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India: History & Culture
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The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture.
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India: History & Culture
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The Indus Valley civilization, the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture.
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India: Travel & Tourism
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At nearly 4,000 feet, Mount Abu is the only "hill station" in Rajasthan and the site of an extraordinary collection of Jain temples at Delwara, a few miles from the town.
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India: Hotels & Resorts
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In Udaipur, the Taj Lake Palace (Lake Pichola, Udaipur; 91-294-242-8800; www.tajhotels.com) stands as one of the world’s most stunning hotels, with a price to match. It was built in 1746, a marble wonder floating in the middle of Lake Pichola. The spa sits in a small tugboat and the 83 rooms start at 15,500 rupees.
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India: Hotels & Resorts
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In Jaipur, avoid the hotel chains and head to Ram Jharokha Guest House (Peelwa Gardens; 91-141-260-3745). It offers spacious double rooms, a friendly owner and a decent selection of home-cooked meals. Doubles from 990 rupees.
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India: Hotels & Resorts
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Jodphur is dusty, loud and busy. Not the Heritage Kuchaman Haveli (inside Merti Gate, Jodphur; 91-291-254-7787; kuchamanhaveli.com), tucked on a residential side street, where children play cricket in front of the gates of a converted 18th-century mansion. Doubles start at 1,550 rupees, about $33 at 47.5 rupees to the dollar.
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India: Shopping
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With its elegant, winding streets, Udaipur is called the most romantic city in India, the Venice of the subcontinent. It’s also among the most Westernized, with backpackers and students riding around on mopeds. Have a coffee (50 rupees) at Café Edelweiss (73, Gangaur Ghat), where a clash of languages can be heard. Head down to Lake Pichola and savor the views — the lake was created in the 1300s.
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India: Shopping
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Jaipur - If crave some slow-cooked chicken or mutton and rice in creamy yogurt-based sauces, head to the Royal Treat (New Ramgarh Mod, Amer Road; 91-141-263-0795), an upscale restaurant furnished in Rajasthani red, gold and dark woods. Dinner for two about 450 rupees, including Kingfisher beers.
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India: Shopping
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The old walled quarter in central Jaipur, is filled with endless rows of market stalls. Sankhala Handicrafts (opposite Hawa Mahal; 91-141-261-0597), for opulent embroidered silks and saris. Across the street, Best Jaipurnagra Shoe Stores (56, Johari Bazaar; 91-9-8284-5688) makes leather shoes and slip-ons by hand. Everything in India is a negotiation, so be ready to play hardball.
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India: Travel & Tourism
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Jaipur - Around the corner from the City Palace is the Hawa Mahal, called the Palace of the Winds because of the sharp breeze that flows through the stairs of this five-story relic. It’s lined with 953 screened windows so that the women of the royal court could watch processions without being seen by commoners.
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India: Travel & Tourism
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The City Palace (Pink City, Jaipur; 91-141-260-8055) is Jaipur’s main attraction, a complex still guarded by turban-wearing watchers. The hall of Diwan-i-Khas houses two urns that the Guinness Records book calls the largest silver objects ever created. Made for the Maharajah Sawai Madho Singh II to fill with holy water from the Ganges when he traveled to London for King Edward VII’s coronation.
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India: Travel & Tourism
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The hillside resort of Ranakpur is one of the most spectacular temples of the Jain faith. Built in 1439 around measurements based on the number 72, the age at which the founder of Jainism achieved enlightenment, the structure is a maze of hand-carved marble pillars and small shrines.
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India: Travel & Tourism
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For sheer extravagance and luxury, few places in Rajasthan compare with the Umaid Bhawan Palace (Palace Road, Jodhpur; 91-291-251-0101; a golden sandstone complex finished in 1943 on 26 acres of lush gardens. The Art Deco-style masterpiece is now a 347-room hotel, with rates of as much as 500,000 rupees, or $10,740 at 47.5 rupees to the dollar, for a night in the Maharani Suite.
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India: Travel & Tourism
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Jodhpur, Rajasthan - Chokelao Bagh, a fragrant garden with exotic flora including sweet white kamini and chandni flowers, exactly as it would have been in the 18th century.
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India: Travel & Tourism
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Life in the dusty city of Jodhpur revolves around Mehrangarh Fort (The Fort, Jodhpur; 91-291-254-8790; www.maharajajodhpur.com). It offers an excellent audio guide in English explaining the cannonball scars from battles with other Rajput kingdoms and the hidden balconies in the Pearl Palace, which Raja Sur Singh’s wives once used to peek at the outside world.
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India: Constitution and Laws
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India's Election Commission has given eunuchs an independent identity by letting them choose their gender as "other" on ballot forms.
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India: Travel & Tourism
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Chail, Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful hill station. Although Chail boasts a five star hotel, visitors should be nature enthusiasts as there is little to do for those with "big city" expectations. Also remember to watch out for the monkeys which I supose is true all over India. Chail boasts the highest cricket ground in the world, BTW.
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India: People & Places
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Kerala - Cruising through the emerald backwaters, an interconnecting system of rivers, canals and lagoons is one of the most relaxing experiences on earth. All worries disappear as you watch the world go by in this stunning unspoilt environment from the luxurious comfort of your own floating house.
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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Malaria in India: prophylaxis is recommended year-round throughout the country (including the cities of Delhi and Bombay), except at altitudes higher than 2000 m (6561 ft) in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir, and Sikkim. Most malaria cases are reported from forested areas in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Karnataka.
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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PLEASE NOTE: Many doctors and hospitals will expect payment in cash, regardless of whether you have travel health insurance.
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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In Calcutta, care for travel-related illnesses is provided by Wellesley Medicentre (Dr. Santanu Chatterjee, Wellesley Mansions, 44 A Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road (off Park Street), Calcutta 700 016; tel. 033 22299920 or 22293645; mobile: 9830166740). In Mumbai (Bombay), corporate health care is provided by Amas Medical Services (tel. 91 22 26425335, 91 22 67023861).
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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Escorts Heart Institute And Research Centre (cardiac specialty hospital; Okhla Road, New Delhi - 110 025; tel. 91-11-26825000, 91-11-26825001; emergency 91-11-26825002, 91-11-26825003 ; ambulance 26825002, 26825003 or ext. 4000 / 4001 at 26825000 (Auto attendant) / 26825001 (operator) for booking; website Read more...)
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals (Sarita Vihar, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110 076; tel. 91-011 - 26925801/26925858, emergency tel. 91-11-26925900; ambulance tel. 26925900, 26925888; website Read more... offers broad range of state-of-the art specialty services, including 24-hour emergency room; accredited by the Joint Commission International)
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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Mumbai - Asian Heart Institute (G/N Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400051; tel. 5698-6666; website Read more... accredited by the Joint Commission International)
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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Mumbai - Wockhardt Hospital (Mulund Goregaon Link Road, Mumbai 400078; tel. 91-22-67994444; emergency 91-22-67994155; website Read more... includes cardiac specialty hospital; accredited by the Joint Commission International; associate hospital of Harvard Medical International)
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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Mumbai - P.D. Hinduja National Hospital (Veer Savarkar Marg, Mahim, Mumbai 400 016; tel. 24447000, 24449199, 24451515, 24452222; website Read more... member of the international networks of the Massachusetts General Hospital and New York-Presbyterian Hospital)
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Apollo Hospital (21, Greams Lane Off Greams Road, Chennai 600 006; tel. 91-044-28293333 / 28290200; website Read more... accredited by the Joint Commission International)
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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For 24/7 emergency assistance, another option is to contact East West Rescue, which provides long-distance road ambulance as well as air ambulance services (website Read more... ph. 91-11-2469 8865, 91-11-2462 3738, 91-11-2469 9229, 91-11-2469 0429). East West Rescue has a network of physicians in over 100 Indian cities.
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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For a public ambulance in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta, call 102. For a private ambulance in Mumbai, call 1299 or 3090-6609, or call P.D. Hinduja National Hospital at 2445-2575 . For a private ambulance in Kolkata, call Apollo Gleneagles Hospital at 1066 or Woodlands Medical Centre at 2456-7075 thru 7089 (cell 98300-82007, 98310-36686, 98302-90662).
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India: Doctors, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
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All travelers should visit either their personal physician or a travel health clinic 4-8 weeks before departure.
Malaria:Â Prophylaxis with Lariam (mefloquine), Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil), or doxycycline is recommended for all areas, except for areas at altitudes >2,000 m (6,561 ft) in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir, and Sikkim.
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India: Miscellaneous
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Travelers' diarrhea is the most common travel-related ailment. The cornerstone of prevention is food and water precautions, as outlined below. All travelers should bring along an antibiotic and an antidiarrheal drug to be started promptly if significant diarrhea occurs.
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India: People & Places
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Established in mid 1600s and abandoned in early 1700s, Bhangarh is now a ghost town. Guidebooks will have you believe that it is considered a haunted place by the local folks. Although not old, it is supposedly a charming ruin - a fort, some temples and what once was a village with 10,000 people. For more on Bhangarh the famous ghost town Read more...
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India: Housing, Lodging & Rentals
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Shanti Devi has four plain but functional rooms on the ground floor of a modest white house in Greater Kailash II, a popular New Delhi neighborhood (M-99, Greater Kailash II; 91-98-6847-2210). Rooms start at 1,500 rupees.
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India: Housing, Lodging & Rentals
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in the Nizamuddin East neighborhood, P. C. Chopra has a comfortable two-room apartment on the top floor of a house(D-9, Nizamuddin East; 91-11- 2435-8574), starting at 7,000 rupees.
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India: Housing, Lodging & Rentals
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Rajiv Chaudhary and Janis McClinch, two architects trained in Boston, designed and renovated their spacious villa to create a six-room B & B called B Nineteen (B-19, Nizamuddin East; 91-98-1896-7438; www.bnineteen.com). Rooms start at 6,750 rupees.
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India: Housing, Lodging & Rentals
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Dipmala Bindra has a cozy room in her three-bedroom apartment close to the Delhi airport (2 Palam Marg, Vasant Vihar; 91-98-11-039-894). The room starts at 3,000 rupees, or about $61 at 49 rupees to the dollar.
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India: Housing, Lodging & Rentals
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A list of B & Bs in Delhi can be found on the Ministry of Tourism Web site (www.tourism.gov.in). It’s a good idea to call the owner to inquire about location, directions and landmarks nearby.
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India: Food and Restaurants
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Biryani Paradise at Hubli , Karnataka by far prepares the best Biryani. You should taste it to believe it.
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