Introduction of India

8/3/2019 Introduction of India

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India... A land for all seasons

India, the golden bird of medieval period, is the unexplored destination forthe tourist from all over the world. India is a country which portraysamalgamation of different culture, religion, community and heritage. Thegeographical scenario of the country is very diverse which boasts of spectacular Himalaya, the most new mountain range of the world. There aremany Hill stations situated in the valley of Himalaya such as Shimla,Kashmir, Mussorie, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Nainital, Spiti etc make it an idealhub for nature lovers and adventure seekers. The golden sandy beaches of Goa, Kerala, Pondicherry, Chennai, Mumbai and so more are some prominentattractions for beach lovers and Honeymooners. It is home to the amazing

Thar Desert of Rajasthan which offers jeep and Camel Safaris.

Frontiers Beyond provides you a memorable journey to one mostsought after cultural destination of the world. Being a home to one of theoldest civilization in the world, India is a hub of historical monuments andmausoleums. Tajmahal, Red fort, Gate-way-of India, Charminar, the templesof south India and Khajuraho, the ruins of Nalanda and Mohenjo-Darosettlements make it the perfect destination for archeologist and Historians.

A visit to these world Heritage sites is really an unforgettable experience inones life. India is one of those countries in the world which has preserved itsculture and heritage. The most notable religions for instance Hinduism,Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, flourished in the country. In this way you canexplore the confluence of many religions, too. As far as the natural wealth of


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the unexplored land is concerned, no country in the world can compete withit flora and fauna. It is an ideal home to the several endangered and rarest of rare mammals, reptiles and avian life. And to preserve its natural wealth,Indian Government has established many national parks and wild lifesanctuaries where you can explore the beauty of Royal Bengal tigers, Asian

lions and many other mammals. The one-horned Rhinoceros is only found inKaziranga National Park in India. Besides them Indian flora provides widerange of options such as: Medical tourism, Eco Tourism etc.

The subcontinent of India lies in south Asia, between Pakistan, China andNepal. To the north it is bordered by the world's highest mountain chain,where foothill valleys cover the northernmost of the country's 26 states.Further south, plateaus, tropical rain forests and sandy deserts are borderedby palm fringed beaches.

Side by side with the country's staggering topographical variations is its

cultural diversity, the result of the coexistence of a number of religions aswell as local tradition. Thus, the towering temples of south India, easilyidentifiable by their ornately sculptured surface, are associated with a greatmany crafts and performing arts of the region.

In the desert of Kutch, Gujarat, on the other hand, a scattering of villages pitthemselves against the awesome forces of nature, resulting in Spartanlifestyles made vibrant by a profusion of jewelry and ornamental embroideryused to adorn apparel and household linen. In the extreme north is the highaltitude desert of Ladakh. Local culture is visibly shaped by the faith -Buddhism -as well as by the harsh terrain. Yet another facet of Indian culture

is observed in the colorful tribal lifestyles of the north eastern states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur with their folk culture.

In the central Indian states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh tribal village lifehas resulted in a variety of artistically executed handicrafts.

India's mountains provide heli skiing, river running, mountaineering andtrekking. Its beaches provide lazy sun-bathing as well as wind surfing andsnorkeling, and its jungles provide shooting wildlife with a camera.


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History

Nearly five thousand years back flourishedIndia's first major civilization along theIndus River valley. The twin cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa now inPakistan were ruled by priests and held therudiments of Hinduism. These civilizationsare known to possess a sophisticatedlifestyle, a highly developed sense of aesthetics, an astonishing knowledge of town planning and an undecipherablescript language. The Indus civilization at

one point of time extended nearly a million square kilometers across theIndus river valley. It existed at the same time as the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Sumer but far outlasted them. Surviving for nearly a thousandyears the Indus valley civilization fell to tectonic upheavals in about 1700 BC,which caused a series of floods.

India's history goes back to 3,200 BC when Hinduism was first foundedBuddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islamall exist within the country today. As a consequence of India's size, thehistory of the country has seldom been the same for two adjoiningterritories, and its great natural wealth has lured a succession of traders andforeign influences to it, each having left their imprint in the country, howeverfaint or localized. Thus, Chinese fishing nets in Kerala are a throwback to thatcountry's ancient maritime trade, while in the north; terra-cotta figurines of the centuries BC bear distinctly Greek traces.

Modern India is home alike to the tribal with his anachronistic lifestyle and tothe sophisticated urban jetsetter. It is a land where temple elephants existamicably with the microchip. Its ancient monuments are the backdrop for theworld's largest democracy where atomic energy is generated and industrialdevelopment has brought the country within the world's top ten nations.

Today, fishermen along the country's coastline fashion simple fishing boatsin a centuries old tradition while, a few miles away. Motor vehicles glide off conveyor belts in state-of-the-art factories.

The coming of the Aryans around 1500 BC, gave the final blow to thecollapsing Indus Valley civilization. At the dawn of Vedic ages the Aryanscame in from the North and spread through large parts of India bringing with


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them their culture and religious beliefs. The Four Vedas or the importantbooks of Hinduism were compiled in this period.

In 567 B.C. the founder of the Buddhist Religion Gautama Buddha was born.During this time lived Mahavira, who founded the Jain Religion. The Indian

subcontinent is full of caves and monuments devoted to these religions andare worth a visit.

Two hundred years later, in the 4th century B.C., Emperor Ashoka, one of thegreatest King of Indian histories, led the Mauryan Empire to take over almostall of what is now modern India. Thisgreat leader embraced Buddhism andbuilt the group of monuments at Sanchi(a UNESCO world heritage site). TheAshoka pillar at Sarnath has beenadopted by India as its national emblem

and the Dharma Chakra on the AshokaPillar adorns the National Flag.

They were followed by the Guptas in thenorth, while in the south part of Indiaseveral different Hindu empires, theCholas, the Pandyas and the Cherasspread and grew, trading with Europe and other parts of Asia till the end of the 1100s.

Christianinty entered India at about the same time from Europe. Legend has

it that St. Thomas the Apostle arrived in India in 52 A.D. Even earlier thanthat people of the Jewish religion arrived on India's shores.

In approximately the 7th century A.D. a group of Zoroastrians, or Parsees,landed in Gujarat and became a part of the large mix of religions in Indiatoday, each of which adds its important and distinctive flavour.

In the 15th century Guru Nanak laid the foundation of the Sikh religion inPunjab.

In 1192, Mohammed of Ghori, a ruler from Afghanistan, came into India and

captured several places in the north including Delhi. When he went home heleft one of his generals in charge who became the first Sultan of Delhi.During this time Islam, was introduced into a major part of Northern India. Itmay be mentioned that even before that, just after the period of the prophet,Islam was brought to the western coast of India by Arab traders andflourished in what is now Kerala.


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The Dehli Sultanate gradually took control of more and more of North Indiaover the next 200 years, till Timur, who was called "Timur the Lame" or"Tamberlane" came from Turkey in 1398 to attack India. He and his armystole all the valuables that they could carry and left again, and after that theDelhi Sultanate was never so strong again. Soon the Mughals, who were from

Iran, came in and took control of the north.

In the meantime south, in 1336, the Hindu Vijayanagar Empire was set upand became very strong.

The Europeans - Portuguese, French, Dutch, Danish and British - startedarriving in the early 1600s. All of them held territories in India and madefriends and enemies among India's rulers as they got more and moreinvolved, with the Indian politics, but it was the British who eventuallycontrolled most of India and finally made it one of their colonies.

India got its independence from Britain in 1947 after a long struggle ledmostly by Mahatma Gandhi. In the process of becoming independent, Indiabecame two countries instead of one. In the years since independence Indiahas made huge progress and coped with great problems, and has developedits industry and its agriculture, and has maintained a system of governmentwhich makes it the largest democracy in the world.

Geography

India is set apart from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, the highest,youngest and still evolving mountain chain on the planet. The subcontinentas it is rightly called, touches three large water bodies and is immediatelyrecognizable on any world map. This thick, roughly triangular peninsuladefines the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian Sea to the west, and theIndia Ocean to the south.

India holds virtually every kind of landscape imaginable. An abundanceof mountain ranges and national parksprovide ample opportunity for eco-tourism and trekking, and its sheersize promises something for everyone.From north to south India extends agood 2000 miles (3200 km), where theisland nation of Sri Lanka seems to be


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last gulp of land that extends beyond Bangladesh, culminating in the NagaHills along the Burmese border.

India reaches its peninsular tip with South India, which begins with theDeccan in the north and ends with Cape Comorin. The states in South India

are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, a favourite leisuredestination. The southeast coast, mirroring the west, also rests snuglybeneath a mountain range the Eastern Ghats.

Art & Culture

Classical Dance and Music

Indian Classical Dance "Abstraction of Upanishad thought which is assiduouslytranslated in to well design concrete languageof artistic media."

It all started with Natya Shastra Said to bewritten 2000 years ago by Bharata Muni, it isthe seminal source book for dancers andperformers. The mammoth book covers alltechnical and aesthetic aspects of the art of

the Indian Theatre and Dance.

From the purpose of natya, to the architecturalformat, stage rituals, Rasa, Bhava,Abhinaya, gestic communication, music, typesof instruments. 37 chapters that together formthe nucleus of this fascinating performing art.Later century works like Abhinaya Darpana,Abhinaya Chandrike, also have great relevanceto the dancer today.


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Legend has it that the Devas (Gods) had vanquished the Asuras (Evil) andwere relating the happenings to Brahma, the God of Creation. The Asurasthought this was a renewed attack and retaliated. Brahma intervened - "Thisis only a performance, hence forth it will only be held on earth".

And Brahma passed on all the information on Dance and Drama to BharataMuni who compiled it as the Natya Shastra.

Sculpture Comes To Life

Temples were raised to the house the Gods andbecame the focal point for the community.

They also became centres of learning andcontributed to the advancement of such arts assculpture, painting, music and dance. Mostlybuilt by Kings, who were also the patrons of

arts, encouraging continuity and enrichingrituals of worship, the earliest basis of theclassical performing arts.

It was from the temple that the Devdasi cult (Temple Dancers whoperformed for the Lord) began. Once a practice countrywide - the Kulvantaluin Andhra Pradesh, the Maibi in Manipur, the Devdasi in Tamil Nadu and theMahari in Orissa, all trace their roots to the temple. The countless sculpturesof dance poses in the temples, hint at the potency of dance as a path tospiritual exaltation and lays out a complete lexicon of dance techniques.

For instance, it is said that the greater part of vocabulary of Odissi dance ispreserved in stone.

A rich heritage to be brought alive by the artist.

Bharat Natyam : Bharat Natyam, one of theoldest Indian Classical dance forms is anessence of dedicatory dance. This wasperformed by Devadasis in the temples,

primarily in Tamil Nadu and to lesser extent inAndhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Bharat Natyam is compounded from 'bha' forbhava or emotional projection, 'ra' for raga ormelody and 'ta' for tala rhythm. Natyammeans the art of dance.


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The Sangam Age from 500 B.C to 500 AD marks the evolution of this danceform. The early part of the present century saw the resurgence of this danceform.

The key posture of this dance form requires the upper part of the body to be

erect, the legs bent halfway down with the knees spread out, and the feetpositioned like a half open fan. Practically every part of the body has itsdistinct movement.

The songs used are composed from the poetic literature of Tamil, Telegu,and Sanskrit and to some extent Kannada. The accompanying music is inpure Carnatic style.

Today, Bharat Natyam is not a dance style but a dance technique

Kathakali : Kerala presents to the country one of the

most imposing and colourful spectacles of danceKathakali. It is heroic, majestic and epic in character.

Though this form of art is not more than 300 yearsold, the actual roots can be traced to 1500 yearsearlier. It symbolises the blending of the Aryan andDravidian cultures and is presumed to have evolvedout of the various ancient theatre traditions of theregion like Krishnattam, Ramanattam, Koodiyattam,Mudiyyetu and Teyyam. Mahakavi Vallathol of Cherutoorthi (Palakkad) contributed greatly in the

revival of this art by forming Kalamandalam, thefamous teaching institution, set up in the thirties.

Mostly based on the mythology and the themes of Ramayana andMahabharata, a Kathakali performance opens with the thunder of drums,which invites the audiences. The performance lasts night long and tillrecently only men were allowed to perform even in female roles. Nowadays,though, many women have made their mark in this art form

As a form of art, Kathakali is a sophisticated spectacle of the supernatural.

Kuchipudi : The art form takes its namefrom the village of its birth, in the Krishnadistrict of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi was theresult of the Bhakti Movement in the 6thCentury, Siddendra Yogi, the progenitor of the form, presented a dance drama withboys from the village of Kuchipudi.Consciously they raised the form above the


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reach of Devdasi. The boys were committed to an annual presentation of theform and they passed on the techniques to the next generation. So atradition and a form were born.

The performer has to express through the language of gestures, speech and

song. The Kuchipudi artiste, apart from being a dancer and an actor has tohave a high proficiency - in Sanskrit and Telegu languages, music and thetexts of performance.

Kuchipudi plays are performed in the open air on improvised stages at night. The sutradhar or master of ceremonies plays an integral role introducingcharacters, providing humour and tying together the show. The fast pacednature of the form has made it a popular dramatic form.

It is better known as a solo form today but the wheel has come full circlewith group work, with experimental choreography much in demand.

Odissi : A dance form born in the state of Orissa, manifested in temple sculpturesfrom 2nd century BC, practiced andenriched by the Devadasis or maharis (asthe temple dancing girls are called inOrissa). With the construction of the

Jagannath Temple in Puri in the 12thcentury, the practice of dedicating maharisin the service of the temple was initiatedand continues to this day.

At once sensuous and spiritual, it has the ability to portray erotic sentimentsin a deeply reverential manner. Odissi is a highly stylised dance withtribhanga or the three-bend attitude of Hindu sculpture. The bhava or feelingis chaste and orthodox, with flashes of heightened dramatization.

The accompanying music is pure and classical, with graces of both theHindustani and the Carnatic styles. The instruments traditionally used arethe mandala-drums, gini-small cymbals and the flute.

Odissi has been restored to its rightful place only in the last few decades

with the tireless work of Gurus like Pankaj Charan and Deba Prasad Das,Kelucharan Mohapatra and Mayadhar Raut.

Mohini Attam : Mohini Attam is one of theyoungest Indian Classical dances. This form of dance came into its own by the 16th Century


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and was evolved under the patronage of Maharaja Swati Thirunal of Travancore (present day south Kerala).

Mohini means a maiden who excites desire and her dance is known as MohiniAttam. From the inception itself, Mohini Attam was conceived as a form of

social diversion. The themes of the songs were both religious and social.

In the matter of technical format, there are many similarities between MohiniAttam and Bharat Natyam and also the central motif of adavus (gestures)being the same. It is essentially a solo dance and performed by women withtender and graceful body movements belonging to the lasya style. The handgestures play an important part as a communication medium.

The costume comprises a white sari with gold ornaments on the neck, waist,wrists and a typical hair bun with flowers on the left side of the head.

The dominant emotion in Mohini Attam is of shringara (love).

Manipuri : The Manipuris have song anddance woven in to their lives and regardthemselves as the descendents of theGandharvas. Their love for dance reflectstheir rich lore of legend and mythology.

There is no authoritative record of the historyof Manipur's dance and music prior to the18th Century AD.

However the lasting developments in technique and methods took placeduring the time of Jai Singh (1764-1789), who was a great devotee of LordKrishna and a follower of Vaishnavism.

Among the legendary and mythological tales, the Rasa Lila, dance performedby Shiva and Parvati and Lai Haraoba of Khamba and Thoibi the celebratedlovers, deserves special mention.

In the Ras Lila, the movements are extremely graceful coupled with soft andlight steps in which the heels never touch down. The dancers have a fixed

angelic expression on their face. The costume is extremely colourful andglittering.

Lai Haraoba is the oldest dance form of Manipur and belongs to the preVaishnava period. The dance style is diffused and meandering. The dancersmake stylised hand and body movements, but the face remains blank. Thesteps are gentle yet powerful.


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Even today dancing remains a key element in the art and daily ritual of Manipur.

Chhau : The etymologic root of the wordChhau is traced to the Sanskrit Chhaya or

shade, referring to the mask used by thedancers. Others aver, it is derived from theword 'Chauuni' where the pharikhanda (shield& sword) soldiers stayed.

The technique of the dance, infact, draws onsteps and gait which have stemmed from the'Pharikhanda System'. It is basically a martial dance where the mask holdsthe dominant Rasa while the body creates, projects, and develops themoods.

Chhau has three schools as such, coming from Seraikella in Bihar,Mayurbhanj in Orissa and Purulia in West Bengal. While all the three Chhauforms are danced by men, Mayurbhanj uses no masks but the others do.

The themes are based on mythology, everyday life, aspects of nature or justa mood or emotion. Purulia Chhau, however, has a single focus - goodtriumphs over evil. The music is based on Hindustani Ragas and theAccompaniment is with a Nagara, a huge kettledrum, Dhol, a cylindricaldrum, and Shehnai or reed pipes.

The strenuous nature of the dance restricts performances to brief periods,

but in Purulia Chhau a single item could be forty minutes and a performance,night long.

People & Life s tyle

In a country as diverse and complex as India, it isnot surprising to find that people here reflect therich glories of the past, the culture, traditions andvalues relative to geographic locations and thenumerous distinctive manners, habits and foodthat will always remain truly Indian, according tofive thousand years of recorded history.


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From the eternal snows of the Himalayas to the cultivated peninsula of farSouth, from the deserts of the West to the humid deltas of the East, from thedry heat and cold of the Central Plateau to the cool forest foothills, Indianlifestyles clearly glorify the geography. The food, clothing and habits of anIndian differ in accordance to the place of origin.

Indians believe in sharing happiness and sorrow.A festival or a celebration is never constrained toa family or a home. The whole community orneighborhood is involved in bringing liveliness toan occasion. A lot of festivals like Diwali, Holi, Id,Christmas, and Mahaveer Jayanthi are allcelebrated by sharing sweets and pleasantrieswith family, neighbors and friends. An Indianwedding is an occasion that calls for participationof the family and friends. Similarly, neighbors

and friends always help out a family in times of need.

Ethnically Indians speak different languages, follow different religions, andeat the most diverse varieties of food all of which add to the rich Indianculture. The beauty of the Indian people lies in the spirit of tolerance, give-and-take and a composition of cultures that can be compared to a garden of flowers of various colors and shades of which, while maintaining their ownentity, lend harmony and beauty to the garden - India!

Fairs & Festivals

The Colourful mosaic of Indian festivals and fairs- as diverse as the land, is an eternal expressionof the spirit of celebration. Observed withenthusiasm and gaiety, festivals are like gemsornamenting the crown of Indian Culture. Theyare round the year vibrant interludes in themundane routine of life.


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Every season brings along new festivals, each a true celebration of the

bounties of the rich traditions followed fortime immemorial. That's not all! The birthdays of Gods and Goddesses,saints and prophets, great historical happenings and the advent of the New

Year, all find expression in colourful festivities. The same festival, thoughcelebrated differently in the various parts of the country, exhibits an eternalharmony of the spirit of celebration.

Packed with fun and excitement, festivals serve as an occasion to clean anddecorate houses, to get together with friends and relatives and to exchangegifts. New attire, dance, music and rituals- all add to their joyful rhythm. It isa time for prayer, for pageantry and processiona time to rejoice, incelebration of life.

Cuisines

The Indian cuisine boasts of an immense variety notrestricted to only curry. An authentic Indian curry isan intricate combination of a stir-fried Masala - amixture of onion, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes;various spices and seasonings with which meat;poultry, vegetables or fish is prepared to produce astew-type dish. Note: the word Masala also meansspice.

Food in India is wide ranging in variety, taste andflavour. Being so diverse geographically, each region has its own cuisine andstyle of preparation. Indian cuisine, renowned for its exotic gravies seemscomplicated for any newcomer. The Mughlai cuisine of North differs sharplyfrom the preparations of the south. The Wazwan styleof Kashmir is luxurious but the same can be said aboutBengal's Macher Jhol, Rajasthan's Dal Bati, UttarPradesh Kebabs and Punjab's Sarson Ka Saag andMakki di Roti. In India, recipes are handed down fromgeneration to generation.


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family, 23% speak languages of Dravidian origin and about 2% of thepopulation speaks Mon-Khmer languages and Sino-Tibetan languages.

Tourism in India

India is probably the only country that offers various categories of tourism. These include history tourism, adventure tourism, medical tourism (ayurvedaand other forms of Indian medications), spiritual tourism, beach tourism(India has the longest coastline in the East) etc.

Explore India - choose the locales of your choice, and see what each statehas to offer. Lose yourself in the wonder that is India. Meander through landssteeped in chivalry and pageantry that begin before recorded history.Explore modern cities that have grown organically from the roots of a multi-hued past. Make a pilgrimage to holy shrines that echo with tales of antiquity. Frolic on a vast array of golden beaches that dot an enviablecoastline, washed by two seas and an ocean. Sports with adventure in style.Let the jungle lure you to a fascinating world at a diverse array of wildlifesanctuaries and national parks... this is the wonder that is India.

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Introduction of India