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India Local Customs

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Local Customs
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Amritsar Local Custom
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Hindustan 10th January
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Most Viewed Local Customs in India

76.

RELIGION Goa

24 Reviews It is well known that cows are sacred to Hindus, but knowing this didn’t really prepare me for some of the (to Western eyes) unusual sights we came across. Not only do cows wander freely on town and...

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77.

LITTLE THINGS TO KNOW Mumbai

18 Reviews Mumbai's Passport Office, being the only one in the region, caters to the residents from Greater Mumbai, over and above districts of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Aurangabad and Beed in Maharashtra. Apart...

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78.

Daily life Delhi

22 Reviews Indians love their motorbikes... I think is more of them than cars. In the morning whole family (4 ppl) will straddle motorbike to take them to their daly work or school. In the chaos which is Delhi...

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79.

The People, the flavour Hyderabad

5 Reviews Diwali is known as the 'festival of lights' because houses, shops and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called diyas. These lamps, which are traditionally fueled by mustard...

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80.

MISCELLANEOUS Goa

32 Reviews Raksha bandhan (the bond of protection in Hindi) or Rakhi is a Hindu festival which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. Sisters tie a rakhi (a holy thread) around their brothers'...

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81.

RELIGION Mumbai

12 Reviews Although Bombay has one of the largest concentration of followers of the Jain religion in India, this community constitutes only a small minority of around 4% in the city. Jain temples are scattered...

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82.

General Informations Delhi

17 Reviews Playing some music with friends at university... Local bands are often on view at college/ university annual festivals. The season begins towards the end of summer, and goes on for a while. That...

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83.

While travelling in Hyderabad... Hyderabad

5 Reviews Most travellers dont realize that Hyderabad is a very conservative city due to the presence of Islam. I knew that it had deep roots with Islam but I had no idea that certain parts of the city were as...

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84.

BEACHES Goa

3 Reviews Fascinating watching the local fishermen at Coco Beach. The effort that is put into fishing appears tremendous. Starting with wading out with the long fishing net to create a loop, then with as many...

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85.

CULTURE Mumbai

18 Reviews Durga Puja also referred to as Durgotsava is an annual Hindu festival in India that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha...

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86.

Weddings Delhi

4 Reviews Well Marriage in India is a very important part of the whole family of the groom and bride. Mostly they live as a Joint Family (Extended Family) and majority of marriages are arranged. So a marriage...

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87.

ON THE STREETS Mumbai

13 Reviews (Here's an email we received from Bandra, Bombay) Hey! there, It's parade and festival time in the Queen of Suburbs, BANDRA!! We're hving the 3rd edition of the 'Celebrate Bandra' festival which...

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88.

Birla Temple Delhi

1 Review The Birla Temple (Lakshmi Narayan Temple) : This temple was build by G. D. Birla in 1938. This beautiful temple is located in the west of Connaught Place. The temple is dedicated to the goddess of...

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89.

MISCELLANEOUS Mumbai

15 Reviews Whilst visiting the Haji Ali Mosque in northern Mumbai, I noticed loads of people clambering on top of the rocks that lie at the end of the causeway that connects on the mosque to the mainland. I've...

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90.

National Museum Delhi

1 Review National Museum - Located on Janpath, National museum is one of the treasure houses of the our glorious past. The museum has a large collection of excavated items many of which date back to 2nd and...

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Gangaur Festival of Rajasthan March-April

by RAJASTHANBYCAR

The Gangaur Festival is the colourful and most important local festival of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state with great fervour and devotion by womenfolk during the months of March and April. During this festival, Goddess Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva is worshipped. The festival marks the celebration of monsoon, harvest and marital fidelity in Jaipur. This festival of Rajasthan is synonymous with Shiva and Gaur which stands for Gauri or Parvati who symbolises saubhagya (marital bliss). Gauri is the embodiment of perfection and conjugal love which is why the unmarried women worship her for being blessed with good husbands, while married women do so for the welfare, health and long life of their spouses and a happy married life. The festival commences on the first day of Chaitra, the day following Holi and continues for 18 days. For a newly-wedded girl, it is binding to...

Suraj Kund Crafts Mela 1 to 15 February

by RAJASTHANBYCAR

Surajkund is just 15 Km from south Delhi in Haryana state. The fair, celebrated in February from 1st-15th, is set against the background of Suraj Kund Mela village, which exhibits its own simple charm, enticing the tourists and visitors alike. The fair was initially launched by Haryana Tourism to act as a platform where cultural events could take place on a national level. But now it has gained international recognition and people flock to witness this mega event from all across the world. At this Crafts Mela, you can find the finest handlooms and handicrafts of the country. Beneath thatched roof platforms, master craftsmen carefully display the finest of handlooms and handicrafts from all over the country. The event is so colorful and rich in experience, that it has witnessed many tourists returning to be a part of the mela over and over again. The highlight of this mela is that the...

Taj Mahotsav/Taj Festival February

by RAJASTHANBYCAR

Come February and Agra gears up for the Taj Mahotsav. The Taj Mahotsav or Taj festival is organized by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism and here, one gets to see a clear merger of Indian crafts and culture. Right from folk music to classical dance performances to elephant and camel rides to games and food festival, the event celebrates traditional Indian art forms and culture in the true sense. The main events of this festival include classical dance performances by leading dance exponents and musical recitals by maestros, apart from display of various craft products and cultural shows. Taj Mathotsav is one such festival of India that clearly reflects the Mughal splendour. The festivities commence with a spectacular procession inspired by Mughal splendour. The highlight of Taj Mahotsav is the food festival, where one gets to savour exotic cuisines and delicacies, the recipes of which go back...

Camel Festival of Bikaner Rajasthan January

by RAJASTHANBYCAR

Organised by the Department of Tourism, Art & Culture, Rajasthan in Bikaner every year, Camel Festival is a lively and colourful event which takes place in the month of January. The Camel Festival begins with a colourful procession of bedecked camels against the beautiful rugged backdrop of the Junagarh Fort. The festival progresses to the open sand-spreads of the grounds, followed by the best breed competition, the tug-of-war contest, camel dance and acrobatics, etc. The camels display amazing footwork, dancing gracefully to the slightest direction of their trainers. Bridal, bridles, bejewelled necks, jingling anklets and long, lanky camel shadows on dusky sands cast a magical spell. Hundreds of tourists and thousands of locals and dignitaries revel in this man-and-animal affair organised especially for the tourists. The evenings end with a traditional rendezvous with renowned artistes...

Kullu Dussehra Oct-Nov

by RAJASTHANBYCAR

Dussehra, symbolising the triumph of good over evil, is celebrated in grand style in Kullu region in Himachal Pradesh. When Dussehra celebrations come to an end in the rest of the country, they begin at Kullu. These ten days of festivity is a time when the valley is at its best. Colourful processions of devotees bearing gold and silver images of gods and goddesses move to Kullu from all parts of the valley. The first day is marked by the homage paid to Lord Raghunath. The next nine days are marked by rituals, the graceful Natti dances, singing and other performances.As part of the festival, traders from all over the valley set up temporary stalls. They offer woollen shawls, caps, blankets, Pullan (the traditional footwear made from plant fibre and goat hair) and many other things. This is the best time to see the crafts of the Kullu valley, especially the traditional clothing of its...

"The shave"

by GenuinelyCurious

The shave. It’s a real treat. A minor luxury. A great way to start or end the day… and all for about 25 cents (10 rupees)The best shave starts with the preparation of a brand new blade in the razor. This is followed by a generous lathering of the face and neck, after which the barber makes his first pass, followed by another lathering and another swipe of the razor. The result is a very smooth, close shave, but we’re not done yet.It’s inevitable that there will be little nicks with the sharp razor, so an alum rock and a little water closes those cuts and leaves the skin tingling and refreshed. Sometimes there is a dash of after shave, sometimes not. Likewise, a brisk but thorough massage of the cheeks and head, neck & shoulders may follow. One of these was so extensive that I gave a whole dollar – to the amazement of the hangers-on around the shop.

Efficiency? - No!

by mrotsmit

Efficiency is not an Indian trait, the concept doesn't seem to exist in their culture, it's pretty funny to watch because ultimately everything did get done, it was just done with extra people and a bunch of extra steps, ha ha. Don't believe me? Go book yourself an online train ticket, and don't worry, everything will eventually work out fine.

How Indians talk

by mrotsmit

Here is a conclusion I came to after a number of interactions with Indians (I should point out that this is just MY observation):Indians speak to you as if you've already complained (when you haven't)...Think about it for a minute, imagine you've just complained to a hotel employee, waiter, taxi driver, whomever.. and their response is an impatient "yes, yes.." and a dismissive sort of "roll-of-the-eyes" attitude. This was the response to almost every verbal exchange, from "What a nice day!" to "Where is my room?" It was so common as to be a (seemingly) universal Indian trait, leading me to one of two guesses as to why:1. I was talking to people who have to deal with us irritating tourists on a daily basis, and their just sick of it. We ARE irritating by the way, I lived in San Francisco for 15 years and HATED the tourists. or, 2. It's just an odd, unintentional quirk which translates...

Dress to Impress

by hemacd

India is both generally conservative and generall not. It all depends in which part of India you are. When I was in south, staying withs some relatives in a village, I had on pair of shorts all the way to my knees. We were suppose to go walking. My aunt took me aside and said I need to put on something 'more'!

Mehendi /henna

by Rupanworld

Mehendi or Henna is very popular in India amongst women especially, although applying mehendi on the hands is also traditional among men of many community during their own marriage (especially the muslim and marwari communities).

Top 3 Hotels in India

Neemrana Fort-Palace State of Rajasthan

2 Reviews and 235 Opinions This is such a lovely place, whether for a couple celebrating their love or for a singleton,...

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Taj Lands End Mumbai

4 Reviews and 521 Opinions 22,000 square feet of meeting space connected by pre-function areas suitable for exhibitions ...

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Leela Goa

5 Reviews and 461 Opinions hallo was meeting adam pyotr mancic in the surfclub arambol. best friend at this time. every night...

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Questions and Answers

Q: Hello folks, I am thinking to travel to India from July 28-Aug 28 2012. It includes both north and south India. I heard about...

A: 1. If you limit your travels to the plains of India during Jul 28-Aug 28, 2012, you'll experience high humidity, heat and quite a few showers. As it is, South India is...

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