Learn About Indian or Asian Music Traditions from Medieval.org

If you are looking to understand Carnatic, Hindustani, Gamelan or Middle Eastern music there is a site that will be of the greatest help to you. It is www.medieval.org. At first glance this site seems super-super bare, with nothing but text. There is absolutely no graphics on this site but don't underestimate this site because its content can introduce you to Asian classical music tradition like no other. It has links to enriching articles written by it's author Todd. M. McComb and its links to a huge database of lyrics and other information students of these traditions can find very helpful. There are no links to sound bites or video, but to get these just search on Youtube, but there few sites that will give you theory and music text as easily as this one. The site also links to CD's recommended by the author that can be purchased on Amazon.com and other sites. Needless to say the site loads in a flash! 

A Shop For All Things Indian / Hindu / Buddhist / Mughal

If you are looking for an everything Indian online shop–from sculptures, art, to textile and book–check out ExoticIndia.com . An easily navigable website for quick access to what you want or might want. Pictures of products are professional and site loads fast as should any shopping site. Do check out their testimonial page for veracity of the site as HinduSearchEngine.com cannot guarantee their quality of service. Make a prudent first purchase as a test as you would do with any new online malls. If its service is anything like its web presentation it should be excellent.

Hindu Sculptural History–Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Arts presentation of Hinduism and its history make good reading. If you  need a resource for Hindu History their links to the left which provide historic timeline periods and various articles / essays on the subject of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain artistic development are enriching and  enjoyable to lay people as they are non-technical. The images of the sculptures are also beautifully presented–as you would expect from a world famous museum. Its presentation encompasses the Sout Asia and Southeast Asia–India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and Cambodia. Their only poor presentation is a section to the left that says cited works of art or images. The second image should be Shivalingam worshipped at Tanjavur Brihadeeshwarar, Tamilnadu, India and not as it says "Khajuraho ca. 1000 AD". 

Holidays in Asia–A One of a Kind Website

If you are interested in the the diverse culture of Asia, then the  best time to experience them is during their festival days. I stumbled on this site when looking for information on Nyepi festival in Indonesia and found holidaysia.com containing the best original information that is pertinent to info seekers and travelers alike. It seems to be a growing site, though it  does not have all the festivals of the Asian continent (a daunting task), I hope the authors of this site continue to grow it with more colourful festivals of the Orient, South Asia and Southeast Asia. For now if you need information on Diwali, Nyepi, Kuningan, Loy Khratong and other religious, national and secular holidays and festivals you have a choice of browsing through countries, festival types (like art festivals, street festivals, Hindu festivals, F1 Grand Prix and more). This is a gem of a site for cultural tourists, lets hope it keeps growing.

Holi - India's Festival of Colours

Getting drenched in bright coloured powders and water by typically shy Indian families on village and town streets, Holi, India's Festival of Colours is a fun time to be in Northern India and its Middle. Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are the states to be in to catch this festival that falls on the full moon at the end of February / early March. A light hearted festival that has many legends connected to it celebrates the ubiquitous good over evil theme, the dawn of harmony and romantic love. To find out more about Holi, its traditions, legends, paraphernalia, gifts and more check out www.holifestival.org . National Geographic has an amazing photo set on Holi, click here to view it. For more information on Hindu Festival from the best sites on the web, search for them on HinduSearchEngine.com

The Most Contemporary Vedic Astrology Site Online

Vedic Astrology has gained a popular following in the world. It is different in many ways to Western Astrology but often in their web presentations, Vedic Astrology sites tend to be sparse of information and little more than calculators churning out charts and advertising chart interpretation services compared to aesthetic Western astro sites. Astroved.com however is a new breed of Vedic Astrology charts, with easy and diverse navigation, a newsletter, pertinent to times information and much nicer presentation format. While it does require users to sign up to use its free chart calculation tools, its chart presentation and other services available to signees are more than worth the effort. It is also a great site to simply browse, learn a thing or two about Vedic astrology and to do astro shopping if you like–from requesting interpretation, buying astro gadgets to ordering up rituals. It is by far the most contemporary Vedic astrology site available on the web.