Festivals of India

India is known to be the country of festivals. There is never a month without a festival or an occasion to remember and worship god in a special way.

Every religion has its set of festivals which the entire nation celebrates. Each festival is unique & has a style to it. Also, festivities vary depending on each region or state.

Every festival has history to it, which is a reason to all the rituals and customs that are performed for them. Hence, rituals & customs are given a lot of importance. However, all festivals are celebrated with the same spirit.

Even Indians abroad also celebrate the festivals with immense fervor.


To start, will detail about a festival which has just concluded Dasara as known in South India; Dashera, Dussera and Dussehra in North India.

Dussehra
It signifies the triumph of good over evil. It is believed that it was on this day that Lord Rama killed the demon-king, Ravana and rescued his abducted wife - Sita. The day also marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasur.

Dasara, a South Indian term for Vijayadashami, derived from the Sanskrit Dasha-hara which means "remover of bad fate", is among the most important festivals celebrated in India. It is also referred to as ten-day festival of Navratri.

Navaratri 
Navaratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga. Word Navaratri means 'nine nights' in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights.

During these nine nights & ten days, nine forms of Devi are worshiped. Commonly Tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadashami or Dussehra or Dasera. Navaratri is an important major festival and is celebrated all over India. Diwali the festival of lights is celebrated twenty days after Dasera. 


Navaratri is one of the most auspicious and unique period of devotional sadhanas and worship of Shakti (the sublime, ultimate & absolute creative energy) of the Divine conceptualized as Goddess Durga, whose worship dates back to prehistoric times before the dawn of the Vedic age.

Nine forms of Devi: Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri in that order. These nine manifestations of Shakti, are worshipped as "Nava-Durga".

Nine days are celebrated as below:

Day 1: Pratipada
Day 2: Dwitiya
Day 3: Tritya
Day 4: Chaturthi
Day 5: Panchami
Day 6: Shashthi
Day 7: Saptami
Day 8: Ashtami
Day 9: Navami

Why Nine Nights & Days?
Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme goddess.

The first three days, Goddess is invoked as powerful force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects.

The next three days, Goddess is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible wealth.

The final set of three days is spent in worshiping Goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of the divine Goddess; hence, the worship for nine nights.

Durga Puja:
In eastern India, especially in Bengal, Durga Puja is the main festival during Navaratri. It is celebrated with devotion through public ceremonies of “Sarbojanin Puja” or community worship.

Huge decorative temporary structures called “pandals” are constructed to house these grand prayer services, followed by mass feeding, and cultural functions.

Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of Assam, Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Tripura and West Bengal, where it is a five-day annual holiday.

The earthen icons of Goddess Durga, accompanied by those of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya, are taken out on the tenth day in a triumphal procession to the nearby river, where they are ceremonially immersed.

Evolution of the 'Pratima' and the 'Pandal'In Durga, the Gods bestowed their powers to co-create a beautiful goddess with ten arms, each carrying their most lethal weapon. The tableau of Durga also features - Kartikeya, Ganesha, Saraswati and Lakshmi.

There are two kinds of embellishments that are used on clay - sholar saaj and daker saaj. In the former, the pratima is traditionally decorated with the white core of the shola reed which grows within marshlands. As the devotees grew wealthier, beaten silver (rangta) was used. The silver used to be imported from Germany and was delivered by post (dak). Hence the name daker saaj.

The huge temporary canopies - held by a framework of bamboo poles and draped with colorful fabric - that house the icons are called 'pandals'. Modern pandals are innovative, artistic and decorative at the same time, offering a visual spectacle for the numerous visitors who go 'pandal-hopping' during the four days of Durga Puja.

Goddess Durga

In Karnataka, Mysore Dasara is celebrated:
Mysore Dasara is festival of the state of Karnataka in South West India. It is also called Navaratri and is a 10-day festival with the last day being Vijayadashami, the most auspicious day of Dasara. Dasara usually falls in the month of September or October. 

Vijayadashami denotes the victory of truth over evil and was the day when the Hindu Goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura. 

Mahishasura is the demon from whose name the name Mysore has been derived. The city of Mysore has a long tradition of celebrating the Dasara festival and the festivities there are an elaborate affair, attracting a large audience.

One of attraction of the ten-day Mysore Dasara festival is the Mysore Palace which is illuminated daily with nearly 100,000 light bulbs from 7 pm to 10 pm on all days of the festival. Various cultural and religious programs highlighting the dance, music and culture of the State of Karnataka are performed in front of the illuminated Palace.

 
Procession:
On Vijayadashami, the traditional Dasara procession (locally known as Jumboo Savari) is held on the streets of Mysore city. The main attraction of this procession is the idol of the Goddess Chamundeshwari which is placed on a golden mantapa on the top of a decorated elephant.

The idol is worshipped by the royal couple and other invitees before it is taken around in the procession. Colourful tableaux, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and camels form a part of the procession which starts from the Mysore Palace and culminates at a place called Bannimantap where the banni tree (Prosopis spicigera) is worshipped.

In Mysore, Vijayadashami Elephant procession during Mysore Dasara is called Jumbo Savari (from the British during their control of Mysore State). The original name to this procession is Jumbi Savari ("going to the Shami (Banni) tree").


Courtesy: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga_Puja 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navratri
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_Dasara
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayadashami
http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/mothergoddess.htm
 

Some tourist attractions in Bangalore

Parks:

Lalbagh or Lalbagh botanical gardens literally means Red Garden in English, it is a well known botanical garden in southern Bangalore, India. The garden was originally commissioned by Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore and later finished by his son Tipu Sultan. 

Every year a flower show is hosted in the glass house of Lalbagh. It has largest collection of tropical plants, has a lake, and is one of the important tourist attractions in Bangalore.

Cubbon Park is located in the heart of city. Originally created in 1870, when Major General Richard Sankey was the then British Chief Engineer of Mysore state.

It has an abundant flora and fauna plantations coupled with numerous impressive and aesthetically located buildings and statues of famous personages, in its precincts.

This public park was first named as “Meade’s Park” after Sir John Meade, the acting Commissioner of Mysore in 1870 and subsequently renamed as Cubbon Park after the longest serving commissioner of the time, Sir Mark Cubbon.

Historical monuments:

Bangalore Palace (1862) is located near Mekhri Circle and Cantonment Railway station and is built to look like a smaller replica of the Windsor Castle in England.

Mayo Hall was designed in memory of the Lord Mayo and is regarded as one of the finest designs of British architecture.

Government Building:

Vidhana Soudha is the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka. It is an imposing granite building, built in 1956 in the Neo-Dravidian style & incorporates elements of Indo-Saracenic, Rajasthani Jharoka and Dravidian styles. Vidhana Soudha is the brainchild of Kengal Hanumanthaiah and built by chief engineer B.R. Manickam.

Museum:

Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru was founded by Bangalore City Corporation in 1989. Since 1992 it is managed by the newly formed Bangalore Association for Science Education (BASE). The Planetarium has a 15 m. diameter dome with a seating capacity of 210. It is equipped with a German Carl Zeiss 'Space master' Planetarium projector. The planetarium is located on Sir. T. Chowdaiah Road and there is a Science center and a Science park in the premises.

Nature:

Dodda Aladha Mara or Doda Aladha Mara, literally means Big Banyan Tree in English is a giant 400-year-old Banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis), located in the village of Kettohalli in the Bangalore Urban district of Karnataka, India. This single plant covers 3 acres (12,000 m²) and is one of the largest of its kind.

Nandi Hills or Nandidurg (Anglicised forms include Nandidrug and Nandydroog) is an ancient hill fortress in southern India, in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka state. It is 10 km from Chickballapur town and approximately 60 km from the city of Bengaluru. The hills are nestled near the town of Nandi. In traditional belief, the hills are the origin of the Arkavathy River.

Wildlife:

Bannerghatta National Park is situated 22 km south of Bangalore. This hilly place is the home for one of the richest natural, zoological reserves. The 25,000 acre (101 km²) zoological park makes this a major tourist attraction of Bangalore.

Bangalore - Silicon Valley of India

Bangalore officially known as Bengaluru, is the capital of Karnataka. It is in the Southern part of India.

With a population of more than 8 million, Bangalore is the third largest in terms of population & fifth among the urban cities in India. 

Bangalore is known for its pleasant climate through most times of the year. Its elevation is the highest among the major large cities of India.

Bangalore has been ruled by the Cholas and Hoysalas until 1537. In 1638 Marathas conquered and ruled Bangalore for 50 years after which the Mughals captured and sold the city to Mysore Kingdom of the Wadiyar Dynasty.

Later it was captured by the British in 1799, who returned administrative control of the city to the Maharaja of Mysore. In 1809, the British shifted their Cantonment to Bangalore, outside the old city, and a town grew up around it, which was governed as part of British India.

Post India's Independence in 1947, Bangalore became the capital of Mysore state, and remained capital when the new Indian state of Karnataka was formed in 1956. Bengaluru was declared the official name of the city in 2006.

Silicon Valley of India is how Bangalore is known as due to its role as the nation's leading Information Technology (IT) exporter.

Bangalore is home to Indian technological organisations like Infosys, Wipro, ISRO which are headquartered in the city.

A demographically diverse city, Bangalore is the second fastest-growing major metropolis in India.

It is home to many educational and research institutions in India, such as Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Bangalore, National Institute of Design, Bangalore (NID R&D Campus), National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). Numerous state owned aerospace and defence organisations such as Bharat Electronics, Hindustan Aeronautics & National Aerospace Laboratories are located in the city.

Courtesy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore

Culture of India

Indian cultural history spans more than 4500 years. India is known for its religious diversity, with Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism among the nation's major religions.

Art & Architecture:
Taj Mahal is first architecture which comes to mind, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife Mumtaz. Located in Agra, it is one of world's most celebrated structure. Also, is one of the seven wonders of the world.

Its construction began in 1632 and entire structure and surrounding buildings were completed by 1648. Taj Mahal has designs relating to Persian and earlier Mughal Architecture. Structure is of white marble standing on square plinth and consists of symmetrical building with an arch shaped doorway.

 
Tourism:
Taj Mahal attracts many tourists across the globe. More than a million tourists visit in an annual year. With October, November and February being cooler months, it attracts more visitors.

Other monuments like Varanasi Ghats, Harmandir Sahib, Mahabodi Temple, Brihadishwara Temple, Shore Temple, Bahai Temple, Hawa Mahal, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or Victoria Terminus, Victoria Memorial, Ajanta Caves, Char Minar, Gateway of India, Gol Gumbaz, Hampi, Humayun Tomb, Qutub Minar, Mysore Palace and so on..

Literature:
Early literary writings in India i.e., 1700 BCE and 1200 CE were in the Sanskrit language. Epics like Mahābhārata and Ramayana were works in Sanskrit literature. Developed in South India, the Sangam literature consisted of 2,381 poems & is regarded as a predecessor of Tamil literature.

Tamil Literature:
Refers to literature in Tamil language. It spans more than 2000 years. Contributors to the literature has been from Tamil people from South India which includes Tamil Nadu. History of literature follows history of Tamil Nadu which follows social, political and cultural trends of various reigns.



Courtesy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India#CITEREFHeehs2002
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal#cite_note-7
Hoiberg, D.; Ramchandani, I. (2000), Students' Britannica India: Select Essays, Popular Prakashan, ISBN 978-0-85229-762-9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_literature

Demographics of India

India is second most populated country in the world with more than 1 billion people (as on 2015). Population growth rate is 1.2%, ranking 94th in world in 2013. In 1998, India reached the billion mark.

>50% population is below age of 25
>65% below age of 35

Expected in 2020, average age of an Indian would be 29 years

India has many religious groups, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and others..


Linguistic:
About 41% of Indians speak Hindi, with more than 27 languages present like Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and so on...

Cities:
Mumbai is largest city in India with a population of more than 1 crore. Delhi being second and Bengaluru (Bangalore) third followed by Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and so on...



Courtesy: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India;
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW;
http://www.censusindia.gov.in/

Brief history of India

India is a democratic country with more than a billion people making it the second largest next to China in terms of population. It consists of 29 states and 7 union territories.

New Delhi is the capital of India with Mumbai being the largest city in India. Official Languages being Hindi & English.

India derived from Indus, which originates from Old Persian word Hindus. Hindustan is ancient Persian name for India, introduced by Mughals.
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism & Sikhism originated here with Judaism, Christianity & Islam arriving in the 1st millennium & also shaped diverse cultures.

India was under administration of British East India Company from early 18th century, and administered directly by United Kingdom since 1857.
After struggle for Independence, marked by non-violent resistance led Mahatma Gandhi India became an Independent nation in 1947.

Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India