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Tourist information about the capital city.

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Diwali — Festival of Lights.

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Diwali or Deepavali, Divali – One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance”.

In the lead-up to Diwali, celebrants will prepare by cleaning, renovating, and decorating their homes and workplaces with diyas (oil lamps) and rangolis (colorful art circle patterns). The five-day long festival originated in the Indian subcontinent and is mentioned in early Sanskrit texts. The main day of the festival of Diwali (the day of Lakshmi Puja).

Also сheck оut мore info: Diwali 2022: India celebrates the festival with a dazzling display of lights (www.bbc.com)

Diwali is usually celebrated twenty days after the *Vijayadashami (Dussehra, Dasara, Dasain) festival, with Dhanteras, or the regional equivalent, marking the first day of the festival when celebrants prepare by cleaning their homes and making decorations on the floor, such as rangolis. The second day is *Naraka Chaturdashi.

The third day is the day of *Lakshmi Puja and the darkest night of the traditional month. In some parts of India, the day after Lakshmi Puja is marked with the Govardhan Puja and *Balipratipada (Padwa). Some Hindu communities mark the last day as Bhai Dooj or the regional equivalent, which is dedicated to the bond between sister and brother, while other Hindu and Sikh craftsmen communities mark this day as *Vishwakarma Puja and observe it by performing maintenance in their work spaces and offering prayers.

The darkest night is the apex of the celebration and coincides with the second half of October or early November in the Gregorian calendar.

There’s no contest: Mumbai looks its best and brightest during Diwali. Lanterns, fairy lights, lamps and everything that glows and shines is on every other window and ledge in the city. Drive through Juhu, past pretty homes of pretty people; down Bandra, unusually empty but all lit up; over the sea-link for a view of the twinkling shoreline and down to the island city, where the CST building will wear its Diwali colours. For a more serene experience, head to Banganaga tank, which comes alive with hundreds of tiny floating lamps.

Some of the most spectacular display of fireworks takes place at Marine Drive and Charni Road. From rockets to sky lanterns, it’s all happening here. Park yourself anywhere along the stretch for a seat to this brilliant display. Or book yourself a table at one of the many sea-facing restaurants and bars along the stretch and watch the Queen’s Necklace sparkle brighter than ever. Up north, Worli Seaface and Shivaji Park also pack some serious pyrotechnics.

 

#1 Visit Varanasi

The most sacred city in Hinduism, Jainism, and important in the history of Buddhism, Varanasi is India’s most important pilgrimage destination.

#2 Holi Festival

Holi is a popular ancient Indian festival, also known as the “Festival of Love”, the “Festival of Colours” and the “Festival of Spring”.

#3 Khajuraho temples

The erotic sculptures of Khajuraho in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, depicting Kama Sutra are unique in the world.

Public transport.

Information about all types of public transport.

YATRA.COM – Book Flights, Hotels, Trains, Buses, Cruise and Holiday Packages.

Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (known as BEST) provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all places of the city and the suburbs.

BEST has launched its app “BEST Prawas” for Android, which contains features like live tracking of buses and ETA of buses.

BUS: Redbus • Travelyaari • Buskiraya • myticketbuddy. Reliable carriers: Raj National Express • KPN Travels. While you can’t take a cross-country bus ride across India, buses are the second most-popular way of travelling across states and the only cheap way of reaching many places not on the rail network (e.g. Dharamsala)

TRAIN: irctc.co.in ⇒ Railways were introduced in India in 1853, more than one and half a century ago by the British, and today India boasts of the biggest network of railway lines in the world, and the rail system is very efficient, if rarely on schedule.

The Konkan Railway (which is a separately administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel from *Goa (map) and *Mangalore (map), coastal resort areas to the South.

*Mumbai Suburban Railway (Central RailwayWestern Railway)

AIRPORT: Chhatrapati Shivaji AirportIndira Gandhi Airport • Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport • Dabolim Airport. Domestic flights, the main operators are: Air India (Discover India) • Air India Express • Air Asia India • IndiGo • Go First • SpiceJet • Vistara.

This is Diwali in India?!

We were in Mumbai, India for Diwali (2022) and were totally shocked by this festival! We tried to research what to do in Mumbai for Diwali and had such a hard time figuring out where we should go for the best experience of this very important celebration. Some Mumbaikars suggested we visit Marine Drive and Shivaji Park for Diwali, and these suggestions turned out to be incredible!

video source: Nicole and Mico / youtube.com /

Useful websites.

Links to additional resources with useful information for planning your trip.

VISAS & IMMIGRATION.

Apply for a visitor visa. Find out what document you need to travel, visit family and friends, do business, or transit through India.

YATRA.COM.

We are a leading online travel company in India providing a ‘best in class’ customer experience with the goal to be ‘India’s Travel Planner’.

Indian Food.

If you”re planning to visit India and want some more information about Indian food, then this Indian food guide can help.

YATRA.COM: We are a leading online travel company in India providing a ‘best in class’ customer experience with the goal to be ‘India’s Travel Planner’.

INDIAN CULTURE: Recognizing the ongoing need to position itself for the digital future, Indian Culture is an initiative by the Ministry of Culture. A platform that hosts data of cultural relevance from various repositories and institutions all over India.

Art & Culture: This section offers comprehensive information related to cultural heritage, ancient monuments, literary arts, visual arts, schemes, programmes, performing arts, fairs and festivals and handicraft of India. Detailed information on various organizations involved in promotion and propagation of Indian art and culture is also available in this section.

Museums of India: National Portal and Digital Repository for Museums of India.

National Digital Library of India – One Library All of India.

The One-Stop Guide to Indian Food: Indian food is very different from western food and can seem a little intimidating from an outside perspective. If you”re planning to visit India or just want some more information about Indian food before visiting your local restaurant, then this Indian food guide can help.

Restricted / Protected Area: Travel in much of the North-East (with the notable exception of Assam) and parts of Andaman and Nicobar, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will require obtaining a *Protected Area Permit (PAP). The easiest way to get one is to request it along with your visa application, in which case it will be added to your visa.