INDIA

The culture of India is the way of life of the people of India.

India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food, and customs differ from place to place
within the country. The Indian culture, often labeled as an amalgamation of several cultures, spans
across the Indian subcontinent and has been influenced by a history that is several millennia
old.
[1][2]
Many elements of India's diverse cultures, such as Indian religions, yoga, and Indian cuisine,
have had a profound impact across the world.
Religion
ndia is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, collectively known as Indian
religions.
[4]
Indian religions are a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic ones. Today,
Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third and fourth-largest religions respectively, with over 2
billion followers altogether,
[5][6][7]
and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers.
[5][8]

India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply
religious societies and cultures. Religion still plays a central and definitive role in the life of many of
its people.
According to a 2001 census of India, the religion of 80% of the people is Hinduism. Islam is practised
by around 13% of all Indians.
[9]
The country had over 23 million Christians, over 19 million Sikhs,
about 8 million Buddhists and about 4 million Jains.
[10]

Sikhism, Jainism and especially Buddhism are influential not only in India but across the
world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism,Judaism, and the Bah' Faith are also influential but their
numbers are smaller. Atheism and agnostics also have visible influence in India, along with a self-
ascribed tolerance to other people.
The Hindu religion has many schools, each with their own unique views.
[11]
For example, according
to Yogavasistha, a spiritual text of the Advaita school of Hindu religion, the values of the liberated
(Hindi: ), self-actualised human being, may be summarised as follows:
[12][13][14]
"Pleasures
do not delight him; pains do not distress. Although engaged in worldly actions, he has no attachment
to any object. He is busy outwardly, yet calm inwardly. He feels free from restrictions of scriptures,
customs, age, caste or creed. He is happy, but his happiness does not depend on anything else. He
does not feel needy, proud, agitated, troubled, depressed or elated. He is full of compassion and
forgiveness even to those who mean him harm. He does the right thing, regardless of the pressures.
He is patient, perseverant, and without any impurity in his heart. He is free of delusions, he does not
crave for anything. His sense of freedom comes from his spirit of inquiry. The fruits of his inquiry are
his strength, intellect, efficiency and punctuality. He keeps company of wise and enlightened
persons. He is content."
There is significant historical discourse in India on the notion, relevance, and the existence and non-
existence of God. Dharmakirti, for example, in the 7th century wrote in Pramanavarttikam:
[15][16]

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Believing that the Veda are standard (holy or divine), believing in a Creator for the world,
Bathing in holy waters for gaining punya, having pride (vanity) about one's job function,
Performing penance to absolve sins,
Are the five symptoms of having lost one's sanity.
Art and architecture
Much of Indian architecture, including the Taj Mahal, other works of Mughal architecture, and South
Indian architecture, blends ancient local traditions with imported styles.
[269]
Vernacular architecture is
also highly regional in it flavours. Vastu shastra, literally "science of construction" or "architecture"
and ascribed to Mamuni Mayan,
[270]
explores how the laws of nature affect human dwellings;
[271]
it
employs precise geometry and directional alignments to reflect perceived cosmic constructs.
[272]
As
applied in Hindu temple architecture, it is influenced by the Shilpa Shastras, a series of foundational
texts whose basic mythological form is the Vastu-Purusha mandala, a square that embodied the
"absolute".
[273]
The Taj Mahal, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by orders of Emperor Shah
Jahan in memory of his wife, has been described in the UNESCO World Heritage List as "the jewel
of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's
heritage."
[274]
Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture, developed by the British in the late 19th century,
drew on Indo-Islamic architecture.
[275]

Literature
The earliest literary writings in India, composed between 1400 BCE and 1200 CE, were in the
Sanskrit language.
[276][277]
Prominent works of this Sanskrit literatureinclude epics such as
the Mahbhrata and the Ramayana, the dramas of Klidsa such as
the Abhijnakuntalam (The Recognition of akuntal), and poetry such as
the Mahkvya.
[278][279][280]
Kamasutra, the famous book about sexual intercourse also originated in
India. Developed between 600 BCE and 300 CE in South India, the Sangam literature, consisting of
2,381 poems, is regarded as a predecessor of Tamil literature.
[281][282][283][284]
From the 14th to the
18th centuries, India's literary traditions went through a period of drastic change because of the
emergence of devotional poets such as Kabr, Tulsds, and Guru Nnak. This period was
characterised by a varied and wide spectrum of thought and expression; as a consequence,
medieval Indian literary works differed significantly from classical traditions.
[285]
In the 19th century,
Indian writers took a new interest in social questions and psychological descriptions. In the 20th
century, Indian literature was influenced by the works of Bengali poet and novelist Rabindranath
Tagore.
[286]


Beliefs and Superstitions
No matter which part of the world you tour, you will find the natives nurturing certain beliefs and
superstitions and India is no exception in this case. Though the Indian society is fast progressing, there are
many people who are still superstitious and have a strong faith in the local beliefs. While some of them are
quite hilarious, few others are really interesting, as many aspects of life are linked to them. Few beliefs even
find their way into the Indian religious texts and scriptures.

The standard viewpoint is that most of the Indian beliefs and values have sprung with an objective to protect
from evil spirits, but some were based on scientific reasoning. With the passage of time, the reasoning part
behind the origin of these cultural beliefs and superstitions got eroded. That is exactly why most of these
beliefs appear unsubstantiated and false. However, in reality, there are many such beliefs in the Indians
culture which are absolutely absurd and have no logic behind them.

Superstitions are deemed as pertinent in India because these, generally, hint at future occurrences and can
be either good or bad. Thus, anything from the call of a bird to the falling of utensils is considered an omen
in India. Many of the traditional superstitions in India are connected with animals, birds and reptiles. For
instance, seeing an elephant when one is leaving for a journey is considered lucky. This is because an
elephant represents Lord Ganesha, the Indian God who is the harbinger of good luck and removes
obstacles.

Similarly, other auspicious signs could be cawing of a black crow in one's house, as it forecasts the arrival of
guests. Seeing a peacock on a journey is also considered lucky, but hearing its shrill sound is bad. Indians
feel happy if a sparrow builds a nest in a new house because it signals good fortune. A very old belief is that
if you kill a cat, you have to offer one in gold to a priest. This belief or superstition was concocted by the
priests to protect the cats, which are useful in killing the rats in people's houses.

Leaving one's home after wedding or for some other important task is a significant occasion. Thus, Indians
often consult astrological charts to fix an auspicious time for this. Again, it is considered lucky to see
cereals, paddy, cotton, hay or a newly wed before embarking on a journey. In India, you may also come
across or hear about people who help in interpreting other's dreams. Even the daily life of Indians is
governed by beliefs and superstitions. For example, Monday is not an auspicious day for shaving and
Thursday is a bad day for washing one's hair.

INDIAN VALUES
Cooperation Patience
Group Harmony Generosity
Modesty
Dignity

PERSIA
Religion
Zoroastrianism was the national faith of Iran for more than a millennium before the Arab conquest. It
has had an immense influence on Iranian philosophy, culture and art after the people of Iran
converted to Islam.
[4]


Culture and Traditions
Like the Persian carpet that exhibits numerous colors and forms in a dazzling display of warmth and
creativity, Persian culture is the glue that bonds the peoples of western and central Asia.
The Caucasus and Central Asia "occupy an important place in the historical geography of Persian
civilization. Much of the region was included in the Pre-Islamic Persian empires, and many of its
ancient peoples either belonged to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European peoples
(e.g. Medes and Soghdians), or were in close cultural contact with them (e.g. the Armenians).
[20]
In
the words of Iranologist Richard Nelson Frye:

1. Rabindranath Tagore
Author
2. Rabindranath Tagore, also written Rabndrantha Thkura, sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who
reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wikipedia
3.
4. Born: May 7, 1861, Kolkata, India
5. Died: August 7, 1941, Kolkata, India
6. Education: University of Calcutta
7. Songs: India, Bangladesh: mr shonr Bngl
8. Awards: Nobel Prize in Literature
9. Parents: Debendranath Tagore, Sarada Devi