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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction to Indian Culture .................................................................................................... - 1 -
2.0 History of Indian Culture ............................................................................................................. - 1 -
3.0 Aspect of Indian Culture.............................................................................................................. - 2 -
3.1 Art and Architecture................................................................................................................ - 2 -
3.2 Music....................................................................................................................................... - 2 -
3.3 Dance ...................................................................................................................................... - 2 -
3.4 Theatre .................................................................................................................................... - 3 -
3.0 Conclusion................................................................................................................................... - 3 -
References ........................................................................................................................................ - 4 -

Figure 1.0: Indian Culture.................................................................................................................. - 1 -

Figure 2.0: Art of Indian Culture........................................................................................................ - 2 -
Figure 3.0: Indian Dance ................................................................................................................... - 3 -

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1.0 Introduction to Indian Culture

Methods of understanding cultures, including Indian culture, are embedded in a broad

spectrum of sociocultural approaches to human behavior in general. The approaches
examined in this paper reflect evolving perspectives on Indian culture, ranging from the
starkly ethnocentric to the largely eclectic and integrative. Most of the methods herein
discussed were developed in the West and were subsequently taken up with or without
adaptations to fit the Indian context. The paper begins by briefly reviewing the intrinsic
concept of culture. It then adopts a historical view of the different ways and means by which
scholars have construed the particular facets of Indian culture, highlighting the advantages
and disadvantages of each. The final section concludes with some proposal about the best
ways of understanding the complexity that constitutes Indian cultural reality. (Jai B.P. Sinha,
2004)

Figure 1.0: Indian Culture

2.0 History of Indian Culture

Indian culture is one of the most ancient cultures of the world. The ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece,
Rome, etc. were destroyed with time and only their remnants are left. But Indian culture is alive till
today. Its fundamental principles are the same, as were in the ancient time. One can see village
panchayats, caste systems and joint family system. The teachings of Buddha, Mahavira, and Lord
Krishna are alive till today also and are source of inspiration. The values of spirituality, praying nature,
faith in karma and reincarnation, non-violence, truth, non- stealing, Chastity, Non- Acquisitiveness,
etc. inspire people of this nation, today also. Material development and materials come under
civilization while Art of Living, customs, traditions come under culture. Material development is
possible to a limit. This is the reason, that the civilizations got destroyed while Indian culture is
present till today because the basis of development was spirituality and not materialism. Thus,
Indian culture can be called an ancient culture, whose past is alive even in the present. The
reminiscent of the stone-age found in Pallavaram, Chingalpet, Vellore, Tinnivalli near Madras, in the
valley of river Sohan, in Pindhighev area in West Punjab, in Rehand area of Mirzapur in Uttar
Pradesh, in Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh, in Hoshangabad and Maheshwar, make it clear that
India has been the land of development and growth of human culture. On the basis of excavation
done in places like Harappa and Mohanjodaro etc. we come to know the Website: iashelpdesk.in
Whatsapp: 8586055783 7 developed civilization and culture of the pre-historical era, which was
flourished around 3000 B.C. Thus, Indian culture is about 5000 years old. (Satpathy, 2004)

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3.0 Aspect of Indian Culture
3.1 Art and Architecture
Indian art is inspired by religion and centre around sacred themes. However, there is nothing ascetic
or self-denying about it. The eternal diversity of life and nature and the human element are all reflected
in Indian art forms. The art of architecture and sculpture was well developed during the Indus valley
period. India has the largest collections of folk and tribal artifacts. (Chaudhuri, 1985)

Figure 2.0: Art of Indian Culture

3.2 Music
The popular term for music throughout India is Sangit, which included dance as well as vocal
instrumental music. The rhymes of the Rigveda and the Samveda are the earliest examples of words
set to music. The oldest detailed exposition of Indian musical theory is found in Natyashastra,
attributed to the sage Bharata who lived at the beginning of the Christian era. North Indian Hindustani
classical music and South Indian Karnatak music are the two major forms of classical music in India.
More specific schools of classical music are associated with particular gharanas. This is one aspect of
Indian culture that has achieved worldwide recognition. Song and dance has always been a part of
social gatherings and get-togethers in India. Fairs, marriages, festivals and other celebrations are not
complete without them. Films, film songs and music have had an important role to play in the further
popularisation of music among the masses in modern times. (Christie, 1999)

3.3 Dance
Classical Indian dance is a beautiful and significant symbol of the spiritual and artistic approach of
the Indian mind. Traditional Indian scriptures contain many references to nritta (music) and nata
(drama). Dance and music are present at every stage of domestic life in India. One classification
divides Indian dancing into three aspects-Natya, Nritya and Nritta. Natya corresponds to drama.
Nritya is interpretative dance performed to the words sung in a musical melody. On the other hand,
nritta signifies pure dance, where the body movements do not express any mood (bhava) nor convey
any meaning. There is a rich variety of classical and folk dances in India. Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh),
Odissi (Odisha), Kathakali (Kerala), Mohiniattam (Kerala), Bharatnatyam (Tamil Nadu), Manipuri
(Manipur), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh) and Chchau (Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand) are some of the
most notable dance forms in India. Besides, India has a rich tradition of folklores, legends and myths,
which combine with songs and dances into composite art forms. (Malekandathil, 2010)

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 Figure 3.0: Indian Dance

3.4 Theatre
While classical dance in India is linked to its ‗divine origins‘, the origin of Indian theatre lies with the
people. Bharat‘s Natyashastra is still the most complete guide to traditional Indian theatre. ‗Modern
Indian theatre‘ of recent times originated in three colonial cities— Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. It
is strongly influenced by conventions and trends of European theatre. ‗Traditional Indian
theatre‘ includes distinct streams. This theatre remained confined to courts and temples and
displayed a refined, carefully trained sensibility. In the second popular stream the spoken languages
and dialects of different localities and regions were used. Theatre in India is usually staged in the
post-harvest season when actors as well as spectators have free time. It is staged in open-air
theatres. The narrative, often a myth already known to the audience, is enacted through dance,
music, mimetic gesture and stylized choreography. (De Casparis, 1983)

3.0 Conclusion
From prehistoric days, India had trade and cultural relations with West Asia, Rome, China and
Southeast Asia. India sent its traders and missionaries to these regions and in some places these
persons also settled. During the reign of Darius the Great of Persia, Greece and India had their earliest
contact in about 510 BCE. • For several millennia India has interacted with the Central Asian region;
Afghanistan, Central Asia and Xinjiang. Trade was the motivating factor throughout history and with
trade cum cultural interaction. • It was not a mechanical transmission of cultural values from one
people to another, it was a creative process in which cultural achievements were further refined before
they were passed on. • Indian religion, social and cultural life and art had profoundly affected the life
and culture of people of Central Asia in the sphere of Art, Culture and Religion. • Indian culture reached
Arabia directly as well as through Persia. • The start of the so-called Hellenistic Period is usually taken
as 323 BC, the year of death of Alexander in Babylon. During the previous decade of invasion, he had
conquered the whole Persian Empire, overthrowing King Darius. • He opened large number of colonies
on the route through which he reached India and Alexander had indeed opened the East to an
enormous wave of immigration, and his successors continued his policy by inviting Greek colonists to
settle in their realms. Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and culture in the east resulted in a
new Hellenistic culture, aspects of which were evident until the mid-15th century. • India‘s links with
West Asia, by land as well as sea routes, goes back to very ancient times. These ties between the two
culture zones (the idea of nations had not yet developed) became particularly close with the rise and
spread of Islamic civilization in West Asia. • About the economic aspects of this relationship, we have
from about mid-ninth century AD a number of accounts by Arab and other travellers, such as Sulaiman,

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the Merchant, AlMasudi, Ibn Hauqal, Al Idrisi, etc, which attest to a flourishing commercial exchange
between these areas. Evidence for a very active interaction in the cultural sphere, however, goes back
to the eighth century and earlier. • The Indians learnt many new things from the foreigners for
examples minting of gold coins from the people of Greece and Rome. They learnt the art of making
silk from China. They learnt how to grow betel from Indonesia. They established trade contact with
the foreigners. • The art and culture of the various countries got itself reflected over the Indian culture
as well as get reflected in the other countries also. (Chaudhuri, 1985)

References
Chaudhuri, K. N. (1985). Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean, CUP. Cambridge.

Christie, J. (1999). The Banigrama in the Indian Ocean and the Java sea during the early Asian trade
boom. Communarute‘s maritimes de l‘ocean indien, Brepols.

De Casparis, J. (1983). India and Maritime Southeast Asia: A lasting Relationship,. Third Sri Lanka
Endowment Fund Lecture.

Jai B.P. Sinha, R. K. (2004). Methodology for Understanding Indian Culture. Culture, India,
Methodology, 19.

Malekandathil, P. (2010). Maritime India: Trade, Religion and Polity in the Indian Ocean. Delhi: Primus
Books.

Satpathy, D. B. (2004). INDIAN CULTURE AND HERITAGE.

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