🇮🇳 India

Hej! I’m sharing a glimpse of my experience visiting contrasting and spectacular India. I was there in the spring of 2014. Below are some notes on what I tasted, saw and listened to.
Important: I only share my own experience and recommend the things I personally tried and liked. Therefore, everything written below is extremely subjective, and does not cover all the wonderful local features and places ☺️.

🗺 Places: Candolim, Vijayapura, Badami.

🏛 Top sights visited:

1. Candolim
   • Candolim Beach (कैंडोलिम बीच)
   • Fort Aguada (किला अगुआड़ा)
   • Dudhsagar Falls (दूधसागर झरना)
2. Badami
   • The Cave Temples (बादामी गुफा मंदिर)
   • Pattadakal Temple (पट्टडकल मंदिर)
   • Badami Fort (बादामी किला)
   • Sri Bhootanaatha Gudi (भूतनाथ मन्दिर समूह)
   • Agastya Lake (अगस्त्य झील)
3. Vijayapura
   • Bara Kaman (बारा कमान)
   • Gol Gumbaz (गोल गुम्बज)
   • Ibrahim Roza (इब्राहीम रोज़ा)

🎧 Local musicians:

• 🇮🇳 A. R. Rahman (singer). Genre: indian film pop
• 🇮🇳 Panjabi MC (DJ). Genre: bhangra music
• 🇮🇳 Rashmeet Kaur (singer). Genre: pop
• 🇮🇳 Arijit Singh (playback singer). Genre: film score
• 🇮🇳 Mithoon (composer). Genre: film score
• 🇺🇳 KSHMR (DJ). Genre: electro house

🎚️ Contribution to EDM:

• Bhangra. Originated: mid-1960s
• Goa Trance. Originated: early 1990s
• Psy Trance. Originated: late 1990s

🥘 Local food & drinks:

• Indian Curry (करी)
  • Butter Chicken (बटर चिकन)
  • Lamb Korma (मेमने कोरमा)
• Mukhwas (मुखवास)
• Indian Buffalo Steak (भारतीय भैंस स्टेक)
• Naan (नान)
• Tandoori Chicken (तंदुरी चिकन)
• Kulfi (क़ुल्फ़ी)
• Phool Makhana (फूल मखाने)
• Karnataka (Regional Special): Masala Dosa (मसाला डोसा / ಮಸಾಲೆ ದೋಸೆ)
• Goa (Regional Special): Goan Fish Curry (गोवा मछली करी / हुमण)

🎬 Local movies:

• Slumdog Millionaire (स्लमडॉग करोड़पती). Year: 2008. Genres: drama
• Shantaram (शांताराम). Year: 2022. Genres: drama (series)
  

🪔 Authentic features:

• Authentic Principle: Ahimsa (अहिंसा)
• Hinduism (हिन्दू)
• Buddhism (बुद्ध धर्म)
• The Yoga Practices (योग)
• The Devanagari Script (देवनागरी)
• The Holi Festival (होली)
• The Bollywood Movies (बॉलीवुड फिल्में)
• The Bharatanatyam Dance (भरतनाट्यम)
• The Nagara Architecture (नागर शैली)
• The Indo-Saracenic Architecture (इंडो-सारासेनिक वास्तुकला)
• Indian Cars (Brand: “Mahindra”)
• Authentic Musical Instrument: Saraswati Veena (सरस्वती वीणा)
• Authentic Garb: Sari & Sherwani (साड़ी और शेरवानी)
• The Heritage of the Maratha Empire (मराठा साम्राज्य)
• Karnataka (Regional Special): The Culture of Kannadigas (कन्नड़ लोग / ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು)
  • Karnataka (Regional Special): The Dollu Kunitha Dance (डोल्लू कुनिथा / ಡೊಳ್ಳು ಕುಣಿತ)
  • Karnataka (Regional Special): The Dasa Sahitya Literature (दसा साहित्य / ದಾಸ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ)
  • Karnataka (Regional Special): Authentic Musical Instrument: Tamate (ढोल / ತಮಟೆ)
• Karnataka (Regional Special): The Heritage of the Vijayanagara Empire (विजयनगर साम्राज्य / ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ)
• Goa (Regional Special): The Culture of Goans (गोवा / गोंयकार)
  • Goa (Regional Special): Goa Carnivals (गोवा कार्निवल / गोंय कार्निवाल)
  • Goa (Regional Special): Authentic Musical Instrument: Ghumot (घुमोट / घुमट)

💐 National flower: Indian Lotus (कमल)

• Goa (Regional Special): Red Jasmine (रेड जास्मिन / चमेली)
• Karnataka (Regional Special): Indian Lotus (कमल / ಕಮಲ)

🦉 Local wisdom: “The half-filled pitcher overflows with noise, the full pitcher goes silent.” / “अधजल गगरी छलकत जाए, भरी गगरिया चुपके जाए ।” — Indian proverb

👨‍🎓 The oldest university: The University of Calcutta (कलकत्ता विश्वविद्यालय), Kolkata, est. 1857.