INCREDIBLE INDIA

India is famous for a lot of things around the world from yoga to its diversity from its travel destinations to its rich past but one thing that this country is better at doing than most is celebrating festivals, lots of festivals.

India is famous for its unity in diversity pledge. India is famous for its hospitality where we still follow 'Atithi Devo Bhavo' which means our guest is our god.India is famous for its spices and our cuisine is world famous, no doubt in that.

DIVERSITY

The culture of India refers collectively to the thousands of distinct and unique cultures of all religions and communities present in India  India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food, and customs differs from place to place within the country, often labeled as an amalgamation of several cultures, spans across the Indian subcontinent and has been influenced by a history that is several millennia old. Many elements of India's diverse cultures, such as Indian religions, philosophy, cuisine, languages,martial arts,dance,music and movies have a profound impact across the Indosphere,Greater India and the world.

India has 29 states with different culture and civilizations and one of the most populated countries in the world.The Indian culture, often labeled as an amalgamation of several various cultures, spans across the Indian subcontinent and has been influenced and shaped by a history that is several thousand years old. Throughout the history of India, Indian culture has been heavily influenced by Dharmic religions.

RELIGION

India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and other religions. They are collectively known as Indian religions. Indian religions are a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic ones. Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third and fourth-largest religions respectively, with over 2 billion followers altogether, and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers. Followers of Indian religions – Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists make up around 80–82% population of India.

Islam in India is the second largest religion with over 172 million Muslims, according to India's 2011 census.^[33] The Islamic festivals which are observed and are declared public holiday in India are; Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Adha-(Bakri Eid), Milad un Nabi, Muharram and Shab-e-Barat.^[80] Some of the Indian states have declared regional holidays for the particular regional popular festivals; such as Arba'een, Jumu'ah-tul-Wida and Shab-e-Qadar.

Christianity is India's third largest religion. With over 23 million Christians, of which 17 million are Roman Catholics, India is home to many Christian festivals. The country celebrates Christmas and Good Friday as public holidays.

CLOTHING

Traditional clothing in India greatly varies across different parts of the country and is influenced by local culture, geography, climate and rural/urban settings. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari and mekhela sador for women and dhoti or lungi or panche (in Kannada) for men. Stitched clothes are also popular such as churidar or salwar-kameez for women, with dupatta (long scarf) thrown over shoulder completing the outfit. Salwar is often loose fitting, while churidar is a tighter cut.

LANGUAGE

India has 28 states and seven territories, according to the World Health Organization. There is no official language in India, according to a Gujarat High Court ruling in 2010, though Hindi is the official language of the government. The Constitution of India officially recognizes 23 official languages. 

Many people living in India write in Devanagari script. In fact, it is a misconception that the majority of people in India speak Hindi. Though many people speak Hindi in India, 59 percent of India residents speak something other than Hindi, according to The Times of India. Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu are some other languages spoken in the country. 

FOOD

Based on the ancient book of healthcare,Ayurveda, Indian cuisine is not just a beautiful kaleidoscope of taste and colours but is also very nutritious and healthy

Wheat, Basmati rice and pulses with chana (Bengal gram) are important staples of the Indian diet. The food is rich with curries and spices, including ginger, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, dried hot peppers, and cinnamon, among others. Chutneys — thick condiments and spreads made from assorted fruits and vegetables such as tamarind and tomatoes and mint, cilantro and other herbs — are used generously in Indian cooking.

ARCHITECTURE AND ART

Indian architecture has taken on many styles and forms throughout history. Many of these past forms have become globally iconic, such as the Taj Mahal and South Indian Temples. Domes, minarets (slender towers), intricate latticework, and calligraphy work are all traditional characteristics of Indian architecture that can be found on sites like the Taj Mahal. Although images of ornate buildings with domes and minarets may come to mind when we think of Indian architecture, modern Indian architecture looks much different than its traditional lineage

The most well-known example of Indian architecture is the Taj Mahal,  It combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles. India also has many ancient temple.



TRADITIONAL DANCES

The Indian dances are broadly divided into Classical dances and folk dances. The Classical dances of India are usually spiritual in content. Though the folk dances of India are also spiritual and religious in content but the main force behind the folk dances of India is the celebratory mood. Like the Indian culture, Indian classical dances are equally diverse in nature. There are numerous classical dance forms in India and innumerable folk dances. Each dance form can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people

The most popular classical dance styles of India are Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kathakali and Mohiniattam of Kerala, Odissi of Orissa, Kathak of Uttar Pradesh, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh and Manipuri of Manipur. All these dance forms use basically the same 'mudras' or signs of hand as a common language of expression and were originally performed in the temples to entertain various Gods and Goddesses. The Indian Classical Dance is often regarded as the form of worship and meditation.

FESTIVAL

Diwali is the largest and most important holiday to India, according to National Geographic. It is a five-day festival known as the festival of lights because of the lights lit during the celebration to symbolize the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. Holi, the festival of colors, also called the festival of love, is popular in the spring. The country also celebrates Republic Day (Jan. 26), Independence Day (Aug. 15) and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday (Oct. 2).

Popular religious festivals include the Hindu festivals of Navratri,Janmashtami, Diwali, Maha Shivratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja, Holi, Rath Yatra, Ugadi, Onam, Vasant Panchami, Rakshabandhan, and Dussehra. Several harvest festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Pusnâ, Hornbill, Chapchar Kut, Pongal and Raja sankaranti swinging festival are also fairly popular.

SPORTS

India is home to a diverse population playing many different kinds of sports across the country. Cricket is the most popular sport in India. Field hockey is the most successful sport for India at Olympics in which India has won eight Olympic gold medals. Kabaddi is the most popular indigenous sport in the country.
 Other popular sports in India are Badminton, Football, Basketball, Chess, Shooting, Wrestling, Boxing, Tennis, Squash, Weightlifting, Gymnastic, Athletics and Table Tennis. Some indigenous sports are also popular in India such as Kho-kho, Kabaddi, Fighter kite, Polo and Gillidanda among others. There are some popular sports which has originated in India such as Chess, Snooker and Kabbadi. India has won Olympic medals in Badminton, Wrestling, Shooting, Weightlifting, Boxing and Tennis. India has also won World Cups in Cricket, Field Hockey and Kabbadi.

TOURISM

India is known among modern travelers for its colorful culture, rich history, beautiful landscapes and breathtaking architecture, but the country wasn't always a popular tourist destination. As recently as 2003, India was receiving fewer than 3 million foreign tourist arrivals each year, but the numbers have changed drastically since then. Foreign tourist arrival numbers in 2017 exceeded 10 million, and analysts expect to see more than 15 million tourists visiting India annually by 2025. India's rapidly growing tourism sector now plays a huge role in the nation's economy, supporting tens of millions of jobs and generating billions of dollars each year.

• Yatra in Hinduism and other Indian religions generally means a pilgrimage to holy places.
• Millions of devotees visit this auspicious holy Yatra and pay homage to the temples every year. The Yatra offers you a sense of belongingness, heart Purity and the act of self-actualization in life.
• Two of most sacred Yatra in India are “Char Dham Yatra” by Hindu and “Hajj Yatra” by Muslim.
• The famous Yatra in India are-
  • Hajj Yatra
  • Amaranth Yatra
  • Vaishno Devi
  • Kashi Yatra
  • Chota Char Dham Yatra
  • Ratha Yatra

FACTS ABOUT INDIA:

•  The name ‘India’ is derived from the river Indus. It is a valley around which people settled in earlier times.
•  India is also one of the largest democracies in the world.
•  The second largest pool of engineers and scientists is from India.
•  India is the second largest English speaking country in the world – 125,226,449 numbers of English speakers.
•  Over 4700 daily newspapers in more than 300 languages are produced in India.
•  The largest wholesale spice market of Asia is in India – Khari Baoli, New Delhi. 
•  India is house to the world’s biggest family: 39 wives, 94 children, and 33 grandchildren. The family lives in a 100-room, four-story house set amidst the hills of Baktwang village in the Indian state of Mizoram.
•  ‘Zero’ in the number system was invented by a mathematician from India. His name was Aryabhatta.
•  Yoga originated from India and is still in existence for over 5000 years.
•  Before the 18th century, India was one of the richest countries in the world.
•  India has the biggest population of vegetarians in the world.
• National bird of India is Peacock
• National animal of India is Tiger
• National flower of India is Lotus
• National flag of India is Tiranga
• National anthem of India is Jana-Gana-Mana
• National song of India is Vande Maataram