Cultural Tourism in India

The book is a detailed exploration of various facets of Indian thought and life that make it a popular cultural tourist site for visitors from all over the world. It presents an account of India's people, history, national flag and national anthem, dance, drama, music, painting, textile, pottery, food and drink, and customs and lifestyle that comprise the multifaceted components of India's culture. It describes all the major places of pilgrimage and festivals and scenic beauty in India, and lists state-wise a number of historical cities and sites that stud the length and breadth of the country, its attractive monuments steeped in history and its museums laden with treasures from the past. It brings out the special attractions in India for the western tourist who is primarily interested in those aspects of Indian culture that give a deeper meaning to life at physical, spiritual, mental and moral levels. 

The work offers, for students of tourism, data on various aspects to cover their syllabus: national and international tourist flow, tourism-related organisations and conventions, eco-tourism, India's natural heritage as, for instance, its wildlife. It also gives an account of historical evolution of tourism in the world context. For professionals in tourism, there is information on organisation of package tours, tour circuits, tour planning, training of guides and marketing of tourism. Appendices discuss institutions where tourism is taught, tourist information centers in India and abroad, and tourism related periodicals.     

About the Author 

Dr. S.P. Gupta, Ph.D., D. Litt. presently Chairman, Indian Archaeological Society, New Delhi, is a specialist in field archaeology and art history who has been awarded several gold medals besides the Sir Mortimer Wheeler Prize for excellence in archaeology. He has worked and lectured in more than 30 countries of the world. He has authored a number of books including Disposal of the Dead and Physical Types in Ancient India (1971), Tourism, Museums and Monuments (1975), Archaeology of Soviet Central Asia and the Indian Borderlands -two volumes (1978), The Roots of Indian Art (1980) - the French edition of which was published in 1990, and Elements of Indian Art (2002). He has also edited many books and published about 50 articles in various journals and books. 

Ms. Krishna Lal, formerly Keeper National Museum, New Delhi, has served as Advisor for Documentation and Cataloguing Art Objects in the Indira Gandhi Centre for Arts. She has contributed research articles to various journals and authored the book, Bidri Collection in the National Museum, New Delhi (1990) and co-authored the work, Tourism, Museums and Monuments in India (1975).

Mrs. Mahua Bhattacharyya, M.A. in archaeology, is at present associated with the Indian Archaeological Society to create awareness about the country's cultural heritage through the Society's educational activities. She is currently also engaged in a doctoral thesis on pilgrimage tourism in India. She has, to her credit, a diploma in Mass Communications as well.