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How to: make a cup of tea in India

w I ■ Visit a tea plantation to pick some fresh leaves. You only want the top two leaves and bud from each branch.

w m ■ Lay the leaves out to lose a little moisture then crush them and leave for around two hours to develop the flavor. Next, heat the leaves to dry them out.

India and China are the largest producers of tea in the world, but Indians drink the most tea.

Amazing architecture

Forts

Temples

India has beautiful and important buildings from all the major religions. The Hindu Brihadishvara Tempie is in Tamil Nadu in Southern India.

Palaces

Duringthe 1900s, many Indian princes built magnificent and luxurious palaces, such as the City Pałace in Udaipur.

Warring rulers built defensive forts throughout India to protect their kingdoms. Mehrangarh Fort, in Rajasthan, rises out of a rocky outcrop.

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Put several spoonfuls of tea leaves in a warmed pot and add boiling water. Leave for a few minutes and then pour into a cup. Add milk and sugar to taste and enjoy!

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Holi

A festival marking the end of winter. On the second day, people throw colored powder and water over each other.

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Check the quality and flavor of the leaves—you can blend different types to get the right taste.

Janmashtami

The birth of the Hindu god Lord Krishna is marked by fasting until midnight and then feasting. Children often dress up as Krishna.

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Diwali

Hindus light oil lamps to mark the triumph of good over evil and to remember the return of the god Rama from exile.

The nationai sport of India is

can swing a bat.

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Tombs

The Taj Mahal is in fact a tomb, built by emperor Shah Jahan in the 1600s in memory of his wife. The two of them lie buried here, side by side.

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Dussehra

People celebrate the defeat of the demon king, Ravana, by the god Rama by burning effigies of Ravana, his brother, and his son.