Visit India

An India visa is necessary for all Canadian citizens and permanent residents who want to travel to India. Most Canadian citizens are eligible for an e-visa (see below) if they are traveling to participating airports. Please use the box to the right to get your Indian visa if you are not eligible for an e-visa.

Index

• Indian Climate
• Indian Culture
• Indian Visas

Climate of India

There's a reason India is often referred to as a "sub-continent" - it's so large that it has the climate variations of a continent. You can see the wide variation in this map:

by Saravask / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

The climate of India can be divided into four major regions:

Dry Climates

There are three climates groups together under the dry category:

Desert - northern Gujarat and Rajahstan

A little bit of rain in the summer - sometimes no rain for a few years. Temperatures in the mid 30s in the summer. Below the is the climate information for Jaipur, the biggest city in the Indian desert:

Sub-Tropical Semi Arid Steppe - southern Gujarat, Haryana, northern Madhya Pradesh, southern Punjab and eastern Rajahstan

This area is east of the Great Indian Desert. It's not quite as hot and gets a little more rain. Below is the information for New Delhi, which is in this region:

Tropical Semi Arid Steppe - southwestern Andhra Pradesh, eastern Karnatka, southeastern Maharashtra and western and southern Tamil Nadu

This climate is found in the central parts of southern India. There's a little more rain in the summer compared to the above regions. The seasons are rainy and dry, like other places in the tropics. Below is the climate data for Bangalore, the most populous city in the region:

Mountain Climate - Aruchnachal Pradesh, Himanchal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, northeastern Uttaranchal

Shockingly, for a a country that shares the highest mountains in the world, the climate is very different in the extreme north of India. But claiming there is one climate in this area is simplistic, as the temperature drops over half a degree for every 100m you climb, leading to a gigantic difference in temperature between the lower highlands and the peaks.  The amount rain or snow depends on the location in the Himalayas. The north side is dry, but gets snow in winter and spring. The southern side gets a lot more precipitation. Rain is most common between 1000m (3,200ft) and 2300m (7,500ft) above sea level. Snow is common in the winter months above 1,500m (4,900ft). Below is teh climate data for Gangtok, which experiences a sub-tropical highland climate:

Sub-Tropical Humid Climate - Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, southern Himachal Pradesh, Jharkand, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarachnal and north West Bengal

As you can tell from the list of states above, this is the largest climate area in India, making up a majority of central India, virtually all of eastern India, and parts of the north. The climate experiences dry winters and moderately wet summers (that get wetter the further east you travel). It's cold enough for the occasional frost in winter and hot in the summer. Below is the climate data for Lucknow, right in the centre of the climate area:

Tropical Wet Climates

There are two "tropical wet" climates in India, though distinghishing between the two might seem like splitting hairs.

Tropical Monsoon Climate - Adaman & Nicoban Islands, Goa, western Karnatka, Kerala, southern Maharashtra and Lakshadweep Islands

This climate is found on the southwest coast of India and on its islands. It is one of less common climates in the world. The weather is always at least warm, usually hot and always humid. The dry season lasts from December to April. It is extremely rainy during the wet season. The information below is for Thiruvananthapuram, the biggest city in Kerala:

Tropical Savannah Climate - Andhra Pradesh, southern Chhattisgarh, central Karnatka, southern Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, southwest Tamil Nadu, West Bengal

This is the other major climate area of India, that occupies much of the country. It encircles the drier sub-tropical humid area mentioned above. The only difference between a tropical monsoon climate and a tropical savannah climate is that this climate has a drier dry season. Otherwise, the weather is pretty similar. The rainy season is June to September. The information below is for Kolkata, the third largest city in India.

Culture of India

India is home to some of the oldest cultural traditions on the planet and, as the second most populous country on the planet, it's incredibly diverse as well.

• The official language of India is Hindi (Devanagari alphabet). English is the second official language for government purposes but there are over 30 other languages with some kind of official recognition at either the federal or regional level.
• India does not recognize ethnic groups and rather recognizes castes and "tribes" though some people believe there are four somewhat distinct ethnic groups in India.

Languages of India

The following table shows the number of speakers for each of the 29 most common languages in India. Please note that the data is 14 years old, but should still generally reflect the percentages within the country:

Religions of India

In 2011 the following religions were identified in India:

For more information about the culture of India, ask us in the box at the bottom of this page.

Visas to India

Canadian citizens can apply for an e-visa online here.

In order to apply for an e-visa, you will need a scanner and a digital photo of yourself.

You can pay the fees using either MasterCard or Visa. Fees are currently US$60 but are set to increase for Canadians in the near future.

You must apply for your e-visa at least 4 days before arriving in India and you can only enter India with an e-visa at the following airports:

• Ahmedabad
• Amritsar
• Bengaluru
• Chennai
• Cochin
• Delhi
• Gaya
• Goa
• Hyderabad
• Jaipur
• Kolkata
• Lucknow
• Mumbai
• Tiruchirapalli
• Trivandrum
• Varanasi.

If you are not eligible for an e-visa because you are not a citizen of an e-visa eligible country or because you are traveling to a different airport, please click here to apply for your visa.

If you would like to see more information about the different Indian visas on this page, please let us know by completing the question box at the bottom of this page.