You are invited to a rich experience - India.

History, divinity, serendipity, wildlife, art and architecture have combined together to make a rich experience. India envelops you with the sense of a great past. Monuments tell stories of a empires and kingdoms, of warriors and builders, poets and musicians, of saints and lovers.

Through the years there has been a mingling of diverse religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam - giving rise to vibrant art and architectural forms.

India is a state with a natural grandeur. It is covered with snow capped peaks, to plateaux, to mighty rivers, hills and mountains, and beaches galore, making it one of the best tourist attractions of the world.

India is a state of colorful, happy, hospitable and kind people. People who make wonderful handicrafts, people steeped in culture, tradition and devotion.

History

A short summary of historical periods of India

3500-2500 BC --- Indus Valley civilization
2000-1500 BC --- Rig Veda compiled
1500-1000 BC --- Development of the caste system
1000-500 BC --- Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and Mahabharata
563-483 BC --- Gautam Buddha- emergence of Buddhism
550-475 BC --- Mahavira Jain - emergence of Jainism
514- 512 BC --- Persian king Darius invades the Punjab Emergence of Shaivism and Vishnuism
327-325 BC --- Alexander the Great in India4 C --- Hun Invasion
11-14 C --- Moslems conquer Delhi and other dynasties Marco Polo visits south India
15-16 C --- Vasco DaGama "Found" India - a sea route
16-17 C --- Mogul Dynasty - the golden years of art, architecture, music flourish
17 C --- The British East India company followed by Dutch and French
1857 --- First stirrings of Indian nationalism
1858 --- British Crown takes over from East Indian Company
1947 --- Independence and partition of India and Pakistan.

Music and Dance

Music

In all styles of Indian musical composition the insistence is on emotional and devotional intensity: it is lyrical, sensual, exciting and offers the listener a different dimension in musical appreciation.

The most remarkable fact about Indian music is the long continuity of its growth. The beginnings of Indian music can be traced to the Vedic days, though history and facts and legends are all inextricably mixed into one.

Indian music is made up of raga - the basis of Indian melody and tala - the basis of its rhythm. The vexed matter of the voice- its quality and range are comparatively unimportant in Indian music. What a musician sings is far more important than how he sings. Each singer has his own rendering of a particular piece, as there is no notation in the Western sense. Indian melody is made up of notes which are related purely by their continuity. Indian music is purely melodic- it needs nor implies harmony. In Indian music there is no such thing as exact tones, which is why no keyboard instruments are used.

Dance

The origin of Indian Dance is lost in time. The is a myth that when Lord Shiva shook a hand drum, the world heard its first rhythm. As he moved his body in time with its beat, the universe came into being……… All dancers conceive of classical dance as the highest form of worship, and decate themselves to Shiva as the dancing Natraja, the supreme symbol of cosmic energy.

The dance of India has an unbroken tradition over 3,000 years. Its themes come from the vast treasure house of myth, legend and ancient architecture with which it has been associated through its long history. The Natya Shastra is Bharata's canonical treatise on dramaturgy, written in the 3rd cent. BC, is seen as the most authoritative work on the subject.
Classical dancer is essentially a story teller with the descriptive power of a poet. Therefore, traditional Indian dancing employs a highly developed symbolic gesture which is a mime.

A characteristic feature of classical dancing is the use of intricate patterns of rhythm, evident in the footwork and emphasized by jingling ankle bells.

Four distinct schools are generally recognized. Bharata Natyam is the dance of the South which was used by the temple dancers for centuries. A typical performance involves a single dancer accompanied by beats on the mridangam - a long drum tapered at both ends.

Kathakali is a dance of Kerala. The performance opens with tempestuous drumming in order to transport the spectator to another world, peopled with gods and goddesses of Hindu myth. The towering head dress and elaborate face mask, the dim light and the music transport the audience to another world.

The Kathak developed in the Mogul courts in the 16th and 17th Cent. It is a style of north India and has an elegance and sophistication of urban society. It is dominated by pure rhythm, and the dancer takes up the challenge of the drums.
Each of the classical dances are rooted in folk dance. The tribal and rural people of India literally dance their way through life.

Festivals

India is one of the world's great spiritual sanctuaries. The religious festivals occur all year long and are based on lunar or religious calendars that vary year to year.

Pongal Sankranti - Late January
Hindu festival devoted to Goddess of scholars. In Bengal, her images are taken in procession to bathe in rivers. Kite flying is popular.

Tirumala Nayak - February
In the great southern temple city of Madurai, a spectacular procession of floats, music and dancing. Extremely colorful.

Holi - March/April
Celebrates spring. Dyes, paints and colored water is thrown around in dance. Celebrated all over India.

Gangaur - March/April
Festival for Parvati, consort of the god Shiva. Celebrated in Jaipur with processions of gorgeously dressed girls visiting the main temple. Also celebrated in Rajasthan, Bengal and Orissa.

Baisakhi - April
Hindu solar New Year. Celebrated all over India. Ritual bathing and visits to the temple.

Puram- May
The most spectacular temple festival in Kerala. In Truchiran, the elephant procession carries the image of Shiva and fireworks follow.

Meenakshi Kalyanam - April/May
Annual marriage celebration of god Shiva. Huge procession in Madurai, with vast chariots carrying the temple images through the streets.

Buddha Purnima - May
Marking the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. Observed in all Buddhist pilgrimage such as Sarnath and Bodhgaya.

Rath Yatra - June/July
In honor of Lord Krishna. The most spectacular temple festival in Puri, Orissa, a procession of huge chariots.

Teej - July/August.
Celebrated by women to welcome the monsoon in Rajasthan. A time of local fairs and brightest clothes.

Naag Panchami - July/August
Festival in honor of the cobra. Snake charmers are seen everywhere. Festival in Jodhpur.

Raksha Bandhan - August
Festival celebrating the special bond between brothers and sisters. Sister ties a string around the brother's wrist, and the brother promises to protect his sister.

Independence Day - August 15
India's independence from colonial British rule.

Janmashtami - August/September
Festival in honor of God Ganapathi- the elephant head god. Processions of the god to be immersed in sea or lake.

Onam - September
Harvest festival in Kerala, with snake boat races of upto a hundred rowers.

Id-ul-Fitr
Moslem festival to mark the end of month long fasting of Ramadan.

Dussehra - September/October
The annual battle between good and evil. The classic Ramayana epic drama is enacted all over India during the ten day period. Effigy of evil is burned on the streets on the last day.

Gandhi Jayanti - October 2
Birthday of the great Mahatma Gandhi.

Diwali- October
Festival of Lights. Every house is decorated with oil lamps. Festival dedicated to goddess Lakshmi and Kali.

Guru Purab- November
Birthday of Guru Nanak- founder of the sikh religion in Punjab.

Pushkar Fair- November
One of the world's most spectacular tribal fairs. In a small village in Rajasthan, tribal folk assemble for a camel fair and pilgrimage.