North Indian culture

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Valley of Flowers National Park in the Himalayan area in Uttarakhand, India.

North Indian Culture describes the cultural heritage of modern-day North India — the States of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra[1][2][3][4][5]. North Indian culture reflects the diversity of traditions and customs of the vast region it encompasses. North Indian Culture is mainly in sanatana traditions and customs, with the assimilation of — and impact from — other cultures over long periods of history. North Indian culture reflects the diversity of traditions and customs of the vast region it encompasses.

Traditional clothing

Man in traditional dress smoking hookah, Rajasthan, India.

Women traditionally wear

shalwar. Pagri is usually worn around the head to complete the outfit, especially in rural areas. In states like Uttarakhand and Himachal pradesh, women usually wear ghaghra and a full sleeved blouse or kurta salwar adorning a coat and an orni (headscarf). The men usually wear kurta and pants or shirt) coat with a Himachali cap. In the states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, traditional dress is Kameez Shalwar. In the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and southern Haryana, it is ghagra choli
. Pagri is worn in various region styles and is the symbol which shows one's status and the respect in which one is held. In urban centres and as well as rural areas western influence can easily be seen nowadays.

Cuisine

Naan is popular form of flatbread eaten in Northern India.

bhaaji, tarkari or saalan (vegetarian curry dishes). Other wheat breads include: deep fried puris and shallow fried parathas. During winters, flatbreads made of millets like bajra and maize are common.[6]
Rice dishes called Bhaat are generally paired with lentil & bean dishes. Various varieties of rice dishes like Jeera Bhaat, Khaare Chawal, Matar Chawal, Meethe Chawal, Kesariya Bhaat form part of North Indian cuisine.

Dal Roti (Lentil & flatbread) and Dal Chawal (Lentil and rice) are common vegetarian combos in North Indian cuisine.[7][8] Vegetarian diet is a norm almost everywhere except in Valley of Kashmir or hilly regions, however, the non-vegetarian food is also popular. Mughlai cuisine, especially that of Lucknow and Delhi, is known for non-vegetarian dishes with a distinctive aroma, taste and with a different style of cooking. Vaishno dhabas serving Satvik Cuisine can be found all over North Indian region.[9]

Milk & its by-products along with Leguminous food products like Lentils & beans are abundantly used in North Indian cuisine. Some of the popular lentil dishes (

Kala Chana & Kabuli Chana. Rajma Chawal from Jammu region are particularly popular in entire India.[10] Kala Chana (along with Lapsi & Puri) is cooked during Ashtami day of Navratri festival. Besan (Indian Gram flour) is particularly used to prepare number of North Indian dishes like Kadhi, Pakodas
, Missi Roti etc.

Rajasthani cuisine is famous for its dishes like

bal mithai
(from Kumaon), to name but a few.

Music and Dance

Main articles:
Hindustani Classical Music and Kathak

ragas. Noted representatives of Shastriya Sangeet with a worldwide acclaim are Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
.

The rich cultural diversity of North India is most clearly shown by the many different folk dance styles found here. Starting with

Kalbeliya dance from Rajasthan to Nati
from Himachal Pradesh; from Jagars and Pandva Nritya from Uttarakhand to Rouf of Kashmir celebrates the richness of culture and traditions of North India. Kud dance of
Narsingha. Kathak is one of the eight classical dance forms as conferred by Sangeet Natak Akademi. 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. Raas lilas portrays the love stories of lord Krishna
. A dance form which depicts the eternal love. It was quintessential theatre, using instrumental and vocal music along with stylized gestures, to enliven the stories.

Architecture and Art

Taj Mahal is one of UNESCO world heritage sites in the region.

The splendor and vastness of the architectural heritage of North India can easily be demonstrated by the fact that out of twenty-three cultural world heritage sites in India which have been declared by

Rajput Painting
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.

One of the best-known examples of North Indian sculpture is the

Rampurva Bull capital is one of the best specimens of animal sculpture. Two different schools of art namely the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art evolved which represented the developments in sculptures, stucco, and clay as well as in mural paintings. The Kushana kings, particularly Kanishka
, 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 Bodhisattvas were produced. Mathura art, however, reached its peak during the Gupta period (AD 325 to 600). The human figure reached its most sublime representation in the Gupta classical phase when divine images, conceived and rendered in human shape, attained a superhuman aspect and manifested great spiritual import. The sculptures were marked by sharp and beautiful features, graceful and slim bodies, with many folds of transparent drapery and a new style of coiffure.

Literature

Utka Nayika awaits her lover in the forest. Kangra painting, c. 1775-1780 CE.

North India was the birthplace of

Ashtadhyayi
standardized Sanskrit grammar and phonetics and left an indelible mark on these aspects of Sanskrit. Panini was a grammarian from approximately 5th century BC, his Ashtadhyayi is looked upon as a masterpiece and as a study in brevity and completeness.

Medieval North India had great literary scholars like

Bhartendu Harishchandra and others. Other important writers of this period are Munshi Premchand, Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, Maithili Sharan Gupt, R N Tripathi and Gopala Sharan Sinha. Premchand's works, such as Godaan and Gaban
have been translated into various languages, and are known for their subtlety and depiction of human psychology and emotions.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Marketing Division activities". FACT. FACT is also expanding its market to North Indian states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha and Gujarat
  2. ^ "Gowri Habba Celebrations, Rituals and Practices". servdharm. The festival is also celebrated in some North Indian states like Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh as Hartalika Teej
  3. ^ "How South Indian cinema lured viewers across India". Broadcast &Cablesat. 3 September 2021. Mansi Shrivastava, senior vice-president and head- content acquisitions and partnerships at MX Player, said the southern film category, including dubbed versions, was huge for the platform, drawing 75% of its overall viewing minutes from north Indian states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
  4. ^ "Secret Sign Language: Silent Trade Thrives in Thenkasi's Dried Chilli Market". News18. 5 June 2023. Dried chillies from South Tamil Nadu have a huge demand in many countries, and hence they are exported to countries like Malaysia, U.A.E., and also sent to North Indian states like Maharashtra and Gujarat.
  5. ^ "Teaching of English" (PDF). Bharathidasan University. In non-Hindi north Indian states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odiya, their regional language is the first language, Hindi is the second language and English is the third language.
  6. ISBN 978-1-000-16429-9
    .
  7. ISBN 978-0-313-32487-1
    .
  8. ISBN 978-81-8424-474-8
    .
  9. ISBN 978-1-4093-4261-8
    .
  10. ISBN 978-93-5118-575-8
    .
  11. ^ A Study of Dattilam: A Treatise on the Sacred Music of Ancient India, 1978, p 283, Mukunda Lāṭha, Dattila
  12. ^ World Cultural Heritage Listed Sites in India. URl accessed on August 25, 2011.

References and bibliography

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