Tilak

Tilak is a ritual mark on the forehead. It can be put in many forms as a sign of blessing , greeting or auspiciousness. The tilak is usually made out of a red vermilion paste (kumkum) which is a mixture of turmeric, alum, iodine, camphor, etc. It can also be…

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Namaskar / Namaste

The most famous form of Indian greeting, and is especially expressed towards the elders. The way to say a traditional “Namaste” is by joining both hands at the chest level. Its is also used to bid farewell.It is believed that both the hands symbolise one mind, or the self meeting…

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Indian Traditional Welcome – Atithi Devo Bhava

Indians live by the popular phrase “Atithi Devo Bhava”, which means that any guest or visitor is God’s own reflection. As per the traditional welcome, a guest is given an Indian tikka on the forehead, made of vermillion and is also garlanded.

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Indian Wedding Ceremony

Weddings are celebrated in the Indian subcontinent with great  pomp and ceremony. The entire occasion does not finish in a day. The social as well as the religious customs continues for a stretch of 3-4 days and sometimes even more than that.

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The Indian Birth Ceremony

This is held post the birth of a child in a family. The ceremony entails the naming of the child where the holy priest declares the first initial. It is with this initial that child’s name should start.

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Customs in India

Mark Twain rightly said – “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition”. India is an incredible land offering magical travel experiences to tourists who come here from across the…

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Culture of India

Culture It refers to the intellectual development evolved out of the physical and mental training acquired in the course of the ages in a country. India is the birthplace of one of the richest cultures of the world. The Indian culture has always amazed all other countries and has held…

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Buddhism: Origin, Spread and Decline

1. Contemporary Indian Society and Buddhism’s origin A keen observer of the world history may notice a pendulous motion. At one end of the pendulum’s swing is the society immersed in crass materialism, Pravritti (literally, action) and at the other end is the society engrossed itself in spirituality, Nivritti (literally,…

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Hinduism and Modernity

We are living in a modern society today. At least, we prefer to believe that we are! We shun anything non-modern or so called orthodox. We would like to stay in touch with the contemporary rather than the traditional, be it home furniture or our way of thinking or our…

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Religions in India

India known as the land of spirituality, philosophy and the origin of civilization, was the birthplace of some great religions, which even exist today in different parts of the world. Religion being an important part of the India’s culture, religious diversity and tolerance are both established in the country by…

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