Ancient Indian Culture

Ancient India

A world intertwined with Buddha and dreams - Indian culture

India is a close neighbor of our country, but due to the barrier of the towering Himalayan snow-capped mountains, we Little is known about this neighbor's situation. "Going to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures" has become synonymous with hardship in the ears of the Chinese, just like the Nile River and Mesopotamia in ancient Egypt, the Yellow River, the Yangtze River in China, the Indus River, and the Ganges River. It also gave birth to an ancient culture that shines brightly in the world and shines through history. Ancient Egypt, Babylon, China, and India are also known as the four major ancient civilizations in the world.

Half a million years ago, there were ancient ancestors in the Indian subcontinent. They also practiced slash-and-burn farming, fished, hunted and gathered, and thrived here from generation to generation. By the Neolithic Age, about 10,000 years ago, India was dotted with settlements, and people had begun to engage in agriculture, domesticate livestock, and make exquisite living utensils. All this provided fertile ground for the birth of a splendid ancient civilization. In the South Asian subcontinent, there is an ancient country with the towering Himalayas as its headrest and the vast Indian Ocean as its feet. This is India, known as the "Land of the Moon". Because its land is shaped like a cow's head, some people also call it the "Land of Cow Skulls".

Wandering through the ancient civilization of India - pure and beautiful tunes like Indian hymns

The Ganges River, starting from the Himalayas, passes through an Asian peninsula surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, nourishing This piece of land also gave birth to a glorious civilization and became the "holy river" of a country. And this lucky country is one of the four ancient civilizations in the world - India.

Psalm-like pure tunes

India is a melting pot of cultures. The country's unique historical background encompasses a variety of cultural trends from ancient times to modern times, from the West to the East, and from Asia to Europe. In addition, it is a country composed of five major ethnic groups, and it is like a large cultural museum. Mumbai, on the west bank of the capital New Delhi, is the center of culture, while Kolkata has news about culture every day. The diverse music, dance, dance dramas and comedy dazzle tourists and make them forget to leave.

After living in noisy big cities for a long time, people yearn to return to nature. The basis of Indian traditional music is "nature". It celebrates the relationship between people, the relationship between people and nature, and the relationship between people and God. The melodies of the four seasons are reflected in the traditional tune "raga" - legend has it that the ancients were inspired by the chirping of birds and the sound of burning branches in the forest to create the first "raga". As for the content of the song, it originated from North Indian religious rituals. To this day, traditional songs still retain the ancient pronunciation, and the singer's voice is pure, allowing the songs to maintain a simple and pure hymn feeling. Even if you don't understand the lyrics, you can still feel the sacredness and peace of nature.

Natyam, one of the oldest dances in India, means "the art of dance" in Hindi. In addition to emphasizing the rhythm of dance, it also emphasizes that the accompaniment music must be pleasant to the ear, consisting of solemn poetry and simple music. This dance was originally used for sacrifices and could fully reflect the emotions of the dancers. It was originally performed in temples by temple dancers. The key to this dance is to keep your upper body straight, your legs half-bent, your knees spread apart, and your feet like a half-open fan. Although there are strict movement specifications, every actor's performance is actually different, and most of the time the performances are improvised, so each Natyam has a very strong personal style.

Now, this traditional dance is making a comeback in a retro trend. However, in ancient times, Natyam was usually performed solo, but now group dances are more popular. A group of graceful dancers in colorful traditional costumes dance like fairies to beautiful music, and the effect is even better than dancing alone. Today, Natyam has developed into an art system that pays attention to technology.

Cuisine cooked in clay oven charcoal fire

Indian curry is famous all over the world. Many people think that rice and curry are staple foods and spices of india.

But in fact, only some places in India use rice as the staple food, and curry is an unfamiliar seasoning to most Indians.

In fact, the biggest feature of Indian cuisine is that there is no unified style. And not only are the eating habits very different between cities in India, but every family has a distinct eating style. But in general, chicken, fish and lamb are the most common. Gravy is a staple sauce in India and is popular throughout India. Of course, each place's gravy has its own distinctly local flavor. In Indian kitchens, only fresh green chillies and sun-dried red chillies are spicy. So tourists who don’t like spicy food don’t have to worry about not being able to eat authentic Indian food.

For tourists, India's most famous traditional dish has its origins in the Indian royal family. Stews, sauces and rice are the basis of three different cooking styles. But after all, royal food can only be eaten in specialized restaurants and big hotels, and ordinary people are not "cold" by it. In the local area, many popular Indian dishes are very popular at home, such as unleavened oatmeal bread and green mustard cooked over coal fire all night. Such a simple winter snack is popular among farmers and city dwellers alike. They all regard it as their favorite. In southern cities, authentic crispy pancakes and steamed rice cakes are famous. As for some coastal areas, in addition to seafood meals such as crabs, lobsters, tiger shrimps and shellfish, fragrant coconut is also the most commonly used ingredient.

The clay oven charcoal cooking method is a unique cooking method in India. It is very particular about time control. When the furnace temperature reaches 600 degrees Celsius, the cooking difference of one or two minutes, or even one or two seconds, affects the success or failure of cooking. The meat cooked in this way does not require oil, and is dipped in yogurt when eating. Even before the food is served, the sizzling sound of the charcoal fire and the lingering aroma will already make your index fingers tickle.

In addition, in many places in India, people like to use a large shallow plate called "thali" to serve food. When eating with "thali", you should taste it slowly as the locals do. Gobbling it up will only make the locals laugh.

The Soul of Tianzhu - Exhibition of Bronze Statues from Ancient India

Ancient India was a land of myths, with extremely developed religion and philosophy. Therefore, ancient bronze statues in India are often symbols of mythology, religious idols and philosophical metaphors, integrating the spirits of the gods. The tradition of bronze statues in India is very long and can be traced back to the bronze statuette "Dancing Girl" of the Indus River Age about 2500-1500 BC. Brahmanism (the predecessor of Hinduism), Buddhism, and Jainism, which emerged in succession from the 9th to 6th centuries BC, provided eternal themes for ancient Indian art, including bronze statues. In the Indian Middle Ages (7th to 13th century AD), Indian bronze statues reached their heyday.

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