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India is a diverse country with all the major religions of the world.

There are close to 1600 languages spoken in India.Indian culture is full

of unique customs and traditions that are waiting to

be explored. These cultural aspects differ widely across India’s 28

states and seven territories, and many of them stem from ancient Indian

scriptures and texts, which paved the way of life in India for centuries.

India has geographical diversity in the form of mountains, plains, plateaus, deserts and islands.

Apart from these, India has different ethnic groups due to migration from around the world.

India is known for its love of food and spices.

Indian cuisine varies from region to region, reflecting the local produce,

cultural diversity, and varied demographics of the country.

It is one of the most ancient civilizations in the world,

which includes religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

In order to know India in a better way, it will take you beyond,

because it has a rich history, stories that make it unique.

India is a land where people from different religions coexist harmoniously.

79.8% of the population worship Hinduism, 14.2% Islam, 2.3% Christianity, 1.7% Sikhism, 0.7% Buddhism and 0.4% Jainism.

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One of the most popular customs and traditions in Indian culture is the Namaste greeting,

sometimes called namaskar, translating as ‘I bow to the divine in you’.

This respectful way of saying hello, goodbye, and thank you.

The gesture is performed by placing the palms together in prayer pose

in front of the chest, fingers pointing upwards, and making a slight bow.

Another popular saying is ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, a Sanskrit verse from

Hindu scriptures that translates as ‘the guest is equivalent to god’.

In Indian culture, guests have always been given supreme importance.

When visiting temples or entering an Indian home, remove footwear and hats.

A joint family in India is where the entire family all live together, which can include

parents, wife, children and occasionally relatives.

At the head of the family is a ‘Karta’, a senior male or female who makes

economic and social decisions on behalf of the entire family, and other relations

can be equal, of mutual respect or teasing in nature.

Income goes into a common pool, which benefits all members.

Nowadays, economic development and urbanisation have led to an increase in

nuclear-like families than joint families.

increase in nuclear-like families than joint families.

Dress conservatively in a way that expresses respect for the place of worship or household.

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Every region in India has its own distinct cuisine with a signature dish or ingredient.

It’s one of the best countries for vegetarian cuisine, which you’ll find

predominantly in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Non-vegetarian options feature

strongly in Bengali, Mughlai, North Indian and Punjabi cuisine

and Kerala in South India is famous for its delicious fish dishes.

You can always guarantee plenty of fresh ingredients,

including wonderful herbs and spices used for flavour, aromas,

to enhance colours and for healing properties.

Indian cuisines are popular all over the world due to the varieties

of cooking methods used like steaming, boiling, frying, roasting, etc.

One of the best things about Indian cuisine is that it contains

different flavors of a variety of spices that makes each dish

exotic, delicious, and healthy as well. Authentic Indian spices

are the soul of every cuisine due to their exotic flavors and nutritional properties.

Some Signature Cuisines of Indian States:

*Punjab – Makke di Roti and Sarso da Saag

*West Bengal – Kosha Mangsho

*Maharastra – Misal Pav

*Bihar – Litti Chokha

*Andhra Pradesh – Kodi Pulao

*Telangana – Hyderabadi Biryani

*Gujrat – Dhokla

*Goa – Fish Curry

*Rajasthan – Dal Bati Churma

*Sikkim – Momo

*Manipur – Kangshoi

*Kerala – Appam

*Uttar Pradesh – Tunde ke Kebab

*Nagaland – Bamboo Fish

*Mizoram – Misa Mach Poora

AND MANY MORE...

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There are hundreds of celebrations to experience in India

, meaning that every day holds a new celebration.

The huge variety of festivals represents India’s rich culture and traditions,

with state-wide, religion-based, and community-focused festivals on offer.

Hindus celebrate Diwali, Holi and Makar Sakranti

Muslims observe  Eid, Baisakhi (crop harvesting)

is a Sikh festival, Jains commemorate Mahavir Jayanti

and Buddhists mark Buddha’s birthday.

Christmas and Good Friday are celebrated by Christians too.

Then there are festivals to honour saints, public figures and gurus.

Indian festivals can feature ornate idols in extravagant parades,

specific food dishes, dancing and music, sacred rituals and vibrant colours.

There are also well-being, yoga and walking festivals.

Unlike many festivals around the world which can be boozy affairs,

many ‘dry days’ where the sale of alcohol is

prohibited fall on major national Indian festivals and occasions.

Some famous festivals

Diwali. Diwali marks the start of the Hindu New Year and lasts for five days

Holi. When most Westerners think of an Indian festival, they think of Holi.chh

Dussehra. ...

Ganesh Chaturthi Festival. ...

Krishna Janmashtami. ...

Eid-ul-Fitr. ...

Gujarat Kite Festival. ...

Pushkar Camel Fair.

Durga Pooja

Chhath Pooja

Baisakhi

Gudi Padwa

Onam

Pongal

Lohri

Navratri

AND MANY MORE...

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Clothing in India varies with the different ethnicities, geography, climate,

and cultural traditions of the people of each region of India. Historically,

clothing has evolved from simple garments like kaupina, langota, achkan,

lungi, sari, to rituals and dance performances. In urban areas, western

clothing is common and uniformly worn by people of all social levels.

Traditional Indian clothing is one of the world's most distinctive hallmarks of cultural identity.

The country's dress is also a major influence on western fashion with its rich and vibrant

colors imaginative textile patterns and detailed embellishments and flowing lines.

-Female clothing

In India, women's clothing varies widely and is closely associated with the local culture, religion and climate.

Traditional Indian clothing for women across the country in Indian includes saris worn

with choli tops; a skirt called a lehenga or chaniya worn with choli and a dupatta scarf

to create an ensemble called a ghagra choli; while many south Indian children traditionally

wear Langa voni.[citation needed]. Across India, saris are traditionally worn by married women

although in areas such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, for example, the chaniya choli

(as it is called there) is worn by all ages. In many rural parts of India, traditional clothing

is still worn today due to ease of materials, comfort and accessibility.

Jewellery is hugely significant for Indian men and women.

Men traditionally wear rings with stones or necklaces, and for women, there is an assortment of

jewellery that includes maang-tikka, earrings, nose rings, necklaces, bangles, waist chains, anklets and toe-rings.

-Men clothing

For men, traditional clothes are the Achkan/Sherwani, Bandhgala, Lungi, Kurta, Angarkha,

Jama, Dhoti or Kurta Pajama. Additionally, recently western clothing such as trousers

and shirts have been accepted as traditional Indian dress by the Government of India.

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As per the Constitution of India, Hindi in Devanagari script

is designated as the official language. English is designated

as an additional official language.

They include, besides Sanskrit, the following 21 modern Indian languages:

Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi

Kashmiri, Kannada, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam

Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil,

Telugu, Santali, Sindhi, and Urdu.

AND MANY MORE..

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Religious Symbols:

Om for Hinduism, Dharmachakra for Buddhism,

Jain Prateek Chihna for Jainism, Khanda for Sikhism,

Taijitu for Daoism, star and crescent for Islam,

cross for Christianity, and Star of David for Judaism.

5 ARTEFACTS:

include stone tools, pottery vessels, metal objects

such as weapons and items of personal adornment

such as buttons, jewelry and clothing..