Indian history in a nutshell, from the Indus Valley civilisation to independence The Indus Valley civilisation, c. 5000–1900 BCE Archaeological excavations in the 1920s uncovered the remains of two major ancient cities: Harappa on the Ravi river and Mohenjo-Daro on the Indus. Both places have been in Pakistan since the partition of India in 1947. …
The Modhera Dance Festival or Uttarardh Mahotsav is set against the backdrop of Modhera’s majestic sun temple, dressed in its best suit of lights for the occasion. It is organised by the Gujarat Tourism Corporation. It brings together dance troupes and solo performers from all over India, offering a panorama of India’s many dance styles.
The annual Marwar Festival, held in Jodhpur and Osian in Rajasthan during October, is an occasion for colourful folk celebrations. It is mainly focused on the music and dance of the Marwar region. Two lovely days for getting to know the folk culture of Rajasthan.
Dussehra marks the end of one of the biggest Hindu festivals called ‘Navaratri’. This festival lasts for nine nights and ten days. Its purpose is to celebrate the Universal Mother, or Shakti: the primordial force. The tenth day is commonly called Vijayadashami, the day of victory of light over darkness. Vijayadashami is also called Dusserha or Dasara in …
Indian cookery with its delicate flavours and subtle spice combinations is among the world’s most flavoursome. Each region of the subcontinent has its own culinary traditions, making Indian cookery amazingly rich and varied. As half the population is vegetarian, Indian cuisine uses a wide range of pulses, cooked in delicious ways, to provide a balanced …
For any question or information, don’t hesitate to contact me! mathini(at)orange.fr See you soon! Namaskar
The state of Tamil Nadu is a place apart, proud of its two-thousand-year culture. Classical Tamil is one of the world’s oldest languages, dating back 2500 years. The state’s capital Chennai (formerly Madras) is a major cultural centre, especially for Carnatic music and the Bharata Natyam classical dance. The peak event for these arts is …
Orissa, renamed Odisha in 2011, was once the kingdom of Kalinga. It lies on India’s northeast coast, on the Bay of Bengal. The cultural wealth of the region dates back to ancient times. One of India’s great classical dances, the Odissi dance, originated here. Dance scenes among the bas-reliefs in the caves at Khandagiri and …
With Mumbai (formely Bombay) as its capital and a population of 100 million, Maharashtra has the second largest population of any Indian state. It is also the most highly industrialised, accounting for a large part of the country’s GDP. Mumbai is the home of India’s film industry, whence the name Bollywood (= Bombay/Hollywood) for a …
Karnataka, historically the state of Mysuru (Mysore), lies in the southwest. It includes the lush coastal strip of Karavali, the mountainous region of Malnad, which is part of the long Western Ghats range, and an upland plateau region. Karnataka’s capital is the very modern Bengaluru (Bangalore), India’s tech hub, on the plateau. Karnataka saw a …
Andhra Pradesh is a state located in Southern India.The state is the eighth largest state in India covering and tenth largest by population. On 1 November 1956, the state of Andhra merged with the Telangana, a region of Telugu language of the state of Hyderabad and took the name Andhra Pradesh. In 2014, following several …
Delhi is a union territory and within it is New Delhi, capital of India. Delhi is a megacity where ultra-modern buildings rub shoulders with old open-fronted shops and narrow-laned bazaars. The great megacity may not appeal at first glance, but the vestiges of its Mughal history may slowly work their charm on you. Historically, Delhi has …
The state of Uttarakhand (the name means “land of the north” in Sanskrit) is famous for its magnificent wooded mountain landscapes. Uttarakhand’s glaciers give rise to two of the seven India’s holy rivers, the Ganges and Yamuna, so this is a land blessed by the gods. Haridwar, Rishikesh and the “Char Dham” offer perfect examples …
Uttar Pradesh is a state in north India with Lucknow as its administrative capital. It is the most populous state in India. This region boasts immense artistic wealth. Many famous musicians come from there, including Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Ravi Shankar, who did much to introduce Western audiences to Indian music. Kathak, one of India’s …
The name of Madhya Pradesh means ‘central province’. With Bhopal as capital, it is the second largest state in India by area. It was the largest until 2000, when the state of Chhattisgarh was created. Khajuraho with its amazing temples is one of the must-see towns in Mahya Pradesh. For the more mystically inclined, there …
Chhattisgarh in central India was split off from Madhya Pradesh and established as a state in its own right in 2000. Its capital is Raipur, a major steel manufacturing town. Chhattisgarh has so far been spared the mass tourist onslaught, but it is crammed with minor gems. It’s a paradise for nature lovers, with three …
West Bengal is in Northeast India. It is the country’s fourth largest region and the third most economically powerful, after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Its capital is the celebrated city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). Bengal prospered in the 13th century under the Mughal Empire. Under British rule, from the late 18th century, Calcutta was the …
Namaskaram, Padharo ! I’m Mathini, a French woman who has been living in Rajasthan for the last 10 years. Despite being imbued with Indian culture from a young age it wasn’t until 2014 that my Indian adventure really began. I left everything behind in France (yes, absolutely everything!) and set off on a 6-year journey …
To Hindus, the Sapta Puris are the seven holiest cities in India. Sapta means ‘seven’ and puri means ‘town’. These seven holy cities are also called the Sapta Moksha Puris, the ‘seven cities of liberation’ or the Sapta Tirtha, ‘seven places of pilgrimage’.
