| The Indian culture has enjoyed an
international reputation for the brass
and bell metal work. The technology
of metalworking had been entrenched
in the Indian Culture by 2500 B.C. This
technology then was manifested in myriad
exquisite and sturdy images and icons.
These images and icons are still found
in temples. They are still being produced
in household niches such as lamps, platters
and other items required for acts of
worship. The metals being used for these
products are mostly gold, silver, copper,
brass, bronze, and other mixed metals
and alloys. Infact the world-famous dancing figure
of Nataraja, which is a strong element
of the Indian Culture, is a work in
the Chola tradition. This piece of art
epitomizes the achievement of art in
the Indian Culture.
In fact an even more remarkable fact
is that most of the everyday household
equipments that people in India use
are art objects. The simplest of equipments
ranging from the kitchen ladle, to the
nutcracker, the water-pot, are all perfect
examples of the artistic bend in the
Indian Culture.
In modern India there is cultural
and religious diversity, and the
North-East, each of which have their
own distinct identities. Almost
every state has even carved out its
own cultural niche. In spite of this
unique cultural diversity, the whole
country is bound as a civilization
due to its common history, thereby
preserving the national identity.
India was the birth place of
religious systems such as Hinduism,
Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, each
of which have had a strong influence
not only over India but also over
the rest of the world. Following the
Islamic invasions and the subsequent
foreign domination from the tenth
century onwards, the culture of
India was heavily influenced by
Persian, Arabic and Turkic cultures.
In turn, the various religions and
the multi-hued traditions of India
have influenced South East Asia and
other parts of the world. |
