Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
India’s Culture - Coggle Diagram
India’s Culture
Languages
India is a massive area and, thus, has a very high diversity of cultures.
Two major language families
Indo-European (about 70% of the population)
Dravidian (spoken by about 22% of the population)
Over 400 individual languages are found in India.
English and Farsi (Persian) have been important in the recent history of the Indian Subcontinent and are still widely used for government and cultural activities.
Classical languages of Sanskrit and Tamil primarily are used for religious activities and ceremonies.
Hindi, written in the Devanagari script, is the official language of the federal government of India; however, the Indian Constitution also states that English may be used for official purposes.
There are 22 official languages used in state governments.
Cultural Link
Much of the country is considered rural, where people are subsistence farmers, primarily growing their own food and animals, primarily water buffaloes, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.
In many areas of Hindu India, cattle are not used for meat production. In Hinduism, the cow is thought of as sacred as it is a symbol of the sanctity of all life and the abundance of the earth
The dung of the cow is gathered, dried, and used for cooking fuel; this is vitally important in a society that has little forestry resources.
Cattle provide milk products (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
Cattle are important to provide traction as they are used for plowing and powering such devices as water pumps and for grinding grain.
Rice, lentils, and chickpeas are a staple part of the diet in North India.
South India focuses more on rice as a staple and seafood (fish and prawns) are common along the coastal areas. Coconut oil is used as a basis for cooking.
One aspect of Indian culture that fascinates Western people is the caste system. While not officially recognized by the Indian Constitution, the caste system is found throughout South Asian societies.
The music of South India is called Karnatic music, one of the main types of Indian music, that emphasizes vocal styles and it is written in a manner that is meant to be sung, not played without voice.
Hinduism as well as Buddhist and Jain philosophies have influenced the religion and architecture, particularly the styles of temples cut and carved from natural rock.