Culture of India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search To comply with Wikipedia's quality

standards, this article may need to be rewritten. Please help improve this article. The discussion page may contain suggestions. The culture of India has been shaped by the long history of India, its uni ue geography and the absorption of customs, traditions and ideas from both immigrants and invaders, !hile preserving its ancient heritage from the Indus "alley #ivili$ation. India%s great diversity of cultural practices, languages, customs, and traditions are e&amples of this uni ue co' mingling over the past five millinea. India is also the birth place of several religious systems such as (induism, Jainism, )uddhism, and *ikhism, !hich have had a great influence not only over India but also over the rest of the !orld. From the t!elfth century on!ards, follo!ing the Islamic con uests and the subse uent +uropean occupation, the culture of India !as influenced by Persian, ,rabic,

Turkish and +nglish cultures. The various religions and the multi'hued traditions of India that !as created !ith those amalgamations have influenced *outh +ast ,sia and other different parts of the !orld. Contents -hide. / 0anguage 1 0iterature o 1./ (istory o 1.1 Poetry o 1.2 +pics 2 Performing arts o 2./ 3usic o 2.1 4ance o 2.2 4rama and theatre 5 "isual arts o 5./ Painting o 5.1 *culpture o 5.2 ,rchitecture 6 7ecreation and sports 8 #lothing 9 #uisine : Popular media o :./ #inema o :.1 Television o :.2 7adio ; 7eligion and philosophy

;./ Philosophy o ;.1 7eligion /< *ee also // 7eferences

o

/1 +&ternal links

[edit] an!ua!e Main article: Languages of India

0anguage families in *outh ,sia The great number of languages in India have historically created diverse cultures and traditions at both regional and national levels. 1/8 languages are spoken by a group of more than /<,<<< people= ho!ever there are many others !hich are spoken by fe!er than /<,<<< people. If these languages !ere to be included, there are 5/6 living languages in India.-/. The #onstitution of India has stipulated the usage of (indi and +nglish to be the t!o official

languages of communication for the >nion ?overnment. Individual states% o!n internal communications are usually in the state%s language or +nglish. The t!o ma@or linguistic families in India are those of the Indo',ryan languages and those of the 4ravidian languages, the former being largely confined to Aorth India and the latter to *outh India. The ne&t largest language family in India is the ,ustro',siatic language group, !hich contains the 3unda languages of central and eastern India as !ell as the Bhasian languages of northeastern India. The fourth largest language family in India is the Tibeto')urman languages, !hich are themselves a subgroup of the larger *ino'Tibetan language family. )esides these primary linguistic families, the other languages spoken in India can be divided into ten other families of languages-citation needed.. [edit] iterature [edit] "istory Main article: Indian literature The earliest literary traditions !ere mostly oral and passed do!n through descendants by citi$ens. 0ater, though, they !ere transcribed. 3ost of these spring from (indu tradition and are represented by sacred !orks such as the

"edas, the epics of the 3ahabharata and 7amayana. Tamil *angam literature and the no! e&tinct Bannada !ritings Prabhrita C86< #+D and Chudamani CCrest Jewel' 86< #+ or earlier= a ;8,<<< verse commentary on logicD-1. -2.-5. represent some of India%s oldest literary traditions. 3any )uddhist sutras and Jain !orks are in Prakrit languages like Pali.

7abindranath Tagore became ,sia%s first Aobel laureate !hen he !on the /;/2 Aobel Pri$e in 0iterature

Bannada !riter *hivarama Baranth, !inner of Jnanpith, *ahitya ,cademy, *!edish ,cademy, Padma )hushan, Tulsi *amman, *angeet Aatak ,cademy 4uring the 3usghal era, Islamic culture also influenced the medieval Indian literature.-clarify. This !as due to the spreading influence of Persian and the rise of famous poets such as ,mir Bhusro. 4uring the +nglish colonial rule, modern literature e&emplified by the !orks of 7abindranath Tagore, *ubhramanya )harati,Buvempu, )ankim #handra #hattopadhyay, 3ichael 3adhusudan 4utt, 3unshi Premchand, 4evaki Aandan Bhatri became prominent. Indian !riters in modern times, like ?irish Barnad, 7. B. Aarayan, Poornachandra Te@as!i, "aikom 3uhammad )asheer,3ahas!eta 4evi, ,mrita Pritam, ,rundhati 7oy, "ikram *eth, Bhush!ant *ingh, *alman 7ushdie, and 3oncy Pothen, have been

the cynosures of !ide acclaim, both in Indian languages and +nglish. [edit] #oetry Main article: Indian poetry India has strong traditions of poetry, as !ell as prose !riting. This is often closely related to musical traditions, and most poetry can be attributed to religious movements. Writers and philosophers !ere often also skilled poets. In modern times, poetry has served as an important non'violent tool of nationalism during the Indian freedom movement. , famous modern e&ample of this tradition can be found in such figures as 7abindranath Tagore and B. *. Aarasimhas!amy in modern times and poets such as )asava CvachanasD , Babir and Purandaradasa Cpadas and devaranamasD in medieval times, as !ell as the epics of ancient times. T!o e&amples of poetry from Tagore%s ?itan@ali serve as the national anthems of both India and )angladesh. [edit] $pics Main article: Indian epic poetry

The 7amayana and 3ahabharata are not only considered epics of India and (induism, but serve as the folk epics of other ,sian countries like Thailand, 3alaysia and Indonesia. In this respect, they are considered by many to be the %eastern% e uivalents of the classical epics of +urope, namely Iliad and Edyessy. *imilarly there are five epics in the classical Tamil language 'they being *ilappadhikaram, 3animegalai, Jeevaga'chintamani, "alayaapathi, Bundalakesi. Ether regional variations of these stories, and unrelated epics include such as the Tamil Bamba 7amayanam, Bannada Pampa )harata, Barnata )harata Batha3an@ari by Bumaravyasa, (indi 7amacharitamanasa,3alayalam ,dhyathmaramayanam. [edit] #erformin! arts [edit] %usic Main article: Music of India The music of India includes multiples varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music. India%s classical music tradition that originates, has a basis from and is heavily influenced by (indu te&ts. It includes #arnatic and (industani music and is noted for the use of several 7aga, has a history spanning millennia,

and, developed over several eras, remains instrumental to the religious inspiration, cultural e&pression and pure entertainment. ,longside distinctly subcontinental forms, there are ma@or similarities !ith other types of Eriental music. Purandaradasa is considered the Ffather of carnatic musicF CKarnataka sangeeta pitamahaD.-6.-8.-9. (e concluded his songs !ith a salutation to 0ord Purandara "ittala and is believed to have composed as many as 96,<<< ' 596,<<< songs in the Bannada language. (o!ever, only about /<<< are kno!n today.-:.
-6.

[edit] &ance Main article: Indian dance Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical forms. ,mong the !ell'kno!n folk dances are the bhangra of the Pun@ab, the bihu of ,ssam, the chhau of Jharkhand and Erissa and the ghoomar of 7a@asthan. +ight dance forms, many !ith narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India%s ational !cademy of Music" #ance" and #rama. These are: bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Aadu, kathak of >ttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniattam of Berala,

kuchipudi of ,ndhra Pradesh, manipuri of 3anipur, odissi of the state of Erissa and the sattriya of ,ssam.-;. [edit] &rama and theatre Main article: $heatre in India Indian drama and theatre has a long history alongside its music and dance. Balidas% plays like *hakuntala and 3eghadoot are some of the oldest plays from literary traditions. The tradition of folk theatre is alive in nearly all the linguistic regions of the country.-citation needed. In addition, there is a rich tradition of puppet theatre in rural India. ?roup Theatre is also thriving in the cities, initiated by the likes of ?ubbi "eeranna-/<. >tpal 4utt, Bh!a@a ,hmad ,bbas, B. ". *ubbanna and still maintained by groups like Aandikar, Ainasam and Prithvi Theatre. [edit] 'isual arts Main article: Indian art [edit] #aintin! Main article: Indian painting The earliest Indian paintings !ere the rock paintings of pre'historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like )himbetka, and some of

them are older than 66< )#. ,ncient te&ts outline theories of darragh and anecdotal accounts suggesting that it !as common for households to paint their door!ays or indoor rooms !here guests resided. #ave paintings from ,@anta, )agh, +llora and *ittanavasal and temple paintings testify to a love of naturalism and ?od. 3ost rock art in India is (indu or )uddhist. , freshly made coloured flour design C7angoliD is still a common sight outside the doorstep of many Cmostly *outh IndianD Indian homes. 3adhubani painting, 3ysore painting, 7a@put painting, Tan@ore painting, 3ughal painting are some notable ?enres of Indian ,rt= !hile 7a@a 7avi "arma, Aandalal )ose, ?eeta "adhera,Jamini 7oy and )."enkatappa-//. are some modern painters. ,mong the present day artists, ,tul 4odiya, )ose Brishnamacnahri, 4eva@yoti 7ay and *hibu Aatesan represent a ne! era of Indian art !here global art sho!s direct amalgamation !ith Indian classical styles. These artists in recent past ac uired international recognition. 4eva@yoti 7ay%s paintings have been ac uired by the Aational Fine ,rts 3useum in #uba and so have been the !orks of some of the ne! generation artists.

Jehangir ,rt ?allery, 3umbai, 3ysore Palace has on display several good Indian paintings.
$his short section re%uires e&pansion'

[edit] (culpture This article needs additional citations for )erification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. >nsourced material may be challenged and removed. ()ebruary *++,Main article: .culpture in India

*culpture in Bha@uraho The first sculptures in India date back to the Indus "alley civili$ation, !here stone and bron$e carvings have been discovered. This is one of the earliest instances of sculpture in the !orld. 0ater, as (induism, )uddhism, and Jainism developed further, India produced some of the most intricate bron$es in the !orld, as !ell as unrivalled temple carvings. *ome huge shrines, such as the one at +llora !ere not actually constructed using blocks, but

instead carved out of solid rock, making them perhaps the largest and most intricate sculptures in the !orld. The pink sandstone sculptures of 3athura evolved during the ?upta period C5th to 8th centuryD to reach a very high fineness of e&ecution and delicaracy in the modeling. Ae!er sculptures in north!est, in stucco, schist, or clay, display very strong blending of Indian post'?upta mannerism and #lassical influence, (ellenistic or possibly even ?reco' 7oman. 3ean!hile, else!here in India, less anatomically accurate styles of human representation evolved leading to the classical art that the !orld is no! familiar !ith and contributing to )uddhist and (indu sculpture throughout ,sia.
$his short section re%uires e&pansion'

[edit] *rchitecture Main article: Indian architecture

The +llora temples !ere not constructed, but in fact carved out of solid rock Indian architecture is that vast tapestry of production of the Indian *ubcontinent that encompasses a multitude of e&pressions over space and time, transformed by the forces of history considered uni ue to the sub'continent, sometimes destroying, but most of the time absorbing ne! ideas. The result is an evolving range of architectural production that nonetheless retains a certain amount of continuity across history. The earliest production in the Indus "alley #ivili$ation !as characterised by !ell planned cities and houses !here religion did not seem to play an active role, but !hich demonstrated !orld'famous city planning.

Beshava Temple at *omanathapura, Barnataka ' e&ample of (oysala architecture 4uring the reign of the ?upta and 3aurya empires, several )uddhist architectural

e&amples like caves of ,@anta and +llora and the monumental *anchi *tupa !ere built. *outh India contains several (indu temples like #hennakesava Temple at )elur, the (oysales!ara Temple at (alebidu, and the Besava Temple at *omanathapura, )rihadees!ara Temple, Than@avur, the *un Temple, Bonark, *ri 7anganathas!amy Temple at *rirangam, and the )uddha stupa C#hinna 0an@a dibba and "ikramarka kota dibbaD at )hattiprolu. ,ngkor Wat and other )uddhist and (indu temples carry the evidence of Indian influence on *outh +ast ,sian architecture, as they are built in styles almost identical to traditional Indian temple building.

Eval'roofed sacred dairy of the Toda people of the Ailgiris, !hose sacred rituals and e&tempore music !ere important both in the creation of *ocial ,nthropology a century ago, -/1. and of +thnomusicology in the /;:<s.-/2. With the advent of Islamic influence from the !est, the erst!hile Indian architecture !as

slightly adapted to allo! the traditions of the ne! religion. Fatehpur *ikri, Ta@ 3ahal, ?ol ?umba$, Gutub 3inar, 7ed Fort of 4elhi are the creations of this era, and are often used as the stereotypical symbols of India, despite the greater anti uity and originality of traditional architecture. The colonial rule of the )ritish Indian +mpire sa! the development of Indo' *aracenic style, and mi&ing of several other styles, such as +uropean gothic. "ictoria 3emorial, "ictoria Terminus are notable e&amples. 7ecent creations such as 0otus Temple, and the various modern urban developments of India, are also notable. The traditional system of "aastu *hastra serves as India%s version of Feng *hui, influencing to!n planning, architecture, and ergonomics. It is unclear !hich system is older, but they contain many similarities. ,lthough Feng *hui is more commonly used throughout the !orld.Though "astu is conceptually similar to Feng *hui in that it also tries to harmoni$e the flo! of energy, Calso called life'force or Prana in *anskrit and #hiHBi in #hineseHJapaneseD, through the house, it differs in the details, such as the e&act directions in !hich various ob@ects, rooms, materials etc are to be placed.

Indian architecture has influence the !orld, especially eastern ,sia, due to the spread of ideas !ith )uddhism. , number of Indian architectural features such as the temple mound or stupa, temple spire or sikhara, temple to!er or pagoda and temple gate or torana, have become famous symbols of ,sian culture, used e&tensively in +ast ,sia and *outh +ast ,sia. The central spire is also sometimes called a vimanam. The variant southern temple gate, or gopuram is noted for its intricacy and ma@esty. The arch, a cornerstone of !orld architecture, !as first developed by the Indus "alley civili$ation and !ould later be a staple of Indian architecture. [edit] +ecreation and sports Main article: .ports in India In the area of recreation and sports India had evolved a number of games. The modern eastern martial arts originated as ancient games and martial arts in India and it !as from here that these games !ere transmitted to foreign countries, !here they !ere further moderni$ed. ,dditionally, a fe! games introduced during the )ritish 7a@ have gro!n uite popular in India, field hockey, football CsoccerD and especially cricket.

,lthough field hockey is India%s official national sport, cricket is by far the most popular sport not only in India, but the entire subcontinent, thriving recreationally and professionally. #ricket has even been used recently as a forum for diplomatic relations bet!een India and long'standing rival, Pakistan. The t!o nations% cricket teams face off annually and such contests are uite impassioned on both sides. Traditional indigenous sports include kabaddi and gilli'danda, !hich are played in most parts of the country. Indoor and outdoor games like #hess, *nakes and 0adders, Playing cards, Polo, #arrom, )adminton are popular. [edit] Clothin! Indian *areesH*aris are popular in the southern half of India and certain parts of the northern half as !ell. ,lternatively, !omen can !ear sal!ar kamis or lehngas. For men it consists of the 4hoti or 0ungi and currently the kurta top is very popular. [edit] Cuisine

, traditional Aorth Indian thali Main article: Cuisine of India The multiple families of Indian cuisine are characteri$ed by their sophisticated and subtle use of many spices and herbs. +ach family of this cuisine is characteri$ed by a !ide assortment of dishes and cooking techni ues. Though a significant portion of Indian food is vegetarian, many traditional Indian dishes also include chicken, goat, lamb, fish, and other meats. Food is an important part of Indian culture, playing a role in everyday life as !ell as in festivals. In many families, everyday meals are usually sit'do!n affairs consisting of t!o to three main course dishes, varied accompaniments such as chutneys and pickles, carbohydrate staples such as rice and roti CbreadD, as !ell as desserts. 4iversity is a defining feature of India%s geography, culture, and food. Indian cuisine

varies from region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse subcontinent. ?enerally, Indian cuisine can be split into four categories: Aorth Indian, *outh Indian, +ast Indian, and West Indian. 4espite this diversity, some unifying threads emerge in the art of Indian cuisine. "aried uses of spices are an integral part of food preparation, and are used to enhance the flavor of a dish and create uni ue flavors and aromas. #uisine across India has also been influenced by various cultural groups that entered India throughout history, such as the 3ughals, Persians, and +uropean po!ers. [edit] #opular media [edit] Cinema Main article: Cinema of India )olly!ood is the informal name given to the popular 3umbai'based film industry in India. )olly!ood and the other ma@or cinematic hubs C)engali, Bannada, 3alayalam, 3arathi, Tamil, TeluguD constitute the broader Indian film industry, !hose output is considered to be the largest in the !orld in terms of number of films produced and number of tickets sold.

)esides the commercial films, India has also produced many critically acclaimed cinema' makers like *atya@it 7ay, 7it!ik ?hatak, ,door ?opalakrishnan, ?irish Basaravalli, *hekhar Bapoor, ,shutosh ?!arikar 3ani 7atnam, ?. ,ravindan etc. C*ee Indian film directorsD. In fact, !ith the opening up of the economy in the recent years and conse uent e&posure to !orld cinema, audience tastes have been changing. Indian commercial movies have also started follo!ing authentic, real !orld themes !ith a lo!er amount of melodrama I some do not even contain songs. In addition, multiple&es have mushroomed in most cities, changing the revenue patterns I allo!ing film makers greater liberty I scope for e&ecuting bold I innovative ideas !hich !ould not have been possible even a decade ago. [edit] Tele)ision Main article: $elevision in India Indian television started off in /;6; in Ae! 4elhi !ith tests for educational telecasts.-/5. Indian small screen programming started off in the early /;:<s. ,t that time there !as only one national channel 4oordarshan, !hich !as government o!ned. The 7amayana and 3ahabharat !ere some among the popular television series produced. )y the late /;:<s

more and more people started to o!n television sets. Though there !as a single channel, television programming had reached saturation. (ence the government opened up another channel !hich had part national programming and part regional. This channel !as kno!n as 44 1 later 44 3etro. )oth channels !ere broadcasted terrestrially. In /;;5, the government liberated its markets, opening them up to cable television. *ince then, there has been a spurt in the number of channels available. Today, Indian silver screen is a huge industry by itself, and has thousands of programmes in all the states of India. The small screen has produced numerous celebrities of their o!n kind some even attaining national fame for themselves. T" soaps are e&tremely popular !ith house!ives as !ell as !orking !omen, and even men of all kinds. *ome small time actors have made it big in )olly!ood. Indian T" has evolved to be similar to Western T", including stations such as #artoon Aet!ork, Aickelodeon, and 3T" India. .ee also: List of Indian television stations [edit] +adio

7adio broadcasting began in India in /;19, !ith t!o privately o!ned transmitters at 3umbai and #alcutta. These !ere nationalised in /;2< and operated under the name FIndian )roadcasting *erviceF until /;28, !hen it !as renamed ,ll India 7adio C,I7D. ,lthough officially renamed again to !kashwani in /;69, it is still popularly kno!n as ,ll India 7adio. ,ll India 7adio is a division of Prasar )harati C)roadcasting #orporation of IndiaD, an autonomous corporation of the 3inistry of Information and )roadcasting, ?overnment of India. It is the sister service of Prasar )harati%s 4oordarshan, the national television broadcaster.Indian !omen are effected by daily serials.*ince the turn of the 1<th century, radio fre uencies in India have been aggressively opened up to broadcasters on the F3 and ,3 bands, although such service has been mostly limited to the metropolitan areas. #ities such as 3umbai, 4elhi, Bolkata, #hennai, )angalore, and many others have many private F3 channels to broadcast popular (indi and +nglish music, although they are still not allo!ed to broadcast ne!s like ,kash!ani does. 7ecently World *pace launched the country%s first satellite radio service. .ee also: !ll India /adio

[edit] +eli!ion and philosophy [edit] #hilosophy Main article: Indian philosophy

(indu philosopher ,di *hankara !ith the Four 4isciples Indian philosophy throughout the ages has had a tremendous impact on !orld thought, especially in the east. "arious theistic schools of philosophy, such as the many schools of )uddhism and (induism, have had huge influences, but also, India produced some of the longest and most influential secular traditions of logic, rationalism, science, mathematics, materialism, atheism, agnosticism, etc, !hich are often overlooked due to popular conception that India is a %mystical% country. 3any of the comple& scientific and mathematical concepts such as the idea of $ero, found their !ay to +urope via ,rab intermediaries. The most famous school of

Indian atheism, is #JrvJka, considered by some to be the oldest materialistic school of thought in the !orld, composed around the same time as the (indu >panishads, as !ell as the philosophy of )uddhism and Jainism. This period around 8<<'5<< )#+ marked a huge leap in both Indian philosophy and !orld philosophy in general, !ith contemporary ?reek schools emerging simultaneously. *ome philosophical concepts from India !ere introduced to the ?reeks, especially during the campaigns of ,le&ander the ?reat, and vis a vis, leading some schools of classical ?reek philosophy to be almost identical to prior Indian schools. In addition to the unbroken high emphasis placed on philosophy in India, !hich has e&isted since ancient times, modern India has produced some of the !orld%s most influential philosophers of modern times, !ho have !ritten both in their native languages, and often +nglish. 4uring the )ritish occupation of India, various thinkers, both secular and religious, achieved a ne! level of recognition across the !orld as both ancient Indian te&ts, and the !ork of contemporary Indian philosophers !as translated into +nglish, ?erman and other languages. *!ami

"ivekananda travelled to ,merica and participated in the /:;2 World Parliament of 7eligions, impressing delegates !ith a groundbreaking speech that for the first time gave access to eastern, Indian, (indu and dharmic philosophy to !estern intellectuals. ,s !ell as various religious thinkers 3ahatma ?andhi, 7abindranath Tagore and other members of the Indian freedom movement, generated political philosophy, and formed the basis of modern Indian democracy, secularism and liberalism. Today, economists such as ,martya *en, !ho !on ,sia%s first Aobel Pri$e in economics, continue to give India a reputation as an important contributor to !orld thought. [edit] +eli!ion

The Jama 3as@id in 4elhi is one of the !orld%s largest mos ues.

The #hamundesh!ari Temple C/:19D atop the #hamundi (ills, dedicated to 3ysore%s patron deity Main articles: /eligion in India and Indian religions The Indian religions, one of the t!o main families of !orld religion Cthe other being the ,brahamicD, originated in India. They include (induism, )uddhism, *ikhism, Jainism and other schools of language. Today, (induism and )uddhism are the !orld%s third' and fourth'largest religions respectively, !ith a collective /.5 billion follo!ers, despite being free of any evangelistic traditions. >nlike the sectarianism that has often marked differences among the ,brahamic schools, the philosophical'like treatment of these religions has generally made the idea of rivalry and

conversion alien, leading to e&tremely close relationships bet!een these faiths. India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the !orld, !ith one of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. 7eligion plays a central and definitive role in the life of the country and most of its people. The religion of more than :<.5K of the people is (induism, considered the !orld%s oldest religious and philosophical system. Islam is practiced by around /2.5K of all Indians.-/6. *ikhism, )uddhism and Jainism are systems that are strong and influential not only in India but across the !orld. #hristianity, Loroastrianism, Judaism and the )ahM%N Faith are also influential but their numbers are smaller. 4espite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics are also visible influences. [edit] (ee also

Indian cuisine (indu !edding 3ass media in India

*outh Indian culture

[edit] +eferences