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Showing posts from January, 2011

Traditional dances in India

1. Bharata Natyam comes from the words Bha va (Expression), Ra ga (Music), Ta la (Rhythm) and Natya (Classic Indian Musical Theatre). Today, it is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by many dancers all over the world. The Encyclopædia Britannica states that Bharata Natyam is Sanskrit for Bharata’s dancing . Surviving texts of the golden age of Tamil literature and poetry known during the Sangam Age such as the Tolkappiyam (தொல்கப்பியம்), as well as the later Silappadikaram (சிலப்பதிகரம்), testify to a variety of dance traditions which flourished in these times. The latter work is of particular importance, since one of its main characters, the courtesan Madhavi, is a highly accomplished dancer. The Silappadikaram is a mine of information of ancient Tamil culture and society, in which the arts of music and dance were highly developed and played a major role. 2.Ghoomar is a traditional women's folk dance of Rajasthan , India whi...

Different schools of painting in India

1. The Pahari school developed and flourished during 17th-19th centuries stretching from Jammu to Almora and Garhwal , in the sub- Himalayan India , through Himachal Pradesh , and each creating stark variations within the genre, ranging from bold intense Basohli Painting , originating from Basohli in Jammu and Kashmir , to the delicate and lyrical Kangra paintings , which became synonymous to the style before other schools of paintings developed, which reached its pinnacle with paintings of Radha and Krishna , inspired by Jayadev 's Gita Govinda . It gave birth to a new idiom in Indian painting, and grew out of the Mughal painting , though this was patronized mostly by the Rajput kings who ruled many parts of the region. 2.Madhubani painting has been done traditionally by the women of villages around the present town of Madhubani (the literal meaning of which is forests of honey ) and other areas of Mithila . The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wal...

Historical sites

The capital city of Delhi was originally the capital of the Tomara clan in the 11th century A.D and later it became the capital of the Mughals. The city has some of the famous historical monuments; out of which some were built by the Mughals and the Britishers. Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Humayun's Tomb, Rashtrapati Bhawan, and Parliament House are the main monuments in Delhi, depicting its ancient history. Monuments of Prithviraj Chauhan, the Lodi Tombs, and the Siri Fort of Allauddin Khilji are some of the other monuments .Neighboring Delhi is the city of Agra well known as the imperial capital of the Mughal Empire. City of Agra got its real grace during the reign of Shah Jahan. In 1631,the Mughal ruler built the beautiful mausoleum of Taj Mahal, in the memory of his consort Mumtaz Mahal. The historical city of Agra also has many other Mughal monuments like the Agra Fort, the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, and Akbar's fort at Sikandra. Among the other historical places in India, the ...