I) Geography of india

India is part of the continent of Asia. Most of India forms a peninsula,

which means it is surrounded by water on three sides with the Bay of
Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian ocean .
India’s terrain varies widely, from the Thar Desert in the west to jungles in the
northeast. A fertile area called the Ganges Plain covers much of northern India.
l’Inde est l’un des pays les plus peuplés du monde.
India shares borders with Pakistan, Nepal, China, , Bhutan , Myanmar
and Bangladesh . The capital = New Delhi
The Himalayas the loftiest mountain system in the world, form
the northern limit of India.

L’Inde a une longue histoire et est considérée comme la plus

grande démocratie du monde et l’une des plus réussies d’Asie.

II) History of india

India is a land of ancient civilization.

Indian history begins with the birth of the Indus Valley Civilization and the coming of the
Aryans. These two phases are usually described as the pre-Vedic and Vedic age. Hinduism
arose in the Vedic period.

The fifth century saw the unification of India under Ashoka, who had converted to Buddhism,
and it is in his reign that Buddhism spread in many parts of Asia. In the eighth century Islam
came to India for the first time and by the eleventh century had firmly established itself in
India as a political force. It resulted into the formation of the Delhi Sultanate, which was finally
succeeded by the Mughal Empire, under which India once again achieved a large measure of
political unity.

It was in the 17th century that the Europeans came to India. This coincided with the
disintegration of the Mughal Empire, paving the way for regional states. In the contest for
supremacy, the English emerged 'victors'. The Rebellion of 1857-58, which sought to restore
Indian supremacy, was crushed; and with the subsequent crowning of Victoria as Empress of
India, the incorporation of India into the empire was complete. It was followed by India's
struggle for independence, which we got in the year 1947.
 During the late 16th and the 17th Centuries, the European trading companies in India
competed with each other ferociously. By the last quarter of the 18th Century the English had
outdone all others and established themselves as the dominant power in India. The British
administered India for a period of about two centuries and brought about revolutionary
changes in the social, political and the economic life of the country.

Between traditional roots and modern evolution, India is a country

of contrasts, as beautiful as authentic. With nearly one billion three
hundred thousand inhabitants spread over more than three million
square kilometers -that is five times the surface of France-, one can
find wonders in all domains: culture, history, gastronomy,
architecture, religion, nature... The cities are alive, fascinating,
animated and one has the impression that they never sleep!

1. Les monuments historiques et religieux

1. Agra, Taj Mahal

If there was just one symbol to represent all of India, it would be the
Taj Mahal. The monument inspires millions of tourists to make the
trip to Agra every year, waking up before dawn to see magnificent
structure radiate at sunrise. But Agra tops the list of the best places
to visit in India for reasons that go beyond India's most famous
attraction.

The city in Uttar Pradesh is chock-full of marvelous Mughal

monuments, like Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb and Akbar's Mausoleum,
decked out in hypnotic inlaid marble designs from top to bottom.
Plus, tourists can also see another UNESCO World Heritage Site:
the Agra Fort. With so many wonders in just one place, Agra is a
must-visit city for tourists in India.
The Taj Mahal is often described as the greatest monument built for
love, but the Taj Mahal is actually a memorial to tragedy. When
Mumtaz Mahal, the chief consort of the Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan, died in childbirth in 1631, the heartbroken emperor devoted
years and a considerable fortune to constructing a tomb worthy of
his great love.

The mausoleum was finally completed in 1648 after years of

painstaking chiseling and carving by the most skilled craftspeople in
the Mughal empire. The queen consort was interred inside in a
private chamber at the heart of the monument and Shah Jahan was
later buried alongside his wife when he died in 1666

2. Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple )

The Golden temple is located in the holy city of the Sikhs,
Amritsar. The Golden temple is famous for its full golden dome, it
is one of the most sacred pilgrim spots for Sikhs. The Mandir is
built on a 67-ft square of marble and is a two storied structure.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh had the upper half of the building built with
approximately 400 kg of gold leaf. The Golden Temple is
surrounded by a number of other famous temples like the
Durgiana Temple. The fourth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Ram Das, who
had initially constructed a pool here, founded Amritsar, which
houses the Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib. It is here that
Sage Valmiki wrote the epic, Ramayana. Rama and Sita are
believed to have spent their fourteen-year exile in Amritsar, the
epicenter of Sikhism. To the south of the temple is a garden, and
the tower of Baba Atal. The Central Sikh Museum is atop the
Clock Tower. The ‘Guru Ka Langar’ offers free food to around
20,000 people everyday. The number shoots up to 100,000 on
special occasions. A visitor must cover his / her head before
entering the temple premises. The Granth Sahib is kept in the
Temple during the day and is kept in the Akal Takht or Eternal
Throne in the night. The Akal Takht also houses the ancient
weapons used by the Sikh warriors. Guru Hargobind established
it. The rugged old Jubi Tree in the north west corner of the
compound is believed to possess special powers. It was planted
450 years ago, by the Golden Temple’s first high priest, Baba
Buddha. Guru-ka-Langar or the communal canteen is towards the
eastern entrance of the temple complex, and it provides free food
to all visitors, regardless of colour, creed, caste or gender. Visitors
to the Golden Temple must remove their shoes and cover their
heads before entering the temple. The temple is less crowded in
the early mornings on weekends.

3. Varanasi

Best for spiritual seekers and lovers of the intense

There are few places as beguiling, challenging and potentially
perspective-changing as the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi.
Millennia-old death rituals play out daily at the string of burning
cremation ghats that line the bank of the sacred Ganges, while the
bewildering maze of nearby old-town alleys reveals further dizzying
surprises at every turn.

This is one place where you are guaranteed to come face to face
with the hard-edged realities of life and death. Take a deep breath,
join the yogis – and throw yourself in at the deep end.

Découverte de Varanasi, l’une des plus anciennes villes d’Inde

Visitez Vanarasi, la ville qui accueille le plus de pèlerins en Inde, et
qui fait partie des sept villes sacrées de l’hindouisme
Varanasi appelée autrefois Bénarès, est l’une des villes les plus
emblématiques de l’Inde. Et pour cause, c’est le plus grand lieu
sacré de l’hindouisme. Beaucoup ont certainement déjà pu voir et
découvrir Vanarasi devant leurs écrans, grâce à un reportage lui
étant dédié, tant elle est mythique. C’est aussi l’une des premières
grandes villes en arrivant du Népal. Cette ville accueille chaque
année entre 3 et 4 millions de pèlerins venus de tout le pays. Ce
site est avant tout connu pour ses crémations devant le Gange.
C’est d’ailleurs, dans cette ville, que la section du Gange est la plus
sacrée. Elle attire donc depuis plus de 2500 ans, pèlerins et
visiteurs en quête de spiritualité.
Le centre-ville se niche entre les rivières Varuna et Assi, d’où le
nom de Varanasi. Bien que Varanasi soit une ville qui ne dort
jamais, c’est à l’aube que le spectacle est le plus saisissant, quand
les rayons dorés du soleil se posent sur les innombrables temples
et ghat, sur les pèlerins méditant et sur les fidèles prenant leur bain
purificateur.

Outre, les crémations, la ville attire de nombreux fidèles se livrant

aux ablutions dans le Gange, celui-ci censé laver de tous les
péchés accumulés. Mourir dans cette ville serait un privilège, car
selon la religion hindouïste, Varanasi serait une façon d’atteindre le
Moksha, le Nirvana, et donc permettrait de mettre fin à toutes
formes de réincarnations. Une ambiance particulière qui fait la
légende de Varanasi.

Les crémations ont lieu sur les ghats (escaliers menant au Gange),
même si il est interdit de photographier les cérémonies, touristes et
proches du défunt occupent la même place. En effet, il est possible
d’assister à une cérémonie de crémation, les hindous acceptent la
présence d’étrangers sur les lieux. Aussi étrange que cela puisse
paraître, les crémations se déroulent jours et nuits, en continu, il y
aurait entre 200 et 300 crémations par jour.

Même si les crémations s’étendent tout au long de l’année, c’est un

vrai rituel auquel se livrent les hindous. Le lieu de crémation
dépendra de la caste du défunt (classe sociale). Cependant,
certaines personnes ne peuvent être incinérées de par leur place
dans la société, il s’agit des nouveaux nés, des femmes enceintes,
des lépreux, des sadhus (saint homme), des victimes de morsures
de cobras, des vaches, les corps morts sont alors directement
offerts au Gange.

Le rituel de la crémation commence toujours par un bain dans le

fleuve où le corps du défunt enveloppé d’un linceul de différente
couleur selon l’âge et le sexe, est recouvert de fleurs. Le bûcher
souvent dressé près du fleuve et lui aussi décoré de fleurs, pour les
plus riches. La coutume exige que l’homme de la famille (fils aîné,
oncle ou frère du défunt) revêtu de blanc, effectue plusieurs tours
autour du corps tout en récitant des Mantras. Dans un but spirituel,
l’homme vêtu de blanc, fracasse alors le crâne du défunt afin de
permettre à l’âme de sortir du corps et enfin d’atteindre le ciel.
Une scène d’une extrême violence, au cours de laquelle peu de
personnes assistent. Certains guides diront que la tristesse de la
cérémonie appartient au monde occidental, mais dans de telles
circonstances, il est difficile de croire à de tels propos. D’autant
plus, que certaines femmes seraient écartées des lieux afin qu’elles
ne puissent pas s’immoler de tristesse.

Varanasi, vous l’aurez compris est une ville remplie de paradoxes,

tantôt surprenante et éblouissante, c’est une ville remplie de
spiritualité qui mérite avant tout d’être respectée. Un passage
obligatoire pour tous visiteurs souhaitant découvrir l’âme et le cœur
de ce fascinant pays qu’est l’Inde.

4. Mumbai, Maharashtra

Best for urban explorers and Bollywood hopefuls

Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is India’s most exciting, energetic and
glamorous city – the perfect place to take the pulse of modern India.
Home to Bollywood film stars, British-era architecture and web-like
backstreet bazaars, it’s also a city of often uncomfortable extremes.

To understand more about the disparities in Mumbai, you can take

a socially responsible tour through the city’s huge Dharavi slum with
Reality Tours & Travel; 80% of the profits go back to social projects.

Mumbai’s fantastic street food is the city’s great leveler, so don’t

leave without sampling the city’s signature snack, bhel poori: puffed
rice and fried dough with lentils, onions, herbs and savory chutneys.
The city’s can’t-miss excursion is to the 1500-year-old rock-cut
temples of Elephanta Island, a World Heritage Site accessed by an
hour-long ferry ride.

2. Les paysages

1. Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir

Best for an extraordinary taste of Tibet
To the far northwest of India, beyond the main Himalayan range,
lies the former kingdom of Ladakh, culturally and geographically
closer to western Tibet than anywhere in India. Here you’ll find a
high-altitude moonscape of towering Tibetan monasteries (don’t
miss fabulous Hemis and Thikse), excellent homestay trekking,
colorful monastic masked dance festivals and horizon-spanning,
high-altitude turquoise salt lakes. These days, it’s the closest
independent travelers can come to actually setting foot in Tibet.
Getting here is half the fun: you’ll fly over Himalayan peaks into the
main town of Leh, or you can make the epic multi-day overland
adventure over high passes (June to October) by bus, jeep or (best
of all) classic Enfield motorbike.

2.Les plages de Goa

Eaux turquoise et cristallines, longues étendues de sable doré
bordées de palmiers, petits bars et restaurants colorés, couchers
de soleil sur la mer, spectacles de jongleurs et de joueurs de tam-
tam : voilà ce qui vous attend sur les plages sublimes de Goa.
Animées et authentiques, elles s’étirent sur toute la longueur de la
province, au sud-ouest de l’Inde. Selon vos envies, vous pourrez y
pratiquer le yoga ou méditer, boire un cocktail et faire la fête, ou
simplement vous détendre et profiter du soleil.

3. La nourriture
1.Samosa
This delicious option is a food that even those new to Indian
cooking may have tried. As a fried dough pocket filled with
delectable ingredients such as potato, onion, spices, and peas,
samosas are often eaten as snacks in India. They are especially
delicious when topped with sauces or chutneys.
2.Biryani
Every cuisine seems to have its own special rice dish―for Indians;
this dish is biryani. The presentation of Biryani not only looks
beautiful but has an addictive characteristic, earning it lots of
devotees. Its blooming flavors and fluffy rice are enhanced by
vegetables and sometimes meats, making it a favorite for
vegetarians and meat lovers alike.
3.Naan
Naan is a delicious bread often used to sop up the many
scrumptious sauces in popular Indian dishes. The simplicity of this
puffed bread pairs wonderfully with many Indian food recipes. Some
people will even choose to eat naan instead of rice with their meals.

4. Arts

Dance is an ancient and celebrated cultural tradition in India. Folk

dances abound all across the country, and huge crowds of people
can be found dancing at festivals and weddings. Dance and song
features heavily in Indian cinema (so-called “Bollywood” films), too.
But where does Indian dance draw its roots from? Here are six of
the most important classical dance forms of India.
1.Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is a dance of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It traces

its origins back to the Natyashastra, an ancient treatise on theatre
written by the mythic priest Bharata. Originally a temple dance for
women, bharatanatyam often is used to express Hindu religious
stories and devotions. It was not commonly seen on the public
stage until the 20th century. The dance movements are
characterized by bent legs, while feet keep rhythm. Hands may be
used in a series of mudras, or symbolic hand gestures, to tell a
story.

2.

music
LINKS WITH THE COMMONWEALTH
https://issuu.com/theparliamentarian/docs/parl2021iss2finalsingle/
s/12673317#:~:text=India%20has%20played%20an
%20important,to%20the%20overall%20Commonwealth
%20budgets.

-4th largest contributor to overall commonwealth budget

- in 2018 india doubled its budget for commonwealth fund for
technological cooperation (1->2 billion GBP)
-India has played an important role in the Commonwealth’s principal
benchmarks, like the setting up of its Secretariat in 1965, the
Singapore Declaration of 1971, Harare Declaration of 1991 and
establishing the Ministerial Action Group in 1995. It is the fourth
largest contributor to the overall Commonwealth budgets
-. India hosted the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting ) in 1983 and the annual CPA Commonwealth
Parliamentary Conference in 1957, 1975, 1991 and 2007, and the
20th CSPOC in 2010.
-India opted not to recognize the Crown as head of state