighboring country rule India's northern border. Following the sweeping mountains to the northeast, its borders thin to a small channel that passes between Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, then spreads out again to meet Burma in the "eastern triangle." Apart from the Arabian Sea, its western border is defined completely by Pakistan.

North India is the country’s biggest region begins with Jammu and Kashmir, with terrain unreliable from the mountains in the far north to the lake country and forests near Srinagar and Jammu. Moving south along the River Indus, the North becomes most hospitable and flatter; broaden 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 states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and part of the enormous, central state of Madhya Pradesh constitute West India. Extending from the Gujarat peninsula down to Goa, the west coast is wrinkled with some of India's best beaches. The land along the coast is classically lush with rainforests. The Western Ghats divide the verdant coast from the Vindya Mountains and the dry Deccan plateau further inland.

India is the home of the holy River Ganges and the majority of Himalayan foothills, East India begin with the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, which include the westernmost part of the region. East India also contains an area known as the eastern triangle, which is completely distinct. This is the last gulp of land that extends further than Bangladesh, culminating in the Naga Hills along the Burmese border.

India reaches its peninsular tip with South India that begins with the Deccan in the north and ends with Cape Comorin. The states in South India are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, a preferred leisure destination. The southeast coast, mirroring the west, also rests cozily beneath a mountain range---the Eastern Ghats.

The Indian History

History India is a land with full of mystries and full of unforgetable memories as a Indian history dates back to 3000 BC. Excavations in Punjab and Gujarat reveal that the Indus Valley civilisation was a highly developed urban civilisation. In fact the two cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, situated on two sides of the river Ravi , are known to have been built on a similar plan. But that only meant a new wave of urbanisation was taking place along the Ganges around 1500 BC. This has been recorded in the Rig Veda - the earliest known literary source composed in this period that sheds light on India 's past.

The Great Dynasties By 6th century BC, the Magadh rulers dominated the Northern plains. It was also the time when new thinking emerged in the form of Buddhism and Jainism to challenge Hindu orthodoxy. The Magadh rule was followed by the rule of Chandragupta Maurya (322-298 B.C.), one of India 's greatest emperors. The Mauryan reign peaked under the reign of Ashoka the Great who extended his empire from the Kashmir and Peshawar in the North to Mysore in the South and Orissa in the East. Not only was Ashoka a great ruler, he was one of the most successful propagators of Buddhism in the country. After Ashoka's death in 232 B.C. the empire began to disintegrate and the country was repeatedly raided and plundered by foreign invaders, leaving India disunited and weak for the next 400 years. Stability returned with the reign of Chandra Gupta I (380-412 A.D.). His rule is considered the golden period in Indian history when art and culture flourished and the country prospered.Unlike the North of India, foreign invasions had little impact on life in South India which also saw the rise and decline of many empires. These included the Cholas whose rule extended to Sri Lanka and South East Asia , the Pandyas, the Cheras, the Pallavas and the Chalukyas. Under the various rulers, arts and craft in the South also saw the emergence of various styles of architecture and some of the grandest architectural accomplishments in the South - the most famous being the exquisitely crafted Chola bronzes. These were followed by the Hoysala and the Vijaynagar empires - among the greatest Hindu empires.

The Muslim Invasions The first Muslim invasions of the country started with the Mahmud of Gazni, who plundered the sub-continent for its riches between 1001 and 1025. Later Mohamed Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan, the Tomar ruler of Delhi and left it in charge of his deputy, Qutub-ud-din, the man who built the Qutub Minar in Delhi . His rule was followed by that of the Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties. Known as the Sultanate of Delhi, it was during this period that the Muslim rulers introduced Islamic concepts of society and governance to most of the sub-continent, though the South remained largely untouched.In 1525, Babur, a descendant of Timur, as well as Genghis Khan invaded Punjab and eventually founded the Mughal empire in India . His rule was followed by that of his son Humayun. Humayun was ousted by Afghan chieftain Sher Shah but resumed power after Sher Shah's death. Sher Shah is, however, remembered as the one to build the Grand Trunk road spanning from Peshawar to Patna . Humayun's reign was followed up by his son Akbar who actually consolidated power and extended the empire across North India and parts of South India . One of India 's wisest rulers and most able administrators, Akbar's reign is considered to be one of the best the country has known. Akbar was succeeded by Jahangir, followed by his son Shah Jahan - best known as the builder of the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid. Shah Jahan's reign was followed by Aurangzeb's. The death of Aurangzeb saw the decline of the Mughal rule in India .

British Rule Over the centuries India had always been attractive to traders, and one of the first Europeans to come to India was the Portuguese trader Vasco da Gama who landed at Calicut , sailing via the Cape of Good Hope in 1498. The Portuguese established their colony in Goa in the 16th Century but they did not expand it though their rule continued till 1961. Vasco da Gama was followed by the French, the Dutch and the English, all of whom were lured by the commercial interests that India offered. By the last quarter of the 18th century the English established themselves as the dominant power in India and they set about making revolutionary changes in the social, political and the economic life of the country.

Towards Independence The disintegration of the Mughal empire, fighting among the Maratha rulers and inability of the various rulers across the country to unite against a common enemy saw the British consolidate their position in the country. However, the 19th century saw a revival of national pride and social reform and the Indians began to tire of the suppressive British rule. Things reached a flash point in the second half of the 19th century when the first war of independence in 1857 broke out in Meerut . It was sparked off by the introduction of a new rifle and cartridge by the British in the Army. The cartridges which soldiers had to bite off, allegedly contained pork and beef tallow, which offended the religious sentiments of both Hindus and Muslims. The soldiers rebelled, reached Delhi and proclaimed Bahadurshah Zafar the sovereign ruler of India . They were eventually overpowered by the British.But there was no looking back for the Indians who wanted social reform and freedom. The Indian National Congress was set up and educated Indians started formulating strategies to assert their birthright to independence. The anti-British sentiment became a mass movement with the arrival of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who devised a unique strategy for India 's freedom struggle based on non-violence and civil disobedience. He conceived and led the non-cooperation movement in 1922, the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 and the Quit India Movement in 1942. All of which pushed the British into agreeing to transfer power on August 15, 1947, the day that is now celebrated as India 's Independence Day. Today, India is the world's largest democracy with a federal form of government.

LUXURY TOURS OF INDIA

When I was on tours of India. I decided to visit Taj Mahal, a beautiful poem on white marble in Agra. Then I proceeded to my tour to ranges of great Himalya through pilgrimages centers of Uttaranchal.

Silently then, I climb to the Vice regal Palace. So called, because it was built to house the British Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, when he came visiting the Maharajah of Garwhal. There, I will join the others’ beginners in yoga, if not in life’ and in various stages of disrepair. Soon, the lilting Indian English of our gentle-soled yoga guru floats over our mutated cobra positions "Drop your body, drop your body. Hold it, hold it. You can do it. Relax, relax." As we lay on the ballroom's Persian rugs in our corpse positions, our guru opens the French doors to let the Himalayan mists drift over us.

Winding back down through gardens of jasmine and roses, temples and waterways, it's off to breakfast among the trees. Far below in the valley, the towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar bustle on the banks of the Ganges. Rishikesh is where the Beatles came in the 60's to find their guru. It's called the yoga capital of the world and along one whole side of the river is all temples and ashrams. Haridwar, known as "gateway to the Gods" is one of India's most sacred cities, both destination and beginning of many pilgrimages. Its ashrams cater to the more orthodox yoga practitioners maintaining strict rules on silence and prayer.

This misty, mystical place is home to Ananda-in the Himalayas, a 'holistic healing sanctuary' that could easily be mistaken for a top-notch resort, romantic destination or historic property. It's about four and a half hours by train north of Delhi and an hour's ride from the train station, climbing and winding up the lower Himalayas to 4000 feet. It's on the Maharajah of Garhwal's estate. He's the area's current Member of Parliament and lives mostly in Delhi, but continues to maintain his palace. Ananda leases land and the Viceregal Palace from him.

This palace, restored to its former glory, is now given over to reception, afternoon tea accompanied by Indian musicians, billiards on the oldest table in India also more oldest than Taj Mahal, lingering among the Maharajah's paintings and books and, on chilly mornings, yoga. A Vice regal Suite’ a sure winner for an extraordinary honeymoon'is up a staircase of hand-carved Burma Teak. Its marble bathrooms, three fireplaces’ including one in a bathroom’ a large private terrace and Jacuzzi all have views.

Ananda's sanctuary spreads down the mountain from the Vice regal Palace through manicured lawns and small temples that are havens for outdoor yoga, meditation and teas. Mountains and streams, faraway towns and gathering clouds fill the views from Ananda's spa, restaurant and rooms. Even a swim in the pool feels like a glide through the wild but not a actual wild life.

The five-story building which houses the guest rooms steps down a ridge in such a way that only the top few stories are visible. The balconies of many rooms hang above the valley. Subtle and sensuous, the rooms are of polished wood and lush fabrics in sea-foam and putty, granting this vista its due. If it's cool on the balcony, the view from the warmth of the deep green marble bath is sublime

Ayurveda, a 5000 year old Indian system of healing and health, is at the heart of Ananda. While full western spa facilities and treatments are available, most of the guests this week are following an Ayurvedic program starting with a private health evaluation by an Ayurvedic doctor. We each learned which body type (dosha) we had and received suggestions about getting and staying healthy. The doctor then sent his recommendations to the spa and kitchen staffs who planned our treatments and meals based on them.

Thus, I wander through slowly-structured spa days. Massages start with elixirs prepared just for me and end with warm oil tickling my forehead. Yoga's at dawn and meditation's at sunset. In between are treks around the Maharajah's estate to discover its nature and history, elegant spa meals to nourish both body and spirit and many quiet moments to take it all in. Four days at Ananda has rested my soul, unkinked my body and expanded my mind'small wonders, perhaps, in the sacred Himalayas, but treasured no less.