The culture of India is diverse, distinctive and unique. Taking shape over several thousand years, it absorbed a variety of philosophical worldviews, religious views, traditions and customs of various peoples living on its territory.
It should be noted that the culture of India is not homogeneous. It entirely depends on the various regions of the country, gravitating since ancient times to its own way of life, beliefs and customs. However, there are common features that allow us to consider the culture of India as a whole.
The religious system is the progenitor of a multifaceted Indian epic, which describes in detail the versatile acts of the gods and members of their families. These legends were the basis of the spiritual life of the Indian people. On their basis, philosophical teachings, martial arts and medical traditions arise.
The first buildings that appeared on the territory of the Indian state were shrines, or temples. The architects for a long time did not know their peers in quality and workmanship, thanks to this, India had a great influence on the architecture of neighboring countries.
The culture of this country is distinguished by some achievements in various fields. The art of India is associated with the main religions that are widely used here. These are Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.
Art culture
The artistic culture of India is represented by ancient monuments. The most famous of them are the murals in the cave of Ajanta. The walls and ceilings of this Buddhist complex, consisting of 29 caves, are covered with scenic scenes describing the life of the Buddha, everyday scenes and mythological subjects. Due to the fact that the Indians knew the secrets of color fastness, drawings in the temple were perfectly preserved.
The culture of India is inextricably linked to the book miniature. In the court workshops, Indian and Persian masters involved in illustrating manuscripts created their creations - miniature paintings. They depicted real people, natural phenomena and various objects. Artists do not strive for decorativeness in the visual arts, the focus of their attention is the voluminous forms and natural color of the object.
Architecture
In antiquity, most of the buildings were built of wood. For this reason, they were not preserved.
Starting from the 1st century BC. cave temples, or tea-houses, appear. You can see them mainly in the mountainous regions of the country. They are cave temples with columns, a capital and a huge horseshoe-shaped window - the main source of light. One of the oldest monuments of architecture made of stone is the stupa fence in the city of Sanchi.
Brick houses were erected in areas where the probability of flooding was completely absent, since the brick used at that time quite quickly soaked in water.
Sculpture
Most of the samples of this art form are religious in nature. The culture of India, and the art of sculpture in particular, has reached tremendous heights, there were even certain guidelines and rules for the manufacture of sculptures. In the 1st-5th centuries changes appear in the image of the Buddha. It is depicted in the guise of a person, and not in the form of certain symbols.
Music and theater
In honor of the gods, various festivals were held in India periodically, in which the main attention was paid to dances and songs. Religious processions took up a small part of the time. The main element of such festivals was theatrical performances. The ceremony was surely attended by professional actors, wrestlers, magicians, tightrope walkers and musicians.
In the north of the country, a theater (lila) has been preserved. His artists appear before the audience in colorful costumes and masks. The scenery is completely absent, and the change of costumes and makeup takes place in front of the audience.