Culture and Heritage of India

The culture and heritage of India features a high degree of diversity and vibrancy. India is a country of different religious beliefs. As such, there is an intermingling of culture in India. People speak in different languages; have different food and dressing habits.

There are also some tribal groups in India. Th names of some of the tribes in India are Oraon, Khasi (Meghalaya), Santhal, Mizo (Mizoram), Munda, Lushai, Meities (Manipur) and Naga (Nagaland). Oraon, Santhal and Munda are found in the eastern and central part of India. Hindi is the national language of India. However, there are 14 other official languages of India. These are:

1. Bengali
2. Marathi
3. Sanskrit
4. Tamil
5. Gujarati
6. Kashmiri
7. Malayalam
8. Oriya
9. Punjabi
10. Assamese
11. Urdu
12. Sindhi
13. Telugu
14. Kannada

As per the history, the Aryans used to dwell in the north-western part and Gangetic plain of the nation. On the other hand, the Mongoloids resided in the region of the Himalayas. The traits of the religions of India are reflected in the culture and heritage of India. The people of India follow the following religions:

• Hinduism
• Islam
• Christianity
• Jainism
• Sikhism
• Buddhism
• Zoroastrianism

Throughout the year, a large number of festivals are celebrated with extreme enthusiasm and grandeur. Some of these festivals of India are:

• March-April: Ramanavami, Mahavir Jayanti, Easter
• April-May: Eid-Milad-un-Nabi, Buddha Jayanti
• June-July: Rath Yatra
• July-August: Raksha Bandhan, Naag Panchami
• August-September: Independence day, Ganesh Chaturthi, Janmastami
• September-October: Navratri, Durga Puja, Gandhi Jayanti
• October-November: Diwali, Eid-al-fitr, Ramadan
• November-December: Nanak Jayanti
• December-January: Christmas, New Year, Losar
• January-February: Republic Day, Pongal
• Februaru-March: Holi, Shivratri, Muharram

class="content_heading">Last Updated on 1st Oct 2012