North Indian culture

North Indian culture, also referred to asHindustani culture, refers to the culture of northernIndian subcontinentformed over centuries of the region's history and has been influenced by other neighbouring cultures, notably thatof Persia. Its origins date back to theVedic erafollowing the migrations of theIndo-Aryan peoplesinto India. It encompasses thePunjab,Kashmir, theGangetic plain,Bengal,Rajasthan,Sindh,Gujarat, and the northernDeccan.The region has been historically referred to asHindustan, and associated with theHindustani music, the traditional North Indian clothing andNorth Indian cuisine.
Women traditionally wearsalwar kameez,gagra choli,sariandphiran.Dupattais worn to complete the outfit. Men traditionally wearkurta,achkan, kameez andsherwanifor upper garment, lower garment includesdhoti,churidar, andshalwar.Pagriis usually worn around the head to complete the outfit, especially in rural areas. In states like Uttarakhand andHimachal Pradesh, women usually wear ghaghra and a full sleeved blouse or kurta salwar adorning a coat and an orni (headscarf). The men usually wear kurta and pants or shirt) coat with aHimachali cap. In the states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, traditional dress is Kameez Shalwar. In the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and southern Haryana, it isghagra choli. Pagri is worn in various region styles and is the symbol which shows one's status and the respect in which one is held. In urban centres and as well as rural areas western influence can easily be seen nowadays.
Wheat, along withriceandmilletsforms the staple diet of North India. Wheat is usually served in the form ofrotiorchapatisalong withsaag,bhaaji,tarkariorsaalan(vegetarian curry dishes). Other wheat breads include: deep friedpurisand shallow friedparathas. During winters, flatbreads made of millets likebajraandmaizeare common.Rice dishes calledBhaatare generally paired with lentil & bean dishes. Various varieties of rice dishes likeJeera Bhaat,Khaare Chawal,Matar Chawal,Meethe Chawal,Kesariya Bhaatform part of North Indian cuisine.
Dal Roti(Lentil & flatbread) andDal Chawal(Lentil and rice) are common vegetarian combos in North Indian cuisine.Vegetarian diet is a norm almost everywhere except in Valley of Kashmir or hilly regions, however, the non-vegetarian food is also popular.Mughlai cuisine, especially that ofLucknowandDelhi, is known for non-vegetarian dishes with a distinctive aroma, taste and with a different style of cooking.Vaishno dhabasservingSatvik Cuisinecan be found all over North Indian region.
Milk & its by-products along with Leguminous food products like Lentils & beans are abundantly used in North Indian cuisine. Some of the popular lentil dishes (Dals) from North India includeChana Dal,Moong Dal,Arhar dal,Masur Dal,Mothh Dal&Urad Dal(which in restaurant is served with butter & is branded by nameDal Makhani). Other bean dishes includeRajma,Lobia,Kala Chana&Kabuli Chana.Rajma ChawalfromJammu regionare particularly popular in entire India.Kala Chana(along withLapsi&Puri) is cooked duringAshtamiday ofNavratrifestival.Besan(Indian Gram flour) is particularly used to prepare number of North Indian dishes likeKadhi,Pakodas,Missi Roti etc.
Rajasthani cuisine is famous for its dishes likedaal-baati,churma, etc. A variety of desserts can be found in North India, likeJalebicrispy sugary circular dessert also comes in another variant calledimarti,lapsi(Indian sweet pudding also known by the name halwa), Rajasthanighevar&gujia,kheer(Indian Rice pudding),petha,mathura peda,bal mithai(from Kumaon), to name but a few.
Hindustani classical musicorShastriya Sangeetis the classical music of North India. It is a tradition that originated in Vedic ritual chants and has been evolving since the 12th century. Around the 12th century, Hindustani classical music diverged from what eventually came to be identified as Carnatic classical music. The central notion in both these systems is that of a melodic mode or raga, sung to a rhythmic cycle or tala. The tradition dates back to the ancient Samaveda, (lit. sāma=ritual chant), which deals with the norms for chanting ofsrutisor hymns such as the Rig Veda. These principles were refined in the Natyashastra by Bharata (2nd-3rd century AD) and the Dattilam (probably 3rd-4th century)).Indian classical music has seven basic notes, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni, with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale. The rhythmic organization is based on rhythmic patterns calledTaal. The melodic foundations are calledragas. Noted representatives of Shastriya Sangeet with a worldwide acclaim are PanditRavi Shankarand UstadAli Akbar Khan.
The rich cultural diversity of North India is most clearly shown by the many different folk dance styles found here. Starting withBhangra(men's dance) andGiddha(women's dance) from Punjab toKathakinUttar Pradesh; fromGhoomarandKalbeliyadance from Rajasthan toNatifrom Himachal Pradesh; from Jagars and Pandva Nritya from Uttarakhand to Rouf of Kashmir celebrates the richness of culture and traditions of North India.
Kud dance ofJammu & Kashmiris the way to thank local deities in the night of rainy season with the beats of drum like instrumentNarsingha. Kathak is one of the eight classical dance forms as conferred bySangeet Natak Akademi. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers. Some believe it evolved from Lord Krishna's raas lilas, forms of which have also evolved into the popular Garba-style dances popular in other parts of region and Gujarat. Raas lilas portrays the love stories of lordKrishna. A dance form which depicts the eternal love. It was quintessential theatre, using instrumental and vocal music along with stylized gestures, to enliven the stories.
The splendor and vastness of the architectural heritage of North India can easily be demonstrated by the fact that out of twenty-three cultural world heritage sites in India which have been declared byUNESCO, ten are in North India.TheTaj Mahal, a perfect blend of Muslim and Indian architecture, is one of the new seven wonders of the world. The Mahabodhi Temple complex atBodh Gaya, Bihar built by EmperorAshokain 260 BC, marks the enlightenment of Siddhartha GautamBuddha.Khajurahotemple and Buddhist monuments ofSanchiin Madhya Pradesh finds itself in the list of world heritage sites. Other renowned architectural and holy sites are SriHarmandir Sahib("The Golden Temple") in Amritsar, Punjab, Urban and Architectural Work of Le Corbusier in Chandigarh,Dilwara Templesof Mount Abu, Rajasthan to name only a few. A different genre of paintings evolved in North India especially the miniature paintings.Rajput Paintinga style of Indian painting that evolved and flourished during the 18th century, in the royal courts of Rajputana. Rajput paintings depict a number of themes, events of epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Krishna's life, beautiful landscapes, and humans.
One of the best-known examples of North Indian sculpture is theLion capital of Ashoka,Sarnath. It is the source for the national emblem of India and hints at the richness and grandeur of the ancientMauryan Empire. TheRampurvaBull capital is one of the best specimens of animal sculpture. Two different schools of art namely the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art evolved which represented the developments in sculptures, stucco, and clay as well as in mural paintings. The Kushana kings, particularlyKanishka, encouraged the Gandhara artists to sculpture themes from Buddha's life and the Jatakas. The distinctive school of art which grew here is called the Gandhara school of art. A large number of the images of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas were produced. Mathura art, however, reached its peak during the Gupta period (AD 325 to 600).  The human figure reached its most sublime representation in the Gupta classical phase when divine images, conceived and rendered in human shape, attained a superhuman aspect and manifested great spiritual import. The sculptures were marked by sharp and beautiful features, graceful and slim bodies, with many folds of transparent drapery and a new style of coiffure.
North India was the birthplace ofKalidasa, who wrote classicSanskritplays likeMālavikāgnimitram,AbhijñānaśākuntalamandVikramōrvaśīyamand poems likeRaghuvaṃśa,Kumārasambhava,ṚtusaṃhāraandMeghadūtain which the use of imagination and similes remains unequaled by any other literary work. Apart from these Sanskrit dramas,Pāṇini'sAshtadhyayistandardized Sanskrit grammar and phonetics and left an indelible mark on these aspects of Sanskrit. Panini was a grammarian from approximately 5th century BC, his Ashtadhyayi is looked upon as a masterpiece and as a study in brevity and completeness.
Medieval North India had great literary scholars likeTulsidas,Surdas,Chand Bardai,Amir Khusrowhose worksRamcharitmanas,Sur Sagar, Prithiviraj Raso and Khamsa-e-Nizami respectively contributed to the richness of literature. From the 19th century onwards Khadiboli became the general Hindu language; Khadiboli with heavily Sanskritized vocabulary or Sahityik Hindi (Literary Hindi) was popularized by the writings ofSwami Dayananda Saraswati,Bhartendu Harishchandraand others. Other important writers of this period are MunshiPremchand,Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi,Maithili Sharan Gupt, R N Tripathi and Gopala Sharan Sinha. Premchand's works, such asGodaanandGabanhave been translated into various languages, and are known for their subtlety and depiction of human psychology and emotions.