Culture of Varanasi
Culture of Varanasi
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| Varansi |
Varanasi is a
city unique of its kind as it becomes a pilgrimage spot for Jains, Buddhists
and Hindus. Buddha gave his first sermon at Saranath, the 23rd Tirthankara of Jainism was born here
and it is the holy abode of Shiva and Parvati for the Hindus. River Ganges adds
to the sanctity. So, the culture of the city is predominantly religious (related
to rituals and devotion).
The city, with its narrow lanes; with
painted walls; with stalls selling puja articles; with ghats thronged by the bathing
devotees, appears very traditional. People speak Bhojpuri and Hindi.
The city hosts many learning centers
for those who are interested in knowing Sanskrit and Vedic texts. It is the home for many singers, dancers, and
scholars. Bismilla Khan, Kishan Maharaj, Kabir, Tulsidas, Sitara Devi, and
Bharatendu Harischandra lived in Varanasi and brought fame to the city. It is the home for the Banaras Gharana of
music. Kajari is a popular folk music of Varanasi.
Even Muslims dwell in the city
continuing their age old occupation i.e weaving. The famous Banaras Sarees are
woven by the Muslim community there.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
History of Varanasi
History of Varanasi
Varanasi was
known as Kashi Kshetra in the Rigvedic texts. Since the ages it has been
regarded as one of the important Pilgrimage centers for Hindus, Jains and
Buddhists. The place was formed into an independent city during 18th
century.
The earliest mention of the city
could be found in Rigveda. Then the great epics of India (The Ramayana and The
Mahabharata) talk about this place. Buddha gave his sermon at Saranath which is just 10 m away from Varanasi. The 23rd
Tirthankara of Jainism (Parsvanatha) was born here.
From 11th to 17th
century Varanasi was under the capture of the Muslim rulers. The city saw a
setback during this time due to the invaders. Kingdom of Kashi was established
during 18th century. Under the British rule Varanasi was made a
separate State in 1910, making Ramanagar its headquarters. The Kashi Naresh is
a title of honor bestowed upon the king. Kashi Naresh is the supreme power
concerning ritualistic activities there. He stays in Ramanagar fort. The then Kashi Naresh raja Balwant Singh
built this fort. After Independence, Varanasi merged with the Indian
Union.
Tag :
Historical,
Culture of Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Culture
Located in the northern region of
India Chandigarh should essentially have north Indian culture, hence basically
Punjabi culture is seen in Chandigarh. Chandigarh has several Government institutions;
it has branches of almost all the banks in the country, many research
institutes, big establishments of Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Because of posting
at so many government and semi government establishments there are people from
all over India working in Chandigarh. Literarily people from every state of
India can be found in Chandigarh, so there is a mix of different cultures here.
People here celebrate all the festivals and amicably mix up with each other.
There are temples and other places of worship with architecture of different
regional places (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Bengal styles). Various sabhas,
bhavans and committees are formed here, each with distinct traditions and
cultures everybody intermingle with each other thereby giving thrust to various
music, dance & art forms. People organize fairs, exhibitions, meetings and
competitions to promote their culture. The main language spoken here is Hindi,
and Punjabi, but Hinglish is used by the younger generation which is mixture of
Hindi & English. Cuisines of all styles and regions are available here for
the people to savor; there are many fast food joints, Chinese & South
Indian restaurants for the people to choose from.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
History of Chandigarh
Chandigarh
History
On attaining Independence from the British in August 1947,
India had to surrender quite a lot of its northern territories for formation of
Pakistan, Punjab was also split into two parts with Lahore its biggest city
going to Pakistan. Then a need to create a new capital for Punjab led to many
options but the most suitable one was creating a new modern city as the capital.
This proposal was selected by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. A Swiss
born French architect Le Corbusier was commissioned to design a new city
Chandigarh as the capital of Punjab. Later in the year 1966 Haryana state was
created from the eastern portions of Punjab. Chandigarh was at the border of
both Punjab and Haryana hence it was made a union territory and appointed as the
capital for both the states.
Tag :
Historical,
Culture of Guntur
Guntur city in Andhra Pradesh is known for its cultural diversity. Guntur is home to the people of different culture and different religions. Along with the people of Hindu who forms the majority of the population people of different religions like Muslim, Christian, etc are also found living peacefully there. Telugu serves as the most common language of communication in Guntur. Urdu is another major language spoken largely by Muslims. Guntur also serves as the place of purest form of Telugu language. Tikkana a famous Mahakavi (a great poet) was from Guntur.
Guntur celebrates all major festivals on grand scale. Along with Deepawali, Dussera, holi etc the Guntur also celebrates Id-ul-fitr and Christmas with equal enthusiasm. Apart from this festival there are some other regional festivals which are celebrated with great enthusiasm in Guntur. The life style of people of Guntur is blend of traditional and modern way of living. Mirchi bajji, aacakaaya pickle,idli,dosaare the famous food in Guntur. People here are found in both their traditional attire and in western dressing. Young ones of the city are found mostly inclined to use modern style of dressing.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
History of Guntur
Guntur is a city and municipal corporation in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It also serves as head quarter of the district of the same name. Guntur gets its earliest recorded reference from the Indren plate of Ammaraja the Vengi Chalukyan king who ruled the region during 922 to 929 CE. The city also gets its reference in the inscriptions which date back to 1147 and 1158 CE. Garthpuri was the original Sanskrit name of Guntur. Agasthyeswara Sivalayam is temple of Shiva situated in the old city of Guntur. The temple is most famous temple in Guntur and houses inscriptions in Naga scripts which dates back to 1100 CE.
After the arrival of Europeans, Guntur rose to prominence. In 1752 the French moved their head quarter from Kondavid Fort to Guntur and established their settlement there. This settlement later on formed the center of modern city. Nizam and Haider Ali ruled Guntur and surrounding region until 1778 when the region came under the rule of British. Guntur was made a district which was abolished in 1859 only to be reconstituted again in 1904. The city witnessed the railway track being laid in 1890 under the British rule. British continued to rule Guntur until the independence of India in Aug-1947. Post independence era witnessed large scale development in the city. Guntur is at present the fourth largest city of Andhra Pradesh.
Tag :
Historical,
Culture of Guwahati
Situated on the banks of Brahmaputra River, Guwahati is one of the most beautiful cities in north-eastern region of India. Guwahati is the largest city of the state of Assam which is known for its rich culture and traditions. Guwahati serves as a main center of cultural activities in the state. It is also a major educational hub in north east India. Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati is a famous across the entire north-east India. People of different tribes are found living mostly in nearby hill areas of Guwahati.
Guwahati is inhabited by the people of different religions like Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, etc. Assamese and Bodo serve as the main languages for the communication in Guwahati. English and Hindi are also spoken by few people in the city. Beautiful arts and crafts are cultural aspects of the city of Guwahati. Handicrafts made from the Bamboo and cane, metal works, Handloom, Pottery, jewelry, wood works etc are found in plenty here. People of Guwahati celebrate all major festivals of different religions with equal zest. Along with the Deepawali and Dussera the people are also seen celebrating the Christmas and Id-ul-fitr with great enthusiasm. Apart from these festivals Guwahati also hosts many religious and cultural events throughout the year. These festival and events provides the occasions to visitors to have glimpses of their rich culture and traditions.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,
Culture of Kota Rajasthan
Culture of
Kota
Kota is a prominent city of the state of Rajasthan. It was formerly
princely city in the state and is rich in historical heritage. Since the
independence Kota has grown into a major industrial hub in the state. The
People of Kota are known as industrious in nature. People living there belong
to different faith and religions. Most of the people belong to Hindu religion
while the people of Muslim, Jain and Christian are also found living
there. Some tribal communities are also
found inhabiting the nearby place of Kota for long time.
People in urban parts of Kota are largely engaged in
industrial activities. Rajasthani is widely spoken language of Kota. Hindi and
English are other languages spoken by some people in Kota. Rajasthani language
is spoken in its various dialects like Mewari, Marawari, and Hadauti etc. People
of Kota are known for their colorful traditional costumes. A wide gathered
Ghagra or Lehenga (skirt), long choli with its sleeves covering forearms and
multiple jewelries serve together as the traditional outfit of women of Kota. The
people of Kota celebrate all major festival with much fanfare. Festivals here
provide the occasion when visitors can have close look at the rich culture and
traditions of Kota.
Tag :
Indian Festivals,