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INDIA
NOTES
GEOGRAPHIC
LOCATION : The Indian
mainland extends between latitudes 8°4´ and 37°6´ north and
longitudes 68°7´ and 97°25´ east. It covers an
area of 3,287,268 sq. km. from north to south, the country
measures 3,214 km from east to west 2,933 km.
POPULATION
: The Indian population is estimated at
1,00,00.00.000 inhabitants, including Hindus, Muslims,
Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists. Hindus account for
approximately 82% of the population, Muslims for about 12%,
Christians for about 3%, Sikhs for around 2% and Buddhists for
about ½%
CURRENCY
: One Rupee - 100 paise,
Notes are denominations of rupees, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500
& 1000.
DRIVING
: Driving in India is on
the left hand side of the road, and a valid Indian license is
compulsory.
ELECTRICITY
: In the most places the
electric voltage is 220 Volts AC, 50 Hz. However, many of the
deluxe hotels offer both 220 and 110 AC, 60 cycles.
LANGUAGE
: Hindi and English are
the official languages used in the government. 14 regional
languages are also used throughout the country.
MEDICAL
SERVICES : Good medical
facilities are available throughout India.
FOOD
: Indian food is basically spicy. Almost all the
restaurants serve continental food. Chinese food is also
generally popular here.
TAXIS
: Taxis are available
everywhere in the cities and also at hotels. For non-metered
taxis, it is advisable to finalize the rates before taking the
journey.
CREDIT
CARDS : International
cards are widely accepted by hotels and leading travel agents,
departmental stores and shops (AMEX, VISA, MASTER, DINERS etc.)
The
Indian Seasons
India
has three major seasons: winter, summer and the monsoon. The
winter months (November-February) have bright, sunny days and
are pleasant throughout India.
The
summer months (April-June) are hot in most parts of India.
During this period, hill stations such as Shimla, Mussoorie,
Nainital, Kullu and the Kashmir valley (North), Darjeeling,
Shillong (North-East), Ootacamund, Kodaikanal (South), Pachmarhi
(Central India) and Mount Abu (Rajasthan) provide cool retreats.
The
monsoon is an amazing phenomenon of nature. Sometime in June,
the clouds break in the coast of southern India and are pushed
up northwards by July - immersing the entire Indian
sub-continent in torrents. Except for the south-eastern region,
India receives its major share of rain between June and
September. The south-eastern areas receive most rainfall from
the northeasterly monsoon between mid-October and December-end.
However, the only area which remains dry is the highest desert
in the world - the fascinating moonscape of Ladakh. This is the
time to trek up here.
Documents
& Formalities
Foreign
nationals desirous f coming t India are required to possess
valid passport of their country and a valid Indian Visa.
The
Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) division of the Ministry of
External Affairs is responsible for issuance of Indian Visas to
the foreign nationals for their visit for various purposes This
facility is granted through various India missions abroad.
There
is no provision of "VISA ON ARRIVAL" in India
and no fee is charged for immigration facilities at the
airports. Foreign passengers should ensure that they are in
possession of valid Indian Visa before they start their journey
to India, except nationals of Nepal and Bhutan who do not
require visa to enter India and nationals of Maldives who do not
require visa for entry in India for a period of up 90 days ( as
separate visa regime exists for diplomatic/official passport
holders)
TYPE
OF VISAS
The
following visas are available from the Indian Missions Abroad.
TOURIST
VISA
Normally given for six months but sometimes specifically depends
on the country of residence. The applicant is required to
produce/submit documents in proof of his financial standing.
Tourists travelling in groups of not less than four members
under the auspices of a recognised travel agency may be
considered for grant of collective tourist visa.
BUSINESS
VISA
Valid for one or more years with multiple entries. A letter from
the sponsoring organization indicating nature of business,
likely duration of stay, places and organisations to be visited,
incorporating there in a guarantee to meet maintenance expenses,
etc. should accompany the application.
STUDENT
VISA
Are issued for the duration of the academic course of study or
for a period of five years, whichever is less, on the basis of
bonafide letters of admission from Universities/recognised
colleges or educational institutions in India. Change of purpose
and institutions are not permissible.
TRANSIT
VISA
Are issued for a maximum period of 15 days with single/double
entry facilities to bonafide transit passengers only.
VISA
TO MISSIONARIES
Are valid for single entry and duration as permitted by
Government of India. A letter in triplicate from the sponsoring
organization indicating intended destination in India, probable
length of stay. and nature of duties to be discharged should be
submitted alongwith guarantee for applicant's maintenance while
in India.
JOURNALIST
VISA
Are issued to professional journalists and photographers for
visiting India. The applicants are required to contact on
arrival in New Delhi, the External Publicity Division of the
Ministry of External Affairs and in other places, the office of
the Government of India's Press Information Bureaus.
CONFERENCE
VISA
Are issued for attending conferences/seminars/meetings in India.
A letter of invitation from the organizer of the conference is
to be submitted alongwith the visa application. Delegates coming
to attend conferences may combine tourism with attending
conferences.
EMPLOYMENT
VISA
Are issued to skilled and qualified professionals or persons who
are engaged or appointed by companies, organisations, economic
undertakings as technicians, technical experts, senior
executives, etc. Applicants are required to submit proof of
contract/employment/ engagement of foreign nationals by the
company or organization.
Money
Matters
The
Indian currency is the Rupee and it is a fully convertible
currency. The Rupee notes are available in denominations of
1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are available in
the denominations of 5,2,1 (rupee) and 50 and 25 paise.
Foreign
Currency
Foreign
exchange/currency brought into India must be declared at Customs
should the value of foreign currency exceed US$ 2,500 or
the aggregate value of the foreign exchange including currency
notes exceeds US$ 10,000 or equivalent. You can exchange money
at international airports where 24-hour exchange facilities are
available through banks and approved money changers. You can
also change money at nationalized banks and other banks in the
country.
Customs
On Arrival
There
are two customs clearance channels. The green channel is for
travellers carrying non-dutiable items while the red channel is
for travellers carrying dutiable items.
Duty-free
items
Duty-free items which you may bring to India include
personal effects like clothing and other articles but not if
this is commercial merchandise. All expensive electronic
equipment/s must be declared at the Customs on arrival - which
will be re-checked on departure. Take care to obtain an Export
Certificate for these items if you are travelling to
neighbouring countries and intend a multiple entry.
You
can not bring in gold coins, gold or silver bullion into the
country. Weapons brought into the country should be licensed and
declared. Any cash or travellers cheques over US$ 10,000 or
equivalent must be declared. Possession of narcotics is strictly
prohibited. Personal effects which are not used during your stay
must be carried back to you.
Gift
worth Rs. 4000 for tourists of foreign origin and Rs. 12000 for
tourists of Indian origin, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 gm
of tobacco, one litre each of wine and spirits is allowed free
of duty.
ALLOWANCES
AND ENTITLEMENTS FOR TOURISTS
ARTICLES
ALLOWED FREE OF DUTY
Used personal objects and travel souvenirs, if these goods are
for personal use of the tourists, and these goods, other than
those consumed during the stay in India, are re-exported when
the tourist leaves India for a foreign destination.
Import
of cigarettes, cigars and tobacco products and alcoholic drinks,
as baggage within the duty free allowances is permissible in the
following limits.
200
cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250gm of tobacco
Alcoholic liquor and wine upto 1 litre each

Guides
Trained
English speaking guides are available at fixed charges at all
important tourist centres. French, Italian, Spanish,
German, Russian and Japanese speaking guides are available at
most of the important cities. Since the Language speaking guides
are limited in numbers, enough notice should be given to your
travel agent to block them for assignments.
Unapproved
guides are not permitted to enter protected monuments and
tourists are, therefore, advised to ask for the services of
guides who carry a certificate issued by the Department of
Tourism/Archaeological Survey of India.
Healthcare
While travelling
If
a foreign tourist originates from or has transited through
endemic Yellow Fever countries (Africa, South America, Papua New
Guinea), he/she must possess a Yellow Fever Vaccination
certificate.
No
other vaccination certificate is mandatory though you may like
to consult your doctor for inoculation against typhoid,
hepatitis A and meningitis. If you are a health fanatic, you may
like to consider inoculation against polio, measles, mumps,
cholera etc. However a few careful precautions will make sure
that even if you do not take the inoculations, you are
protected.
International
Airport Facilities
The
international airports offer a range of services ensuring that
the traveller on business can continue working while waiting to
catch an international connection, or when transferring between
international flights. These include gourmet restaurants,
business centres and are equipped with state of the art
equipment including word processors and telefax. Airports also
provide the tourist with such facilities for leisure as
duty-free and handicrafts shopping, informal snack bars, nursery
and baby care rooms, and even an art gallery. Duty-free prices
in the airport shops are very competitive, offering you bargains
on international merchandise.
Travelling
within India
By
Air
There
are three large domestic airlines which fly across the country.
The state-owned Indian Airlines with the largest network, Jet
Airways and Sahara Airlines.
Jet
Airways : India's award winning largest private airline. Jet
Airways operates one of the youngest fleets in the world,
consisting of 38 Boeing 737-400/700/800 jets to 44
destinations within India, with over 235 daily flights. The
airline has Interline agreements with over 120 international
airlines and facilities include 24-hour flight information
and reservation, computerized check-in, free coach service at
the Mumbai (formerly Bombay) Airports, a choice of meals
including vegetarian/non vegetarian diabetic, low
cholesterol, Jain meals etc.
Jet
Airways offers a variety of special fares to facilitate travel
within India
Discover
India
(21
Days) |
USD
750 plus applicable taxes |
Discover
India
(15
Days) |
USD
500 Plus applicable taxes |
Regional
Pass
(7
Days) |
USD
300 plus applicable taxes |
| Youth
Fare |
25%
off on USD tariff for all tourists between the ages of
12 & 30 |
Indian
Airlines : Commanding a large and modern jet fleet, the
Indian Airlines (IC) network, spans the country's 3,000 km from
Leh in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south, and about
the same from east to west, covers all important places of
tourist interest. Indian Airlines links 59 cities in India and
16 in the neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Kuwait, U.A.E.,
Oman and Malaysia.
Reservations
: Reservations on Indian Airlines flights can be made from any
where abroad in a matter of minutes through the SITA Airlines
Communications System which is linked to the airline's Real Time
Computer Reservation System.
Indian
Airlines has inter-line agreements with over 120 airlines
worldwide and the offices of any of these airlines or their
agents have been enabled to issue tickets on IC flights.
|
Indian
Airline offers a variety of special fares aimed at
encouraging tourist travel |
| Discover
India |
USD
900,
permits unlimited travel within India for 21 days. |
| India
Wonder Fare |
USD
300,
permits unlimited travel within India for 21 days. |
| South
India Excursion |
30
per cent discount on USD tariff for travel on specific
South Indian Sectors. |
| Youth
Fare |
25
per cent off on USD tariff for all tourists between the
ages of 12 and 30. |
Sahara
Airlines : The airline has a fleet of nine Boeings and four
helicopters (Dauphins and Equirriels). With Interline agreements
with various national and international airlines, value added
services on Sahara include an in-flight library, valet service,
tele-check-in for both "Y" and "J" class,
personalised reading kit and meal preference (Jain meals and
diabetic meals are standard fare and customised meals for Sahara
Royale passengers Include Thai, Italian, Continental and Indian,
as well as health meals).
By
Rail
The
Indian Railways network is incredibly extensive (the second
largest in the world) and if you want to see the country unfold
in front of you, this may be the best mode of travel. The rail
network, of course, is more extensive than the air network and
may take you to a greater number of places. The Railways operate
nearly 7,800 passenger services a day over a route length of
approximately 63,000 km.
You
can opt for the luxury tourist trains such as Palace-on-Wheels
and the Royal
Orient, the superfast Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains
or the other regular trains which are divided into 15 zones.
Most trains run daily. However, tourist or other special trains
may have a limited schedule. Special holiday trains are also
often run during holiday and festivals. There are also
steam-hauled 'toy-trains' in the hills which offer a quaint
experience.
The
regular trains usually have the following classes of
accommodation :
1st
Class (Air-conditioned)
2-Tier
Sleeper (Air-conditioned)
3-Tier
Sleeper (Air-conditioned)
Executive
Chair Car (Air-conditioned)
Chair
Car (Air-conditioned)
3-Tier
Sleeper Class
Ordinary
Class
By
Road
India
has a road network of over 2.9 million kms. National highways
comprise 34,608 kms and state highways 128,622 kms.
Several highways such as Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Jaipur have been
upgraded and widened of late. In all, national highways have
been widened to four-lane highways in the states of Rajasthan,
Haryana, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
All
state transport corporations operate extensive bus services and
it is possible to reach even the remotest of places by bus
(check respective cities for details). However, do remember that
not all buses are well-cushioned and some of the rides can be
bumpy and uncomfortable. Take a bus only when you are sure of
what it feels like. Tourist districts, of course, will have a
range of buses - offering air-conditioned, well-maintained
interiors.
If
you are planning a self-drive, India can be an extremely
adventurous and interesting destination. Once in India with your
vehicle, it is good to remember a few things.
Vehicles
drive on the left in India
Have a map of the journey you wish to chart
Fuel Either tank-up sufficiently before starting or
enquire about unleaded petrol stations prior to embarking on the
journey
Safety Avoid driving in the night. Do not offer lift to
strangers

The
Indrail Pass
The
Indrail passes on 12 hours, two-day and four-day basis are
available and are economical for tourists intending to visit
places, the journey time of which fits in these durations. These
can also be used as convenient supplements to extend the
journey time, which otherwise is not covered by the Indrail
passes, for 7,15, 21, 30, 60 and 90 days. Indrail Passes for 12
hours, one-day, two-day and four-day duration are sold by
General Sales Agents abroad.
|
Period
of Validity and Fare Structure (Fares in U.S. dollars)
|
|
Period
of Validity
|
AC
Class
|
First
Class
AC-2 Tier
AC-3 Tier
AC Chair Car
|
Sleeper
Class
Second Class
(Non AC)
|
|
|
Adult
|
Child
|
Adult
|
Child
|
Adult
|
Child
|
|
½
Day*
|
57
|
29
|
26
|
13
|
11
|
6
|
|
1
Day*
|
95
|
47
|
43
|
22
|
19
|
10
|
|
2
Days*
|
160
|
80
|
70
|
35
|
30
|
15
|
|
4
Days*
|
220
|
110
|
110
|
55
|
50
|
25
|
|
7
Days
|
270
|
135
|
135
|
68
|
80
|
40
|
|
15
Days
|
370
|
185
|
185
|
95
|
90
|
45
|
|
21
Days*
|
396
|
198
|
198
|
99
|
100
|
50
|
|
30
Days*
|
495
|
248
|
248
|
126
|
125
|
65
|
|
60
Days*
|
800
|
400
|
400
|
200
|
185
|
95
|
|
90
Days*
|
1060
|
530
|
530
|
265
|
235
|
120
|
|
*
SOLD BY GENERAL SALES AGENTS
ABROAD.
FARES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. |
Restricted
and Protected Areas
Military
installations and areas, defence organisations and research
organisations are considered protected areas, where permits are
generally not given to foreigners.
Photography
Restrictions
Photography
is prohibited in places of military importance, railway
stations, bridges, airports and other military installations.
For
photography at some of the monuments by Video cameras specially
for commercial purposes, a special permission is to be obtained
from the Archaeological Survey of India.
Export
of Antiquities
Antiquities,
which include sculpture, painting or other works of art and
crafts, illustrative of science, art, crafts, religion of bygone
ages and of historical interest which have been in existence for
not less than 100 years may not be exported out of India.
Manuscripts
or other documents of scientific, historical, literary or
aesthetic value in existence for not less than 75 years; art
treasures, not necessarily antiquities but having regard to the
artistic and aesthetic value cannot be exported out of India.
For
further clarification on the antiquity of an artefact, the
tourists can contact the authorities and get information on the
Acts and Rules governing Antiquities and Art Treasures Act,
1972.

Restrictions
to Export of Articles Made From Animals
Govt.
of India is concerned about the conservation of its endangered
and rare fauna. With this view, export of all wild animals
indigenous to the country and articles made from such listed
animals like skin, pelts, furs, ivory, rhino horns, trophies etc
have been totally banned.
Tourists
are also advised to acquaint themselves with the provisions of
Convention on International Trade of endangered species of wild
fauna and flora. All the member countries of the convention
allow import of the articles covered by convention on the
strength of a certificate of export from the country of origin.
For
further information and reservation please contact

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