Tuesday 15 October 2013

Reasons Why Tourists Go For India II – Culture

Culture is referred as the way of life in India. Remarkably known for its cultural diversity, this country is a home to several ethnic groups, each having their own language and culture. The diverse history of the country, woven together in a tapestry presents the foundation of world’s major religions of Buddhism, Hinduism and the spread of Islam and Christianity. But wait, this is just the hook to the country’s rich cultural diversity. There is more to the culture of India than just the religions. The elaborate rituals, traditions, festivals, music, food, dance, architecture also comprise in the great cultural wealth of the country. It is ingrained in the culture of the country to present the unique hospitable aspect to the visitor from different parts of the world.
This hospitable side binds the country together under the belief of Atithi Devo Bhavah under which every guest is greeted at par with God and respected as a family member in terms of cordial hospitality, food and comforts. Everywhere in the country, a traveller will surely experience this commonness. Any household you visit, any hotel you stay, any sightseeing you do; every Indian will make sure you receive the best of hospitality in the country. Subdued in this common belief, rests the foundation of culture based on architecture, languages, religions, dances and cuisines.
Besides the awe-inspiring hospitality, it’s the ancient cultural heritage that bridges the ethnic diversity and brings the country on the single platform. It is the country’s inclinations towards the classical music and dance. Depicting the social-religious life, music in India is essentially melodic. There are two prominent bastions of classical music, first is Hindustani Music prevalent in north and Carnatic Music in south.
Like other aspects of Indian culture, dance also has different interpretations and there are eight distinctive classical dance forms in the country that belong to different states. They are Kathak (UP), Kathakali and Mohiniattam (Kerala), Odissi (Odisha), Bharatnatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Manipuri (Manipur) and Sattriya (Assam). But together, these dance forms through gestures and postures present the rich and elaborative side of the country’s culture.
Food is another specimen of rich Indian culture. Seasoned with spices or Masalas, these curries, flatbreads, biryanis, and other colloquial cuisines present the rich side of India’s culinary wealth.
Festivals in India are loud and colourful affairs, pulling in every one in the grandeur of the celebrations. There are festivals dedicated to regions and religions that are celebrated with great pomp and splendour. For Indian festivals, it is often said that the festive time runs in the country throughout the year. This quote itself reiterates the importance of festive times in the eternal culture of the country. Also, these festivals invite tourists from different parts of the world to participate and enjoy being the part of Indian festivities.
Architecture of India also echoes the age old resilience of the country that constantly absorbed new ideas. This openness to new ideas has brought to the country the scintillating collection of ancient ruins, sculpted temples, caves, stupas, mosques, forts, palaces and a lot more in its rich architecture.

This diversified culture also forms one major reason why tourists Go for India. The unique unity in diversity of the country’s civilization can be experienced during the cultural tours of the country.




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