cultural Heritage of India - Unity in Diversity

See all 2 photos

Today is August 15th,the Independence day of India.

The term culture is expressed through language,literature,art,religion,architecture,philosophy,social customs and tradition.Indian culture co-existed for centuries under all our invaders from the 'Harappan civilization' to the modern days.Due to the foreign contacts and intermingling with the pre-existing cultures ,our Indian culture instead of loosing its identity has only benefited.By absorbing the good features of other cultures we have indeed enriched our Indian culture.

our Indian history is very ancient,it begins with the Indus valley civilization 3250 - 2759 B.C.The people of India are largely the product of successive invasions from immemorial times who had swept into the country.The existence of various types of people in our country created a spirit of tolerance among the people.We have developed a secular outlook from the ancient period.

NUEZ DE LA INDIA. Calidad garantizada,100% natural y original no bote su dinero

Current Bid: $12.35

Indus valley civilisation - A video clip

Evolution of Indian society

India is a huge country with people belonging to different cultural background making the people distinct from one another. The early Indian society was governed by 'Dharmasastra',the works of great sages helped to lead a harmonious life.According to 'Manu Smriti',early Indian society was divided into Aryans and Non-Aryans.The Aryans were further divided into four groups,the Brahmanas,Kshatriyas,Vaishayas,and Sudras.

The brahmins occupied highest place in the society.Their duty was to teach vedic literature and to perform various sacrifices.They should maintain a high standard of morality and should lead a very simple life.The Kshatriya's main duty was to defend the country.The Vaishyas were required to attend to agriculture,trade,and commerce.The Sudras formed the majority of the society their duty was to serve the other communities.As time passed each one of these subdivisions became a 'caste' itself and became very rigid.

The early society gave much importance to 'Varnasrama Dharma'.The life of an individual was divided into four stages known as 'Asramas'. They areBramacharia or a student,Grihasta or a married house holder,Vanaprastha a forest hermit and Sanyasin an ascetic who renounced the world.Women were not given a place of honour,they were not allowed to study vedas.

The early Indian society gradually lost its glory due to many kinds of abuses and superstitious beliefs in it.The Brahmins for their own benefit encouraged the superstitions.It was at this juncture,Buddhism and Jainism appeared in India.

Buddha and Mahavira preached in the language of common people.They opposed castesim ,animal sacrificeand other superstitious rituals.They raised their voices against the evils and showed a new path to the people.They taught equality,universal peace,non-violence and kindness to all living things.They greatly reformed the society through their moral rules and new order of life.

impact of British rule on Indian society

The most important impact of the British rule in India was the Westernization of the Indian society.the western education awakened a spirit of reform among the various classes of Indian society.It modifies the ideas and customs of the educated Indians.It created a feeling of brotherhood among the Indians and enabled the people to think India as their motherland and united them.Knowledge of English helped to bring about development in every field from our government,industry,technology,education,arts,sciences etc.

English education helped Indians learn nationalism and liberalism from the west.This period saw the birth of modern Indians who became more self-reliant and self -confident.Critical outlooks of past and new aspirations for the future developed.This new spirit made Indians to question the authority,reason and judgment over the blind faith and superstitious beliefs.

Thus there was growth and development in our culture.our Indian society is a grand synthesis (combination) of cultures.This synthesis has made India a unique Mosaic of Cultures as described by our late prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Influence of Islam on Indian society

During the early medieval period the conquests of 'Arabs' and'Turks' resulted in the introduction of a new religion called 'Islam' in India.The society was divided into two communities namely the 'Hindus' and the 'Muslims'.Many Hindus converted themselves into Islam.The impact of Islam on Indian society led to the 'Bkakthi Movement'.

The saints who preached 'Bhakthi' taught 'tolerance' and 'devotion' to God.They proclaimed that there is only supreme God and absolute devotion to God is a means of 'Salvation'.They stressed the equality of all human beings and declared that it was only through 'Bhakthi' that man could experience God.They emphasized friendly relations between the two communities.Indian art,architecture and music also received new dimensions due to Islamic contacts.Hindi and urdhu literature flourished.

The pioneers of Bhakthi cult were Ramanandha,Kabir,Guru nanak,Chaitanya,Tulasidas and Surdas.They tried to harmonize Islam and Hinduism.The Bhakthi movement started in south India during 7th and 8th centuries by'Alwars' and 'Nayanmars'.They sang devotional songs.The great saints like'Aathi Sangarar','Ramanujam' and 'Madhwa' tried to bring about a revival of the old Hindu beliefs.

Bhakthi cult was a movement of social integration.It united the Hindu and Muslim sentiments.People followed the preaching of their saints and abandoned superstitious beliefs and followed oneness of god.

Diversity in Literature

The Vedas are the earliest literary works of our country.The Vedic hymns were composed in Sanskrit.Prakrit and Sanskrit were spoken throughout our country.The vedic literature are the Brahmanas,Aranyakas and upanishads.The Ramayana and Mahabharatha are the two epics of India.'Thirukural' by Thiruvalluvar is the greatest literary work in Tamil.The Bagavath geetha is the holy book of Hinduism.The hymns of Alwars and Nayanmars are compiled under the name of Naalayira Thivya Prabandham and Devaram.

Art and Architecture

Different styles of art and architecture are found in India.The north Indian temples have towers like structure over the shrines and the Sikara bulges in the middle and ends almost in a point.The south Indian Sikara looks like a pyramid made up of successive storeys,each smaller than the one beneath it.Hindustani and carnatic music are the classical music of north India and South India respectively.Famous dance forms of North India are Manipuri,Kathak and Bhangra whereas in the south Bharathanatiyam,Kathakali and Kuchipudi are the famous dances.The pilgrim centers are found all over india.Amarnath,Badrinath, Kedarnath,Kasi,Rameshwaram,nagappatinam,Nagoor,Velankanni etc.are the religious centers visited by people all over India.The universities of Naalantha,Taxila,Kanchi and Vickramashila were the ancient centres of learning.

Magnificient palaces,Chaityas,Viharas and Stupas were built by the kings like Ashoka and chandra gupta Maurya.The inscriptions on the Rumindi pillar remain perfect even today.The Ghandhara and Madhura art flourished during the Kushan period.The paintings at Ajantha and Ellora caves are examples of Gupta's art.Rajput built large marble temples,forts,palaces in Rajasthan.The Chalukyas,Rastrakudas,Hoysalas,Pallavas,Cholas,Cheras,and Pandyas were also patrons of architecture.

The Pallavas of Kanchipuram laid the foundation of the Dravidiyan art.The Temples and sculptures of Pallavas at Mahabalipuram,the Pragatheeswarar temple at Tanjore, Godess sri Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai,Sri Ramanatha swamy temple at Rameshwaram and the Thirumalai nayak palace at Maduraiare the best examples of south Indian or Dravidian Art.

The medieval art of Sultanates and Moguls were Qutub Minar,the jamma Masjid,the Gol Gumbaz,Fatepur Sikri,the tombs of imperial Mughals,the Taj mahaletc. are fine examples of the Indo-Islamic architecture.It developed due to the fusion of Hindu and Islamic cultures.During the British rule many buildings were built in western styles in big cities.

During the British rule the whole country was brought under one rule.Sardar Vallabhai patel integrated all the princely states into one political unit soon after independence.

Though India is diverse in religion,culture,language,distinct from one another there is an underlying unity among our people,which is unique and not found in any part of the world.

Jaihind!

	NUEZ DE LA INDIA. Calidad garantizada,100% natural y original no bote su dinero Current Bid: $12.35
	NUEZ DE LA INDIA 100%original El mejor precio y CALIDAD Current Bid: $12.35
	NUEZ DE LA INDIA 100%original 3 PAQUETES ENVIO GRATIS Current Bid: $33.00
	Vibrant Tibetan Nuns Project India RARE Buddhist genuine Carnelian 108 mala new Current Bid: $26.95
	Nuez de la India 100% Original - 12 seeds FREE SHIPPING Current Bid: $12.00
	Sacred Shiva LINGAM LINGHAM Crystal Narmada River India w/ Pouch 1 Current Bid: $10.99

Unity in Diversity

Diversity in Geographical features:The physical features of a country influence to a great extent the life and history of its people.India has diverse geographical features.India is separated from rest of Asia by the Himalayas,with its western and eastern ranges.Mountains of the north,the northern fertile plain,the Thar desert,the Deccan plateau,western and eastern Ghats from part of its physical features.The vast dimensions of India, the varied climatic conditions across the various regions of India resulted in racial and linguistic differences.Yet there is a common bond among the people.

Geographical conditions play an important part in responding to human activities.Cherrapunji in Meghalaya receives highest rain fall and the dry Thar desert in Rajasthan receives only scanty rainfall.The Himalayan mountain ranges are snow clad peaks while the southern parts of India records highest average temperature.Animal and plant life also varies according to the climatic conditions.The soil is too variable ,it is fertile at the northern plains and saline dry soil is found at Rajasthan.This also brought about diversity in the life of the people.

population

Indian population is 16% of the world's population.The huge population is made up of different ethnic groups,following different religions,speaking different languages,observing different customs and traditions.It is this marvelous diversity of people in India,which has made it both museum and a laboratory for the study of man. Hence India is called as 'ethnological Museum'.

Diversity in Language,customs and traditions

In India people speak about 845 languages and has 545 dialects.At present 22 official languages are recognized by the Indian government.The people of north India speak the Indo-Aryan group of languages and the Dravidian languages are spoken primarily in southern India.Hindi is the national language and English the concurrent language.People differ in race,figure,and mode of dress,food,customs,and habits from region to region.

Diversity in Religion

India is the birth place of many religions.Hinduism,Buddhism,Jainism,and Sikhism have their origin in India.Vedic religion is an ancient religion of our country.In the first century B.C St.Thomas an Apostle of christ first brought Christianity to India.The persians brought 'Zoroastrianism'.Muslim conquest of India brought Islam into India.Religious tolerance is found in our country from the past till today.People are free to profess,practice, and propagate any religion of their choice.Different Festivals are celebrated in India.Diwali,Muharram,Bakrid,Mahaveer jayanthi,Guru naanak jayanthi,Christmas,Onam,pongal,Dassara etc.are celebrated with religious fervor and gaiety in India.