Indian Students Association (ISA)

proudly presents

A Glimpse of India
Copyright @2002
Hindu Students Council (HSC) NCSU and MAITRI
http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_orgs/hsc
http://www.ncsu.edu/stud_orgs/maitri

India-a Diverse Nation

India is a picture of diversity seen in her people,

cultures, colorful festivals, dresses and costumes,
religions, flora and fauna and varying landscapes.

India-a Diverse Nation

India is roughly one third the size of

USA.
It has 29 states and 6 union
territories.
There are 18 official languages, 114
languages, 216 mother tongues and 900
dialects in India.

Religions of India

Hindu Temple

Sikh Gurudwara

Jain Temple

Buddhist Pagoda

Four major religions of the world have

originated from India: Hinduism,Jainism,
Sikhism and Buddhism.

Religions of India

Bahai Lotus Temple

St. Paul's Cathedral

Parsi Fire Temple

Jewish Synagogue

Nakhoda Mosque

India-the Largest Democracy

India is the largest democracy in the world,

seventh largest country and the second most
populous.

India-an Ancient Civilization

India is one of the oldest continuous civilizations.

The story of civilization begins in India with the
Harrapan civilization which was nurtured by the
Sarasvati and Sindhu rivers in Northwestern India in
3000 B.C.

Dances of India

The cultural richness of India is

reflected in her numerous classical and
folk dances.

Bharatnatyam

Bharatnatyam is one of the seven major

classical dance forms, which originated
in India. It originated in the state of
Tamil Nadu.

Kathakali

Kathakali is one of
the oldest theatre
forms in the world.
It originated in
the area of
southwestern India
now known as the
state of Kerala.

Mohiniyattam
This classical
style was born
out of a
clever fusion
of Kathakali
with
Bharatnatyam.
It shows deep
affinities
with both
these styles.

Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi was born
in a remote village
of Andhra Pradesh
from which it
derives its name.
The style portrays
various religious
themes in the form
of a dance drama.

Odissi
Odissi may be the earliest
classical dance style of
India. Natyashastra, the most
ancient and authentic text on
Indian Dance and
Dramatics,also acknowledges
its existence.
It is nurtured in the famous
shrines of Orissa situated at
Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar.
.

Manipuri

Manipuri dance
originated in Manipur.
The love of Lord
Krishna and Radha is
the dominant theme in
this dance form.

Kathak
The Kathak dance form
originated in the north
and at first was very
similar to the
Bharatanatyam. Persian
and Muslim influences
later altered the dance
from a temple ritual to
a courtly entertainment.
The influence of the
Mughal tradition is
evident in this dance
form.

Folk Dances
Dandiya - A folk
dance of Gujarat. Its
popularity has spread
all over India.

Bhangra This folk

dance from Punjab is
characterized by
vigorous movements.
Bhangra is a rage in
India.

Folk Dances
Bihu is the
folk dance of
Assam.

Yakshagana is a
folk dance of
Karnataka. It has
been revived
recently.

Classical Music

Indian classical music has a rich

tradition. The earliest musical
compositions are attributed in the
Samveda more than 4000 years ago. Indian
musical instruments like sitar, tabla
and sarangi are popular throughout the
world today.

Yoga
Yoga originated in
India more than 5000
years ago. It means
union. The part of
Yoga dealing with
physical exercise,
Hathayoga, is widely
practiced throughout
the world today.

Wildlife
Royal Bengal
Tiger. Its habitat
is the mangrove
forest of the
Sunderbans.

Peacock is the
national bird of
India.

Wildlife
Kaziranga is the home
of the one-horned
Rhino.

The Red Panda is found

in the hills of
Darjeeling.

Wildlife
The Indian elephant
is smaller than its
African counterpart.
Elephants were
extensively used in
warfare in ancient
times. They are still
used for various
temple rituals.

Monuments

The Meenakshi temple of

Madurai was built by the
Pandiyan king
Kulashekhara in the 14th
century.

Monuments

Jagannath temple at Puri

Monuments

The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah

Jahan in the 17th century. It is considered to be
one of the most beautiful constructions in the
world.

Monuments

The Red Fort in Delhi

was built by Shah Jahan
in the 17th century.

The Iron pillar in New

Delhi constructed 1600
years ago by
Chandragupta Maurya
has been a
metallurgical wonder by
defying rust and the
vagaries of nature.

Monuments

The Hawa Mahal of Jaipur was

built by Sawai Pratap Singh
in the 18th century.

Monuments

Karnataka State Assembly

building, Bangalore.

Statue of Mahavira, at
Gomteshwara.

Mysore Place.

Festivals

Ganesha Chaturthi is one of the most

important festivals of India. It is
celebrated every year around September.

Festivals

The Durga Puja is celebrated in

Kolkata every year around October.

Festivals

Diwali-the festival of lights-is the most

popular festival in India. It is celebrated
throughout the country either in the last
week of October or in the first week of
November.

Festivals

Holithe festival of colors-is celebrated all

over India. The above picture shows Indian
students celebrating Holi at NCSU.

Festivals

The above picture shows my friends and me

celebrating Holi at JNTU, Hyderabad, India back
in 2000.

Scenic Beauty

Kanchenjungha, the
third highest peak in
the world(8598m), in
the Himalayas, is the
highest peak of
India.

The Thar desert

is located in
Rajasthan.

Scenic Beauty
The backwaters of
Kerala.

Ladakh is one of the

coldest inhabited
regions of the
world.

Costumes

A lady in a saree.

Costumes

A lady in a Ghagra Choli.

Costumes

A lady in a Churidar.

Costumes

A Sikh in a turban.

Marriage

An Indian marriage ceremony.

Technology
India developed her own
supercomputer in the mid
eighties.
India successfully launched
her Geostationary Satellite
in 2001.
India is the leading nation
in the world in professional
software development.

India-the Largest Film Industry

India is the largest film producing nation in

the world. Each year India produces
approximately 1000 movies in 14 different
languages.

Sports

Cricket is the most

popular sport in
India.

Hockey is the national sport of India.

Sports
The game of Polo
originated in
Manipur.

Kabaddi is very
popular in the
villages.

The End
Brought to you by: Sreedhar Manchu
Made by:
Hindu Students Council (HSC) NCSU and Maitri