India Halal Travel Guide

India is administratively divided into 29 states and 7 union territories. The states are broadly demarcated on linguistic lines. They vary in size; the larger ones are bigger and more diverse than some countries of Europe. The union territories are smaller than the states—sometimes they are just one city—and they have much less autonomy. India has two island chains off the mainland – the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.

The states and union territories are grouped by convention into the following regions:

Himalayan North (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand)
Mountainous and beautiful, a tourist destination for the adventurous and the spiritual. This region contains some of India’s most visited hill stations and religious places.

The Plains (Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh)
The plains, India’s breadbasket, are watered by the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna and their tributaries. The region also features the country’s capital, Delhi, Agra of Taj Mahal fame and the holy cities of Allahabad, Mathura, Varanasi and Bodh a. Many of the events that shaped India’s history took place in this region.

Western India (Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan)
Home to the vast Thar Desert; the colourful palaces, forts and cities of Rajasthan; the country’s most vibrant and largest city, Mumbai; the mesmerising rock-cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora in Maharashtra; pristine forests; the wonderful beaches of Goa; the Asiatic lions of Gujarat in Gir jungles; and the rapidly developing cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur and Pune.

Southern India (Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Telangana)
Features famous and historical temples, tropical forests, backwaters, beaches, hill stations, and the vibrant cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad. The city of Mysore is world renowned for its palaces, especially the Mysore Palace. The island groups of Andaman & Nicobar (on the east) and Lakshadweep on the west, included in this region for convenience, are far from the mainland and have their own unique characteristics.

Eastern India (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Sikkim, West Bengal)
Economically less developed, but culturally rich and perhaps the most welcoming to outsiders. Features Kolkata, once the capital of British India, and the temple cities of Puri, Bhubaneswar and Konark. The region stretches from the mountains to the coast, resulting in fascinating variations in climate. It is also the mineral storehouse of India, having the country’s largest and richest mines.

North-Eastern India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura)
Insular and relatively virgin, this is the country’s tribal corner, with lush, beautiful landscapes, endemic flora and fauna of the Indo-Malayan group and famed tea gardens. Consists of seven states popularly known as the “Seven Sisters”. The state of Meghalaya is depicted as the “Scotland of India” because of its mesmerizing environment.

2 Other Muslim friendly Cities in India

These are nine of India’s most notable cities. Other cities can be found under their specific regions.

Delhi — the capital of India and the heart of Northern India
Bangalore (Bengaluru) — the beautiful garden city, once the sleepy home of pension takers, now transformed into an IT hub for high-technology companies and sprouting pubs.
Chennai (Madras) — the main port in Southern India, cultural centre, automobile capital of India and a fast emerging IT hub
Hyderabad — known for pearl and diamond trading, now with major manufacturing and financial institutions and a growing IT sector
Jaipur — the Pink City, a major exhibit of the Hindu Rajput culture of medieval Northern India
Kochi (Cochin) — the Queen of the Arabian Sea, historically a centre of international trade, now the gateway to the sandy beaches and backwaters
Kolkata (Calcutta) — the cultural capital of India, known as the City of Joy, and home to numerous colonial buildings
Mumbai (Bombay) — the largest city and the financial capital of India, the city that never sleeps, home of “Bollywood”, the Hindi film industry
Varanasi (Banaras or Kashi) — considered the most sacred Hindu city, on the banks of the Ganges, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world

3 Other Muslim Friendly Destinations in India

India has many outstanding landmarks and areas of outstanding beauty. Here are some of the most notable.

Bodh a — the main temple complex, which includes the Mahabodhi temple, is the place where the Buddha Sakyamuni attained enlightenment
Ellora — spectacular rock-cut cave monasteries and temples, holy place for the Buddhists, Jains and Hindus
Golden Temple Sikh holy site in Amritsar
Hampi — the awesome ruins of the empire of Vijayanagara
Khajuraho| — temple complexes famed for their erotic sculptures
Konark — Sun Temple, a unique example of Kalingan architecture, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site
Meenakshi Temple — a spectacular Hindu temple in Madurai
Taj Mahal — the incomparable marble tomb in Agra, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World