Culture & Heritage India
People

India is probably the only country with the largest and most diverse mixture
of races. All the five major racial types - Australoid, Mongoloid, Europoid,
Caucasian and Negroid - find representation among the people of India.
History
The history of India is shrouded in antiquity. The country has been thought
of as a nation of philosophers with a well-developed and even idyllic society.
Excavations of sites belonging to the Harappan era show that the people lived
in brick houses in towns with excellent drainage. One of the oldest scriptures
in the world is the four-volume Vedas that many regard as the repository of
national thoughts that anticipated some of the modern scientific discoveries.
Despite formidable barriers in the form of the mighty Himalayas and oceans,
India also received a succession of foreigners, many of them carrying swords
and guns. But nearly all of them stayed on. Out of these waves of immigration
has emerged the composite culture of India and made it a land of unity in diversity.
India became a land of assimilation and learning, a land of change and continuity.
The Aryans were among the first to arrive in India which was inhabited by the
Dravidians. Others who came here included Greeks, Persians, Mughals and even
British, Portugese and French. Over the years there have been many major ruling
dynasties like the Shakas, the Kushans, the Maurayas and Guptas. Nearly every
major religion in the world is represented in India which is also the land of
the Lord Buddha, Lord Mahavira and Guru Nanak Dev, the founders of Buddhism,
Jainism and Sikhism.
National Animal

The
large Asiatic carnivorous feline quadruped, Panthera tigris, maneless, of tawny
yellow colour with blackish transerve stripes and white belly, proverbial for
its power and its magnificence is the national animal of India. There are very
few tigers left in the world today. A decade ago the tiger population in India
had dwindled to a few hundreds.
National Tree
Bengalensis, whose branches root themselves like new trees over a large area
The roots then give rise to more trunks an branches. Because of this characteristic
and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral pa of
the myths and legends of India.
Fairs & Festivals in India
India is a rich land which has attracted invaders from Central Europe and Asia
who left their imprint on this land, its religions and its lifestyles over 40
centuries. The Greeks , under Al-exander the great, travelled as far down as
the lower Indus River which they mis pronounced as the "Hindu River"
Consequently, all the various in vaders, with their conflicting faiths, who
inhabited the land of the Indus River were called Hindus and their land, Hindustan.
It was shortened to "HIND", then "IND" and finally INDIA.
Festivals in India are determined by the Solar & Lunar positions & they
may fall in a different month as specified here. Kindly contact our members
for exact date/ month of festivals/ fairs in India.
» January
Common Festivals: Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Pongal, Thai Pusam, Float Festival,
National Kite Festival, Kerela Village Fair, Bikaner Festival, Pattadakal Dance
Festival, Id-ul-Fittr, Vasant Panchami
» February
Common Festivals: Mahashivratri, Goa Carnival, Desert Festival, Nagaur Fair,
International Yoga Week, Elephant Festival, Deccan Festival, Taj Mahotsav, Surajkund
Crafts Mela, Chapchar Kut, Islands Tourism Festival
» March

Common
Festivals: Holi, Gangaur, Jamshed-e-Navroz, Ramnavami, id-ul-Zuha, Mahavir Jayanti,
Khajuraho Dance Festival, Elephant Festival, Hoysala Mahotsava, Ellora Festival.
» April
Common Festivals: Good Friday, Easter, Baisakhi, Gudi Padva or Ugadi, Pooram,
Maharram, Buddha Purnima, Mewar
» May
Common Festivals: Urs
» June
Common Festivals: Ganga Dussehra, Hemis Festival,
» July
Common Festivals: Rathyatra, Guru Purnima
» August
Common Festivals: Janmashtami, Onam, Nag Panchami, Rakshabandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi
» September
Common Festivals: Tarnetar Mela
» October
Common Festivals: Navratri, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Marwar Festival
» November

Common
Festivals: Sharad Purnima, Diwali, Guu Purab, Ka Pomblang Nongrem, Sonepur Fair,
Pushkar Fair, Hampi Festival
» December
Common Festivals: Christmas, Konark Dance Festival
Physical Features
India, with an area of 3.3 million sq. km, is a subcontinent. The
peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The country lies
between 8° 4' and 37° 6' north of the Equator and is surrounded by the
Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean
to the south. The Himalayas form the highest mountain range in the world, extending
2,500 km over northern India. Bounded by the Indus river in the west and the
Brahmaputra in the east, the three parallel ranges, the Himadri, Himachal and
Shivaliks have deep canyons gorged by the rivers flowing into the Gangetic plain.
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