The culture of Northern India is the official description of the cultural heritage of the six North Indian states: Punjab , Jammu and Kashmir , Chandigarh (union territory), Kharyana , Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand [1] . There are other states that are traditionally considered part of North India, albeit unofficially: Rajasthan , Uttar Pradesh and Bihar . The culture of Northern India has its roots mainly in the Indo-Aryan traditions and customs with the assimilation of other cultures, as well as with influence from the outside, over a long period of history. The culture of Northern India reflects the diversity of traditions and custom of the vast region that it covers.
Traditional Clothing
Some women in North India wear a sari . In Jammu and Kashmir , Haryana and Punjab , such dresses as feran , hagra and alvar-kamiz are more common. An important part of the salwar kamiza is the cape - dupatta. The wearing of dupatta itself is an important element of female modesty. Dupattu mostly wear, covering her head or covering his chest. Each state has its own unique clothing. For example, patyala is famous women's trousers from Punjab, like this banarasi-sari from Uttar Pradesh, which is considered the most beautiful sari in India, known for its golden and silver brocade , fine silk and rich embroidery . For men in the countryside, casual wear is a dhoti (a piece of cloth wrapped around the hips) with a kurta or shirt. For followers of Sikhism, most of whom live in the state of Punjab, the characteristic part of the dress is the turban , or pagdi. Pagdi is a headdress that represents a 6-8-meter piece of cloth with which a wife or mother wraps the head of a husband or son. However, at present, in cities, as well as in rural areas, Western influence on casual clothing is evident.
Kitchen
Wheat products are the main diet in northern India. Usually, roti and chapati are served on the table along with sabzi - steamed vegetable dishes. A vegetarian diet is the norm for almost the entire region, except Kashmir , where non-vegetarian dishes with completely different flavors, flavors and cooking methods are popular. Punjab cuisine is rich in spices. Some famous dishes from Punjab, such as sarson da saag, dal makhani, choli (chickpea, served with naan or kulcha), kadhi-pakora, dishes cooked in a tandoori oven, lassi can be found in other regions. Rajasthan cuisine is known for dishes such as daal baati and churma. In Northern India there is a huge variety of desserts, such as halva , imarti , gujiya, khir, petha (especially agra-petha), bal-mithi (from Kumaon ).
Music
Hindustan classical music or Shastriya-sanjit - classical music of North India. This tradition originates from Vedic ritual hymns and has been developing to this day since the 12th century. Around the 12th century, Hindustan classical music was branched off from what was later called Carnatic classical music. The main idea of both systems is the melodic mood or raga , performed in a rhythmic cycle or tale . The tradition goes back to the ancient Samaved (literally, “sāma” - ritual singing), which is addressed to the norms of singing shruti or hymns, such as Rigveda . These principles were improved by Bharata Muni in his work Natya-shastra (II-III centuries) and Dattila (possibly III-IV centuries) [2] . Indian classical music has seven basic notes: "Sa", "Re", "Ha", "Ma", "Pa", "Dha", "Ne", with five additional semi-nouns, which in total is 12. Rhythmic organization based on rhythmic patterns called taals . Melodic basics are called ragas . Famous representatives of Shastriya Sanjita are Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar .
Dancing
The rich diversity of the culture of Northern India is clearly seen in various folk dances, starting with bhangra (male dance) and giddhi (female dance) from Punjab to Kathak , from ghumara and kalbelia from Rajasthan to Kinnauri-nati from Himachal Pradesh, from karma from Jharkhand to panths from Chhattisgarh, from jagars and pandva-nrityi from Uttarakhand to rauf from Kashmir. Kathak is one of eight classical dance forms that are recognized by the Sangeet Natak Academy . This dance is rooted in the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as kathaks or storytellers. Some believe that the dance developed from the rasa-lila of the Lord of Krishna — a form that also evolved from the folk garba style, which is also performed in other parts of the region, as well as in Gujarat . He was an essential theatrical performance using instrumental and vocal music along with stylized gestures to liven up the plot.
Architecture and painting
Ten of the twenty-three UNESCO World Heritage sites are located in Northern India [3] . The Taj Mahal combines elements of Indian and Muslim cultures and is one of the seven new wonders of the world . Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya , Bihar State was built by King Ashoka in 260 BC. er Khajuraho Temple and Sanchi Buddhist statues in the state of Madhya Pradesh are also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other famous architectural and holy sites are Sri Harmandir Sahib (“Golden Temple”) in Amritsar , Punjab, urban and architectural work of Le Corbusier , Dilwara temples in Mount Abu in Rajasthan.
In Northern India, developed different genres of painting, especially miniature painting. Rajput painting - the style of Indian painting, which appeared and received the highest bloom in the XVIII century in the royal courts of Rajaputana . Rajput painting depicts a range of topics and epic events, such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata , the life of Krishna , beautiful landscapes and people.
Sculpture and art
One of the well-known examples of North Indian sculpture is Ashoka's Lion Captain in Sarnath , which has become the national emblem of India and hints at the wealth and majesty of the ancient Mauryan empire . The “Bull Capitol” from Rampurwa is one of the finest examples of animal sculpture. Two different art schools, namely Gandhara and Mathura , were highly skilled in the fields of sculpture , stucco and pottery , as well as monumental painting . The kings of the Kushan kingdom , especially Kanishak, encouraged Gandahar sculptors to create sculptures about Buddha’s life and events from the Jataka story. The Gandahar Art School originated and developed in North India. A huge number of images of Buddha and Bodhisattva was made by the artists of this school. However, Mathur's art reached its peak of development during the time of the Gupta state ( 325 - 600 years ). The human figure has reached the highest sublime image in the classical period of the Gupta state, when the image of the deity is conceived and shown as a person who has attained supernatural abilities and demonstrates great spiritual meaning. The sculptures have distinct and magnificent features, graceful and refined bodies.
Literature
Northern India - the birthplace of the greatest playwright and poet of ancient India Kalidasa who wrote such classic plays in Sanskrit as " Malavikagnimitram ", " Abhijñānaśākuntalam " and " Vikramorvashi " and the poem " Raghuvamsha ", " Kumarasambhava ", " Ritusamhara "And" Meghadut ", which are unsurpassed in their imagination and comparison with other literary works. Despite Kalidasa and his creations, the grammar and phonetics of Sanskrit, in the first place, were standardized in the work of the ancient Indian linguist Panini - “ Ashtadhyay ”, which later affected many aspects of the language. Panini was a linguist who lived around the V century BC. er His Ashtadhyay is viewed as a masterpiece and is studied in a brief and complete form.
In the Middle Ages in Northern India there were many great literary scholars such as Tulsidas , Surdas , Chand Bardai , Amir Khosrov Dekhlevi , whose works " Ramacharitamanas ", " Sursagar ", " Prithvirajrazo ", " Khamsa-e-Nizami " became a huge contribution to the contribution of the Khamsa-e-Nizami . In XIX, Khari-pain became the main Indian language. Khari-pain with a highly Sanskritised dictionary or sahitik-Hindi ( literary Hindi ) was popularized by writers such as Dayananda Sarasvati and Bharamendu Harishchandra . Other important writers of the period are Dhanpatrai Shrivastav , Mahavira Prasad Dwivedi , Maithilisharan Gupt , Tripathi RN, Gopala Sharan Sinha. Such works of Dhanapatraya Srivastava, as “ Godaan ” and “ Gaban ” were translated into many languages and are known for their subtlety and the depiction of human psychology and emotions.
Communities
North India is predominantly inhabited by Indo-Aryan peoples , including various ethnic groups such as Brahmins , Ahirs , Jats , Rajputs , Gujars , Khatri , Cambodia , Bania and Dalits . The dominant religions in the region are Hinduism , Islam and Sikhism . Buddhism and Jainism , as well as other religions, are practiced by different ethnic communities. In states such as Uttarakhand , Rajasthan , Haryana , Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh , most residents practice Hinduism. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is the only one in India, where most of the population is Muslim, while the state of Punjab is the only one where the majority of the population are Sikhs.
See also
- Indian culture
Literature
- NZCC Compilation. "Flavors of India", North Zone Cultural Center, Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
- Puran Chand Sharma. Sanskriti ke Stambh, North Zone Cultural Center, Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
- Kālidāsa; Johnson (editor), WJ (2001), The Recognition of Law: A Play in Seven Acts, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-283911-4
- MacDonell, Arthur Anthony (2004), A History of Sanskrit Literature, Kessinger Publishing, ISBN 1-4179-0619-7
- Massey, Reginald (2006), India’s Dances, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 81-7017-434-1
- Thapar, Romila (1990), New Delhi and London: Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-013835-8
Notes
- ↑ North Zone Cultural Center, Ministry of Culture, Government of India official website . URl accessed on August 25, 2011
- Treat A Study of Dattilam: A Treatise on the Sacred Music of the Ancient India, 1978, p 283, Mukunda Lāṭha, Dattila
- ↑ World Cultural Heritage Listed Sites in India . URl accessed on August 25, 2011.