Monday 26 August 2013

The Culture Of India



The Culture Of India

The culture of India is among the world's oldest, reaching back about 5,000 years. Many sources describe it as "Sa Prathama Sanskrati Vishvavara" — the first and the supreme culture in the world. India is a very diverse country, and different regions have their own distinct cultures. Language, religion, food and the arts are just some of the various aspects of Indian culture. Here is a brief overview of the culture of India.


Language


India has 28 states and seven territories, and each has at least one official language. While the national languages are Hindi and English, there are about 22 official languages and nearly 400 living languages spoken in various parts of the country. Most of the languages of India belong to two families, Aryan and Dravidian.


Religion

India is identified as the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism. A huge majority — 84 percent — of the population identifies as Hindu. There are many variations of Hinduism, and four predominant sects — Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakteya and Smarta.
About 13 percent of Indians are Muslim, making it one of the largest Islamic nations in the world. Christians and Sikhs make up a small percentage of the population, and there are even fewer Buddhists and Jains.

Food

Indian cuisine boasts Arab, Turkish and European influences. It is known for its large assortment of dishes and its liberal use of herbs and spices. Cooking styles vary from region to region.
Wheat, Basmati rice and pulses with chana (Bengal gram) are important staples of the Indian diet. The food is rich with curries and spices, including ginger, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, dried hot peppers, and cinnamon, among others. Chutneys — thick condiments and spreads made from assorted fruits and vegetables such as tamarind and tomatoes and mint, cilantro and other herbs — are used generously in Indian cooking.
Many Hindus are vegetarians, but lamb and chicken are common in main dishes for non-vegetarians.
Much of Indian food is eaten with fingers or bread used as utensils. There is a wide array of breads served with meals, including naan, a leavened, oven-baked flatbread, and bhatoora, a fried, fluffy flatbread common in North India and eaten with chickpea curry.

Architecture

The most well-known example of Indian architecture is the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles. India also has many ancient temples.
Arts
India is well known for its film industry, which is based in Mumbai and is often referred to as Bollywood. The country began as a major producer of movies in the 1930s. Today the films are known for their elaborate singing and dancing and Bollywood produces more films per year than Hollywood.
Indian dance has a tradition of more than 2,000 years. The major classical dance traditions — Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Kathakali — draw on themes from mythology and literature and have rigid presentation rules.

Clothes


Indian clothing is closely identified with the colorful silk saris worn by many of the country’s women. The traditional clothing for men is the dhoti, an unstitched piece of cloth about 5 yards long that is tied around the waist and legs. Men also wear a kurta, a loose shirt that is worn about knee-length. For special occasions, men wear a sherwani, which is a long coat that is buttoned up to the collar and down to the knees.


The Ladies Main Dress



1-  Saree


The Saree is combination of many Dresses A sari is a very long strip of cloth -about four to nine yards in length and as wide and the loom it's made upon -that can be as colorful or plain as the wearer chooses. It can be elaborately bordered with metallic threads, embroidery. fringes and real gemstones -or it can have a simple and plain borders. A sari is wrapped and draped over the body and there are many ways to do this, from simple every-day wraps to elaborate formal wraps that take hours to do. Formal wrapping requires parts to be pleated and twisted and the trailing fabric -also known as the fall -must be a certain length. There are also caste and cultural variations to saris -you can tell someone's position in society by their sari and how it is wrapped and worn. 

The sari is often worn with a tight fitting short blouse called a "choli" underneath. These are solid colored and come in a rainbow of shades. Many also wear a lehenga under which is a type of petticoat or slip. Many of the gathered and tiered colorful long skirts from India sold here as peasant skirts are in reality lehengas. 


choli




 petticoat


THE NEXT MAIN DRESS OF LADIES IS SALWAR KURTA OR SALWAR JUMPPER


THE UPPER DRESS IS KURTA/TOP AND LOWER DRESS IS  SALWAR/LAGGING /PAJAMI WHICH IS USUALLY COLOURFULL OR PLAIN AS PER CHOICE





IN INDIAN SOCIETY THERE IS NO PRESSURE OR FORCE FOR DRESS CODE.  EVEN IN VILLAGES ARE DRESS CODES ARE SAME.  

BUT THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCE IN CLOTHING DUE TO FINANCIAL MATTERS

LADIES CLOTHING IN VILLAGES 

There are 50 States In India and Area wise village dresses are different.  Some Dresses are






.  Men Dress Code






Men usually Wear Pants and Shirts at night Paijama and T shirts or Short and Tshirt As Per Climate
In Winter Wear Warm Dresses


This is not Complete Stay Connected.....

PHOTOS ARE MATTER ARE PROPERTY OF PARTICULAR COMPANIES WE JUST TRY TO TELL ABOUT INDIA 



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