North Indian Culture - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

North Indian Culture represents the rich cultural heritage of officially the seven North Indian states of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Chandigarh

Chandigarh

Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

(Union Territory), Haryana

Haryana

Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

, Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

, Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...

and Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

. The other states which are considered traditionally as part of North India, though not formally, are Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

, Bihar

Bihar

Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

, Jharkhand

Jharkhand

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

.North Indian Culture pre-dominantly derives its roots from Indo-Aryan traditions and customs, with assimilation and impact from other cultures over long period of history. North Indian culture reflects the diversity of traditions and customs of the vast region it encompasses.

Traditional Clothing

A North Indian woman prominently wears a sari

Sari

A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...

except for states like Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana and Punjab where pheran, ghagra and salwar kameez along with dupatta

Dupatta

Dupatta Dupatta(Urdu: دوپٹا, Hindi: दुपट्टा, Bengali: ওড়না, Sindhi: پوتي, Tamil:துப்பட்ட) Dupatta(Urdu: دوپٹا, Hindi: दुपट्टा, Bengali: ওড়না, Sindhi: پوتي, Tamil:துப்பட்ட) (alternative names include chadar (in Pakistan), orni/odhni, chunri, chunni, orna, and pacheri, is a long,...

or overcloth respectively is more common. Dupatta or overcloth forms an indispensable part of salwar kameez and symbolic of modesty. The primary use of a dupatta is to cover the head and/or any inadvertent cleavage and the contour of the bosom. Each state has some or the other attire that's unique to it for e.g. Patiala salwar

Patiala salwar

A Patiala salwar is a type of female trousers which has its roots in Patiala City in the Northern region of Punjab state in India. The King of Patiala in earlier times had its Royal dress as Patiala Salwar...

is a famous female trousers from Punjab, similarly Banarasi sari are considered to be finest saris in India are known for their gold and silver brocade, fine silk and opulent embroidery from state of Uttar Pradesh. For men dhoti with kurta or shirt along with turban or pagdi forms the common dress in rural areas. Pagdi or Topi is a headgear symbolic of respect and status one holds. However western influence can easily be seen in urban as well as rural areas nowadays.

Cuisine

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

forms the staple diet of North India and is usually served in form of rotis /chapatis along with subzi. Prominent daily diet consists of vegetarian food except for Kashmir, however non-vegetarian food is too popular.Mughlai cuisine

Mughlai cuisine

Mughlai cuisine is a style of cookery developed in the Indian Subcontinent by the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire. It represents the cooking style used in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Pakistan and in parts of Dhaka in Bangladesh and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh...

is known for non-vegetarian dishes with distinct aroma, taste and different style of cooking. Punjabi food is known for being spicy and tasty. Some of the famous dishes from Punjab includes Sarson da Saag

Sarson Da Saag

Sarson Da Saag is a popular curry in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan made from mustard leaves and spices....

, Dal Makhani

Dal makhani

-History:Dal Makhani is a signature staple food that originates from Punjab - a state in the north west of India. It is also known, as Maah-ki-dal Dal Makhani is favorite dish to order when dining out in most parts of India. Like the people of Punjab the dish is robust one and not for calorie...

, Choley (with naan or kulcha), Kadhi Pakora, Lassi

Lassi

Lassi is a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink of the Indian Subcontinent. It is made by blending yogurt with water and Indian spices...

etc. A number of Punjabi dhabas can be found all over region. Rajasthani cuisine is famous for its dishes like Daal-Baati, Churma etc. A variety of desserts can be found in North India, to name a few like Halwa(sweet pudding), Imarti, Gujia, Kheer, Petha

Petha

Petha is a translucent soft candy from North India. Usually in the shape of rectangular or cylindrical pieces, it is made from the ash gourd vegetable .With growing demand and perhaps innovations, more and more varieties of the original preparation are available...

(specially Agra Petha), Bal Mithai

Bal Mithai

Bal Mithai is a brown chocolate-like fudge, made with roasted khoya, coated with white sugar balls, and is a popular sweet from the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in India, especially regions around Almora...

(from Kumaon).

Music

Hindustani classical music

Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...

or Shastriya Sangeet represents the classical music of North India. It is a tradition that originated in Vedic ritual chants and has been evolving since the 12th century CE. Around the 12th century, Hindustani classical music diverged from what eventually came to be identified as Carnatic classical music. The central notions in both these systems is that of a melodic mode or raga, sung to a rhythmic cycle or tala. The tradition dates back to the ancient Samaveda, (lit. sāma=ritual chant), which deals with the norms for chanting of srutis or hymns such as the Rig Veda. These principles were refined in the Natyashastra by Bharata (2nd-3d c. CE) and the Dattilam (probably 3d-4th c. AD)). Indian classical music has seven basic notes, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni, with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale. The rhythmic organization is based on rhythmic patterns called Taal

Taal

Taal is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for language and was used as an early name for Afrikaans; it may also refer to the South African creole language Tsotsitaal.The word Taal can also refer to:*Tala...

. The melodic foundations are called ragas. Noted representatives of Shastriya Sangeet with a worldwide acclaim are Pandit Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...

and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

Ali Akbar Khan

Ali Akbar Khan , often referred to as Khansahib or by the title Ustad , was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod...

Dance

The rich cultural heritage of North India is most prominently represented in different folk dance found here. Starting with Bhangra (men’s dance) and Gidha (women’s dance) from Punjab to Kathak

Kathak

Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh, India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers...

; from Ghoomar

Ghoomar

Ghoomar is a traditional women's folk dance of Rajasthan, India which was developed by the Bhil tribe and was adopted by other Rajasthani communities...

and Kalbeliya dance from Rajasthan to Kinnauri Nati from Himachal Pradesh; Karma

Karma

Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....

from Jharkhand to Panthi from Chattisgarh; from Jagars and Pandva Nritya from Uttarakhand to Rouf of Kashmir celebrates the richness of culture and traditions of North India. Kathak is one of the eight classical dance forms as conferred by Sangeet Natak Akademi

Sangeet Natak Akademi

Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...

. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers. Some believe it evolved from Lord Krishna's raas lilas, forms of which have also evolved into the popular Garba-style dances popular in other parts of region and Gujarat. It was quintessential theatre, using instrumental and vocal music along with stylized gestures, to enliven the stories.

Architecture and Paintings

The vastness of architectural marvels in North India can easily be exemplified by the fact that out of twenty-three cultural world heritage sites in India declarerd by UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

ten are present in North India. The Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...

, a perfect blend of Muslim and Indian architecture, is one of the new seven wonders of world. The Mahabodhi Temple

Mahabodhi Temple

The Mahabodhi Temple is a Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, the location where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is located about from Patna, Bihar state, India. Next to the temple, to its western side, is the holy Bodhi tree...

complex at Bodh Gaya, Bihar built by Emperor Ashoka

Ashoka

Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...

in 260 BC, marks the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautam Buddha

Buddha

In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...

.Khajuraho

Khajuraho

The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho , a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about southeast of New Delhi, are one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for...

temple and Buddhist monuments of Sanchi

Sanchi

Sanchi is a small village in Raisen District of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, it is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and Vidisha in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the location of several Buddhist monuments dating from the 3rd...

in Madhya Pradesh finds itself in list of world heritage sites. Apart from these other renowned architecture/holy sites are Sri Harmandir Sahib(“The Golden Temple”) in Amritsar, Punjab, Urban and Architectural Work of Le Corbusier in Chandigarh, Dilwara Temples

Dilwara Temples

The Jain Dilwara temples of India are located about 2½ kilometers from Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station. These temples built by Chalukya between the 11th and 13th centuries AD are world famous for their stunning use of marble. The five legendary marble temples of Dilwara are a sacred...

of Mount Abu, Rajasthan to name a few. A different genre of paintings evolved in North India specially the Miniature paintings. Rajput Painting

Rajput painting

Rajput painting, also known as Rajasthani Painting, is a style of Indian painting, evolved and flourished during the 18th century in the royal courts of Rajputana, India, flowing from the style of Mughal painting, itself derived from the Persian miniature. Each Rajput kingdom evolved a distinct...

a style of Indian painting that evolved and flourished during the 18th century, in the royal courts of Rajputana. Rajput paintings depict a number of themes, events of epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Krishna's life, beautiful landscapes, and humans. Madhubani Painting

Madhubani painting

]]Madhubani painting or Mithila painting is a style of Indian painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state, India and the adjoining parts of Terai in Nepal. In the present time the main artists include Smt Bharti Dayal ' Ganga devi ' Smt Bua Devi ,late Smt Jagdamba Devi,late Smt Sita...

is a style of painting that is practiced in Mithila region of Bihar state. Themes revolve around Hindu Gods and mythology, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings.

Sculpture and Art

One of the most prominent example of North India sculpture is Lion capital of Ashoka, Sarnath

Sarnath

Sarnath or Sārnātha is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. Sarnath is located 13 kilometres north-east of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, India...

which also forms the national emblem India. It gives a hint to the richness and grandeur of ancient Mauryan empire. The Rampurva Bull capital is one of the best specimens of animal sculpture. Two different schools of art namely Gandhara and Mathura school of arts evolved which represented the developments in sculptures, stucco and clay as well as in mural paintings. The Kushana kings, particularly Kanishaka, encouraged the Gandhara artists to sculpture themes from Buddha’s life and the Jatakas. The distinctive school of art which grew here is called the Gandhara school of art. A large number of the images of the Buddha and the Bodhisattavas were produced. Mathura art, however, reached its peak during the Gupta period (AD 325 to 600). The human figure reached its highest sublimation in the Gupta classical phase when the divine images conceived and rendered in the shape of a human being assumed a superhuman aspect and attained the true spiritual import. The sculptures were marked by sharp and beautiful features, graceful and slim body, with many folds of transparent drapery and a new style of coiffure.

Literature and Philosophy

North India boasts of the legacy of one of the greatest poet and dramatist ever born, Kalidasa

Kalidasa

Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...

, who wrote classic Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

plays like Mālavikāgnimitram

Malavikagnimitram

Mālavikāgnimitram is a Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. It is his first play.The play tells the story of the love of King Agnimitra, the Shunga king of Vidisha , for the beautiful hand-maiden of his chief queen. He falls in love with the picture of an exiled servant girl named Mālavikā...

, Abhijñānaśākuntalam

Abhijñānaśākuntalam

Abhijñānashākuntala or Abhijñānaśākuntalam) , is a well-known Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Its date is uncertain, but Kalidasa is often placed in the period between the 1st century BCE and 4th century CE....

and Vikramōrvaśīyam

Vikramorvasiyam

Vikramōrvaśīyam is a Sanskrit play by medieval Indian poet Kalidasa who fluorished in the 4th Century CE, on the Vedic love story of king Pururavas and celestial nymph Urvashi...

and poems like Raghuvaṃśa

Raghuvamsa

Raghuwamsa or Raghu race is a legendary lineage of warrior kings tracing its ancestry to the Hindu solar deity Surya. Kalidasa's famous work, Raghuvaṃśa depicts the legend of this race. The progenitor of the lineage was Raghu, son of the emperor Dileepa. Raghu was father of Aja, and thus...

, Kumārasambhava

Kumarasambhava

Kumārasambhava is a Sanskrit epic poem by Kālidāsa; the first eight cantos are accepted as his authorship...

, Ṛtusaṃhāra and Meghadūta

Meghadūta

Meghadūta is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa, considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets.A short poem of 111 stanzas, it is one of Kālidāsa's most famous works...

where use of imagination and similes remains unmatched with any other literary work. Apart from the Sanskrit dramas, we can also find that Panini`s Ashtadhyayi standardized Sanskrit grammar and phonetics. Panini has left an indelible mark on Sanskrit grammar and phonetics. Panini was a grammarian from approximately 5th century B.C. His masterpiece is called Ashtadhyayi and is a study in brevity and completeness. Medieval North India had great literary scholars like Tulsidas

Tulsidas

Tulsidas , was a Hindu poet-saint, reformer and philosopher renowned for his devotion for the god Rama...

, Surdas

Surdas

Surdas, the 15th century sightless saint, poet and musician, is known for his devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. Surdas is said to have written and composed a hundred thousand songs in his magnum opus the 'Sur Sagar' , out of which only about 8,000 are extant...

, Chand Bardai

Chand Bardai

Chand Bardai was the court poet of the Indian king Prithviraj III Chauhan, who ruled Ajmer and Delhi from 1165 to 1192. A native of Lahore, Chand Bardai composed the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem in Hindi about the life of Prithviraj...

, Amir Khusro

Amir Khusro

Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrow , better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī , was an Indian musician, scholar and poet. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent...

whose work Ramcharitmanas, Sur Sagar, Prithiviraj Raso and Khamsa-e-Nizami respectively contributed to richness of literarture. From 19th century onwards Khadiboli became the general Hindu language; Khadiboli with heavily Sanskritized vocabulary or Sahityik Hindi (Literary Hindi) was popularized by the writings of Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer, and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. He was the first to give the call for Swarajya – "India for Indians" – in 1876, later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak...

, Bhartendu Harishchandra and others. Other important writers of this period are Premchand, Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi

Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi

Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi was a noted Indian Hindi writer. Adhunikkaal, or the Modern period of the Hindi literature is divided into four phases, and he represents the second phase, known as the Dwivedi Yug after him, which was preceded by the Bharatendu Yug , followed by the Chhayavad Yug and the...

, Maithili Sharan Gupt

Maithili Sharan Gupt

Maithilisharan Gupt was one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He is considered among the pioneers of Khari Boli poetry and wrote in Khari Boli at a time when most Hindi poets favoured the use of Brajbhasha.- Early life :Born Chirgaon, Jhansi in a Gahoi family...

, R N Tripathi and Gopala Sharan Sinha. Premchand works like Godaan

Godaan

Godaan The Gift of a Cow is a Hindi novel by Munshi Premchand.It was first published in 1936 and is considered one of the greatest Hindi-Urdu novels of modern Indian literature. Themed around the socio economic deprivation as well as the exploitation of the village poor, the novel was the last...

, Gaban have been translated into various languages, and are known for its subtleness and display of human psychology and emotions.

Communities

North India is predominantly Indo-Aryan and includes various ethnic groups such as Brahmins, Ahirs, Jats, Rajputs, Gurjars, Khatris, Kambojs, Banias and Dalits. Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism are the dominant religions in North India. Other religions practiced by various ethnic communities include Jainism and Buddhism. The states of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh are overwhelmingly Hindu. Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India with a majority Muslim population while Punjab is the only state with a majority Sikh population.