Customs & Traditions of India

The customs and traditions of India have been reformed and molded by the long and dynamic history of Indian society. Through its distinct geography and social adaptation to new cultures, traditions, and ideas, and national heritages, India stands as a monumental example of cultural and social diversity. It has taken shape through traditions and ideas from some of its neighbors as well as by preserving its ancient heritages, which were formed during the Indus Valley Civilization and evolved further during the Vedic Age, rise and decline of Buddhism, Golden age, Muslim conquests and European colonization. India's great accomplishment as a culture and nation is its diverse and ample collection of cultural practices, languages, customs, and traditions that have developed and shaped the nation of India for the past five millennia.

Besides its rich diversity, India has also been the breeding ground for several religious systems including Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. The various religions and traditions of India that were created by these amalgamations have influenced other parts of the world too, spreading through Asia and eventually onto the rest of the world. Buddhism, for example was founded in India but eventually found its way into other countries including China, Japan, and other major parts of Asia where it became a mainstream religion practices by the masses.

India's one billion plus people have all descended from a wide variety of races, cultures, and traditions. The oldest race is the Negroid aboriginals called the Adivasis which have also been referred to as the first settlers. The other substantial communities included the Dravidians, The Aryans, the Mongols, The Semites and innumerable inter-cross geneses of these cultures. The great Indian epics, The Mahabharata and the Bhagavad-Gita, have been substantial guides for Indian culture and tradition, especially those deriving from Hindu origins. They provide frameworks for the values and have helped to define values and laws within Indian culture and society.

Swami Vivekananda (1863- 1902), one of the modern teachers of spirituality in India, laid stress on physical development as a prerequisite for spiritual development, which in turn leads to the development of the culture of the country. For the past 1000 years various foreign invasions like that of the Huns, the Kushanas, The Arabs, The Muslims, The Dutch, The French and the British have taken place in india. This diversity of culture and rulership had exposed Indian to cultures that were totally alien to them and forced them to adapt to new beliefs and traditions. Several attempts were made by the Indian rulers like the Pallavas, the Chalukyas, the Palas, the Rashtrakutas, the Cholas, and the Vijayanagar Emperors to give the Indians an administration, which was in consonance with the cultural heritage of the country.

Later, religions became an important part of the Indian culture and places of worship became community centers. The innovations in religious thinking brought two popular beliefs in India, namely Buddhism by the Buddha and Jainism by the Saint Mahavir. Then there was a socio-religious shift or orientation in the Indian culture. Later in the century Westernization of Indian culture began, but it was stemmed by the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dayananda Saraswathi, Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Guru, Maharisi, Aurobindo, etc. Then there took place a Renaissance, that emphasized the need to recognize the country's own culture while ushering in an age of modernity.

If India's culture tended to become tolerant, accommodating, open-minded, deeply but not ostensibly spiritual and concerned with the common human welfare, then it is due to the great and relentless efforts of our great ancestors and leaders. Thanks to them our country has achieved a common culture, despite a staggering pluralistic society.