India is a country in South Asia. Officialy the biggest country in the world with a population of 1,417,492,000 inhabitants (according to an official estimate for 2025). It is the seventh largest country by area and extends between the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean.

India has been the cradle and crossroads of many important cultures and religions throughout history. During the 18th century, it gradually came under British rule, and in 1947, it gained independence. Today, India is one of the fastest growing economies, although poverty remains a serious social phenomenon.

The city of Varanasi

Varanasi is a city of two million inhabitants, built on the west bank of the Ganges River, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city is considered sacred by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in history.

The city of Allahabad

Prayagraj, officially known as Allahabad until October 16, 2018, is a city in Northern India and is the birthplace of many great Indian politicians such as Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, etc., resulting in it being described as the "city of prime ministers" and a holy city for Hindus.

The city of Bodghaya

Bodh Gaya is one of the most important pilgrimage cities for Buddhists worldwide, located in the state of Bihar, India. It is the place where, according to tradition, Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha.

The kumbh Mela Pilgrimage

The Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of religious believers in the world and is the most important pilgrimage and the biggest festival of Hinduism. It takes place in four riverside cities at a time depending on the position of the planet Jupiter and the sun (every year or every 12 or 6 years respectively) and lasts from one to three months. During its duration, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and Santosh ascetics gather to take the sacred bath in the waters of the Ganges River, where it is believed that the drops of immortality fell.

The last pilgrimage, in February 2025, attracted over 30 million pilgrims, setting a world record for human gathering.

Source: Wikipedia

yannis psilakis