India

India´s Culture

Geography

India's coast is 7,517 kilometres long; of this distance, 5,423 kilometres belong to peninsular India, and 2,094 kilometres to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands. According to the Indian naval hydrographic charts, the mainland coast consists of the following: 43% sandy beaches, 11% rocky coast including cliffs, and 46% mudflats or marshy coast.
MajorHimalayan-origin rivers that substantially flow through India include the Ganges (Ganga) and the Brahmaputra, both of which drain into the Bay of Bengal. Among notable coastal features of India are the marshy Rann of Kutch in western India, and the alluvial Sundarbans delta, which India shares with Bangladesh. India has two archipelagos: the Lakshadweep, coral atolls off India's south-western coast;and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a volcanic chain in the Andaman Sea.
India's climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, both of which drive the monsoons. The Himalayas prevent cold Central Asian Katabatic wind from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes.
Four major climatic groupings predominate inIndia: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and montane.

General culture

India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism and cultural pluralism. India's cultural tradition dates back to 8,000 BCE and has a continuously recorded history for over 2,500 years.
the Indian culture took a distinctive shape during the 11th century BCE Vedic age which laid the foundation of Hinduphilosophy, mythology, literary tradition and beliefs and practices, such as dhárma, kárma, yóga and mokṣa. It has managed to preserve established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants and spreading its cultural influence to other parts of Asia.

INDIAN CUISINE

Indian cuisine is characterised by a wide variety of regional styles andsophisticated use of herbs and spices. The staple foods in the region are rice and wheat. Spices are originally native to the Indian subcontinente.

INDIAN DRESS

Traditional Indian dress varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men; in addition,stitched clothes such as salwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular.

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE
Much of it, including notable monuments such as the Taj Mahal, comprises a blend of ancient and varied local traditions from several parts of the country and abroad. Vernacular architecture also displays notable regional variation.

INDIANMUSIC
Indian music covers a wide range of traditions and regional styles. Classical music largely encompasses the two genres – North Indian Hindustani, South Indian Carnatic traditions. Regionalised forms of popular music include filmi and folk music; the syncretic tradition of the bauls is a well-known form of the latter.

INDIAN LITERATURE
The earliest works of Indian literature weretransmitted orally and only later written down. These included works of Sanskrit literature – such as the early Vedas, the epics Mahābhārata and Ramayana, the drama Abhijñānaśākuntalam , etc.
Among Indian writers of the modern era active in Indian languages or English, Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in 1913.

Sport
India's official national sport is field hockey, administered by Hockey India.The Indian field hockey team won the 1975 Hockey World Cup and 8 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals at the Olympic games,the highest from any national team. However, cricket is the most popular sport; the India national cricket team won the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka. India has also won the Asia Cup a record...