Culture of Shimla
Culture of Shimla
If we go through the history of Shimla we notice that the city was
under the British influence for a long duration. As a result the lifestyle in
the main parts of the city reflects the British influence. But, as we move in
and around the hill station we get to see the Pahadi lifestyle. The people living in the main parts are
modernized, speak Hindi and English.
The Pahadi life style is based on
agriculture and livestock rearing. We can observe men and women with a cone
shaped basket on their back working in the open field or in an apple orchard. People
here are simple and friendly; are exposed to modernity. The Pahadi people practice
either Buddhism or Hinduism. The Kayang dance is a part of their culture. Their
music is accompanied by Chimta, Ghungaru, and Ektara. They still practice
traditional forms of dance and music that is unique to their tradition. Shimla
happens to be a fine blend of tradition
and modernity.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
History of Shimla
Shimla is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh and also a popular hill station. The formation of Shimla city began during the British rule. The British take the credit of identifying many hill stations in India. One among them is Shimla.
To trace the history of the city, one would have to begin with the Gurkha occupation. The Gurkhas of Nepal had occupied this region for about a decade. Prithvi Narayan Shah of Nepal had occupied Shimla in 1806. The region was just a small area which was known for the temple of Shyamala Devi. The time was around 1804. The people of Shimla asked the British to intervene in this matter to free their land from the Gurkha occupation. Around 1815, the British evacuated Gurkha occupation from Shimla and seized the territory. The pact of Sugauli confirmed the ownership of Shimla and the British officers started building their summer houses here.
The first officer to construct a house was Charles Kennedy in 1822. Gradually the region was formed into a proper city. Soon it became the summer capital of the British officers. The Kalka-Shimla railway line was built in 1906 comprising of more than 800 bridges and more than 100 tunnels. Shimla retains most of the British structures (the Auckland house, the Kennedy house and the Viceregal Lodge) intact. In 1972 Shimla was made a district and now it is a part of Himachal Pradesh State.
Tag :
Historical,
Fair and Festival in Raipur
Raipur, the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, is rich in its culture and tradition. Festivals celebrated in Raipur form an integral part of the culture of its people. Like the rest part of the country Raipur celebrates all major national festivals such as Deepawali and Dussera with much pomp and show. Apart from these festivals Raipur also witnesses its people celebrating their own regional festivals which offer the insight of their rich traditional customs and rituals.
Hareli is an important festival of Raipur. The festival comes in the month of Shravan and is mostly celebrated in rural parts of Raipur. On the occasion of the festival farmers of Raipur worship cattle and farm equipments. People place the branches of Belhwa trees into their fields and pray for the good crops. Leaves of Neem trees are also placed at the entrance of the house to ward off the seasonal diseases. Raipur also celebrates the festival of Pola. The festival is quite distinct among other festivals. On the occasion of the festival people worship the bulls which are made to toil in the fields for the rest time of the year. Pola is largely celebrated in rural parts of Raipur. Celebration of the festival also witnesses the fascinating event of bull race organized on the occasion. Chaparana annual fair, Bhoramdeo festival, Ragim Locham festival are other prominent fairs and festivals hosted in Raipur and its nearby places.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
Culture of Raipur
Raipur is the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It also serves as the headquarter of Raipur district. Raipur boasts of having a rich cultural heritage. Though the urban parts of the Raipur have seen some modern trends influencing the traditional ways of living of the people, Raipur (especially rural parts of it) has successfully managed to conserve its vibrant culture and traditions till date.
Chhattisgarhi serves as the main communicating language of the people of Raipur. The language also enjoys the status of official language of the state of Chhattisgarh.
Dewar Nacha, Raut Nacha, Panthi and Sova are some of musical folk dramas of Raipur. These are still popular in rural parts of Raipur district. Sohar, Bihav and Pathoni are famous folk songs of Raipur. The people of rural Raipur like to wear their traditional outfits. Kachora, Lugada (typical manners of wearing saris), Polkha and a set of beautiful jewelry form the traditional attires of women of Raipur. Fairs and festivals celebrated in Raipur also form an integral part of the culture and traditions of the people of Raipur. Surti, Gouri Goura, Hareli, Pola and Teeja are some of the prominent festivals celebrated in Raipur with much fanfare.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
Culture in Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari Culture
Kanyakumari
is a coastal town in the southern edge of Indian Peninsula It has an uneven
land mass around the town most of the commercial buildings and hotels are
located on the higher places with local fishing peoples living in lower areas.
The town has a 99% literacy rate with about 40% of the people being Graduates.
Locals are mainly involved in fishing, Shell crafts or tourism related
business. There are many tourist spots around Kanyakumari but Kanyakumari is
famous for its sunrise and sunsets with its unique confluence of three seas providing
a good view. On some cloudy full moon evenings one can observe sunset and moon
rise at the same time. The Kanyakumari Temple is built at the sea shore and it
attracts tourists from the world over throughout the year. The diamond nose
ring adorned by the deity is visible from the sea as it shines so bright. There
are two small island rocks just outside the Kanyakumari Temple on one a
Vivekananda rock Memorial is built in 1977 and on the second a giant 133 feet
high Thiruvalluvar statue is built in the year 2000. Ferries run regularly to
and from these rock memorials.
A Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were kept. A Hindu style temple is so designed that the on 2Nd October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi first rays of rising sun falls exactly at the spot where the urn containing the ashes were kept. Kanyakumari has its own tourist attractions like evergreen forests, sea beaches, mountain valleys, deep interiors, rubber and clove plantations etc. all in a 50 Kms radius from the town. Other places of tourist interest are Mathur Aqueduct, Baywatch Amusement Park, Vivekananda memorial and Tiruvalluvar Rock, Western Ghats, Chothavilai beach at Nagercoil. Our Lady of Ransom Church, Vattakottai Fort, Suchindram.
A Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were kept. A Hindu style temple is so designed that the on 2Nd October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi first rays of rising sun falls exactly at the spot where the urn containing the ashes were kept. Kanyakumari has its own tourist attractions like evergreen forests, sea beaches, mountain valleys, deep interiors, rubber and clove plantations etc. all in a 50 Kms radius from the town. Other places of tourist interest are Mathur Aqueduct, Baywatch Amusement Park, Vivekananda memorial and Tiruvalluvar Rock, Western Ghats, Chothavilai beach at Nagercoil. Our Lady of Ransom Church, Vattakottai Fort, Suchindram.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
History of Raipur
Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh is considered to be built in the 14th century by Kalchuri King Ram Chandra. In ancient time the region was a part of Maurya dynasty. During 2nd and 3rd century the region was under the rule of Satvahana kingdom. Thereafter the region came under the control of Samudragupta dynasty which ruled it till 6th century. Later on several kingdoms ruled the region until it came under the control of Kalchuri kings of Tumman. Ratnapur served as the capital place of Kalchuri kings. King Ram Chandra of Kalchuri during his rule established the city of Raipur. He also made Raipur the capital city of his kingdom. There is another story about the foundation of the city of Raipur. According to that the city was founded by Bramhadev Rai the son of Ram Chandra. The city of Raipur is named after Bramhadev Rai. During his rule in 1402 AD the temple of Hatakeshwar Mahadev was constructed on the bank of Kharun River.
After the decline of Kalchuri kingdom Raipur again witnessed several rules of different dynasty until it came under the control of Bhosale kings. Bhosale kings ruled Raipur for long time before the region came under the rule of British in India. During the rule of British Raipur began to grow rapidly but it was only after the independence of India in 1947 that the city of Raipur witnessed a large scale development and now it has become a major industrial city of India.
Tag :
Historical,
History of Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari History
The
name Kanyakumari comes from the name of local deity Kumari Amman or Kanyakumari
Temple. It is situated in the southernmost tip of Indian continent where the
three seas Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet. The Travancore
Census notes that the Paravars rulers governed the coast and built the Kanyakumari
temple for their reverence to the Sea goddess. Epic stories attached to this
town goes thus, An extension of Parvati mata, Kanya devi was to marry Lord
Shiva, but the lord did not turn up on wedding day, the grains kept for wedding
remained uncooked and eventually turned into sand spread on the sea shore.
Kanya Devi is considered as virgin goddess who blesses the pilgrims and tourists who come to visit the town here. Second legend says that Lord Hanuman dropped a piece of earth while carrying the mountain with important life saving herb to Lanka during the Ram-Ravan war . This has caused the surrounding place to be full of medicinal herbs. Agatha Muni an herbal medicine expert is believed to have lived here. Agastheeswaram is a village near Kanyakumari where Agasthya Muni lived. This is why the nearby places and a small hill nearby have so many herbal plantations. Kanyakumari has been a great center for arts and culture since ages. The place also had good trade links in the past. Christianity and Islam entered here via sea and have a sizeable number of followers now. Jainism is one of the faiths which have contributed in the arts and architecture of the region.
Kanya Devi is considered as virgin goddess who blesses the pilgrims and tourists who come to visit the town here. Second legend says that Lord Hanuman dropped a piece of earth while carrying the mountain with important life saving herb to Lanka during the Ram-Ravan war . This has caused the surrounding place to be full of medicinal herbs. Agatha Muni an herbal medicine expert is believed to have lived here. Agastheeswaram is a village near Kanyakumari where Agasthya Muni lived. This is why the nearby places and a small hill nearby have so many herbal plantations. Kanyakumari has been a great center for arts and culture since ages. The place also had good trade links in the past. Christianity and Islam entered here via sea and have a sizeable number of followers now. Jainism is one of the faiths which have contributed in the arts and architecture of the region.
Tag :
Historical,
Culture of Coimbatore
Culture of Coimbatore
The culture of any region depends
upon the way the people of the region live and go about in the society. Though
sharing a past with the Kongu culture (Coimbatore was a part of Kongunad
dynasty of the Sangam period), Coimbatore
lives with many traditions and cultures now. Coimbatore is a commercial city
inviting entrepreneurship.
Due to the growth of textile and
other industries the city has accommodated people from all across the country. It
is a cosmopolitan city having a cosmopolitan culture. Yet, the traditional
household maintains a culture of its own that is a Tamil culture. People speak
Tamil and are fluent in English and Hindi. The Kongu cuisine has maintained
some uniqueness in flavor and consists of a normal South Indian meal.
The city hosts people from diverse
communities such as Hindu/Muslim/Sikh and Christians. The city witnessed some
communal clashes in the early 20th century, once experienced (1998)
bomb blasts too. However the city is back to normalcy now. It is a fusion city,
if one wants to call.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
History of Coimbatore
History of Coimbatore
The city of Coimbatore was a part of the Sangam Chera kingdom in the Sangam Age
(from 3rd BC to 3rd AD) of the Southern Indian History. The
Cheras existed even before the Sangam Age. Coimbatore was ruled by the Kongu
dynasty (a tribal dynasty) till the Rashtrakutas took over the control. In the
later periods Cholas and Pandyas occupied it.
The region comprising Coimbatore was
known as the Kongu Nadu. The region had trade links with the Romans. Around 10th
century, the Cholas occupied the region. The Vijayanagara Empire comprising of
Madhurai Nayaks ruled over the region around 15th and 16th
centuries. Later the Madhurai Nayaks acquired independency and in the later
periods the region came under the Mysore rulers (Tipu Sultan).
The region fell into the hands of the
British after the Anglo Mysore wars fought with Tipu Sultan. As it happened
through all across the country, Coimbatore (Kongu Nadu region) remained with
the British till 1947. However the
growth of the city took a shape during the British rule.
The city is called the Manchester of Southern
India due to textile industries. The city experienced famines and earthquakes frequently.
But, during the British rule textile mills were introduced in the city. The
city has prospered then onwards and now has grown into a major industrial city.
Tag :
Historical,