Anita Ganeri - Indian Culture

Apte, Sunita. India (True Books: Countries). New York: Childrens Press, 2009.

Brownlie Bojang, Ali. India (Countries Around the World). Chicago: Heinemann Library,2012.

Ganeri, Anita. India (Countries in the News). North Mankato, Minn.: Smart Apple Media,2008.

Ganeri, Anita. India (World of Food). Minneapolis: Clara House, 2010.

Ganeri, Anita. Prayer and Worship series. North Mankato, Minn.: Sea to Sea, 2008.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html
Find up-to-the-minute facts about India on this website.

india.gov.in
This website includes information about health, education, and culture in India. There is also a kids corner to check out.

kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/india/
Find out more about Indias geography, history, people, and more at this website.

worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/country/content.country/india_31/en_US
Learn more about Indian music at this website and listen to recordings by different Indian musicians.

The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C.
www.asia.si.edu

The Freer and Sackler Galleries focus on the art of Asia, and their collection contains many important examples of Indian art.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California
www.lacma.org
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has an impressive collection of Indian art.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
www.metmuseum.org
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has galleries with objects from India, including jewelry, paintings, and more.

What topic did you like reading about most in this book? Did you find out anythingthat you thought was particularly interesting? Choose a topic that you liked, suchas food, buildings, or religion, and try to find out more about it. You could visitone of the places mentioned above, take a look at one of the websites listed here,or visit your local library to do some research. You could also try putting on asari, watching a Bollywood movie, or trying some Indian treats!

INTRODUCING INDIAN CULTURE

What do you imagine when you think of Indian culture? What sights and sounds comeinto your mind? Do you see beautiful temples and palaces? Or do you think of Indianfood and fabulous silk saris?

India is located in South Asia. On the western side is the Arabian Sea. On the easternside is the Bay of Bengal. To the north are the Himalayas, the worlds highest mountains.India is the worlds seventh biggest country. It is about one-third the size of theUnited States. It is home to more than a billion peopleabout one-seventh of allthe people on Earth.

India is an ancient country with a long history. Over the last 5,000 years, it hasbeen invaded many times. Each time, the people who came to India from other countriesbrought their own customs and traditions, which have left their mark on Indian culture.

What is culture?

Culture includes the values, beliefs, and attitudes of a place. It is about how peoplelive and worship and about the music, art, and literature they produce. Because ofits huge size and long history, Indian culture is incredibly varied. There are manydifferent groups of people in India eating different foods, following different beliefs,speaking different languages, and wearing different clothes. However, they also havemany things in common. For example, people all over India are fans of the sport cricketand love going to the movies.

The famous Taj Mahal in Agra is a symbol of India that is known throughout the world.

BELIEFS AND FESTIVALS

Religion is very important in Indian culture and in peoples lives there. It candetermine where and how people live, whom they marry, what food they eat, and howthey dress.

More than 80 percent of Indians are Hindus, and about 13 percent are Muslims. Thereare smaller numbers of Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains.

Hinduism

Hindus follow the religion of Hinduism, which goes back at least 4,000 years. Hindushave many different beliefs and ways of worshiping. Most Hindus believe in a greatspirit called Brahman. Some Hindus call Brahman God. They also believe in manydeities who represent Brahmans different qualities and powers.

The Buddha

The Buddha was a royal prince who was born in northeast India (modern-day Nepal)in about 563 BCE. He was named Siddhattha Gotama and grew up in great luxury. Despitethis, he decided to live as a poor, wandering monk. He wanted to find a way for peopleto live happier lives.

After many years of meditation, Gotama became the Buddha, which means the enlightenedone. Today, there are very few Buddhists in India, but Buddhism has spread to otherparts of Asia and around the world.

This is the colorful tower of a Hindu temple. It is decorated with carvings of godsand goddesses.

Did you know?

Below is a prayer to Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed deity. Hindus believe thatGanesh removes obstacles. They pray to him before starting