How much time is recommended between two visits to India on a tourist e-visa?

One thing to avoid is confusing visa validity with permitted stay.

The current official e-Visa information says the 1-year tourist e-Visa is valid for 365 days from the date the ETA is granted and permits multiple entries. The 5-year tourist e-Visa also permits multiple entries. For both, the stated maximum stay during a calendar year is 180 days.

So I would look at:

• Whether your e-Visa is still valid on the second arrival
• Whether it is a multiple-entry tourist e-Visa
• How many days you have already spent in India during that calendar year
• Whether your travel remains genuinely for tourism
• Whether your passport remains valid

I wouldn't plan a trip based on another traveller's exact experience with immigration. Visa conditions can change, and immigration officers can consider the circumstances of an individual traveller.

I think the 180-day point is the part worth paying attention to. It isn't simply a rule saying you must wait X number of days before your next trip.

For example, if someone visits India for 20 days, leaves India, and then returns several weeks later, the second trip is still subject to the conditions of the valid tourist e-Visa.

I travelled twice in one year on a tourist e-Visa, although my trips were several months apart. I wasn't asked why there was a second visit.

That said, everyone's circumstances are different. If someone is spending very long periods in India and repeatedly leaving and returning, immigration could reasonably look more closely at the person's travel pattern and purpose.

For a normal tourist making two short holidays, I wouldn't assume that a specific 30-day or 60-day gap is required unless the current visa conditions specifically say so.

In my case, I made two trips to India about six weeks apart using the same 1-year tourist e-Visa. I didn’t apply for another visa between the trips because my existing e-Visa was still valid and allowed multiple entries.

At immigration, I was asked the normal questions about the purpose and length of my stay. I was travelling for tourism and visiting relatives, so I explained that.

I don’t remember there being a specific requirement to stay outside India for a particular number of days before returning. The important thing was that my visa was still valid and I followed the permitted stay conditions.

I would still check the conditions printed on your ETA rather than relying only on someone else’s experience. The official Indian e-Visa information currently lists 1-year and 5-year tourist e-Visas as multiple-entry visas. It also states that the maximum stay in India during a calendar year should not exceed 180 days for those visas.