India or the Republic of India – a state in South Asia
SHOPPING
In India, you can buy other souvenirs. Remember – here will appreciate your talent to bargain.
Indian fabrics (you should pay attention to silk and Rajasthan cotton. Gorgeous saris, shawls, skirts, shawls and blouses embroidered with small mirrors, so well known to us from Indian films, are sewn from Indian fabrics).
According to reviews of tourists, the best gift from India is excellent Indian tea. Yes, the same, but without an elephant. And often the highlight is not in the sort – they are all excellent, but the fact that tea is packed in elegant satin bags.
Indians – masters cut interesting figurines from different materials: clay, copper, glass, sandalwood, bamboo, rosewood and Indian walnut. Elephants and Indian gods can be found almost everywhere.
Habitual ground pepper, turmeric, saffron, cloves, cinnamon, as well as spices unknown to us, without which it is indispensable when cooking curry, are of excellent quality in India and, by our standards, are practically free.
Women’s jewelry made of copper, brass, bronze, silver and gold inlaid with bright enamel, semi-precious and precious pebbles will be a wonderful souvenir from India for the fair sex. And let the men pay attention to the weapon.
WHERE TO STAY
5 * hotels located in the main resorts of India amaze guests with their magnificence: these are not just places of rest with a wide range of services, but fabulous palaces on the coast, where the staff tries to fulfill almost all the desires of tourists. In large cities, 5 * hotels do not always fit this category – often their service leaves much to be desired.
Hotels 4 *, located in resort areas, offer their guests a good service, a sufficiently large range of services, including traditional, India-specific programs for the improvement of body and spirit. In other cities of India, hotels that are really relevant to the 4 * category can only be found in areas where a wealthy part of the local community lives. In other cases, four stars on the facade serve only to decorate the building. Prices are clearly too high, while the level of service is very low, and the rooms are often in poor condition.
It is difficult to give an unambiguous assessment of 3 * hotels, since in different parts of India their owners put their meaning into this concept. If these hotels are clean at popular resorts on the coast, and the service in them is quite tolerable, then in the central part of the country it is quite difficult to distinguish a three-star hotel from a two-star hotel or not having any stars at all, except for the price and availability of any amenities.
Most of the hotels of category 2 * or hotels without stars and guesthouses are distinguished by Spartan furnishings, minimal service and, often, lack of cleanliness, but at the same time low prices.
However, it happens the other way around – the hotel, not officially marked with stars, offers the tourist spacious and clean rooms, good service and excellent food. Most of these hotels belong to either high-ranking military or retired officials, or are owned by families from the higher castes of Indian society. These hotels can be classified as hotels of the average price category.
SEA AND BEACHES
India’s huge coastline is thousands of kilometers of sandy beaches on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Here are some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Perhaps each of them is unique, has its own atmosphere, offers something for its guests.
All beaches are municipal, but those areas of the beach that are assigned to specific hotels are protected. The use of beaches and equipment is free. Practically everywhere swimming and sunbathing in the nude is prohibited.
STORY
The history of India began with the appearance of the Civilization of the Indus River Valley, the greatest flourishing of which occurred in the 3rd millennium BC. e. The Indian civilization was followed by the Vedic period, which lasted until the V century BC. e. Vedic civilization served as the basis for Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society.
Starting from the VI century BC. e. On the territory of India appeared many independent kingdoms and republics. In the III century BC. e. Much of South Asia merged into the Maurya Empire under the direction of Chandragupta Maurya. The empire reached its greatest prosperity during the reign of the Buddhist king, Ashoka. At the beginning of the II century BC. e. India survived a series of attacks by Central Asia, which resulted in the formation of the Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian kingdoms, as well as the Kushan Empire in the Indian subcontinent. Since the III century in the history of India began the reign of the Gupta dynasty, which is considered to be the “golden age” of India.
