<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-99.L1
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>g14093exhibit_l1.txt
<DESCRIPTION>OPINION AND CONSENT OF SIMPSON THACHER BARTLETT
<TEXT>
                                                                  Exhibit (l)(1)

                 [Letterhead of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP]



                                                      December 3, 2004



The India Fund, Inc.
200 Park Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, New York 10166

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         We have  acted  as  counsel  to The  India  Fund,  Inc.,  a  closed-end
investment  company  organized  as  a  Maryland  corporation  (the  "Fund"),  in
connection  with the  Registration  Statement  on Form  N-2  (the  "Registration
Statement")  filed by the Fund with the Securities and Exchange  Commission (the
"Commission")  under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,  and the Investment
Company  Act of 1940,  as amended,  relating to the  issuance by the Fund to its
stockholders  of  non-transferable  rights  entitling  the  holders  thereof  to
subscribe for up to 9,433,738 shares of Common Stock, par value $.001 per share,
in connection  with the offering  described in the  Registration  Statement (the
"Shares").

         We have examined the Registration  Statement and a form of the specimen
certificate  representing  the  Common  Stock,  which  has been  filed  with the
Commission and incorporated by reference in the Registration  Statement. We also
have examined the originals,  or duplicates or certified or conformed copies, of
such corporate  records,  agreements,  documents and other  instruments and have
made such other  investigations  as we have deemed  relevant  and  necessary  in
connection  with the opinion  hereinafter  set forth.  As to  questions  of fact
material  to this  opinion,  we have  relied  upon  certificates  or  comparable
documents of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Fund.

         In  rendering  the  opinion  set  forth  below,  we  have  assumed  the
genuineness  of all  signatures,  the legal  capacity  of natural  persons,  the
authenticity  of all documents  submitted to us as originals,  the conformity to
original  documents of all documents  submitted to us
<PAGE>

as  duplicates  or  certified or conformed  copies and the  authenticity  of the
originals of such latter documents.

         Based  upon  the   foregoing,   and  subject  to  the   qualifications,
assumptions and limitations  stated herein,  we are of the opinion that (1) when
the Board of Directors of the Fund has taken all necessary  corporate  action to
authorize  and  approve  the  issuance  of the Shares and (2) upon  payment  and
delivery  as  contemplated  by the  Registration  Statement,  the Shares will be
validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

         Insofar as the opinion expressed herein relates to or is dependent upon
matters  governed by the law of the State of  Maryland,  we have relied upon the
opinion of Piper Rudnick LLP dated the date hereof.

         We do not express any opinion herein  concerning any law other than, to
the extent set forth herein, the law of the State of Maryland.

         We hereby  consent  to the  filing of this  opinion  letter as  Exhibit
(l)(1)  to the  Registration  Statement  and to the use of our  name  under  the
caption  "Legal  Matters"  in  the  Prospectus   included  in  the  Registration
Statement.

                                              Very truly yours,

                                              /s/ Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

                                              SIMPSON THACHER & BARTLETT LLP


                                       2

</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
