India

In India, there is an ancient tradition of pilgrimage to sacred sites and holy places that remains strong today. Today's Hindus still travel to holy cities, lovingly anoint temple statues, bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges and celebrate colorful religious festivals – just as they have done for thousands of years.

Over 80 percent of India's population practices Hinduism, the ancient indigenous religion of India which has a wide variety of forms and expressions. Muslims, concentrated mainly in north India, constitute about 10% of the Indian population. Other significant religious groups in India include Sikhs, Jains, and Christians. Buddhism is almost extinct in the land of its birth, but many exiled Tibetan Buddhists now make their home in India, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

India's famed spirituality has made it a popular destination for spiritually-inclined travelers and seekers for decades. Originally attracting mainly die-hard, budget New Age travelers, India has in the past decade also come into its own for top-end travelers who want to be pampered and rejuvenated as well as spiritually and culturally inspired. Today, visitors come to India for a variety of reasons: to soak up the spirituality, enjoy the colorful culture, relax on the beaches, or rejuvenate at an Ayurvedic spa.

India Guide

English Name: India Local Name: India or Bharat Time Zone: IST (UTC+5:30). No daylight savings time. Calling Code: 91 Currency: Indian rupee (?) (INR) Area: 3,287,263 sq km Population: 1,166,079,217 (July 2009 est.). Second most populous in the world after China. Languages: Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, English widely spoken Religions: Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

India Sacred Sites Index Browse our illustrated index of sacred sites and religious places India Map A detailed interactive map of India with major cities and religious sites marked, plus links to travel maps and more India Books A hand-selected gallery of books on India specially chosen for Sacred Destinations readers

Featured Destinations in India (List All Destinations) Bodhi Tree Bodhgaya The Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya is a descendant of the tree under which Siddharta Gautama attained enlightenment after 49 days of meditation and became the "Enlightened One." Golden Temple of Amritsar Amritsar The holiest site in Sikhism, the Golden Temple seems to float on the water. It enshrines the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, which is venerated by pilgrims throughout the day and put to bed at night. Ajanta Caves Maharashtra A series of 29 Buddhist cave temples dating from as early as the 2nd century BC, the Ajanta Caves contain some of the best masterpieces of Buddhist art in India.

India City Guides Bodhgaya Located in northeastern India, Bodhgaya is the site of the Buddha's enlightenment and the most important of four main Buddhist pilgrimage destinations.

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