Incredible India - (Page 26)

Quintessential IndIa With a population topping a billion, it’s no wonder that India, a land of mystery and majesty, is also a nation of cultural superlatives: home to many of the world’s oldest religions, grandest cuisines, fabulous handicrafts, rather exotic wildlife, a unique folklore expressed in music and dance, and a calendar full of festivals. tive Islamic style that blanketed northern and central India. More recent invaders—the Portuguese with their baroque Christian churches in Goa; the British with their cricket fields, extravagant railway stations and legacy of parliamentary government; and the U.S. with its export of technology to a nation that seized the day and rose to become the third largest economy in the world—are also woven into the multi-cultural Indian tapestry and have left their mark on the social fabric and national psyche. Cultural Tapestry There is a gentle continuity in this ancient land, so if you come to look for India’s past, it is alive and there to see and touch. For example, there are the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Cave Temples of Ajanta, featuring wall paintings depicting the life of Buddha, and the 34 Temples of Ellora, chiseled out of the hillside by Buddhists, Hindus and Jains. In fact, India is home to 27 UNESCO World Heritage sites. For greater pleasure in traveling through India, her often complicated, always fascinating, spiritual heritage is important to understand. Hinduism, one of the planet’s oldest surviving religions, has roughly Exquisite Craftsmanship One should travel light when coming to India, because the country is a fabulous storehouse of handicrafts—inventive, skillful, ingenious, charming, beautiful are just some of the words that spring to mind. The finest quality crafts usually find their way into the boutiques, bazaars and government-owned Central Cottage Industries Emporia (good introduction-to-crafts centers) in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, although the best bargains are going to be available in regions producing the specific handicraft. The main centers of large-scale production are Rajasthan for fabrics, jewelry, glass, pottery, miniature paintings, rugs, brass and wood inlay, camel hide products and embroidered slippers; and Kashmir for beautiful woolen shawls and fine carpets, embroidery and decorative papier-mache objects. A traveler would have to go north to Ladakh to find the headdresses called perak with rows of turquoise, cornelian, coral and agate stitched on, to Orissa for the fine wire animals called tarakashi, or to Nagaland for larger bronze sculptures. Indeed, regional specialties abound—rich brocades from Varnasi, marble and alabaster inlay work in Agra, sandalwood carvings from Karnataka, and rosewood from Kerala and Chennai. Meanwhile, Jaipur is the leading gem-cutting center, and the sitar (India’s musical instrument made famous by Ravi Shankar) is the prize buy in Varnasi. Large chunky silver bracelets and anklets of tribal origins are usually sold by weight, and less pricey brass and copperware is wonderfully worked as trays, cups or plates. Throughout India, meticulous—and speedy—tailors (called darzis) create custom-fit clothes for that one-of-a-kind souvenir, say a winter suit or customized jewelry or a 6-yard-long silk sari, fashioned into a beautiful evening dress. 80 percent of the practicing faithful among Indians. Brahma, Siva and Vishnu lead the Hindu pantheon of millions of gods, reflecting the basic cycle of life, death and rebirth, manifested throughout the arts of painting, sculpture, temple adornments, music, dance and literature. Other smaller, but important early faiths and followers are joined to Buddhism (dating back to around 500 B.C.); Jainism (an ancient and non-violent faith, observed in many of India’s finest temples); and Sikhism (emerging in the 15th century, and a blend of Hindu and Islam, and centered mostly in Punjab—where its spiritual fortress is the Golden Temple in Amritsar). Also here is Zoroastrianism and a sprinkling of obscure tribal religions. Empires, kings and colonial powers have all played a part in India’s past. Turkish invaders in the 13th century brought Islamic architectural traditions, and under the Mughals, India’s greatest imperial monuments were created—the Red Fort and tombs of Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Golconda Fort are just some examples of a decoraI-26 recommend.com susan schermer Variety: The Spice of Culinary Life Eating one’s way through culinary India is a highlight of every journey, and a visitor soon learns that India’s cuisine is by no means limited to hot and spicy curries, but rather is a rich and varied fare from a score of traditional and regional styles. One might start with a robust Mughal feast in the North, say succulent kebabs marinated in a blend of spices and grilled over charcoals. There’s also tender chicken cooked in cream and saffron, or tandoori-style meat and vegetables cooked in clay ovens. Not to miss is the birani, a fragrant dish of rice and meat seasoned with whole spices and garnished with dry fruit. Heading south, travelers will come across delicate vegetarian delights—all eaten with the fingers. Since half of India’s people do not eat meat, vegetarian cooking is superb—recommend a heaping plate of rice or golden wheat puris, ordered with little katoris (bowls of vegetable curries or preparations http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incredible India

Essential India
Dreamy Accommodations
Touring India
Specialized Travel
Quintessential India
Meetings & Incentives
India in a Nutshell
Getting There & Around

Incredible India