REPORT ON INDIAN CULTURE

Project Report/Essay - Indian Culture

Our Religions
Our Languages
Dance, Music and Art
Our Scientist
The Food We Eat
Our Festivals

Indian Culture Report

India has one of the richest and most exciting cultural tradition in the world our culture goes back several
thousands year. That is why ours is known as one of the oldest civilization in the world. India is a land of
festivals. There is hardly any month of the year without any festival. Therefore the festivals also play an

important in our life & they remains our culture evergreen similarly there are many states in our India, all
having their own traditional dress& food also because of all this about India it has be said that India has
unity in diversity. In this project will learn about the varieties of our India & I will try to attract you
towards the Indian culture or a great culture.

Religions in India
India, being a secular country does not have any state religion. The state of India allows
for freedom of faith, worship & religion. People of many different religions live in our
country. They are free to follow & preach the religion of their choice. Among the major
religion in India, Hinduism is the largest, followed by Islam, Christianity, Sikhism,
Buddism,

Jainism

&

Zoroastrianism.

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Hinduism
Hinduism is among the most ancient religions of India. The followers of Hinduism
account for over 80% of India's total population. The holy books & scriptures of
Hinduism include the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Bhagavad Gita & the
epics like the Ramayana & the Mahabharata.
Hindus believe in one supreme God but they worship God in different avatars or
forms. Hinduism has a rich & varied philosophy. They have been many well-known
Hindu thinkers

&

reformers

like

Adi

Shanker, Dayanand

Saraswati, & Swami

Vivekananda. They all have tried to teach us how to be better human beings.

Islam
The followers of Islam are known as Muslim. They are second largest religions
community in India accounting for over 11% of her total population. Muslims believe in
only one God of or Allah. Prophet Mohammad is believed to be the last & the greatest of
the Prophets. He was born in 570 A.D in Mecca. He preached & spread Islam. The
Koran is a holy book of the Muslims. The devout Muslim has five duties belief in one
God; prayers five time a day; the giving of alms; a months fast every year; and a
pilgrimage to Mecca atleast once in life time. The Muslims do not allow idol worship.
Neither do they allow any picture of Allah.

Christianity
Christians comprise about two & a half % of Indias population. Christianity was
founded by Lord Jesus Christ. He was born at Bethlehem in Israel near two thousand
year ago. Jesus taught the people the importance of peace, love & compassion. The
teachings of Jesus Christ are contained in the holy book, Bible Christians worship in a
Church. The symbol of a Church is cross signifies the crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ.

Sikhism
The Sikhs constitute a little the 2% of Indias population. Sikhism, which emerged in
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the15th century, was founded by Guru Nanak Dev. Sikhism tried to bridge the gap
between Hinduism & Islam. Guru Nanak Dev said that the God for Hindus & Muslims
was the same. Sikhs worship in a Gurudwara. Their holy book is called the Guru Nanak
Dev & the nine Guru who came after him.

Buddhism
Buddhism originated in India and its followers formless then 1% of Indias
population. The founder of Buddhism was Lord Gautam Buddha. He was the son of an
India, King. Who lived 2500 years ago. His childhood name Siddharatha. He gave up
his princely life & went out for true knowledge. At last he become enlightened under the
Bodhi tree in Gaya. From that day he become known as the Buddha or the enlightened
one. Buddha believed in non- violence. He thought that every human being must follow
the middle path & adopt good behaviour & simple habits. Buddism spread to China,
Sri Lanka, Japan &many other countries in Asia.

Jainism
The Jains form about half of a percent of Indias population Jainism was founded
by Mahavira. He lived about 2,500 years ago. He preached Ahimsa, right conduct, right
faith and tolerance. The followers of Jainism are strict vegetarians & do not hurt living
things.

Zoroastrianism
The followers of Zoroastrianism are called Parsis. Zoroastrianism was founded by the
great Persian. Prophet Zoroaster or Zarathushtra. He preached that there is a
continuous battle going on between the forces of good and evil. And in the end God
always triumphs or wins over evils. The parsis worship in a fire Temple. The holy book
of parsis is Zend Avesta.

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Languages in India
There are as many as 1,652 languages & dialects spoken in different parts of India. It is
said that in India a dialect changes every thirty or 40km.
The constitution of India recognizes 18 major languages they are: (1) Assamese

(2) Bangla

(3) Gujrati

(4) Hindi

(5) Kannada

(6) Konkani

(7) Malayalam

(8) Manipuri

(9) Marathi

(10) Nepali

(11) Punjabi

(12) Tamil

(13) Sindhi

(14) Kasmiri

(15) Sanskrit

(16) Oriya

(17) Telgu

(18) Urdu

Of these Sanskrit & Tamil are the oldest languages. The scripts of all these languages
except Kasmiri, Sindhi & Urdu are written from left to right. The script of Kasmiri, Sindhi
& Urdu are written from right to left.
Hindi is the official language of India. Before Independence English was the official
language of India.

Dance and Music in India

Dance & Music are an important part of the culture of our country. The people tell

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stories about their history through these forms of arts.
In India there are two main types of dances, folk dance & classical dance.
Folk dances are performed by a group of people. These dances are performed on
special occasions. The occasion may be a feast, a festival or a wedding. Through these
dances, people express their joy. In India there are numerous folk dances. The most
well-known folk dances & their areas are listed below.

Falk dances
Bhangra & gidda

State
Punjab

Nati

Himachal predesh

Bihu

Assam

Ghoomar

Rajasthan

Garba

Gujarat

Kolattam

Tamil Nadu

Lezhim

Maharashtra

Rouf

Jammu & Kashmir

Dandiya Ras

Gujarat

Classical dance are entirely different from folk dances. They require training & prachce.
They are based on different beats & rhythms. Each moment & gesture of the dancer
has some meaning. The dancers wear special costumers like masks & head dresses.
The main classical dances & their areas are given below.

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Classicial dance

State

Bharatnatyam

Tamil Nadu

Kathakali

Kerala

Manipuri

Manipur

Odissi

Orissa

Yakshagana

Karnataka

Kuchipudi

Andhra pradesh

Perhaps these dances were performed in temples or place in the past. Now a day we
can see these in films & on TV.
Classical music has a long & rich tradition in India. It is said that saint Narada, son of
saraswati, taught music to men. The earliest book on India music is Rikaprahohakhaya.
There are two main schools or divisions of music in India. The north India school is
cornatic. Both Hindustani & carnatic styles of music are based on ragas. There are
different ragas for different times, occasions & even for seasions. In the past there were
great singers like tansen, haridas, &Baiju Bawra.Tensen, a great singer in the court of
Mughal Emperor Akbar has composed many ragas.

Instrumental Music in India

Instrumental Music is also very popular in our country. The popular musical
instruments are the flite, shanai, sitar, harmonium, tabla, sarangi, veena, moidangam &
dhalak. Some of the famous instrumental musicians of our country are Ravi Shanker,
Allo Rakha, Ali Akbar Khan, Amjad Ali Khan, Bismillah Khan, Hari Prasad Choursia &
Zakir Husian.

Painting in India

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Indian Painting has a style of its own. There have been artists in India for thousands of
years. Kings employed artists & empeross to decorate their places & temples. Some
kings were very found of art of & they employed artists even from other countries. For
example, when mughals first came to India they bought with them the persain artists.
They painted landscapes, hunting scenes, scenes from the royal durbars & battle fields.
However, the most famous & the finest painting can be seen in the Ajanta caves. These
paintings are nearly fifteen hundred years old. They were painted by the Boudha
Bhikshus or priests. These paintings look bright even today. These painting at Ajanta
are called Frescos.

India's Architecture
When people think of India, they think of its architecture. India has an amazing variety of
architecture. The ruins of the Indus valley civilization tell us how advanced we were
even 5000 ago. The stupas of sanchi & sarnath, built by the emperor Ashok & his
successors, are the finest specimens of Indian architecture.
The Kailash temple at Ellora is perhaps the greatest wonder of its kind. The whole
temple has been carved out from a single rock. There is a long list of ancient temples
which speak about their beauty. Mention must be made of the temple of Konark, Puri,
Khajuarho, Bellur, Thanjavur, Tripati, Chennai and Madurai.
The Meenakshi temple at Madurai has a huge hall with one thousand pillars. Therefore,
it is called the hall of a thousand pillars. Each pillar has been carved with sculptures
which tell the stories about the lives of the Gods.
The Turks and Mughals introduced the special style of central Asian architecture in our
country. These styles were combined with ours and thus resulted in a new style of
architectural designs. Some of the examples of this new style of architectural designs
are the Gol Gumbaz of Bijapur, the Jama Masjid, the Red Fort and the Humanyun
Tomp of Delhi, and the Taj Mahal of Agra.
The Qutab Minar is one of the words finest examples of tower building. Built in the
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thirteenth century, it rises over 230 feet.
The forts of Agra, Gwalior and Chittorgarh are very strong and huge structures.
With the coming of the Europeans, our architecture grew further. The British built huge
churches and official building. Examples of the British architecture in India are the St.
Xavier Church In Goa the Victoria Memorial at Kolkata, the present Rashtrapati Bhavan
and the Parliament House in New Delhi.
The Victoria Memorial at Kolkata is one of the most impressive monuments in India.
Made of white marble, it reminds us of the Europwan and Mughal architecture. It took
fifteen years to build the Victoria Memorial. It has portraits and statues of almost all the
main figure in British-India history.
Since independence, Indian architecture has made much progress. We have huge and
beautiful buildings, temples and railway stations in almost every big city. The Assembly
buildings of Mumbai and Jaipur and New Delhi municipal corporation office building are
the example of new architectural designs. The Lotus Temple of Delhi is a valuable
treasure of Indian architecture.

Scientists in India
India is proud of having many scholars and scientists who have made great
contributions in science, mathematics, astronomy and medical sciences. Aryabhatta &
Varahamihir were celebrated Indian astronomers. They could study the heavently
bodies like stars with great accuracy. Beside an astronomer, Aryabhatta was also a
great mathematician. Indians first satellite, Aryabhatta was christened after him.
Charaka & Sushruta, were famous physicians of ancient India. Charaka is called the
king of Indian physician. Sushruta was an expert surgeon. He is called the father of
plastic surgery. Their writing are valued even today. The Truks & Mughals also made
valuable contributions to medical science. Their system of medicine in know as Unani.

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In the field of mathematic, the concept of zero was given by Indian thinkers. The
numbers 1 to 10 & the decimal system are also entirely Indian. The Arab trader learnt
these mathematical systems from Indians & carried them to Europe. The Arabs called
these numbers Hindsa.
Today, Indians scientists are known through out the world. Indian scientists like C.V
roman, J.C Bose, Homi Bhabha & Vikram sarabhai have made significant contribution
to the growth of modern science.

The food we eat

Our country is very big. There are 29 States and 6 Union Territories in our
country. People eat different kind of food in different state & union territories. In some
parts people like to eat rice. There are other parts where most of the people prefer millet
(Jower or Bajra). Thus, wheat, rice, & millet are the most popular food grains. Beside
the food grains, people eat many other things like pulses, sugar, fruits, vegetable, egg,
meat, fish, edible oil, bread & biscuits.
Generally people eat those foods items more which are grow in that area.
In the northern state of India like Punjab, Haryana, Utter pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and
wheat is the main foods of the people.
In desert sate of Rajasthan, millets like jowar & corn are eaten beside wheat.
People living in Bihar, Bengal, Orissa, Assam & also the states of southern India
generally prefer rice. People near sea cousts eat rice with fish.
Cereals & lentils like ragi & dals are eaten through out the country. Similarly, vegetables
& fruits are also eaten all over the country.
Many people prefer meat, eggs & fish. People who eat meat & meat products are called
non-vegetarians people who do not eat meat, egg, & fish are called vegetarians.

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Let us see some special food eaten by the people in certain parts of our country.
The people of Kashmir prefer to eat rice, fish & karan ka sag. The popular food of the
people of Punjabi is makki ki roti & sarson ka sag. The people of Bengal & other eastern
states eat rice & fish. Their favorite sweet dishes are Rasgulla & Sandesh. The people
of Gujrat & Maharashtra like to eat Rice, Dal, Curds, Vegetables & Papads .
Sambhar, Dosa, Idli, Rasam & Uthapam are favorite dishes of the people of south India.
India is famous all over the world for its spices. Spices are used to flavour different
dishes. Some of the common spices are saffron, turmeric, chilies, ginger, conander,
cloves, cardamom & garlic.
The country produces a rich variety of fruits. Himachal pradesh is famous for apples,
Gujrat for chikus & Bihar for litchis. Mangos & bananas are found throughout the
country. Orange of Nagpur is famous all over the world.
India has a vast population. In many part of the country sufficient foods is not available.
So our Government sends foods articles to these areas. Fruits & vegetable are also
transported from the place they are grown in plenty to other place.
The central government has a separate tood & civil supplies ministry. It arranges the
food grains for the people all over the country. People get the food grains & other food
articles from fair price shop or ration shop at reasonable price.

The dresses we wear in India

The surface of the land is different in different parts of our country. People living
in different parts of India eat different type of foods.
Similarly, the climate is not the same in all parts of our country. Some places have very
hot summer & very cold winters. Place near the sea have the same climate throughout
the years. Therefore people living in different areas ware different types of dresses.

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However, there are some dresses women & men, which are common & very popular
throughout the country.

Dresses of Women
The most common dresses of women in India are saree, salwar-kameez, blouse, skirt
(ghagra) & a shawl (odhani) to cover the head.
The pattern & style of wearing a saree varies from state to state.
Let us see the popular dresses of women in different states of India.
Salwar-Kameez with Dupatta is the popular dress of women in Punjabi Ghagra-Kurta
with Odhani in Haryana, Ghagra-Choli in Uttar predesh, Ghagra-Blouse with Odhani in
Rajasthan, Lehnga & Choli in Gujrat & Baku in Sikkim.

Dresses of Men
The dresses of men also differ depending upon the place they live in. The most
common dresses of men are Trousers, Shirts, Dhoti-Kurta, Dhoti-Shirt, Kurta-Pyjama
and Kurta-Lungi.
In many states, people still follow their traditional style of wearing dresses. Achkan with
a turban is popular in Rajasthan; Chundar Pyjama and Jecket are common in Gujart
and Dhoti-Kurta in Utter Pradesh and West-Bengal.
Trubans and Caps are a part of Indian mans headgerar. But the style of tying a turban
varies from state to state.
The people of Utter Pradesh and Gujrat use Gandhi cap to cover the head. The cap of
Himachal Pradesh is famous for its beautiful embroidery.

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Festivals of India
India is a land of festivals. There is hardly any month of the year without a festival. We
all celebrate festivals like Holi, Diwali, Id, Onam, Bihu, Guruparb, Chirstmas and Pongal
with great Pomp and Slow.
A festival is a day of rejoicing. People wear new clothes and prepare many types of
sweet and other dishes.
Some festivals are celebrated throughout the country. Other festivals are celebrated
only in some parts of the country.
Festivals are mainly of three kinds:

National Festivals

Religious Festivals

Harvest Festivals

Now some discussion about these festivals in detail

National Festivals:National Festivals are celebrated by all the people in country. Independence Day,
Republic day, Gandhi Jayanti are our National Festivals.
INDEPENDENCE DAY:
Independence Day is celebrated on 15th August every year. The prime Minister of
India hoists the National Flag at Red Fort & addresses the people. The National Flag is
also hoisted in schools, offices & other important places throughout the country. On
15th August 1947, India got freedom from the British Rule.
REPUBLIC DAY:

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Republic Day is celebrated on 26th January every year. A big parade is taken out at
Rajpath on this day. The President of India takes the salute of the Republic Day parade
Children who won awards for bravery also take part in the parade. Tableaux from
different states are a big attraction of parade. We also remember the sacrifices made
by the freedom fighters on this day. On 26th January, 1950, India becomes a Republic.

GANDHI JAYANTI
Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on 2nd October every year. We celebrate this day to
mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Prayers are held at
his Samadhi at Rajghat in New Delhi.

People spin on Charkha & sing the

Ramdhum. The whole country pays homage to the Father of the Nation on this day.

RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
Religious Festivals are celebrated by the people of different religions. Some of the
important religious of festivals are Dussehra, Diwali, Id, Christmas, Ganesh Chathurthi,
& Durga Puja.

Dussehra :Dussehra is celebrated throughout the country. It is a ten-day festival. Ramlila is

staged for nine days. On the tenth day the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and
Meghnath are burnt. This marks the day when Lord Rama killed the ten-headed demon
king Ravana. This festival marks the victory of good over evil. That is why it is known as
Vijay Dahmi.

Diwali:Diwali is called the Festival of lights. It marks the return of Rama to Ayodhya after 14
years of exile. People express their joy by lighting oil lamps (Diyas), candles & electric
bulbs. People clean their homes & wear new clothes. Lord Ganesh & Goddess

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Lakshmi are worshiped on Diwali night. The children play with crackers.
Business men & traders celebrate this day as a NEW YEAR DAY.

ID-UL-FITTER:Id-Ul-Fitter is an important Muslim festival Id is celebrated at the end of Ramzan.

Ramzan is the month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. On Id, Muslims wear
new clothes & offer namaz in the Mosque Namaz is a form of worship of Good. They
embrace each other & exchange greetings. They greet each other saying Id
MUBARAK Sewain, a special sweet dish, is prepared by the Muslims on this day.

CHRISTMAS:Christmas is celebrated every day on 2 year on 25 th December by Christians. It marks

the birthday of Jesus Chirst. Christians go to church at midnight or in the morning for
offering prayers. A small Christmas tree is set up in every house. This tree is
beautifully decorated with paper stars, bell & coloured glass balls. Children believe that
Santa Claus leaved gifts for them under the Christmas tree

GURUPARB:The birthday of the ten G. Sikh Gurus are celebrated by the Sikhs as Gurupards. The
birthday of Guru Nanak, Guru Teg Bahadur, Guru Arjan Dev, & Guru Gobind Singh are
celebrated with great pomp & show. Huge processions are taken out. The Sikhs go to
Gurudwaras & listen to the Gurubani from their Holy Book, Guru Granth Sahib.

DURGA POOJA:Durga Pooja is the most popular festival of Bengal. It lasts for ten days. For nine days,
people worship ten armed images of goddess Durga, the Goddess of Shakti. On tenth
day, images are immersed in a holy river. Thousands of people participate in this
festival.

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GANESH POOJA:Ganesh Pooja is celebrated in Maharashtra. People of all communities participate in
it with great enthusiasm. Coloured idols of lord Ganesh are taken home.

BUDDHA PURNIMA:The birthday of Gautam Buddha is celebrated as Buddha Purnima. Special prayers are
offered by the Buddhists on this day.

HARVEST FESTIVALS
Harvest Festivals are celebrated to mark the changes in seasons. Harvest is the
time of gathering ripe crops.

HOLI:Holi, as harvest festival, is mainly celebrated in North India. It is called the festival of
colours. It marks the end of winter.

PONGAL:Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated for three days. Bhogi
Ponal, the first day, is celebrated by worshipping the sun. Surya pongal, the second
day, is celebrated as a family festival.

ONAM:Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala. People believe that kind Mahadali visits the
country on this day. People decorated their homes with coloured lights at night.
BAISAKHI:Baisakhi is the harvest festival of Punjab. It is celebrated in the month of
April. People express their joy with the beat of dholak & perform the popular Bhangra
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dance.

BIHU:Bihu is the harvest festival of Assam. It is celebrated three times a year. Young boys &
girls in typical Assamese dresses perform the special Bihu dance.
There are many other festivals celebrated in various parts of the country. A list of such
festivals is given below:

Festival

Reason for celebration

Raksha Bandhan

It marks deep affection between brother & sister. On

this day sister ties a Rakhi on the wrist of her brother.

Basant Panchmi

It is celebrated in the honour of Saraswati, the goddess

of learning. It is a seasonal festival

Good Friday

Christians fast on this day. Jesus Christ was crucified

on this day.

Mahavir Jayanti

5
6

Mohrrum
Id-Milod

It is the birthday of lord Mahavira

It is the mourning festivals of the Muslims.
It is the birthday & death anniversary of Prophet
Mohammad

Janam Asthmi

It is the birthday of lord Krishna. It is celebrated all

over India.

8
9

Shivaratri
Childrens Day

It is celebrated in honour of Lord Shiva

It is the birthday of Chacha Nehru. It is celebrated on
14th November every year.

10

Teachers Day

It is celebrated on 5th September. It is the birthday of Dr.

Radha Krishnan.

Festivals bring people of different religions and regions close to each other. They speak of the cultural
unity of our country.

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