India. The name evokes images of exotic animals, elaborate temples and dancers dressed in colorful costumes. Although today’s India is a leader in the technology industry, it still offers as much for the tourist as it did in the days when the major mode of travel was on the back of an elephant.
At one-third the size of the United States, India is a vast country too large to take in all at once. Most tour operators offer tours focusing on one or two aspects of India or visiting a few of the best-known cities.
The good news for the American traveler is that India is easy to access and less expensive than Europe. Most major airlines service the country through modern airports with fairly good security, and well-appointed hotels can be found in most popular areas.
Most visitors put the exquisite Taj Mahal at the top of their “must see” lists. Travel experts advise visiting at dawn when the light is magnificent and the crowds are smaller. But the famous monument in Agra, built in the memory of a ruler’s beloved wife, is not the only building that should be on the itinerary.
Scattered around the country are famous forts, palaces and temples, many dating back 1,500 years. Some of the oldest temples are still actively used as worship centers. At many of the temples, an elephant stands at the entrance. One visitor reported placing a coin into a “cup” made by a curve in the animal’s outstretched trunk. The elephant dropped the coin into its owner’s hand, then touched the top of the visitor’s head in a “blessing.” The visitor said if he did not drop the coin quickly enough, the elephant snatched it from his hand, leaving a wet spot behind.
The elephant is one of the more visible animals in India, but the subcontinent is home to a rich variety of wildlife. Believing that life in any form is sacred, Indians have protected their natural resources in a way few other nations have.
The government has established 80 national parks, 440 sanctuaries and 23 tiger reserves. As a result of the weight placed in conservation, the nation boasts more than 500 species of mammals, including 60 percent of the world’s tiger population, 80 percent of the one-horned rhinoceros and all of the remaining population of Asiatic lions.
The Himalayas are another frequent destination for the more rugged visitors to India. Some of the highest peaks in the world, including Mount Everest, are located in the mountain range that marks the northern border of India.
The mountain region offers more than just forbidding peaks; some of the most scenic views in the world are here. For example, from Darjeeling the view of the famous Kachenjunga, third highest mountain in the world, is magnificent. After a visit to Darjeeling, Mark Twain remarked that a man “would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the world combined.”
Located in the northeast near Nepal, the city offers the visitor tours of plantations where Darjeeling tea is grown and processed, rides on a small train through the mountainsides and visits to the ever-present Buddhist shrines and monasteries.
Almost due west of Darjeeling is Elephanta, home of the Elephant Caves. The island, accessible only by boat, features a temple complex carved out of caves in the sixth or seventh century. The island is named for the huge elephant statue that once stood at the entrance to the complex.
While India promises endless delights to the visitor, travel within the country has the potential to be dangerous.
Roads may not be well maintained, and the U.S. government advises travelers that even most main roads “have only two lanes, poor visibility and inadequate warning markers.”
It also recommends, apparently seriously, that Americans who choose to drive within the country make frequent use of the car horn to announce their presence, noting that the practice is “both customary and wise.”
Because of the occasional threat of terrorist bombings on public transportation and at major tourist sites, Americans are warned to exercise caution “when in the vicinity of government installation, visiting tourist sites or attending public events.”
Even so, travel appears to be generally safe, as long as the traveler exercises caution.
Only one area has been singled out for Americans to avoid: Kashmir has been under dispute by India and Pakistan for several decades. Although tensions appear to be easing, terrorist groups still operate in the region.
The State Department notes that as many as 60,000 people have been killed in the region since 1989 and points out that foreigners are especially “visible, vulnerable and definitely at risk.” Travel in Kashmir or anywhere along the India-Pakistan border is not recommended.
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