GIT India

One of the main reasons that India is such a popular tourist destination is the culture. As one of the oldest cultures in the world India has developed a culture that is all its own, you won't find a similar one anywhere else. A big part of the reason for this is the wide variety of religions that exist in the country. If you are planning to visit India your trip will be greatly enhanced by learning about the culture and religion before you go.

Given that the country has a population of more than a billion it should probably not come as a huge surprise that there are a wide variety of different religions in the country. There are actually hundreds of them but the vast majority of people fall under one of the four major religions. Hinduism is by far the most common with over eighty percent of the population following this faith. Islam, Christianity and Sikhism are the others. Along with this there are lots of other smaller native religions that are followed in the country. This huge variety of religions is really one of the defining characteristics of India and has affected both its culture and its politics pretty dramatically.

When it comes to culture in India most of it is related to religion. The best known of India's cultural events are the many festivals that the country has. The Indians like to celebrate and they hold a great many of these festivals. Some are national holidays that are embraced by people of all religions but the majority are aimed at people of a particular faith. These festivals are something that you will need to be aware of if you are planning a trip both for the chance to see one and because they can really disrupt your travel plans.

India has a long history and over that time period it has also developed a wide range of arts. The easiest to see is the architecture which is varied and easily accessible, most cities have held on to at least some of their historically buildings. There is also a wide range of other visual arts with painting and sculpture being very prevalent.

Indian literature is perhaps one of the best known parts of the culture. As one of the oldest cultures on earth it has a very rich mythology which has been recorded in many stories. Known as epics most of these are in verse form and they form an important part of the countries history.

India is also well known for its performing arts, music being the one that people are most familiar with. The music is a combination of folk music and religious music although these days a lot of it is simply composed for popular culture. In addition to music dancing and drama are important parts of the performing arts in India.