South Asian Handbook

How to use this handbook. Introduction and hints: travel to and within South Asia; documentation and security; etiquette and language; accommodation; internal surface travel; general advice; health information. Regional introduction: South Asia - the land and people: geography, climate, vegetation, soils, wildlife, the peoples of South Asia, South Asian languages, literature; the religons of South Asia - Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism; the history of South Asia - early settlements, South Asia from 1750BC to the Mauryas, the Mauryan Empire to the Guptas - 321 BC - AD 540, regional kingdoms and regional cultures, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, the East India Company and the rise of British power. India: India's major wildlife parks and sanctuaries - North India, East India, South India, West India. Information for visitors: documentation; travel to India; internal travel; money; other essential information; National holidays and festivals; special interest holidays. North India: New Delhi; Uttar Pradesh; Madhya Pradesh; Rajasthan; Haryana and Punjab; Himachal Pradesh; Jammu Kashmir; Ladakh; Zanskar. East India: Calcutta; West Bengal; Sikkim; North-Eastern Hill States; Orissa; Bihar; Andaman and Nicobar Islands. South India: Madras; Tamil Nadu; Kerala; Karnataka; Andhra Pradesh. West India: Bombay; Maharashtra; Goa; Gujarat. Pakistan: introduction - geography, climate, people and language, economy, handicrafts, religon, architecture, cuisine, history; Islamabad-Rawalpindi; Punjab; Sind; Baluchistan; North West Frontier Province; northern areas; information for visitors. Nepal: introduction - geography, climate, the people, economy, religon, art and architecture, history; Kathmandu; trekking in Nepal; information for visitors. Bhutan: Thimpu; trekking in Bhutan. Bangladesh: Dhaka; Mymensingh; Sylhet and Jafflong; Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Teknaf; Khulna and Jessore; Pabna, Rajshahi and Rangpur; information for visitors. Sri Lanka: Colombo; Negombo, Puttalam and Anuradhapura; Anuradhapura and Jaffna; Sigirya and Trincomalee; Kandy and Batticaloa; Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Arugam Bay; Ratanapura, Bandarawela and Badulla; Galle, Matara, Hambantota and Tissamaharama; information for visitors. Maldives: Male; island reports; information for visitors. Glossaries: architectural terms; names; terms. Charts: temperature conversions; weights and measures; econmic indicators. (Part Contents)