Visa information :

India VISA

Eligibility

The people within the following categories cannot get a tourist visa and hence have to apply for an entry visa.

1. Person belonging to the Indian origin

2. Spouses and children of the person belonging to Indian origin


Entry Requirements

1. Passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of arrival. It should have at least two blank pages for stamping by Immigration Officer.

2. Tourist Visas enter their validation mode from the very date they are issued. You can spend a time of 6 months (180 days) in the country. Only US citizens, under a bilateral arrangement, can avail a 5-10 year tourist visa. However, they can still only stay for 180 days on a continuous basis.

3. Visas fee is in the local currency which means you may have an added service cost.

4. You need to submit two passport size photos (2 inches x 2 inches) with your visa application.

5. Extended Visas are easily available for people of Indian origin who are the owners of Non-Indian passports. The ones from Bangladesh and Pakistan are excluded from the list.

6. In case your visa lasts for more than 6 months and you wish to stay more than the limit of 180 days, registering at the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office or FRRO becomes a necessity. This should be done within a span of 14 days of arriving in India.

Online Indian Visa Form

Electronic Tourist Visa

While India doesn't grant visa on arrival, citizens of most countries including Canada, Japan, UK and USA can opt for e-Tourist Visa (eTV) for tourism, medical and casual business purposes.
(In case you are visiting India for a period of 60 days or less).

This should be applied at least four days prior your travel day. It is equivalent to a normal visa, and the only difference is that you don't get a stamp on your passport. The application for this visa can be made online and does not require you visit the Indian Mission. Travelers having a Pakistani Passport have to apply for a regular tourist visa at The Indian Mission.The complete list of such countries can be found here - https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html.  Applicants from all other nations or for all other categories need to submit their application online and then schedule an appointment with the Indian Mission. Travellers with a Pakistani passport or of Pakistani origin cannot opt for the eTV and need to apply for this category too. The visa fee depends on the type and duration of visa required. For eTV, it ranges from free to USD 60. The banks charge a visa fee of 2.5% on top of this.

Re-Entry Requirements

1. As you leave India, your passport gets a stamp suggesting that you cannot re-enter the country for next two months regardless the visa duration.

2. Permit to re-enter is only granted in cases of exigency. For this, you need to visit and apply for the same at the Indian High Commission or Consulate in the country you are in or the one you are a resident of. If granted the permit you need to register at FRRO within 14 days.

Visa Extensions

Tourist Visas can only be extended in cases of theft (stealing of passport and other important documents) or medical emergency. FRRO should be contacted in such cases. It is necessary to have a confirmed air ticket and photocopies of passport containing Indian Immigration Stamp and Indian visa to replace or apply for an exit visa. In such cases, FRRO may grant 14 days of extension if you meet the stringent criteria.

Tourist Visa on Arrival

Tourism has a great hand behind the country's economic growth. Therefore, to promote the inbound tourism, the Indian government has launched a scheme of Tourist Visa on Arrival or TVOA for 11 countries. These countries include Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Indonesia. 

1. Eligibility

a) The person has no residence or occupation in India

b) The person has financial condition sound enough to stay in the country and possess a return ticket.

c) The person should have a passport with at least six months of validity.

d) The person must carry two passport size photographs and photocopy of the passport.

2. Airports offering Travel Visa on Arrival or The Entry Points

Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Bangalore Airports provide Travel Visa on Arrival.

3. Fees

A fee of US $ 60 equivalent to Indian Rupees is levied on every person including the children to attain Tourist Visa on Arrival.
4. Group Visa on Arrival

Tourist groups with a pre-drawn itinerary approved by Ministry of Tourism are granted Collective Landing Permit of not exceeding 60 days.

Check the link for more information upon Group visa

Note

a) Visa on arrival is granted for only 30 days. It is non-extendable and non-convertible

b) Its validity is restricted to a single entry

c) Only two visits are permissible in a calendar year with visa on arrival. There should be a gap of 2 months between both the visits.

Website: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html

Countries that do not need a Visa for India

A) Bhutan, Maldives (for 90 days), and Nepal are allowed visa-free entries in case they do not arrive from the mainland China.

B) Visa exemption is provided to the people with Indian Origin Card, provided they are not the citizens of the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• China
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka

click here to download India Visa Sample.

Weather information :

Northern India

Eastern India

Southern India

Western India

Country Basic information :

History

Indian History is as old as the History of Mankind. Artifacts dating back to as much as 500, 000 years have been found. India's history and culture is ancient and dynamic, spanning back to the beginning of human civilization. Beginning with a mysterious culture along the Indus River and in farming communities in the southern lands of India. The history of India is one punctuated by constant integration with migrating peoples and with the diverse cultures that surround India. Placed in the center of Asia, history in India is a crossroads of cultures from China to Europe, and the most significant Asian connection with the cultures of Africa. 

India's history is more than just a set of unique developments in a definable process; it is, in many ways, a microcosm of human history itself, a diversity of cultures all impinging on a great people and being reforged into new, syncretic forms. Shown below is the India timeline starting from 3000 BC of ancient Indus valley civilization and Harappa civilization to 1000 AD of Chola Dynasty of ancient history of India. 

Indian History in Short :
The History of India begins with the birth of the Indus Valley Civilization in such sites as Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, and Lothal, and the coming of the Aryans. These two phases are usually described as the pre-Vedic and Vedic periods. It is in the Vedic period that Hinduism first arose: this is the time to which the Vedas are dated. 

In the fifth century, large parts of India were united under Ashoka. He also converted to Buddhism, and it is in his reign that Buddhism spread to other parts of Asia. It is in the reign of the Mauryas that Hinduism took the shape that fundamentally informs the religion down to the present day. Successor states were more fragmented. 

Islam first came to India in the eighth century, and by the 11th century had firmly established itself in India as a political force; the North Indian dynasties of the Lodhis, Tughlaqs, and numerous others, whose remains are visible in Delhi and scattered elsewhere around North India, were finally succeeded by the Mughal empire, under which India once again achieved a large measure of political unity. 

The European presence in India dates to the seventeenth century and it is in the latter part of this century that the Mughal Empire began to disintegrate, paving the way for regional states. In the contest for supremacy, the English emerged 'victors', their rule marked by the conquests at the battlefields of Plassey and Buxar. 

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. Successive campaigns had the effect of driving the British out of India in 1947.