India: A Place To Experience And Use Your Five Senses

You go to work, you eat, you sleep, then repeat. You dream of an adventure of a lifetime. You long for a cultural experience that is eye-opening and life-changing and yearn for a spiritual voyage. You want to go somewhere far different from what you know and you want to experience a journey that uses all five senses.

India

You head on over to your globe sitting on your desk. You give it a good spin, close your eyes, and point. India is where your finger lands on. “India? India, yes yes, India!” You start to immerse yourself in research. Where to go, what to see, where to stay. You also wonder how long is long enough to explore India. Then money matters come to mind. You don’t want to bring too much cash but you also don’t want to run out of it either. So maybe you can have your relative send money to India if you get low. That way if you run out of needed funds for souvenirs or perhaps for emergencies, you can have money sent to continue the vacation. You then go back to researching places in India you want to visit. After all, India is home to many attractions that are unique and can only be found in India.

Taj Mahal: An Experience of Sight

Many of us have heard of the Taj Mahal. It is a beautiful structure created from white marble. In dedication to his wife, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, had the Taj Mahal constructed in the 1600’s in Agra, India. In 1983, the Taj Mahal was inducted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The central dome of this beautiful structure is seventy-three meters in height. Certainly a sight to see given that it is made of marble.

Mumbai: A City of Noise

Mumbai is one of the noisiest cities in India. You’re asking yourself, “why would I want to go somewhere noisy?” I’ll tell you, not only is Mumbai noisy but the experience behind the noises is worth visiting the city itself. With almost twenty-million people living in the city (as of 2018), Mumbai is saturated with people. If you’re lucky enough to go to Mumbai during August or September, the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival is held during those months. During the festival, drums and music are played during rituals honoring the birth of the Hindu deity Ganesha.

Sarafa Bazaar: Taste and Smell Your Way Through a Symphony of Street Food

We all know India is known for the spices they put on their food. Sarafa Bazaar is located in Indore City, India. Labeled “the street food capital of India,” an article walks us through the vast offerings of street food at Sarafa Bazaar. In it, it describes that food stalls combined boast “50 varieties of snacks.” Some snacks are so unique that you won’t find them anywhere else. It is believed that Sarafa Bazaar is at least one hundred years old, but the origin of Sarafa Bazaar remains unknown. The article continues to state that there are at least three-thousand people who come to Sarafa Bazaar every night.

Holi Festival: Be Touched By The Colors

Holi festival is widely known as the “festival of colors.” It is a festival that mainly celebrates the success of good versus evil, love, color, and the arrival of spring. Holi is celebrated in a span of two days. The first day of the festival is dedicated to prayers and rituals called Holika Dahan. The second day is when people basically have a pillow fight, except with powders of all different colors. People throw colored powder at each other as part of the celebration. For some, water guns and water balloons are also used to “paint” each other with color. The second day of the festival is called Rangwali Holi.

These are only a few places and festivals that India has to offer. India is certainly filled with mystery and a rich history. When people think of India, people also think of yoga. India is also about meditation. It is a place where it can certainly reset someone, and at the same time, re-assess and re-prioritize the things that are most important to us. It is strikingly different than anything we can experience anywhere else in the world.