Friday, July 31, 2009

Indian Cuisine-Another Cultural Heritage in india

The spices are the very essence of Indian cuisine and these colorful ingredients are what bind the rich Indian culinary tradition together. Like Indian culture, Indian cuisine has also been influenced by the outside invasions on India.

Indian Cuisine-Another Cultural Heritage in india


The cuisine in the northern and western parts of India is influenced by Central Asia while on the east and north-east of India in West Bengal and Assam respectively, the cuisine show the shades of East Asian cuisine.

The heritage tour of India is the perfect way to savour the taste of India. Indian heritage does not only include art, architecture, dance and handicraft but also the cuisine that reflects the eating habits in different regions of India. That is what makes India a different palce to live in..

Indian Cuisine-Another Cultural Heritage in india


If you paln a tour to India it is not complete without savouring the flavours of India. So, whichever part of the country you travel, you will find a cuisine or delicacy exclusive to the region. If you are in the northern parts of the country, Mughlai cuisine is worth checking out.

On the southern side of India, one gets a variety of gourmet dishes that differ from state to state. Hyderbad in Andhra Pradesh is popular for its biryanis while Kerala is known its dosas, uttpams idlis and vadas. Sambhar is another popular delicacy in South India particularly in Kerala.

India has a variety of street food too. The street food in India is not exclusive to one particular place or region. One can find rows of street vendors virtually anywhere in India serving sumptuous delicacies.

Most Indian hotels serve different cuisine from different corners of India. Some of them even have speciality restaurants that serve the cuisine of a particular region. Come and tickle your taste buds with Indian cuisine on your journey to India with Heritage in India.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Customs and Rituals in India

The diverse, wide culture of India makes it the most unique country in the world. India is a melting pot of different faiths and religions. Customs and rituals are an integral part of the Indian way of life.

Customs and Rituals in India

These customs and traditions are surrounded by the boundary of religion, cast and creed. Customs and rituals of India are what attract many tourists to this myriad land.

One gets a glimpse of the customs and rituals in India as soon as one is welcomed in traditional Indian style. Even the Tourism Ministry, Government of India has launched the 'Atithi Devo Bhava' campaign to make people aware of India's rich cultural heritage and the philosophy of treating a tourist like God.

Indians are steeped into various customs and traditions. Right from the birth to death, there is hardly any occasion that does not have an elaborate ceremony.

Soon after the birth of a child, an elaborate ceremony to name the child takes place, which is marked by chanting of slokas and singing of hymns. Weddings are grand affairs in India, as they follow various customs and rituals.

So much so, many foreigners come to India to marry in Indian style. Rajasthan is the place that is most popular for royal weddings in India.

Even cremation is done according to rituals after one passes away. Taking a heritage tour to India is one of the best ways to know more about the fascinating aspects of Indian customs and rituals.

Festivals are other important occasions when one can see different customs and rituals followed by people. Plan a fascinating journey to the myriad land of different faiths and unique cultures with Heritage in India.
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Friday, July 24, 2009

Linguistic Heritage of India

The cultural heritage of India has a number of aspects to it and linguistic heritage is probably the one, which is most fascinating of all. Linguistic heritage of India is where one can trace the history of different languages spoken in India.


Heritage

India have evolved over a period of time of Indian history. Most of the languages spoken in India in one way or the other belong to two main families of languages, which are the Dravidian and Aryan. Both the Dravidian and Aryan languages have different scripts. There are other languages that belong to the Sino-Tibetan-Mongoloid family. These languages are mostly spoken in the east of India.

Most of the South Indian languages that are spoken today belong to the Dravidian family, while in the northern side of India, the language belongs to the Aryan family. But it is interesting to note here how different invaders during different periods in Indian history affected and enriched the Indian languages.

After the independence of India, policy makers decided to make Hindi as the official language of India, however they declared that English could also be used for official purposes.

The reason behind choosing Hindi as the official language was that it was the most commonly spoken language and its association with the freedom movement of India.

Some of the popular languages spoken in different parts of India include Hindi, English, Tamil, Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu. Come on a heritage tour of India and discover the linguistic heritage of India with Heritage in India.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Rich Indian cultural heritage of art and architecture

India is endowed with a rich cultural legacy of art and architecture. The numerous beautiful temples and other monuments bear testimony to the rich Indian cultural heritage of art and architecture.


heritage


The Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra, the Khajuraho temples in Madhya Pradesh, Konark Temple in Puri, Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu and the Taj Mahal in Agra are some of the beautiful monuments that reflect the rich architectural heritage of India. Indian Handicraft is another of form of art that has made a mark among tourists in India.

Indian art and craft has a number of different aspects to it. The art and crafts of India includes painting, sculptures and handicrafts. Indian paintings can be divided into two main categories as the murals and miniatures.

Some of the popular painting forms include the Tanjore Painting of Tamil Nadu, Madhubani Painting of Bihar, Kalamkari Painting of Andhra Pradesh and Pithoro Painting of Gujarat.

The sculptures in various places in India reflect the talent and creativity of Indian artisans. The rock cut art of sculpting was believed to be perfected by the Buddhists and followed by Hindu rulers. The sculptures that we see in many temples and other historic places are made of granite and terracotta.

Handicraft is another feature of the rich Indian art. Some of the handicrafts items that are popular in India are carpets, marble table tops, hand made leather items and hand block printed items, blue pottery, semi-precious stones and Kundan jewellery.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Musical Heritage In India

"Music knows no boundaries" so says a popular proverb and perhaps no country symbolizes this fact better than India does. Musical Heritage In India India is not only the land where people of different faiths and religions live in harmony but it is also the land where diverse musical notes and strings produce riveting symphony.

Musical Heritage In India


Musical heritage tour of India is a unique kind of experience that takes one beyond the obvious. Musical heritage of India touches the inner core of a tourists' heart and takes them to a higher plane.

Be it a child birth, wedding, or death, music is an important part of the Indian way of life. So much so, the musicians here have different ragas for different times of the day.


Musical Heritage In India

One could even listen to raga Megh Malhar especially sung to please the Rain Gods and raga Deepak to light the lamps. The kind of music one gets to listen to in India varies from classical, semi-classical, folk and film music. There are two main forms of music prevalent in India, North Indian Hindustani music and South Indian Carnatic music.

Every year a number of music festivals take place in different corners of India. Most of the times, the venues for these festivals are some important heritage monument, such as the Taj Mahal, Konark sun Temple, Humayun Tomb etc.

Some of the music festivals that take place every year include Sangeet Natak Akademi's festival, New Delhi, Tansen Festival, Gwalior (December), Sur-Sringar Festival, Bombay (November), Tyagaraja Festival, Tiruvayyaru, near Tanjavur (January) and Shanmukhananda Music, Dance and Drama Festival, Bombay (December). Coincide your tour to India with some of these festivals and enjoy the musical heritage of India with Heritage in India.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Rajasthani Culture

Haritage of Rajasthan
Rajasthan-Fabrics
Rajasthani Culture
Rajasthan's handicraft heritage
The exotic spectrum of Rajasthan's handicraft heritage is a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors and textures. The depth, range and inspirational intricacy of this heritage stems from its socio-economic ethos, with whole village pursuing certain crafts, which are intrinsic to their survival or daily needs. Royal patronage gave it a vital impetus to carry the journey for centuries. Although Rajasthan is full of visual spectacles, perhaps the most lasting impression that visitors take away with them after traveling through this state is that of color. Despite the perpetual desolation of the sandscape enveloping the courtyards of Rajasthan, color reaches newer heights of luminosity and vividness at every pocket of the state. Canary yellows, emarald greens, vivid purples, electric blues and splashes of brilliant reds seem to be reinventions of traditional colors.
Fun With The Fabric - Famous Artifacts

Rajasthan is famous for its vibrantly colored textiles which adorn the sophisticated boutiques and prismatic art and craft bazaars across the state. The basic cloth receives one or several of various treatments to achieve its rich blaze of color, including dyeing, block printing and multiple forms of embroidery and applique. Visit Jodhpur to encounter the most intricate and interesting result of garment designing, the bandhani or tie and dye style of coloring. Basically parts of the fabric are knotted with minikin pebbles or grams, so that when the fabric is dyed, the knotted section retain their original color. Buy yourself a bright colored odhni (headscarf) featuring a lotus motif against a white or pink background. Remember, a yellow background indicates that the wearer has recently given birth to a bambino. Shift the gears of your car to reach Sanganer, near Jaipur, famous for its block printed fabric. Other handicraft items include the Sanganeri prints, generally featuring floral motifs, are exported round the world and is truly a collector's delight. Everyday, thousands of meters of fabric can be seen drying in long swathes on the banks of Saraswati river. Do you know that Sanganer entertains true hand-craftsmanship; garments are printed with wooden blocks known as buntis or chhapas, on which incisions form the elemental design, by one's own hand. The fruits of endeavor can be found in the form of colorful zig-zag motifs, featuring geometric designs in blue and red on both sides, known as ajrakh and is generally worn by men as shawls and turbans. Travel to Rajasthan to get one ajrakh for your loved ones, won't you?