With mountains as a crown and the sea washing its feet, the divine country of India is considered to be one of the most heavenly places on earth. The beauty and tranquillity of this amazing country make it one of the most visited places on earth. Out of all the remarkable features of Incredible India you can never miss its diverse and unique culture.
Considered one of the world’s oldest cultures, the incredible Indian culture is the amalgamation of various cultures from different states across the country. The influence of different languages, religions, food, dance, music and customs made every aspect of Indian culture very distinctive and admirable.
When it comes to the great Indian culture there are many desirable things or facts which already have had a great influence across the world. To understand the diversity of Indian culture you can look into many features like:
- Name of India in the Hindi language: India’s English name India is derived from the word Sindhu (Indus river), which is in vogue by the Greeks since the 4th century BC. The name India dates back to the 9th century in Old English and from the 17th century in Modern English. India is also known by other names like Bharatvarsha (भारतवर्ष), Jambudweep (जम्बूद्वीप), Bharatkhand (भारतखण्ड), Aryavarta (आर्यावर्त), Hindustan (हिन्दुस्तान), Hindusthan (हिन्दुस्थान), Hind (हिन्द) etc.
- Languages in India: India has a total of 28 states and seven union territories with an official language for each and every state and territory. Hindi is India’s national language but apart from it India also has 22 official languages and over 400 living languages spoken across several places in the country. 22 Official languages are 1) Assamese, (2) Bengali, (3) Gujarati, (4) Hindi, (5) Kannada, (6) Kashmiri, (7) Konkani, (8) Malayalam, (9) Manipuri, (10) Marathi, (11) Nepali, (12) Oriya, (13) Punjabi, (14) Sanskrit, (15) Sindhi, (16) Tamil, (17) Telugu, (18) Urdu (19) Bodo, (20) Santhali, (21) Maithili and (22) Dogri.
- Religions in India: India is one of the world’s most religiously diverse countries in the world. It is considered to be the birthplace of religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism where Hinduism and Buddhism are the world’s 3rd and 4th largest religions in the world. Apart from that, the country is also home to 13% Islamic people making the country one of the greatest Islamic nations in the world. Indian culture lets you experience the uniqueness and remarkable touch of each religion.
- Cuisines of India: Indian culture offers you a vast variety of mouthwatering cuisines with the use of different herbs and spices. With so many different cultures in India, the taste and cooking style differ from place to place. India’s staple diet food items are mainly wheat, rice, and pulses. Curries majorly contain different spices like ginger, cardamom, coriander, turmeric, pepper, red chilli powder and cinnamon etc. The food items also include thick delicious chutney made from different fruits and vegetables like tomato, tamarind and mint etc. There are also a variety of bread items like naan, kulcha etc. which also enhances the flavour of Indian food.
- Art of India: Art plays a very important role in Indian culture in the form of music, dance, etc. India has a dance tradition which is more than 2000 years old with many different traditional dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Kathakali. Apart from dance and music Indian culture is also influenced by the film industry famous as Bollywood. Presently Bollywood has its mark all over the world.
- Buildings and Architectures in India: Indian culture owns the world-famous symbol of love, the Taj Mahal, which is also one of the Seven Wonders of the World. India also has many ancient temples and brilliant architectural sites to look for. The building designs and carvings are completely unmatched.
- Clothing and Customs in India: The culture in India contributes to the most colourful ethnic wear that including the traditional silk Sari for women and Dhoti-Kurta for men. The country also has a number of special days and festivals to celebrate and enjoy.
- Festivals in India: The rich and diverse culture invites a number of different occasions like Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja, Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi etc. which you can never miss.
Indian culture is certainly one of the most remarkable cultures in the world, so why don’t you visit India and have a taste of it?
