Indian culture can be classified into many varied form which are existent in their totality throughout India. The culture of India has been influenced by various religions and customs of the world, which has resulted in the mingling of religious values, folk idioms, and art forms. While the religious influence is quite evident in the "classical" Indian culture mostly found in smaller towns and villages, the urban India is now widely influenced by globalization. globalization. [edit edit]] Language
Main article: Languages article: Languages of India s well as regional diversity, diversity, languages have created diverse traditions of culture in India. There are a large number of languages in India, !# of each of which are s$oken by a grou$ of %,%%% $eo$le or more, although there there are others that are s$oken s$oken in India by fewer than %,%%% %,%%% $eo$le. If () these languages are included, there are &' living languages in India. The two ma*or families of languages are those of the Indo+ryan languages and languages and those of the ravidian languages, languages , the former being largely confined to -orth to -orth India and India and the latter to outh India. India . The /onstitution of India has India has sti$ulated the usage of 0indi and 1nglish to be the two official languages of communication for union government. There is another language family in India which is s$oken by about 23 of the $eo$le. $eo$le. These languages falls falls in the language family family of Tibeto+4urman languages, which is a subgrou$ of the ino+Tibetan family of languages. 4esides this, many other languages in India can be divided into % other families of languages. further twenty+two languages are scheduled for official use, use , mainly by state governments. [edit edit]] Cultural Policy
The cultural $olicy of the 5overnment of India has India has three ma*or ob*ectives. 6ne is to $reserve the cultural heritage of India7 India 7 two to inculcate Indian art consciousness amongst countrymen7 and three to $romote high standards in creative and $erforming arts fields. (citation needed ) [edit edit]] Literature This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. claims. 8lease im$rove the article by article by adding references. ee the the talk $age for $age for details. (September 2007)
9abindranath Tagore became sia:s first -obel laureate when laureate when he won the ;2 -obel ;2 -obel 8rize in
[edit] History
Main article: Indian literature The earliest literary traditions were mostly oral and $assed down through descendants by citizens.
edas, the e$ics of the =ahabharata and 9amayana. Tamil angam literature re$resents some of India:s oldest secular traditions. (citation needed ) =any 4uddhist and ?ain works are in 8rakrit languages like 8ali. The classical works of $laywright @alidasa even today exert an im$ortant influence on Indian litterateurs. The Tamil 9amayana Atranslated from the original >almiki 9amayanaB by @amban is considered to be a classical master$iece.(citation needed ) @amban(citation needed ) and @alidasa have been rightly given the title of "@avi /hakravarthi" A@ing among 8oetsB. C$on the arrival of =ughal dynasty, Islamic culture also influenced the medieval Indian literature. This was due to the s$reading influence of 8ersian and the rise of famous $oets such as mir @husro. /olonial rule $re$ared the stage for modern literature exem$lified by the works of 9abindranath Tagore, ubhramanya 4harati,@uvem$u, 4ankim /handra /hatto$adhyay, =ichael =adhusudan utt, =unshi 8remchand, evaki -andan @hatri, among many others. Indian writers in modern times, like 9. @. -arayan, 8oornachandra Te*aswi, >aikom =uhammad 4asheer ,=ahasweta evi, mrita 8ritam, rundhati 9oy, >ikram eth, @hushwant ingh, alman 9ushdie, and =oncy 8othen, have been the cynosures of wide acclaim, both in Indian languages and 1nglish . [edit] Poetry
Main article: Indian poetry India has strong traditions of $oetry, as well as $rose writing. This is often closely related to musical traditions, and most $oetry can be attributed to religious movements. Writers and $hiloso$hers were often also skilled $oets. In modern times, $oetry has served as an im$ortant non+violent tool of nationalism during the Indian freedom movement. famous modern exam$le of this tradition can be found in such figures as 9abindranath Tagore in modern times and $oets such as @abir in medieval times, as well as the e$ics of ancient times. Two exam$les of $oetry from Tagore:s 5itan*ali serve as the national anthems of both India and 4angladesh. [edit] Epics
Main article: Indian epic poetry The 9amayana and =ahabharata are not only considered e$ics of India and 0induism, but serve as the folk e$ics of other sian countries like Thailand, =alaysia and Indonesia. In this res$ect, they are considered by many to be the :eastern: equivalents of the classical e$ics of 1uro$e, namely Iliad and 6dissi. imilarly there are five e$ics in the classical Tamil language +they being ila$$adhikaram, =animegalai, ?eevaga+chintamani, >alayaa$athi, @undalakesi.(citation needed ) 6ther regional variations of these stories, and unrelated e$ics include such as the Tamil @amba 9amayanam, @annada 8am$a 4harata, @arnata 4harata @atha=an*ari by @umaravyasa, 0indi 9amacharitamanasa,=alayalam dhyathmaramayanam. The vedas are also a ma*or collection of writing for 0indus.
[edit] Performing arts [edit] Music
Main article: Music of India The music of India includes multi$les varieties of folk , $o$ular , $o$, and classical music. India:s classical music tradition that originates, has a basis from and is heavily influenced by 0indu texts. It includes/arnatic and 0industani music, and is noted for the use of several 9aga, has a history s$anning millennia and, develo$ed over several eras, remains instrumental to the religious ins$iration, cultural ex$ression and $ure entertainment. longside distinctly subcontinental forms there are ma*or similarities with other ty$es of oriental music . Indian genresDfusions like filmi and bhangra have become $o$ular throughout the Cnited @ingdom, outh and 1ast sia, and around the world. (citation needed ) [edit] Dance
Main article: Indian dance India offers a number of /lassical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different $arts of the country. 1ach form re$resents the culture and ethos of a $articular region or a grou$ of $eo$le. The nine main styles are 5arba, 4haratanatyam, @athak , 6dissi, Eakshagana, @uchi$udi, =ohiniattam, 4hangra, =ani$uri and @athakali.(citation needed ) 4esides, there are several forms of Indian folk dances, and s$ecial dances observed in regional festivals. [edit] Drama and theatre
Main article: Theatre in India Indian drama and theatre is $erha$s as old as its music and dance. @alidas: $lays like hakuntala and =eghadoot are some of the oldest $lays 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 $u$$et theatre in rural India. 5rou$ Theatre is also thriving in the cities, initiated by the likes of Ct$al utt, @hwa*a hmad bbas and still maintained by grou$s like -andikar and 8rithvi Theatre. [edit] isual arts
Main article: Indian art [edit] Painting
Main article: Indian painting
an Fth century 9a*$ut $ainting. The earliest Indian $aintings were the rock $aintings of $re+historic times, the $etrogly$hs as found in $laces like 4himbetka, and some of them are older than ''% 4/. ncient texts outline theories of darragh and anecdotal accounts suggesting that it was common for households to $aint their doorways or indoor rooms where guests resided. /ave $aintings from *anta, 4agh, 1llora and ittanavasal and tem$le $aintings testify to a love of naturalism and 5od. =ost rock art in India is 0indu or 4uddhist. freshly made coloured flour design A9angoliB is still a common sight outside the doorste$ of many Amostly outh IndianB Indian homes. =adhubani $ainting, 9a*$ut $ainting, Tan*ore $ainting, =ughal $ainting are some notable 5enres of Indian rt7 while 9a*a 9avi >arma, -andalal 4ose, 5eeta >adhera,?amini 9oy are some modern $ainters. ?ehangir rt 5allery, =umbai, has on dis$lay several good Indian $aintings. This short section reuires e!pansion"
[edit] !culpture This article needs additional citations for verification. 8lease hel$ im$rove this article by adding reliable references. Cnsourced material may be challenged and removed. (#ebruary 2007) Main article: Sculpture in India
cul$ture in @ha*uraho The first scul$tures in India date back to the Indus >alley civilization, where stone and bronze carvings have been discovered. This is one of the earliest instances of scul$ture in the world.
The $ink sandstone scul$tures of =athura evolved during the 5u$ta $eriod A&th to #th centuryB to reach a very high fineness of execution and delicaracy in the modeling. -ewer scul$tures in northwest, in stucco, schist, or clay, dis$lay very strong blending of Indian $ost+5u$ta mannerism and /lassical influence, 0ellenistic or $ossibly even 5reco+9oman. =eanwhile, elsewhere in India, less anatomically accurate styles of human re$resentation evolved leading to the classical art that the world is now familiar with and contributing to 4uddhist and 0indu scul$ture throughout sia. This short section reuires e!pansion"
[edit] "rchitecture
Main article: Indian architecture
The 1llora tem$les were not constructed, but in fact carved out of solid rock Indian architecture is that vast ta$estry of $roduction of the Indian ubcontinent that encom$asses a multitude of ex$ressions over s$ace and time, transformed by the forces of history considered unique to the sub+continent, sometimes destroying, but most of the time absorbing new ideas. The result is an evolving range of architectural $roduction that nonetheless retains a certain amount of continuity across history. The earliest $roduction in the Indus >alley /ivilization was characterised by well $lanned cities and houses where religion did not seem to $lay an active role, but which demonstrated world+famous city $lanning. uring the reign of the 5u$ta and =aurya em$ires, several 4uddhist architectural exam$les like caves of *anta and 1llora and the monumental anchi tu$a were built. outh India contains several 0indu tem$les like 4rihadeeswara Tem$le, Than*avur , the un Tem$le, @onark , ri 9anganathaswamy Tem$le at rirangam, and the 4uddha stu$a A/hinna ikramarka kota dibbaB at 4hatti$rolu. ngkor Wat and other 4uddhist and 0indu tem$les carry the evidence of Indian influence on outh 1ast sian architecture, as they are built in styles almost identical to traditional Indian tem$le building. With the advent of Islamic influence from the west, the erstwhile Indian architecture was slightly ada$ted to allow the traditions of the new religion. Gateh$ur ikri, Ta* =ahal, 5ol 5umbaz, Hutub =inar , 9ed Gort of elhi are the creations of this era, and are often used as the stereoty$ical symbols of India, des$ite the greater antiquity and originality of traditional architecture. The colonial rule of the 4ritish Indian 1m$ire saw the develo$ment of Indo+ aracenic style, and mixing of several other styles, such as 1uro$ean gothic. >ictoria =emorial, >ictoria Terminus are notable exam$les. 9ecent creations such as
The traditional system of >aastu hastra serves as India:s version of Geng hui, influencing town $lanning, architecture, and ergonomics. It is unclear which system is older, but they contain many similarities. lthough Geng hui is more commonly used throughout the world.Though >astu is conce$tually similar to Geng hui in that it also tries to harmonize the flow of energy, Aalso called life+force or 8rana in anskrit and /hiD@i in /hineseD?a$aneseB, through the house, it differs in the details, such as the exact directions in which various ob*ects, rooms, materials etc are to be $laced. Indian architecture has influence the world, es$ecially eastern sia, due to the s$read of ideas with 4uddhism. number of Indian architectural features such as the tem$le mound or stu$a, tem$le s$ire or sikhara, tem$le tower or $agoda and tem$le gate or torana, have become famous symbols of sian culture, used extensively in 1ast sia and outh 1ast sia. The central s$ire is also sometimes called a vimanam. The variant southern tem$le gate, or go$uram is noted for its intricacy and ma*esty. The arch, a cornerstone of world architecture, was first develo$ed by the Indus >alley civilization and would later be a sta$le of Indian architecture. [edit] #ecreation and sports
Main article: Sports in India In the area of recreation and s$orts India had evolved a number of games. The modern eastern martial arts originated as ancient games and martial arts in India and it was from here that these games were transmitted to foreign countries, where they were further modernized. dditionally, a few games introduced during the 4ritish 9a* have grown quite $o$ular in India, field hockey, football AsoccerB and es$ecially cricket. lthough field hockey is India:s official national s$ort, cricket is by far the most $o$ular s$ort not only in India, but the entire subcontinent, thriving recreationally and $rofessionally. /ricket has even been used recently as a forum for di$lomatic relations between India and long+standing rival, 8akistan. The two nations: cricket teams face off annually and such contests are quite im$assioned on both sides. Traditional indigenous s$orts include kabaddi and gilli+danda, which are $layed in most $arts of the country. Indoor and outdoor games like /hess, nakes and
Indian areesDaris are $o$ular in the southern half of India and certain $arts of the northern half as well. lternatively, women can wear salwar kamis or lehngas. Gor men it consists of the hoti or
Main article: $uisine of India
traditional -orth Indian thali The cuisine of =odern India has great variety and each region has its own distinctive flavours. The sta$le cereals are rice and wheat. -orth Indian sta$le meals consist of chapatis or rotis, wheat based and rice as sta$les, eaten with a wide variety of side dishes like dals, curries, yogurt, chutney and achars. outh India sta$le dishes consist of rice, sambhar , rasam, yoghurt and curries being im$ortant side dishes. bob [edit] Popular media [edit] Cinema This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. 8lease im$rove the article by adding references. ee the talk $age for details. (September 2007) Main article: $inema of India
4ollywood is the informal name given to the $o$ular =umbai+based film industry in India. 4ollywood and the other ma*or cinematic hubs A 4engali, @annada, =alayalam, =arathi, Tamil, TeluguB constitute the broader Indian film industry, whose out$ut is considered to be the largest in the world in terms of number of films $roduced and number of tickets sold. 4ollywood films are usually musicals, though not in the Western sense of the word. Indian movies have a regular $lot, with songs and dances inters$ersed to add to the entertainment value of the movie. Gew movies are made without at least one song+and+dance number. Indian audiences ex$ect full value for their money7 they want songs and dances, romance, comedy and dare+devil thrills, all mixed u$ in a three hour long extravaganza with intermission. uch movies are called masala movies, after the Indian s$ice mixture masala.
authentic, real world themes with a lower amount of melodrama some do not even contain songs. In addition, multi$lexes have mushroomed in most cities, changing the revenue $atterns allowing film makers greater liberty sco$e for executing bold innovative ideas which would not have been $ossible even a decade ago. [edit] Television
Main article: Tele%ision in India Indian television started off in ;'; in -ew elhi with tests for educational telecasts. (!) Indian small screen $rogramming started off in the early ;F%s. t that time there was only one national channel oordarshan, which was government owned. The 9amayana and =ahabharat were some among the $o$ular television series $roduced. 4y the late ;F%s more and more $eo$le started to own television sets. Though there was a single channel, television $rogramming had reached saturation. 0ence the government o$ened u$ another channel which had $art national $rogramming and $art regional. This channel was known as ! later =etro. 4oth channels were broadcasted terrestrially. In ;;&, the government liberated its markets, o$ening them u$ to cable television. ince then, there has been a s$urt in the number of channels available. Today, Indian silver screen is a huge industry by itself, and has thousands of $rogrammes in all the states of India. The small screen has $roduced numerous celebrities of their own kind some even attaining national fame for themselves. T> soa$s are extremely $o$ular with housewives as well as working women, and even men of all kinds. ome small time actors have made it big in 4ollywood. Indian T> has evolved to be similar to Western T>, including stations such as /artoon -etwork, -ickelodeon, and =T> India. See also: List of Indian tele%ision stations [edit] #adio
9adio broadcasting began in India in ;!J, with two $rivately owned transmitters at =umbai and /alcutta. These were nationalised in ;2% and o$erated under the name "Indian 4roadcasting ervice" until ;2#, when it was renamed ll India 9adio AI9B. lthough officially renamed again to &'ashani in ;'J, it is still $o$ularly known as ll India 9adio. ll India 9adio is a division of 8rasar 4harati A4roadcasting /or$oration of IndiaB, an autonomous cor$oration of the =inistry of Information and 4roadcasting, 5overnment of India. It is the sister service of 8rasar 4harati:s oordarshan, the national television broadcaster.Indian women are effected by daily serials.ince the turn of the !%th century, radio frequencies in India have been aggressively o$ened u$ to broadcasters on the G= and = bands, although such service has been mostly limited to the metro$olitan areas. /ities such as =umbai, elhi, @olkata, /hennai, 4angalore, and many others have many $rivate G= channels to broadcast $o$ular 0indi and 1nglish music, although they are still not allowed to broadcast news like kashwani does. 9ecently World $ace launched the country:s first satellite radio service. See also: &ll India adio [edit] #eligion and philosophy [edit] Philosophy
Main article: Indian philosophy
0indu $hiloso$her di hankara with the Gour isci$les Indian $hiloso$hy throughout the ages has had a tremendous im$act on world thought, es$ecially in the east. >arious theistic schools of $hiloso$hy, such as the many schools of 4uddhism and 0induism, have had huge influences, but also, India $roduced some of the longest and most influential secular traditions of logic, rationalism, science, mathematics, materialism, atheism, agnosticism, etc, which are often overlooked due to $o$ular conce$tion that India is a :mystical: country. =any of the com$lex scientific and mathematical conce$ts such as the idea of zero, found their way to 1uro$e via rab intermediaries. The most famous school of Indian atheism, is /arvaka, considered by some to be the oldest materialistic school of thought in the world, com$osed around the same time as the 0indu C$anishads, as well as the $hiloso$hy of 4uddhism and ?ainism. This $eriod around #%%+&%% 4/1 marked a huge lea$ in both Indian $hiloso$hy and world $hiloso$hy in general, with contem$orary 5reek schools emerging simultaneously. ome $hiloso$hical conce$ts from India were introduced to the 5reeks, es$ecially during the cam$aigns of lexander the 5reat, and vis a vis, leading some schools of classical 5reek $hiloso$hy to be almost identical to $rior Indian schools. In addition to the unbroken high em$hasis $laced on $hiloso$hy in India, which has existed since ancient times, modern India has $roduced some of the world:s most influential $hiloso$hers of modern times, who have written both in their native languages, and often 1nglish. uring the 4ritish occu$ation of India, various thinkers, both secular and religious, achieved a new level of recognition across the world as both ancient Indian texts, and the work of contem$orary Indian $hiloso$hers was translated into 1nglish, 5erman and other languages. wami >ivekananda travelled to merica and $artici$ated in the F;2 World 8arliament of 9eligions , im$ressing delegates with a groundbreaking s$eech that for the first time gave access to eastern, Indian, 0indu and dharmic $hiloso$hy to western intellectuals. s well as various religious thinkers =ahatma 5andhi, 9abindranath Tagore and other members of the Indian freedom movement, generated $olitical $hiloso$hy, and formed the basis of modern Indian democracy, secularism and liberalism. Today, economists such as martya en, who won sia:s first -obel 8rize in economics, continue to give India a re$utation as an im$ortant contributor to world thought. [edit] #eligion
Main articles: eligion in India and Indian religions The Indian religions, one of the two main families of world religion Athe other being the brahamicB, originated in India. They include 0induism, 4uddhism, ikhism, ?ainism and other
schools of language. Today, 0induism and 4uddhism are the world:s third and fourth largest religions res$ectively, with a collective .& billion followers, des$ite being free of any evangelistic traditions. Cnlike the sectarianism that has often marked differences among the brahamic schools, the $hiloso$hical+like treatment of these religions has generally made the idea of rivalry and conversion alien, leading to extremely close relationshi$s between these faiths. India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with one of the most dee$ly religious societies and cultures. 9eligion $lays a central and definitive role in the life of the country and most of its $eo$le. The religion of more than F%.&3 of the $eo$le is 0induism, considered the world:s oldest religious and $hiloso$hical system. Islam is $racticed by around 2.&3 of all Indians. (2) ikhism,4uddhism and ?ainism are systems that are strong and influential not only in India but across the world. /hristianity, Koroastrianism, ?udaism and the 4ahL:M Gaith are also influential but their numbers are smaller. es$ite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics are also visible influences.
