WHY DO PEOPLE TRAVEL TO INDIA?

WHY DO PEOPLE TRAVEL TO INDIA?

As a young Indian, I have visited quite a few parts of this country and have gathered along the way that tourists travelling to India have multiple reasons for doing so. Let me start with the obvious reason, sightseeing and relaxation.

People who want to take a break from their monotonous life and crave a little vacation visit Kashmir, Shimla, Shillong and so on. The trek on snowy mountains and chai and sandwiches by the river is a gratifying experience. Adventure tourism is also prevalent in these regions. They have multiple skilled instructors and equally enthusiastic adventure-heads for sports like paragliding during the summer and skiing in the winter. 

These are mountainous regions with a sight for sore eyes. When I visited Shillong, during the summer months, the weather was pleasant and made me crave for an extra ten minutes every time it was time to go into our rooms. 

Near here is the world’s wettest place, Sohra, Cherapunji. A sucker for a good rain, I had a blast visiting this place. I also noticed a lot of other foreign tourists in these places, just trying to have a nice time and creating a nice memory to last them a lifetime. 

People who want to get a tan and just play with the sea visit the famous Goa beaches. The multiple resorts that have been set up in this beautiful state attract a lot of tourists. The famous flea markets of Goa provide an experience of a lifetime. The clothes and the jewellery in these markets make the shopper go weak in the knees. 

India’s own Thar Desert, one of the major attractions of Rajasthan, offers camel rides across the desert. The camel milk at the end of the day, sitting on the sand dunes, watching the sun set into the horizon is an experience a lot of travelers to Rajasthan crave for. 

There are a lot of history buffs who visit India to understand the history, culture and traditions of ancient India. Ajanta and Ellora caves, the Elephanta caves, Somnathpura, Hampi, Belur and Halebedu, have always seen keen historians with a camera slung around their neck. 

Beautiful ceiling at Somanathpura

Carved Pillars

Moving south, the architecture of the temples of Tamil Nadu cannot be expressed with words. Statues with extremely minute carving, beautiful pillars carved out of a single rock, it is breathtaking how these artists achieved this level of emotions and perfection on the face of each statue hundreds of years ago. Mahabalipuram is famous for its temples which were built during the Pallava dynasty’s reign in the seventh and eighth centuries. 

A Gopuram is the entrance to temples and it has statues of either Gods, Saints or even animals and birds carved on them. They can be really tall and the Gopuram of Sri Ranganatha Swami temple in Srirangam is the tallest in Asia. It is built with precision and lightening absorbing properties. Some temples were even refuge to people during thunderstorms in the past. 

Elephant ready to bless the pilgrims 

Carved pillar at Nava Tirupati

Tenkasi Temple

One other major reason people love to visit India is its food. From the ghee soaked paranthas of Punjab to the spicy momos of Sikkim, the Kashmiri pulao to the dosa of Tamil Nadu accompanied with four varieties of chutnies, attracts a lot of chefs, wannabe chefs and foodies like me . Alongside is a picture of a home cooked Onam Sadhya.

People want to experiment with the Indian food and add a twist of their own to it. I have seen a lot of even MasterChef Australia contestants speak about how the Indian cuisine played a role in how their dish for the day shapes out. The street food is quite popular as well. No cutlery, just the age-old habit of digging right in.   

The southernmost point of mainland India, Kanyakumari, offers the meeting point of the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Vivekananda Rock in Kanyakumari

The tea estates and coffee estates are definitely worth a mention when talking about tourist spots. The hotels that are set up amidst the plantations are always full during the summer. The tea plantations of Munnar and Vagamon, the coffee plantations of Coorg and Chikmagalur provide the perfect ambience for a good read in the balcony of the rooms. These green estates have a very calming nature and release people of all their worries instantly. 

Tea Estates of Munnar

Kerala, God’s own country, offers multiple medicinal techniques that attract a lot of tourists who visit India for its ancient methods of medicine. Ayurvedic medicines have always been known for their benefits of curing instead of erasing the symptoms. It continues to be a major contributor in bringing tourists from all around the world to experience this way of getting treated. 

A lot of tourists also prefer to visit during the festival seasons of Durga Pooja or Diwali in order to experience the dance and music that comes together with the delicious and mouth-watering delicacies. Multiple large gatherings with parades are organized to celebrate these moments of joy where people celebrate the triumph of good over evil. It gives the visitors joyous moments to cherish forever.

Beautiful Golu in my house

Having stated a few reasons why India is a growing tourist hub, I would say without prejudice that it is a place that can interest tourists with eclectic interests and expectations.