About India

India is a mystical land of seductive images . Hinduism is practised by 85 per cent of Indians, the religious rites and red-letter days woven into the fabric of everyday life. It is also India 's vastness that challenges the imagination: the subcontinent is home to one sixth of the world's population, a diverse culture and an intoxicatingly rich history.
  
   Such a rich history has spawned palaces, temples and monuments. Indeed, the most frequently visited part of India is the Golden Triangle. The unfairly maligned great cities of Mumbai and Kolkata have a bustling, colourful charm, while the holy city of Varanasi or the awe-inspiring temples of Tamil Nadu are worthy objects of pilgrimage. For those who prefer more sybaritic pleasures, tackle the palm-fringed beaches of Goa . And for solitude, India ripples with mountains and hills, from the towering beauty of the Himalayas to pine forests, lakes and babbling streams.

  One of the fascinations of India is the juxtaposition of old and new; centuries of history rubbing shoulders with the computer age; and Bengaluru's ( Bangalore 's) ' Silicon Valley ' is as much a part of the world's largest democracy as its remotest village.