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Culture & Heritage India

National Emblems
The National emblem of India is a replica of the Lion of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Lion Capital was erected in the third century BC Emperor Asholsa to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaim' his gospel of peace am emancipation. The National emblem is thus symbolic of contemporary India's reaffirmatiol of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill. The four lions (one hidden from view) - symbolizing power, courage and confidence - rest on a circular abacus.
Four smaller animals guardians of the four directions gird the abacus: the lion of the north, the elephant of the east, the horse of the souti-and the bull of the west. The abacus rests on a lotus ii full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. The motto 'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means 'truth alone triumphs'.

National Bird
Male Bird of species Peacock cristatus, is a native of India, with striking plumage and upper tail converts marked with iridescent ocelli, able to expand its tail erect like fan as ostentatious display. Peacocks are related to pheasants. Found wild in India (and also domesticated in villages) they live in jungle lands near water. They were once bred for food but now hunting of peacock is banned in India. The peahen has no plumage. These birds do not sound as beautiful as they look- they have a harsh call.

Religion
India has long been known as a very spiritual, religious heavy area of the world. In India, religion is a way of life. It is an integral part of the entire Indian tradition. For the majority of Indians, religion permeates every aspect of life, from common-place daily chores to education and politics. Secular India is home to Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other innumerable religious traditions. Hinduism is the dominant faith, practiced by over 80% of the population. Besides Hindus, Muslims are the most prominent religious group and are an integral part of Indian society. In fact India has the second largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Common practices have crept into most religious faiths in India and many of the festivals that mark each year with music, dance and feasting are shared by all communities. Each has its own pilgrimage sites, heroes, legends and even culinary specialties, mingling in a unique diversity that is the very pulse of society. In 600 B.C., around the time of the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha, India was comprised of many small communities under different rulers, some organized in to kingdoms but for the most part, in to small city states. Long had been in the process of the caste system which still exists today. The noble class, Priestly Class, the Merchant class, the Worker class and the Slave class still exist in India in some form or another currently. The current area takes what it can from the known history of the people of India, and incorporates some of the legends from their religious texts, The Rig Veda and the Bhagavad Gita. The current area is also comprised of two small villages, the Island of Ceylon (currently known as Sri Lanka) and the city of Bhimbhetka which is in relatively close proximity to current-day Bengal.

Languages
India has 17 major languages and 844 different dialects. The Sanskrit of the Aryan settlers has merged with the earlier Dravidian vernaculars to give rise to new languages. Hindi, spoken by about 45 per cent of the population, is the national language. English has also been retained as a language for official communication. Indian literature dates back several millennia to the hymns of the vedic Aryans. The oral tradition nurtured lassical literature, and produced great works of philosophy and religious doctrine. It also accounted for compilations of anecdotes like the Panchatantra and the Jataka tales, as well as epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In southern India, the creative energies of the Tamil poets found expression in the great works of Sangam literature. The epic Tirukkural by Tiruvalluvar is a masterpiece of this age. In the north, dramatists like Kalidasa and Bhasa produced great dramas in Sanskrit.

National Flag
The Indian flag was designed as a symbol of freedom. The late Prime Minister Nehru called it "a flag not only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all people." The flag is a horizontal tricolour in equal proportion of deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is two is to three. In the centre of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra, the wheel of law in the Samath Lion Capital. Its diameter approximates the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and truth; the green for faith and fertility.

National Flower
The Lotus or waterlily is an aquatic plant of Nymphaea family with broad floating leaves and bright fragrant flowers that waters. The leaves and flowers float and have long stems that contain air spaces. The big attractive flowers have many petals overlapping in a symmetrical pattern. The root functions are carried out by rhizomes that fan out horizontally through the mud below the water. Lotuses, prized for their serene beauty, are delightful to behold as their blossoms open on the surface of a pond. In India the sacred lotus is legendary and much folklore and religious mythology is woven around it.

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