Who is India 0

7/27/2019 Who is India 0

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INDIA

Who is India

Who is India and what is her claim? Is she as elusive to find as the insides of a seed? A

mere country cannot assume the bewitching charms that hang on her slender wrists. Who

is India?

Sit by the ruins, and the inscriptions in caves, and listen. Listen to the seers and the

folklorists, to the waters of the perennial rivers and the echoes from the immortal giganticmountains. Look at the personifications of prayer carved out of marble or stone, and lie

under a banyan tree, and listen - Listen to India.

India is the name given to the vast peninsula which the continent of Asia throws out tothe south of the magnificent mountain ranges that stretch in a sword like curve across the

southern border of Tibet. Shaped like an irregular quadrilateral, this large expanse of

territory, we call India, deserves the name of a subcontinent. Ancient Geographers

referred India as being constituted with a four-fold conformation (chatuh samasthanasamsthitam), on its South and West and East is the Great Ocean, the Himavat range

stretches along its north like the string of a bow. The name Himvat in the above passagerefers not only to the snow capped ranges of the Himalayas but also to their less elevated

offshoots -the Patkai, Lushai and Chittagong Hills in the east, and the Sulaiman and

Kirthar ranges in the west. These go down to the Sea and separate India from the woodedvalley of Irrawady, on the one hand, and the hilly tableland of Iran, on the other. The

Himalayas standing tall in breathtaking splendor are radiant in myth and mystery. These,

the youngest and tallest mountain ranges, feed the Ganga with never-ending streams of

snow. The Himalayas are home to the people of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal,Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Indians love these snow-capped peaks because they are a part of every Indian's life.

Indian's revere the mountains, as they would, the father. Even today, when Urban india is

racing against time, in the caves of the snow-clad peaks, live hermits - seeking the divine.Not a surprise when you consider that even this century has seen some great philosophers

like Ramana Maharishi, Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramhansa and J.

Krishnamurti.

Land And Location

The Vindhya mountains cut right across the country, from West to East, and form theboundary between North and South India.

India is also fortunate in possessing one of the worlds most extensive and fertile lands,made up of the alluvial Soil brought down in the form of fine silt by the mighty rivers.

Lying south of the Himalayas, these Great North Indian Plains consist of the Indus basin,

Ganga-Brahmaputra basin, and the tributaries of these mighty river systems.


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To the south of the Great Plains of northern india lie the Great Plateau of Peninsular

India, which is divided into two parts, viz., the Malwa Plateau and the Deccan Plateau.

The Malwa plateau - bounded by the Aravalli hills in the northwest and the Vindhyas inthe Vindhyas form the northern half of this peninsula. Chhota Nagpur region forms the

northeastern part of this plateau and is the richest minerals producing region of India. The

valley of the Narmada river forms the southern boundary of this plateau. The Deccanplateau, extends from the Satpura hills in the north to Kanniyakumari, the southern most

point in India, finally ending in the Indian Ocean

Towards the west of this plateau lie the Western Ghats that comprise of the Sahyadri, the

Nilgiri, the Annamalai and the Cardamom Hills. On the eastern side, this plateau merges

into a layer of discontinuous low hills known as the Mahendra Giri hills, which comprise

of the Eastern Ghats.

Narrow coastal plains along the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal flank the DeccanPlateau, on its eastern and western sides, respectively. The Western coastal plains lie

between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, further split into the northern KonkanCoast and the southern Malabar Coast. The eastern coastal plains, on the other hand lie

between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal and like the western plains are divided

into two parts - the Coromandel Coast as the southern part and the Northern Sircaras asthe northern.

Towards the western half of India lies a vast stretch of land that is divided, by the Aravalli

mountains, into two separate units. The area west of the Aravalli comprises of the TharDesert - made up of sand and interrupted by rocky hills and waterless valleys, this arid

land, extend deep into Pakistan. The state of Gujarat lies to the east of this range and is

one of the most prosperous regions in India.

These mainland areas apart, India has two groups of islands - the Andaman and Nicobar

in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.

Politically, India as it existed before its independence, however, extended beyond these

natural boundaries and included not only Baluchistan beyond the Kirthar range, but also

some small areas that lay in the Bay of Bengal.

The Legends

Historically, this vast landmass - we call India, was known as Bharat-Varsha, or the land

of Bharata, a king famous in Puranic tradition. This territorial unit was said to form part

of a larger unit called Jambu-dvipa - the innermost of seven concentric island-continentsinto which the earth, as conceived by the Hindu cosmographers, was supposed to have

been divided.

The name India was applied to the country by the Greeks. It corresponds to the


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Hi(n)du of the old Persian epigraphs.Like Sapta sindhavah and Hapta Hindu- the

appellations of the Aryan country in the Veda and the Vedinand - it is derived from

Sindhu (Indus), the great river that constitutes the most imposing feature of that part ofthe sub-continent, which seems to have been the cradle of its earliest known civilizations.

Rising in southwestern Tibet, at an altitude of 16,000 feet, Indus enters the Indian

territory near Leh in Ladakh.The river has total drainage area of about 4,50,000 squaremiles, of which 1,75,000 square miles lie in the Himalayan Mountainsand foothills.

After flowing eleven miles beyond Leh, in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir,

the basin is joined on the left by its first tributary, the Zanskar, which helps green the

Zanskar Valley. Many interesting mountain trails beckon the mountaineering enthusiaststo the Zanskar Valley. The Indus then flows past Batalik. When it enters the plains, its

famous five tributaries-Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej-that give Punjab (the food

bowl of India) its name as the land of five rivers, join it.

However,much of the myth and sentiment attached to India is related with the Ganges.

The gushing waters of the Ganges are at once peaceful, and at once tumultuous. Naturesglory and mans aspirations have long met along the Ganges. As her civilization spread

out further, a pilgrimage had to be undertaken to reach her watery shores. Fairs and

festivals began to be celebrated on her banks. The history of Ganga is as long as thehistory of Indian civilization. Barring the period of Harappan civilization, Ganga basin

has been the spectator to all the actions that shaped mythology, history, and people of

India. It was in this plain that the great kingdoms of India, viz., Magadh, Gupta, and

Mughals found their home. It was in this region that one of the most homogenouscultures of all times was born. Furthermore, it was in this place that the essence of

Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism was established in india. Ever since then, the

river has been the lifeline of India, economically,spiritually and even culturally.

The mighty Ganga (also Ganges) emerges from beneath the Gangotri glacier at a height

of 3,959 m above sea level, in the Garhwal region of North India. Here she is known asthe Bhagirathi, after the legendary prince Bhagirath who is accredited with bringing her

down from heaven to earth. Bursting forth at Gaumukh, out of a huge cavern shaped like

the mouth of a cow, snow laden and hung with giant icicles, the Bhagirathi goes rushing,

sparkling, foaming around chunks of ice that are constantly breaking off from the glacierabove. Eighteen kilometers downstream, stands Gangotri, which was the source of the

river until the glacier melted and retreated to its present position above Gaumukh. From

here, onwards the river passes through the plains of North India, covering the states ofUttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Bangladesh. Along the route that Ganga and her

tributaries took, they set up different settlements, each of which was distinct and

developed its own indigenous culture.

Uttarkashi,Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Rishikesh and Haridwar are some of


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the important sites on the coast of this holy river during the early phase of its journey

through North India. From Haridwar to Allahabad, the Ganga flows parallel to the

Yamuna, another important river flowing through North India, each describing a hugearc. It flows past Garhmukteshwar, the very place where the goddess Ganga is said to

have appeared to Shantanu (ancestor of the Pandavas), and Bithur, a city close to but

much older than Kanpur, the site of an ancient Shiva temple, before reaching Allahabad,an important religious centre of india.

Allahabad is a sacred place with soul cleansing powers, particularly so because themythical, subterranean river Saraswati is said to join the Ganga and Yamuna at this point-

a speck of white sand known as the Sangam. In Vedic times, there was a settlement at this

confluence, known as Prayag, where the Vedas were written. Brahma himself is said to

have performed a sacrifice here. Huen Tsang visited Prayag in ad 634. It was underMughal Emperor Akbar that Prayag was renamed Illahabas, later to be changed to

Allahabad. Overlooking the confluence is a massive, historic, red stone fort built by

Akbar.

Like Haridwar, Varanasi is also a temple town of India. However, it is difficult to describe

Varanasi. As Shri Ramakrishna once said, One may as well try to draw a map of theuniverse as attempt to describe Varanasi in words. As old as any currently inhabited city

on earth, it was already well known in the days of Buddha, 2,500 years ago. It finds

constant mention in ancient literature and has all along been a pilgrimage center, sacredto Shiva. Hindus consider it an auspicious place to die, for then one goes straight to

heaven. Surprisingly, Varanasi does not mark one of Gangas great confluences, but is

named after two small rivers that join here, the Varuna and Asi. The oldest habitation site

of India - Kashi, lies north of the Varuna.

Crossing the vast Gangetic plain, the Ganga flows past Patna, the famous Pataliputra as

mentioned in the history books across India. She flows past Mokamah a place famous asthe working destination of the great hunter-conservationist Jim Corbett while in India. It

flows past Farakka Barrage, built to divert more water from Ganga to Hooghly to prevent

the latter from silting. Soon thereafter, the Ganga splits into the numerous tributaries thatform the Gangetic delta. The Hooghly, regarded as the true Ganga, is one of these

tributaries. The main channel proceeds to Bangladesh as the river Padma, so dearly loved

by Rabindranath Tagore - the legendary poet of India.

Like the Ganges, the vast networks of rivers flowing throughout India are sacred to its

people. The same goes for the region south of the Gangetic Plains in north India. Thisregion is a highland zone rising to the chain of the Vindhya Mountains - forming the land

of the river Cauvery Long revered by the people of India, for the bounties offertility

bestowed by the gentle waters, this river flows from the azure mountains of the Nilgiris.Today, this region covering the four south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kanataka, Kerala

and Andhra Pradesh offers visible continuity with traditions in time. Above the land of

Cauvery lies Orissa, another culturally rich state in India that is fed by the river

Mahanadi.


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Through the east of India, flows the very cascading Brahamputra. The waters of the

Brahmaputra travel all the way from China to the plains of the Indian state of Assam.Further northeast are seven other states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal

Pradesh, Nagaland , Mizoram,and Sikkim - together known as the seven sisters.

The two rivers of Narmada and Tapti in central and western India have a unique

distinction of flowing in the east to west direction, unlike other major rivers in India. Out

of the two, Narmada has more mythological significance as being the mother and giver ofpeace. Legends in India have it that the mere sight of this river is enough to cleanse ones

soul, as against a dip in the Ganga or seven in the Yamuna.

Population

India is also home to a large and diverse population that has added to its vibrant character

since ages. There are about 3,000 communities in India. So wide and complex is the mix

of the Indian population that two-thirds of her communities are found in the geographicalboundaries of each of her states. They are a mingling of the Caucasoid, the Negrito, the

Proto-Austroloids, the Mongoloid and the Mediterranean races. The tribals constituteeight percent of the total population of India.

Based on their physical type and language, we can easily divide Indian people into fourbroad classes. First, a majority of high class Hindus, who live in North India and whose

language is derived from Sanskrit. Secondly, those who live in that part of India that is

south of the Vindhyas and whose languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam -

are entirely different from Sanskrit. These are known by the generic name ofDravidians. Thirdly, primitive tribes living in hills and jungles of India, who as

mentioned above constitute eight percent of the total population in India. The Kols,Bhils

and Mundas belong to this class. Fourthly, there are a people with strong Mongolianfeatures inhabiting within India the slopes of the Himalayas and mountains of Assam.

The Gorkhas, Bhutiyas and Khasis are striking examples of this.

To add all this, India is perhaps the only place in the world where twenty religious

streams flow together. If that sounds clichd, here is a surprising piece of information.About 500 communities of India say they follow two religions at the same time! India has

a population of over 900 million people, the majority of whom are Hindus.

No wonder then that India is today known all over the world as the Land of several

Religions. Ancient India witnessed the birth of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism; but all

these cultures and religions intermingled and acted and reacted upon one another in sucha manner that though people speak different languages, practise different religions, and

observe different social customs, they follow certain common styles of life throughout the

country. India therefore shows a deep underlying unity inspite of its great diversities.


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The term Hinduism has emanated from the name given to the people who lived on the

banks of the river Sindhu or Indus as it was denominated by the foreign invaders who

came from the North West into India many, many centuries ago.

However, Hinduism is not really a religion, it is a philosophy and a way of life that has

evolved over the millennia in the Indian subcontinent. Although there are many textsfrom the Vedic times, which enunciate the basic truths and lay down certain doctrines,

Hinduism is not a doctrinaire religion but a catholic one with tolerance as its corner stone.

Hence, the myriads of people of different racial, linguistic and religious faiths who havecome in from the east and from the west, through the mountain passes and along the sea

coast, bringing with them their own ideology their customs and their languages into

India, have continued to live their lives according to their own traditions.

Religion

During the last 50 years since India gained Independence, the Constitution has

guaranteed the freedom of worship and way of life to all its citizens. This has ensured therich kaleidoscope of festivals that are celebrated throughout the realm.

Since the majority of the inhabitants of India are Hindus, their festivals dominate thecalendar. The most colorful of all the festival is Deepawali or Diwali as it is commonly

known, the festival of lights. The central figure in the Indian epic, Ramayana, is Rama

who went into exile for fourteen years at his fathers behest, accompanies by his wife Sita

and his brother Lakshman. During their wanderings in the forests, Ravana, the king ofLanka, carried Sita away. It was only after an epic battle that Rama vanquished Ravana,

rescued Sita and returned home to his kingdom of Ayodhya. The journey from Lanka in

the south to Ayodhya in the north took twenty days. His triumphal return to Ayodhyabrought great joy to his people who illuminated the whole city to celebrate the occasion.

This joy and this illumination continues to this day as houses and cities throughout the

India are lit up (traditionally with small earthenware cups or diyas filled with oil) tocommemorate the anniversary. Deepawli signifies the triumph of good over evil and light

over darkness

The battle between Ravana and Rama and the latters victory are celebrated as Dussehrain many parts of India, twenty days before Deepawali. Dussehra is the day when the

effigies of Ravana, his brothers Meghnath and Kumbhakaran, are burnt. Dussehra is

preceded by enactment of the story of the Ramayana by amateur groups of people in allvillages, cities and in localities of the metropolis throughout India. Practically all-night

performances of the Ramayana from the beginning to the end are enacted, analogous to

street plays, and the actors are mainly young boys who perform the role of the male andthe female characters. Immense popularity is reflected by the large gatherings for these

performances known as Ram Lila.

These are simplified accounts of two of the major festivals of the Hindus in India but


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there are many variations and accretions as different people perform different rituals and

forms of worship. For example, in Bengal, the worship of the Goddess Durga precedes

Deepawali.

While Goddess Durga is the eminent icon crafted with great devotion in West Bengal,

Lord Ganesha - acknowledged universally in India as the remover of obstacles - who isthe central figure in the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra.

Since Independence of India, there is also a definite revival in general of traditions and in

particular of craft traditions. Crafts are an intrinsic part of the religious and ritual

traditions in India as craftsmen often worked for the temples and for providing theappurtenances necessary for worship. Before Indian Independence, many village crafts

languished as the British implemented the policy of modern industrialization.

There are many gods and goddesses in the Hindu panthon; different parts of the countrygive importance to one or the other. Lord Krishna, the eight incarnation of Vishnu, is the

divine core in the epic Mahabharata. It was he who gave the sermon of the Bhagwat Gita(the song Celestial) to Arjuna, one of the five Pandava brothers during their battle with

the Kauravas at Kurukshetra. This battle again epitomizes the fight between the forces of

evil and good. Lord Krishna, however, is not a mythical character. Lord Krishna isvenerated all over India and there are temples dedicated to him specifically but in

particular, his home ground of Vrindavan and Mathura where he lived as a boy and

revealed his divinity by the miracles he wrought. His love for Radha has been the

inspiration for miniature painters of the Kangra or Pahari school of Painting, as also forthe elaborate style of painting embellished with gold, known as the Tanjore styles from

South India.

The Indian calendar, as opposed to the Gregorian, starts in April. New Years day is April

13, celebrated as Baisakhi, which coincides with the harvesting of the wheat crop in

Northern India, especially in Punjab. People wear new clothes, sing and dance in joy. InEastern India the new year begins on April 14th and again it is a joyous occasion with

singing and dancing by young men and women who don their best silken mekhalas

(sarongs) and chaddars (an overwrap) and dance to the beat of the drum. This festival is

known as Rangali Bihu in Assam.

As the Hindu gods and goddesses in their myriad forms were worshipped with elaborate

rituals, many introduced by the priesthood, there appeared on the scene in North India areformer who enjoined a simpler form of worship shorn of rituals. He was Guru Nanak

Dev, whose teachings and those of the nine gurus who followed later are collected in the

holy book of the Sikhs, the Granthsahib. The birth anniversaries of Guru Nanak and GuruGobind Singh, the tenth and last of Gurus, are very important days and are celebrated

with religious fervor and devotion. Processions are taken out, the scriptures are chanted,

without a break, and the Gurudwaras (Sikh temples), illuminated in most parts of India

where Sikh population exists.


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Lord Buddha was born in India and it is from the shores of this land that Buddhism was

disseminated to Sri Lanka and to Tibet. Lord Buddhas birth anniversary is celeberated as

Buddha Purnima. Falling on the full moon day and is a holiday in India for the last somany years. Buddhists practice their rituals and observe their special religious days all

over India.

Christians are equally at home in India. Two important Christian saints came to India

many centuries ago and preached the doctrine of Christianity. It is believed that St

Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, came to India in the first century AD, and

spent the rest of his life in India preaching Christinanity, particularly in Kerala where alarge part of the population were converted to Christianity. His tomb, St Thomas Mount

in Chennai, Tamil Nadu has become a place of pilgrimage for Christians in India.

The Spanish Catholic missionary, St Francis Xavier, also spent the greater part of his lifein Goa - a small coastal state on the western coastal strip in India. His body, in a glass

casket, has been kept in the Church of Basilica of Bom Jesu in Panjim, Goa. Every tenyears, his relics are exposed to the public, and people from all over the world throng to

Goa in order to get a glimpse and receive the benediction.

The Muslims in India celebrate all their festivals of Id, but they look westwards towards

Arabia, which is their spiritual home, and the Government of India has made special

arrangements for Haj pilgrims who go to Mecca annually. Chartered aeroplanes take

them to their destination and they enjoy this concessional privilege.

Thus, it is evident that all members of this country enjoy the same constitutional rights

and privileges since India got its Independence and their festivals and rituals lend a newdimension to the many faceted society that is India.

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