Mysore has a tranquil atmosphere and is not yet as crowded as other cities are. There are many attractions. Famous among them are: the Mysore Palace, The Mysore Zoo, Chamundi Hills, Temples, Jaga Mohan palace of art, Sri ranga patnam, KR Sagar Dam, Ranganthittu bird sanctuary. and Lalita Mahal.

The name Mysore originated from its original name MahishasuraNagar which was named for a demon by Name Mahishasura who was subdued by the goddess Chamundi. A temple in her honor is located on Chamundi Hills.

Mysore city is around 100 miles from Bangalore and there are lot of tourist buses and direct trains from Bangalore to Mysore.

For more info

Online newspaper
Mysore official site

An album “Vande Mataram” composed and conducted by music director A.R.Rehman was placed at no.2 in the world’s greatest albums by BBC world service in the year 2002.

Listen to Instrument version

Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka Jaya He
Bharat Bhagya Vidhata
Punjab Sindh Gujarat Maratha
Dravida Utkala Banga
Vindhya Himachal Yamuna Ganga
Ucchala Jaladhi Taranga
Tubh Shubha Name Jage
Tubh Shubha Ashisha Mange
Gahe Tubh Jaya Gata
Jan Gan Mangaldayak Jay He
Bharat Bhagya Vidhata
Jaye He ! Jaye He ! Jaye He !
Jaye,Jaye,Jaye,Jaye He

You can download the instrument version at the following site.

Instrumental version

The mosque of Raj Bibi had two similar shaking Minarets. But Britishers destroyed while trying to study how they worked. These minarets are located very near (less than a mile) the Ahmedabad railway station.

This system has been criticized because in many cases, parents tend to seek relations on the basis of superior social and financial status. Also because some parents would demand wealth in exchange to their children. Nowadays, young people should consider the arranged marriage as a point to start right and use their parents’ recommendations as recommendations. The final decision should be made by the young couple. It is important to realize that marriage is a life long process of discovery and compromise.

• Sunday – RaviVara
• Monday – SomaVara
• Tuesday – MangalVara
• Wednesday – Budhavara
• Thursday – Guruvara
• Friday – Shukravara
• Saturday – Shanivara

• Aries – Mesham
• Taurus – Rishabam
• Gemini – Mithunam
• Cancer – Kathakam
• Leo – Simham
• Virgo – Kanya
• Libra – Thulam
• Scorpio – Vrishchigam
• Sagittarius – Dhanus
• Capricorn – Makaram
• Aquarius – Kumbham
• Pisces – Meenam

The birth rate is 24.79 births/1000 (USA-14.2) and death rate is 8.88 deaths/1000 (USA - 8.87). The life expectancy is 62.5 years(USA-77.12 years). The population growth ate for India is 1.58 percent (USA-0.91 percent). The fertility rate is 3.11 childrent born/woman (USA-2.05). On the average India has 1.07 males/female (USA - 0.97 males/female). The infant mortality rate is 64.9 deaths per 1000 births(USA-6.82). On the average women live 3 years longer than men (USA--2.5 years).

• Vow to keep a pure household
• Vow to develop mental, physical and spiritual powers to keep the marriage.
• Vow to increase wealth by righteousness
• Vow to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust
• Vow to pray for virtuous, courageous, and intelligent children
• Vow to pray for health and longevity
• Vow that we will always remain true companions life long

According to Hindu religion death is not a contradiction of life. Birth and death, are two sides of the cosmic's eternal evolution cycle. What you will be born as during your next birth depends on actions and good and bad deeds performed in this life. One can elevate himself to a better next life by performing good deeds in this life. People must take responsibility for their actions either within this life time or the next.

The culmination of this eternal cycle is Moksha, end of the death and rebrith cycle and is considered the fourth and ultimate artha (goal). It is the transcendence of all arthas. It is achieved by overcoming ignorance and desires and performing good deeds during every birth.

India has the largest concentration of livestock in the world. One third of world's cattle live in India which has about three percent of the worlds's land mass. India is the world's second largest orroducer of milk. Seventy percent of milk comes from Buffaloes. India has so many cattle that it is estimated that there is enough food for sixty percent of the cattle population.

The cows are considered sacred and cannot be slaughtered. Only two states Kerala, and west Bengal allow legal slaughtering.

The literacy rate grew from 51 percent in 1991 to 61 percent in 2001. Seventy-six per cent of males and 54 per cent of females are now literate, compared with 64 per cent and 39 per cent, respectively, in 1991. India's population increased by 281 million from 1991 to 2001. India's density was 324 people per square Kilometre. However the highest density of 994 people was recorded in Delhi. Of all the states West Bengal has the highest density of 904.

There are approximately 532 million males and 496 million females in India. The most populous state is Uttar Pradesh which has a population of 167 million (16.7 percent of the entire population). The island of Lakshadweep has a population of 60,000 (0.01 percent of the entire population).

more details:
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In India, women use it to beautify themselves especially during religious ceremonies and marriage. Usually the hands, feet and face of a bride are colored. It is safe, painless and does not involve piercing the skin. Further the dye washes off within a few days. Usually adoring a bride with Mehndi is done in a ceremony before the marriage with friends and relatives present.

Recently Mehndi is becoming popular amongst westerners. Actress Demi moore is believed to be the first western actress to wear Mehndi. Madonna caused quite a stir when she wore Mehndi all over her body during an MTV appearance. Now wearing Mehndi has become a unisex craze.

For details:
Weddings
Mehndi

The plates are still grinding against each other and scientists believe a major earthquake is still possible in that area. Within the last 100 years, four major earthquakes have happened. The Indian plate is moving northward towards Tibet at the rate of about half an inch a year forcing the Himalayas to rise by about quarter of an inch a year. Any earthquake in that region could endanger few millions of people. The latest earthquake happened on 29 March 1999 (Magnitude 5.2-6.0) in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas. The epicenter was about 50 miles from the 700 ft high rock fill dam being constructed by the Indian government in Tehri.

It was separated from the Asian continent (the Eurasian landmass) by a sea called the Tethys sea. When Pangaea (a super landmass of all land masses) broke about 100 million years ago, India started drifting northward towards Asia at a rate of about 30 feet per century. The 3,600 mile journey towards Asian continent took about 40 to 50 million years and the landmass eventually collided the Eurasian continent creating the Himalayan mountain range which stretches about 1750 miles bordering Tibet, India, and Nepal. The Himalayan range is said to be the land where earth meets the sky and has the tallest peak in the world called Mt. Everest.

Each instrument is built of local granite and marble and fixed. The largest instrument is Samrat Jantar which is around 90 feet tall. Its shadow is carefully plotted to tell the time of day, accurate to 30 seconds! Its face is angled at 27 degrees, the latitude of Jaipur. The Hindu chhatri (small domed cupola) on top is used as a platform for announcing eclipses and the arrival of monsoons. The Maharaja built five observatories. There is one in Delhi also.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and was designed by the same king strictly on the rules of Shilpa Shastra (similar to vastu architecture principles) and has many other palaces and art museums.

Considered one of the architectural wonders of the world it took about 50000 artisans about 18 years to build. It occupies an area of about two football fields and is surrounded by an immaculate water garden designed in persian style. It was completed in the year 1648. Later Shah Jahan was put under house arrest when his son Aurangzeb executed all his brothers and usurped the throne, Shah Jahan spent his last days looking at Taj Mahal from his quarters in the Red fort.

Prince Kurram (later called Shah Jahan who became the fifth Mughal emperor) married Arjumand Banu Begam (later called Mumtaz Mahal) in 1612. Even though he had many wives, she was his close confidante and accompanied him on all his militray campaigns. She bore him fourteen children and died during child birth in 1630 only three years after his succession to the throne. A grief stricken Shah Jahan was determined to perpetuate her memory and started the construction of Taj Mahal on the banks of Jamuna river in Agra. It was his vision of a perfect heaven.

It is constructed of pure white marble stone and has intricate and elaborate carvings done by special artisans inlaid with precious stones like Jade, and gold. The tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz are placed on the lower level of the building in a elaborately carved hall.

Historians now believe that Shah Jahan was planning to construct an identical Taj Mahal in black marble on the other side of Jamuna river before he was overthrown by his son.

The beauty of Taj Mahal can best be appreciated on a full moon night when it is lit by moonlight. It is perhaps the most visited tourist site in India. It is located in the city of Agra which is near New Delhi. You can reach Agra either by flight, train or tourist buses. Lot of arranged one day tours arranged tours are available.

for more details:
Explore Taj Mahal
Treasures of the world
Taj Mahal Tours
Architecture

The wheel denotes life in continuous motion. Saffron color denotes courage, sacrifice and renunciation, the white denotes purity, and green denotes faith and prosperity. The flag was adopted on 22nd July 1947 by India constituent assembly as the flag of freedom. On January 28, 2002 (after 54 years) an amendement to the constitution enabled any citizen to to hoist the flag. Before this amendment, the citizens could hoist the flag only on certain days.

In 1971, the Indian flag went into space on board Apollo-15. Indian cosmonaut Rakesh Sharna, wore it on his space suit during the Indo-soviet joint space flight in April 1984.

Black Pepper (Piper Nigrium) originated in the Malabar Coast of Southwest India. It bears pea-sized fruits (peppercorn) which when green are used as green peppercorns. Black pepper is the dried fruit. White pepper is made by removing the dark outer hull and has a milder flavor. Pepper is valued in herbal medicine as a heart and kidney stimulant.

Hyderabad is known for its IT industry high technology parks, where most of the multinational companies like General Electric, Deloitte & Touche, Microsoft, Dell, Intergraph, Motorola, Oracle, Keane, and Baan, etc have set up shop. Satyam one of India’s largest software companies is headquartered here. It is also home for Dr.Reddi;s Laboratories a global Pharmaceutical company (its stock is listed in NYSE). Ramoj film city called India’s Universal Studio is also located here.

Hyderabad is known for pearls, pearl jewelry, silverware, paintings and artifacts, Unique ‘Bidri; style handicraft items, silk, cotton, and handloom clothings.

Hyderabad is also called Bhagyanagar and is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Some of the famous attractions are:

• Birla Planetarium
• Birla Mandir – a marble temple built on the top of a hill
• CharMinar
• Golconda Fort
• Hussain Sagar – an artifical lake separating the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad

Additional links:

• City guide
• Fast facts
• Biz Facts

It was renamed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995. In 1960 Mumbai became the capital of Maharashtra state. Bombay is considered India’s commercial capital. Forty percent of India’s taxes (40,000 crores - 9 billion dollars) comes from this city. Millionaires are made and destroyed everyday at Bombay’s stock exchange.

The city used to be seven hilly isles. When the isles were merged to form a monolithic island, these hills were razed and used to fill the shallows. Partly because of this, some parts of the city lie below sea level and require special foundations for construction. Many parts of the city are still hilly. The highest point in the city is about 450 m( about 1500 ft) and lies in the Powai-Kanheri range in the Borivali National Park. The city lies on a fault line and is earthquake prone.

Bombay has two major airports: Chatrapati Shivaji International airport, and SantaCrus domestic airport. Bombay is the headquarters of Western Railway and Central Railway. Main train stations are: Bombay Central, and Chatrapati Shivaji terminal (formerly known as Victoria Terminus)..

Useful links

• Blog Site
• Mid-day news

Delhi is served by Indira Gandhi International Airport. It has a Metro system which started operating in 2002 and is proposed to be completed in 2022.

Major institutions are

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences
• Delhi University
• Guru Gobind University (also known as IndraPrasth University)
• Indian Institute of Technology
• Indira Gandhi National Open University
• Jamia Millia Islamia
• Jawaharlal Nehru Universiy
• Indian Institute of Planning and Management

Major attractions are:

• Bahai Temple
• Birla Temple
• Connaught Place
• Deer Park
• Gurudwara Bangla Sahib
• Humayun’s Tomb
• India Gate
• International Dolls Museum
• Jama Masjid
• Jantar Mantar
• Lodhi Gardens
• Mughal Gardens
• National Museum
• Nehru Planetarium
• Old Fort or the Purana Qila
• Qutab Minar
• Rashtrapati Bhawan
• Red fort or the Lal Qila
• Raj Path
• Safdarjung’s Tomb
• Sansad Bhawan or the Parliament House
• Tughlaqabad Fort
• Chandni Chowk

Famous shopping areas are

• Chandni Chowk
• Chhawla
• Connaught Place
• JanPath
• Karol Bagh
• Kamla Nagar
• Khan market
• Lajpatnagar central market
• Najafgarh
• Palika Bazaar
• South Extension
• Vasant Vihar
• Sarojini Nagar
• Dwarka

Inspite of huge following Hinduism has no unique philosophy. It is very diversified in theoretical foundation and practical expressions. There are a multitude of subsects following different practices and different philosophies. Hinduism cannot be traced to a specific founder unlike other religions. Majority of the scholars agree that the sacred texts of Hindu religion are: the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Atharva, and Sama Veda), Upanishads, Ramayan,, MahaBharat, and Bhagwad Gita.

In addition, different sub sects of the religion follow different sacred texts.

• New york
  (Connecticut, Maine, Massachussetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virgin Islands)
• Washington
  (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Bahamas)
• Houston, TX
  (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas)
• San Francisco
  (California, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)
• Chicago
  (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, N.Dakota, S.Dakota, Wisconsin, Missouri)

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Amitabh's movie career has spanned about thirty years and about 100 films. He also hosted the mega show Kaun Banega Crorepati an offshoot of Who wants to be millionnaire.

• Rabindranath Tagore - 1913 Literature
• Sir C.V. Raman - 1930 Physics
• Hargobind Khorana - 1968 Medicine
• Mother Teresa - 1979 Peace
• Subramanyan Chandrasekhar - 1983 Physics
• His Holiness Dalai Lama - 1989 Peace
• Prof. Amartya Sen - Economics 1998
• V.S.Naipaul - 2001 Literature

He started an experimental school in Shantiniketan which was modeled after the upanishad way of teaching. He was a good friend of Mahatma Gandhi and was knighted by the queen of England in the year 1915. However, within a few years he resigned the post of knighthood to protest the British occupation of India. He was a prolific writer and authored several novels, plays, collection of poems, his autobiography and the indian national anthem.

In 2004, the nobel prize medal was stolen from the campus of Vishwa Bharati university in Shantiniketan. Eight months after it was stolen, Sweden presented replicas of the Nobel Prize medal to be placed in Vishwa Bharati, Shantiniketan on December 08, 2004. Two replicas of the stolen medal, one in gold and one in bronze, were presented by Swedish Secretary of State.

Traditionally women fast the whole day and pray and eat only after observing the moon directly or as a reflection in a platter of water.

This festival comes 9 days before Diwali, i.e., on the fourth day of the new moon immediately after Dusshera, in the month of 'Karthik' (October-November).

It was the favorite apparel of famous stars like Johnny Carson, Joe Namath, the Beatles, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, and even Dr. Evil. Sammy Davis, Jr., claimed he had over 200 Nehru Jackets.

India also has two island chains: the Andaman and Nicobar island chain lies east of the mainland between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Its southernmost island is only 200 km (120 mi) from the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Lakshadweep island group is located off India's southwest coast.

Total land boundaries: 14,103 km(8814 mi)
Border Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma (now known as Mynamar), China, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Coastline: 7,000 km (4375 mi)
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m (0 ft)
Highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m (28373 ft)

The world population is expected to reach 9.1 billion by the year 2050. India’s population, which is currently 1.103 billion, is expected to grow to 1.593 billion by 2030.

China which has currently a population of 1.316 billion is expected to grow to 1.392 billion during the same time largely to the family planning measures adopted.

All Indian paper currencies have their denominations printed in English, Hindi, and all 18 of the officially recognized languages.