A Glimpse of India

Indian Students Association (ISA)

proudly presents

Copyright @2002Hindu Students Council (HSC) – NCSU and MAITRI

http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_orgs/hschttp://www.ncsu.edu/stud_orgs/maitri

India-a Diverse Nation

India is a picture of diversity seen in her people, cultures, colorful festivals, dresses and costumes, religions, flora and fauna and varying landscapes.

India is roughly one third the size of USA.

It has 29 states and 6 union territories. There are 18 official languages, 114 languages, 216 mother tongues and 900 dialects in India.

India-a Diverse Nation

Religions of India

Four major religions of the world have originated from India: Hinduism,Jainism,

Sikhism and Buddhism.

Hindu Temple Jain Temple

Sikh Gurudwara Buddhist Pagoda

Religions of India

Bahai Lotus Temple Parsi Fire Temple Jewish Synagogue

St. Paul's Cathedral Nakhoda Mosque

India-the Largest Democracy

India is the largest democracy in the world, seventh largest country and the second most

populous.

India-an Ancient Civilization

India is one of the oldest continuous civilizations. The story of civilization begins in India with the Harrapan civilization which was nurtured by the Sarasvati and Sindhu rivers in Northwestern India in 3000 B.C.

Dances of India

The cultural richness of India is reflected in her numerous classical and

folk dances.

Bharatnatyam is one of the seven major classical dance forms, which originated in India. It originated in the state of

Tamil Nadu.

Bharatnatyam

Kathakali

Kathakali is one of the oldest theatre forms in the world. It originated in

the area of southwestern India now known as the state of Kerala.

Mohiniyattam

This classical style was born

out of a clever fusion of Kathakali

with Bharatnatyam. It shows deep affinities with both

these styles.

Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi was born in a remote village of Andhra Pradesh from which it

derives its name.The style portrays various religious themes in the form of a dance drama.

Odissi

Odissi may be the earliest classical dance style of

India. Natyashastra, the most ancient and authentic text on

Indian Dance and Dramatics,also acknowledges

its existence.

It is nurtured in the famous shrines of Orissa situated at Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar.

.

Manipuri

Manipuri dance originated in Manipur. The love of Lord Krishna and Radha is the dominant theme in this dance form.

Kathak

The Kathak dance form originated in the north and at first was very similar to the Bharatanatyam.  Persian and Muslim influences later altered the dance from a temple ritual to a courtly entertainment. The  influence of the Mughal tradition is evident in this dance form.

Folk DancesDandiya - A folk dance of Gujarat. Its popularity has spread all over India.

Bhangra – This folk dance from Punjab is characterized by vigorous movements. Bhangra is a rage in India.

Folk Dances

Bihu is the folk dance of Assam.

Yakshagana is a folk dance of Karnataka. It has been revived recently.

Classical Music

Indian classical music has a rich tradition. The earliest musical compositions are attributed in the Samveda more than 4000 years ago. Indian musical instruments like sitar, tabla and sarangi are popular throughout the world today.

Yoga

Yoga originated in India more than 5000 years ago. It means union. The part of Yoga dealing with physical exercise, Hathayoga, is widely practiced throughout the world today.

Wildlife

Royal Bengal Tiger. Its habitat is the mangrove forest of the Sunderbans.

Peacock is the national bird of India.

Wildlife

Kaziranga is the home of the one-horned Rhino.

The Red Panda is found in the hills of Darjeeling.

Wildlife

The Indian elephant is smaller than its African counterpart. Elephants were extensively used in warfare in ancient times. They are still used for various temple rituals.

Monuments

The Meenakshi temple of Madurai was built by the

Pandiyan king Kulashekhara in the 14th

century.

Monuments

Jagannath temple at Puri

Monuments

The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful constructions in the world.

Monuments

The Red Fort in Delhi was built by Shah Jahan in the 17th century.

The Iron pillar in New Delhi constructed 1600

years ago by Chandragupta Maurya

has been a metallurgical wonder by defying rust and the vagaries of nature.

Monuments

The Hawa Mahal of Jaipur was built by Sawai Pratap Singh in the 18th century.

Monuments

Karnataka State Assembly building, Bangalore.

Mysore Place.

Statue of Mahavira, at Gomteshwara.

Festivals

Ganesha Chaturthi is one of the most important festivals of India. It is celebrated every year around September.

Festivals

The Durga Puja is celebrated in Kolkata every year around October.

Festivals

Diwali-the festival of lights-is the most popular festival in India. It is celebrated throughout the country either in the last week of October or in the first week of November.

Festivals

Holi–the festival of colors-is celebrated all over India. The above picture shows Indian students celebrating Holi at NCSU.

Festivals

The above picture shows my friends and me celebrating Holi at JNTU, Hyderabad, India back in 2000.

Scenic Beauty

Kanchenjungha, the third highest peak in the world(8598m), in the Himalayas, is the highest peak of India.

The Thar desert is located in Rajasthan.

Scenic Beauty

The backwaters of Kerala.

Ladakh is one of the coldest inhabited regions of the world.

Costumes

A lady in a saree.

Costumes

A lady in a Ghagra Choli.

A lady in a Churidar.

Costumes

Costumes

A Sikh in a turban.

Marriage

An Indian marriage ceremony.

Technology

India developed her own supercomputer in the mid eighties.

India successfully launched her Geostationary Satellite in 2001.

India is the leading nation in the world in professional software development.

India-the Largest Film Industry

India is the largest film producing nation in the world. Each year India produces

approximately 1000 movies in 14 different languages.

Sports

Cricket is the most popular sport in

India.

Hockey is the national sport of India.

Sports

The game of Polo originated in

Manipur.

Kabaddi is very popular in the

villages.

The EndBrought to you by: Sreedhar ManchuMade by:Hindu Students Council (HSC) – NCSU and Maitri