India Culture

Romaine Rolland, a French scholar once qoated "If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!"

The culture of India is one of the oldest cultures known to humanity. The name India evokes vivid images of flowing saris, sounds of crowded streets and the perfume of curry and sandlewood mingling in warm breezes. Sights, sounds and smells hit the senses simultaneously. The most endearing aspects of Indian art and architecture prior to colonization has been the strong impact of folk idioms and folk art on courtly art. Although folk art received little encouragement during the period of colonization, independence brought forward a renewed interest in folk paintings. Festivals in India are characterized by colour, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers and rituals.

Arts of India
Indian art is basically religious in its themes and developments, and its appreciation requires at least some background knowledge of the country's faiths. The Jain and Hindu styles overlapped and produced the elaborate all-over patterns carved in bands that became the distinguishing feature of Indian architecture. The Jains often built on a gigantic scale, a marked feature being pointed domes constructed of level courses of corbeled stones. The earliest prehistoric sculpture in India was produced in stone, clay, ivory, copper, and gold.

Indian Architecture
One of the most enduring achievements of Indian civilization is undoubtedly its architecture, which extends to a great deal more than the Taj Mahal or the temple complexes of Khajuraho and Vijayanagara. Though the Indus Valley sites of Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, and Lothal provide substantial evidence of extensive town planning, the beginnings of Indian architecture are more properly to be dated to the advent of Buddhism in India, in the reign of Ashoka (c. 270-232), and the construction of Buddhist monasteries and stupas. Buddhist architecture was predominant for several centuries, and there are few remains of Hindu temples from even late antiquity. Among the many highlights of Buddhist art and architecture are the Great Stupa at Sanchi and the rock-cut caves at Ajanta.

Indian Dance
India offers a number of classical dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. There are many types of dance in India, from those which are deeply religious in content to those which are danced on more trivial happy occasions.

Indian Religion
Secular India is home to Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other innumerable religious traditions. Hinduism is the dominant faith, practiced by over 80% of the population. Besides Hindus, Muslims are the most prominent religious group and are an integral part of Indian society. Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Bahaism also have their followers in India but they are very small in number.