Temples of Rajasthan

The temples of Rajasthan vividly reflect the Hindu and Jain philosophy and serve as specimens of exclusive architecture.

Rajasthan popularly known as the incredible land is famous for its collection of temples. The architectural magnificence of the temples in Rajasthan is well known and adds to the incredibility of the land.

Hindu and Jain Temples of Rajasthan
Hinduism and Jainism were both influential in Rajasthan and they are the predominant religions of this state.

Brahma Temple The Brahma Temple is located in Pushkar. It is dedicated to the Hindugod of creation, Lord Brahma. One will be able to see the idol of the sacred Goose at the entrance of this temple.

Eklingji Temple
Eklingji Temple is located in the town of Kailashpuri, about 22 kilometers from Udaipur on national highway 8. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Karni Mata Temple Karni Mata Temple is situated in Bikaner. It is also known by the other name of Nari Mata Temple and is dedicated to Karni Mata, an incarnation of goddess Durga.

Savitri Temple
Savitri Temple is also located in Pushkar. This temple is dedicated to goddess Savitri, the first wife and consort of Lord Brahma. This temple is a fine representation of marble architecture.

Birla Mandir Birla Mandir is located in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. It is also known by the other name of Lakshmi Narayan Temple.

Other Hindu Temples of Rajasthan
Some of the other Hindu temples of Rajasthan are Avari Mata Temple, Bhomiaji Maharaj Temple, Dadhimati Mata Temple, Garh Ganesh Temple, Kunjal Mata Temple and Jagat Shiromani Temple.

Dilwara Temples The Dilwara Temples are located about 2.5 kilometers from Mount Abu. There are 5 Dilwara Temples in Rajasthan namely, the Vimal Vasahi, Pithalhar, Mahaveer Swami, Luna Vasahi and Khartar Vasahi. They are dedicated to Jain Tirthankars.

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Indian Birds

Indian Birds are of various types and are found in different parts of the country.

Indian birds are of various types and species and are found throughout the length and breadth of the sub-continent. The Indian sub-continent itself is abode to 13% of the total bird species found in the world.

For birding in India, the mentioned bio-geographical regions can be demarcated: Trans Himalayan, Western Himalayas, Eastern Himalayas, Desert, Semi-arid, Indo-Gangetic Plain, Central India, Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Northeast Coasts and Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Common Myna
This is a dark chocolate brown colour bird with bright yellow bill, legs and orbital skin. While the Sri Lankan Myna is of a darker shade of brown, the Indian hill myna has a conspicuous white patch, which shows when the bird is in flight.

Parakeet or Parrot
The Tota is the most lovable bird in India. Large flock can be found all over the Indian Sub-continent, from the foothills of Himalayan Mountain to the southern parts of the country.

Little Egret
This bird, found all over the Indian sub-continent, is almost the height of a village hen. Dwelling mostly in the marshes, water ponds, rivers and tidal mudflats, this bird is of a very cunning nature.

Indian Robin
The Indian Robin is commonly found throughout the sub-continent. It is often seen hopping around on the ground looking for insects. The male and female are dissimilar.

Indian White-Rumped Vulture 
It is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes Eagles, Kites, Buzzards and Hawks.

Black Shouldered Kite
Black shouldered Kite is a widespread and common raptor, found throughout the country. It is often seen hovering in the air searching for prey.

Black Kite (Pariah Kite)
It is a dark brown kite found throughout the country. It can be seen circling and soaring even in the urban areas.

Asian Koel
The male Asian Koel is greenish-black, has red eyes and a pale green bill.

Green Bee-Eater
The most familiar and widespread bee-eater in the country and is often seen sitting on fences and electric wires.

Indian Roller
This bird has right blue wings with brownish upper parts. It is common throughout India and can be found perched on open branches and electric wires in open country.

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Indian National Army

Indian National Army was formed by Indian Nationalists in the year 1942. Its aim was to overthrow the British Raj in colonial India. 

Indian National Army, also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, was formed for the liberation of India from the British rule.

Origin of Indian National Army
INA was formed during the first world war League planned to rebel in the British Indian Army from the Punjab through Bengal to Hong Kong. However, this plan met with failure after the information was leaked to British Intelligence.

Composition of the Indian National Army
Indian National Army had many valued freedom fighters that helped in the battles. They all had a brilliant background and fought for a similar cause, freedom of India.

Battles of Indian National Army
The battles that were fought by the Indian National Army during World War II were fo

ught in the South-East Asian region. The operations include Malayan Campaign in 1942 as well as Burma Campaign.

Women in Indian National Army
Indian National Army was structured in a way that lodged active participation from women.

On 12 July 1943, Bose announced the formation of the Women's Regiment, naming it "Rani of Jhansi Regiment" which in later years was considered to be a special characteristic of the INA.

INA fighters were not invited to join the Indian Army after India's independence. However, a few ex-INA

members later have seen prominent public life or held important positions in independent India.

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Indian Culture

Indian Culture seeks a wider harmony reconciling spirit with matter, preserving the truths of material science and its real utility. It simultaneously keeps intact the spirit as the keystone of the arch of the culture.

Indian Culture and traditions are something which has now become renowned all across the world. Indian Culture is very diverse and unique and has been interpreted in various ways.

To some philosophical and spiritual beliefs are the bases of Indian Culture. Others say that dreams and ideals as embodied in the best architecture, the sculpture and paintings reflect Indian Culture.

History of Indian Culture
The origin of Indian culture is the Vedic age which includes ancient treatises like,Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharata. The history of Indian Culture is deep rooted in the Indus Valley Civilization and the arrival of the Aryans.

Features of Indian Culture
Tolerance is one of the major features of Indian culture. All races have found their habitation in India but they have not been persecuted. Balance is also a marked characteristic of Indian Culture.

Influences on Indian Culture
In many ways the topography of India has affected the course of her history and culture. The spirit of tolerance has been nurtured and fostered by India’s geography.

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Folk Theatre In India

Historically Folk theatre in India did emerge in the 15th or 16th century as illustrations from puranas and eposes.

Folk theatre in India has a rich legacy. In the ancient Vedic culture and even in Buddhist literature folk theatre first made its presence felt as an art form to illustrate the unedited realities of life.

Although much later this particular theatre form was named as the Indian folk theatre, yet it is indeed not an overstatement to say that the very basic rudiments of folk theatre in establishing itself as an artform was there in the mores, heritage and tradition of India. Folk theatre in India is mainly narrative in its form. This indeed point towards the origin and the age-old sagas of the sutradhara in Indian natya.

Indian folk theatre can actually be divided into two broad categories like the religious and the secular. While the religious folk theatres mainly evolved around the aspects and stories from history, religion and myth; the secular folk theatre actually emerged as a typical form of entertainment.

Every state in India has its own distinctive forms of folk theatre. Variously known as the Jatra in Orissa, Bengal and Eastern Bihar, Tamasha in Maharashtra, Nautanki in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, Bhavai in Gujarat, Yakshagana in Karnataka, Therubuttu in Tamil Nadu Indian folk theatre with its sheer vibrancy since the age-old days has reached out to all.

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Indian Classical Music

Indian Classical music originated in the Vedas and later branched into two streams of Carnatic and Hindustani music.

Indian Classical music is rooted in the Vedas, the oldest of the Hindu scriptures. The term 'Classical' is indicative of the fact that the art was mainly patronised by the elite in society and performed for their benefit.

Origin of Indian Classical Music
Indian classical music has developed through centuries of complex interactions between various cultures and people.

Schools of Indian Classical Music
Indian classical music split into two branches: the northern Hindustani tradition, influenced by the musical traditions of the Mughals, and the southern Carnatic tradition which remained more or less culturally Hindu and devotional in nature.

Instruments Used In Indian Classical Music
Instruments used in Classical music are typical to the school of music which employs them. A comprehensive overview of these instruments includes veena, sitar, mridangam, tanpura, sarod, flute, sarangi, shehnai, tabla, harmonium and violin.

Indian Vocalists
Indian Classical Music is mainly a vocal art, and there are many ragas which are even sung unaccompanied. It must be mentioned here that one of the best-known vocalists of all time was Miyan Tansen who performed in the court of one of the greatest Mughal Emperor, Akbar .

Indian Classical Instrumentalists
The Classical instrumentalists are known the world over for their unique and versatile style of performance.Bismillah Khan is a renowned Shehnai player. Eminent in the field of flute playing are Hariprasad Chaurasia,Vijay Raghav Rao,Pannalal Ghosh,Raghunath Seth,Nityanand Haldipur and others.Chandrakant Deshmukh, Budhadithya Mukherjee and Shahid Parvez are well known Sitar Players.

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Indian Films at the Oscars

Indian Cinema and Indian movies have witnessed a mild presence at the Academy Awards over the years; however some of the Indian film personalities have been honoured with the prestigious Oscar.

Indian films have not marked a significant and prominent presence for themselves at the Academy Awards, commonly known by their nickname, the "Oscars".

Although Indian Cinema produces numerous films in Hindi and multiple regional languages throughout the year, it has been mostly absent among the illustrious list of Oscar-nominated movies and winners, produced across the world.

Indian Films nominated at the Oscars
The 1957 Hindi film ‘Mother India’ was India’s first submission for the same and it made it to the final shortlist, nominated alongside 4 other films in the category. It came close to winning the Oscar but lost to ‘Nights of Cabiria’ by a single vote. Along with ‘Mother India’, only 3 Indian films till date have managed to make it to the final shortlist of nominations for the category, namely ‘Salaam Bombay!’ (1988) and ‘Lagaan’ (2001).

Indian Film Personalities at the Oscars
Although Indian films have not succeeded in winning the Oscar statuette, quite a few Indian film personalities have walked away with the prestigious accolade.

The year 1982 marked the first victory of India at the Oscars when costume designer Bhanu Athaiya received the award for Best Costume Designer for her work in Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning film ‘Gandhi’ (1982).

Later in 2009, the Indian film industry earned prominence at the Oscars,  bringing home 3 awards that were conferred to Gulzar for Best Original Song, alongside A. R. Rahman who also won the Best Original Score for the same song "Jai Ho" featured in the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008).

Resul Pookutty won the Best Sound Mixing, alongside Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, for the same film.

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Indian Tribal Paintings

Indian tribal paintings are the integral part of the tribal tradition. It is an art form where life and ingenuity are fused and it can never be separated.

Indian tribal paintings possess an inimitable sensitivity, as tribal folks possess a passionate awareness, massively varying from urbanised population.

Tribal painting is the mirror of the energy of the respective art of various tribal groups.

Wall Painting
Wall painting is the simplest art in any tribal society. The custom of making designs on walls and floors for some festivals or other religious purposes is common in the Indian tribal scenario.

Tribal Painting of different regions of India
The Saura painting of Orissa which is done by the 'Sauras', is one of the important paintings of the eastern zone which consists of sublime portraiture of human being, horse, elephant and sun with symbolic meanings behind each.

Another Indian tribal art of eastern zone is Santhal Painting which is portrayed by Santhal tribes, located in Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal.

The Khovar is the Bridal Room where the decorated nuptial room is a tribal tradition. The decoration is done in the bride's house by the bride's mother.

The Indian tribal art had developed in the western zone of India. The popular tribal art forms of India include Warli Painting and Pichhwai Painting. Among the tribal paintings, Warli painting is a tribal art form of southern Gujarat and northern Maharashtra.

The Indian tribal art incorporates the artistic exuberance of the tribal people of Central India where Pithora Painting, Mandana wall and floor painting, Gond and Bondi Paintings exhibit grand superiority of the states like Madhya Pradesh and some parts of Gujarat. Pithora is the name of the wedding patron God in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

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