Cultural History of India

Introduction

The word ‘culture’ is an umbrella term for different aspects of a region and its people. These aspects include language, religion, music, art, dance, food habits, family structure or hierarchy, unique architectures, beliefs, values, and fashion. Indian culture has evolved through time. Its rich culture is shaped by its history of being invaded, colonised and ruled by different communities for thousands of years. Additionally, India’s freedom and development into a democratic country have brought many changes to its culture.

Religious Culture

• The religious and cultural history of India can be traced to 5000 years old Indus River Valley Civilization where historians found traces of many gods and goddesses.

• The migration of the Aryans nearly 4000 to 3500 years ago during the Vedic period has also influenced religion in India.

• During the Vedic Period, the Aryans worshipped different elements of nature as Gods. They worshipped the Earth (Prithvi), Fire (Agni), Rain (Varuna), etc. Indra was the god of thunder.

• During the later Vedic period, i.e, 1000 BC to 600 BC, religious sacrifices and ritual performances gained prominence. The priestly class started dictating the rules and rituals of deity worship. The end of this period also saw the emergence of Buddhism and Jainism.

• It is during this Vedic period that the four Vedas were composed. These Vedas formed the basis of religious performances and the Hindu lifestyle.

• Hinduism is a polytheistic religion because it worships many Gods. Some principal deities are Vishnu, Shiva, Hanuman, Krishna, Durga, etc.

• The majority of the people of India follow Hinduism. Other religions include Muslim, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Christianity.

• The practice of Islam in India can be traced to the 7th century when Arab Muslims settled in India and to the reign of the Mughal emperors.

Family structure and Marriage

• The family structure and marriage in Hinduism during the ancient period in India were based on Vedic rules.

• Monogamy and polygamy were both practised during the Vedic period. Polygamy was mostly practised by rich people or zamindars (landlords) and kings.

• Due to the patriarchal nature of society, a male who is usually the father is supposed to be the head of the house.

• During the later Vedic period, child marriages were also practised.

• Polygamy was also practised in the Muslim culture.

Greetings

• Greetings in Indian culture are influenced not only by religion but also by languages.

• In traditional Hindu culture, ‘Namaste’ is the most common term that is used to greet people.

• This similar greeting can be verbally different depending on the language and the region. For example, Gujarati greet each other by saying ‘Kem Cho’ meaning (How are You?).

• In the case of Muslims, they greet by saying ‘Salaam’.

• In the case of Sikhs, they utter, ‘Sat Sri Akaal’ meaning Hello.

• Jainism greets by saying ‘Jai Jinendra’ which means ‘Honour the Supreme Jinas’.

Clothing

• Clothing for men and women in Indian culture differs from region to region.

• Turban (headgear) is commonly worn by both women and men. It is a religious symbol of many communities like the Punjabis, Rajasthanis and Maharashtrians.

• Kashmiri shawl is a product of wool from Kashmir. Kashmiri Pheran is also common clothing for men and women in the region.

• The Salwar kameez is a common clothing worn by Indian women. Here, ‘Salwar’ is the bottom wear and ‘Kameez’ is the top wear. It is also mostly worn by women from Punjab. They wear a loose version of the salwar known as ‘Patiala’.

• Saree is another common Indian traditional cloth. It is a long piece of cloth, usually 5 to 9 metres. Multiple kinds of drapes namely the Bengali drape, Nivi drape, Himalayan drape, Odisha drape, Kerala drape and many more are practised.

• Kurta is a common clothing for men in India. It is a top wear typically paired with bottom wear resembling pants. Styles of kurta differ in every region of India.

• Lungi is also a common men’s wear in India. It is firmly wrapped around the waist. It comes in different colours. The traditional lungi used in Kerala is white with a golden border.

Languages and literature

• Every state of India speaks different languages. The State Reorganisation Act of 1956 demarcated India based on languages.

• Hindu and Urdu spoken mostly in north India have their origin in the Mughal Rule and Sanskrit. Among various dialects available, the Khariboli dialect from the Devanagari script has been chosen as India’s official language.

• The language Bihari is an umbrella name for Maithili, Bhojpuri and Magadhi spoke mostly in Bihar.

• Bengali originated from Sanskrit. Assamese and Oriya, which both sound similar to Bengali, are derived from the Eastern Magadhi Apabhramsa.

• People of Punjab speak Punjabi, which is the language spoken by Sikh gurus and has come from the Gurmukhi script.

• In South India, Dravidian languages are spoken. Tamil is one of the oldest and most classical Dravidian languages.

Conclusion

Thus, the evolution of Indian culture is deeply rooted in history. Every cultural aspect is guided by principles originating in history and shaped through time. Globalisation and Industrialization have contributed towards more cultural diversity, which needs to be preserved.

FAQs

Q1. What is meant by the State Reorganisation Act, of 1956?

Ans. The State Reorganisation Act, of 1956 was passed by the Indian Government to reform the boundaries of the Indian states based on language. The states were also classified into four categories, depending on the administrative unit and governance.

Q2. What is meant by ‘Mekhala Chador’?

Ans. Mekhala Chador is a traditional attire for women of Assam. Here Mekhala is worn on the bottom part of the body and the chador is wrapped around the upper body or blouse with one end of the chador tucked in the mekhala.

Q3. How do the people of Bengal and Rajasthan greet each other?

Ans. Bengalis greet by saying ‘Nomoshkar’ meaning (Namaste). Rajasthanis greet by saying ‘Khamma Ghani’ where ‘Khamma’ means greetings and ‘Ghani’ means a lot.