Culture of India
India is best known for its diversity in culture and the unity in all of that. With every hundred kilometer covered you would meet a new ethnicity, a different one. Different parts of this country vary in food, religions, dance, music, languages and art. The country is heading forth as the days pass by, but its heritage and culture remain preserved in the very heart.
The Ladakhis of North India have a different lifestyle and traditions from the Tamillians of South India. As the Gujaratis of West India do Garba, the people in Mizoram celebrate with moves of Cheraw dance. States like Punjab, Kerala, Rajasthan, Assam, Gujarat etc. have their own identity and their own lifestyles. Witnessing a blend of different colors of culture merging to form a rainbow here in India, is a beautiful experience to go through. Culture tour packages of India are exclusively designed to showcase different cultures of India in a way never seen before.
North India is where the sprawling Himalayas have made their home. The people of Himalayas are generally called Paahaadi, however they are further divided into different distinction and castes. These people master the art of wooden carving specifically. Also, the world-famous and one of oldest and most efficient medicinal system, Ayurveda was born. And hence practices of Ayurveda are pretty common in this region.
Moving a bit further downwards, you’d find Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. Punjab and Rajasthan are two such states of North India that have gained international admiration because of their vibrant culture. While thinking of Punjab the thought of Bhangra would most definitely cross your mind and your feet would start trembling on its own just when you hear the tune of Punjab’s folk music.
Similarly, when we think of Rajasthan its colorful attires and katputli dance flashes in the back of the mind. The people of Rajasthan are simple, but their age-old grandeur has still been clung on to.
Indian classical dance forms such as Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi were born in South India. Listen to any Carnatic music and get the real taste of India. South Indian cuisine is much loved in India and indeed in other parts of the world too. Coconut chutneys, rice, idli, sambar, dosa, vada and other such dishes are served on banana leaves.
Men usually wear lungis and women wear silk sarees. The people of South India are equally into arts as well as academics. The temples of South India are an indispensible part of its culture.
Mainly inhabited by Bengalis, East India is where you can find women in red and white sarees, stuffing their mouths with Rasgullas. Chhau Dance and Ghumuru dance forms are most famous here. Here, people are lover of literature, music and arts. The writer of Indian National Anthem Rabindranath Tagore belonged to this region of the country. Other than Bengalis, Biharis, Odiyas and Assamese have found their home here.
This region is popular for its Bengali style saarees . This is where the celebration of Navratras (or Durga Pooja) is considered a primary and auspicious occasion. A lot many people visit East India especially during this time of the year to experience and witness the charm.
When thinking of West India, it is almost important to forget Gujarat. Gujarat’s Garba and Dandiya dance forms are surely fascinating. Even the dishes are loved all around the world, like khakra, dhokla and phaphra. This state is close to Rajasthan and hence you can find a lot many similarities between the two states, such as the pagdi worn by men with heavy curlicue mustaches. Even baandhani sarees (which are loved by many women in the country) are found both in Rajasthan as well as Gujarat.
The Heart of India, Madhya Pradesh’s culture mainly influenced from its rich history. It is home to a huge number of tribal population, most of which are happy living in rural areas and are far away from the development of the country. The state is known for its classical and folk music. When here, one must listen to its folk music, such as Kalbelia, Sanja Geet, Bhartahari and others.
