SEVEN WONDERS OF INDIA

It's Pretty Hard To Pick 7 Wonders Of India, Before Displaying The List Of wonders Let Us Go Through The Customs And Culture Of  INDIA

Customs And Culture :

India's Culture is among the world's oldest ; civilization in india began about 4,500 yeras ago .
Many sources describe it as " Sa Prathama Sanskrati Vishvavara " -- The first and the supreme culture in the world. 

However , Indians made significant advances in architecture(Taj Mahal), mathematics (Invention Of Zero) , medicine (Ayurveda). Today india is very diverse country with more than 1.2 billion people.

Different Regions Have their own distinct cultures. Language, religion , food and the arts are just some of the various aspects of india culture 

LANGUAGE 

India has 28 states and seven territories, according to the World Health Organisation . There is no official language in India, according to a Gujarat High Court ruling in 2010. Many people living in India also write in Devanagari script. In fact, it is a misconception that the majority of people in India speak Hindi. Though many people speak Hindi in India, 59 percent of India residents speak something other than Hindi, according to The Times Of India. Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu are some other languages spoken in the country.

Indian States and Ministers:

States (in alphabetical order)	Capital City	Minister – Political party
Andhra Pradesh	Amravathi [*Hyderabad initially]	Chandrababu Naidu
Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	Kalikho Pul
Assam	Dispur	Sarbananda Sonowal (BJP)
Bihar	Patna	Nitish Kumar (JDU)
Chhattisgarh	Raipur	Raman Singh (BJP)
Goa	Panaji	Laxmikant Parsekar (BJP)
Gujarat	Gandhinagar	Anandiben Patel (BJP)
Haryana	Chandigarh (shared with Punjab)	Manohar Lal Khatter (BJP)
Himachal Pradesh	Shimla	Virbhadra Singh (Congress)
Jammu & Kashmir	Srinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter)	Mehbooba Mohammed Sayeed (PDP)
Jharkhand	Ranchi	Raghubar Das (BJP)
Karnataka	Bangalore	Siddaramaiah (Congress)
Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram	Pinarayi Vijayan (CPM)
Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal	Shivraj Singh Chauhan (BJP)
Maharashtra	Mumbai	Devendra Fadnavis (BJP)
Manipur	Imphal	Okram Ibobi Singh (Congress)
Meghalaya	Shillong	Mukul Sangma (Congress)
Mizoram	Aizawl	Pu Lalthanhawla (Congress)
Nagaland	Kohima	T.R. Zeliang (Nagaland People’s Front)
Odisha (Orissa)	Bhubaneshwar	Naveen Patnaik (BJD)
Punjab	Chandigarh (shared with Haryana)	Parkash Singh Badal (SAD)
Rajasthan	Jaipur	Vasundhara Raje (BJP)
Sikkim	Gangtok	Pawan Chamling (SDF)
Tamil Nadu	Chennai	Jayalalithaa Jayaram (AIADMK)
Telangana (from June 2, 2014)	Hyderabad	K Chandrashekhar Rao (TRS)
Tripura	Agartala	Manik Sarkar (CPM)
Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow	Akhilesh Yadav (SP)
Uttarakhand	Dehradun	Harish Rawat (Congress)
West Bengal	Kolkata	Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress)

RELIGION
 India is identified as the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism, the third and fourth largest religions. About 84 percent of the population identifies as Hindu, according to the “Handbook of Research on  Development and Religion” Edited by Matthew Clarke (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013). There are many variations of Hinduism, and four predominant sects — Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakteya and Smarta.

About 13 percent of Indians are Muslim, making it one of the largest Islamic nations in the world. Christians and Sikhs make up a small percentage of the population, and there are even fewer Buddhists and Jains, according to the “Handbook.”

FOOD

When the Moghul Empire invaded during the sixteenth century, they left a significant mark on the Indian cuisine, according to Texas A&M University. Indian cuisine is also influenced by many other countries. It is known for its large assortment of dishes and its liberal use of herbs and spices. Cooking styles vary from region to region.

Wheat, Basmati rice and pulses with chana (Bengal gram) are important staples of the Indian diet. The food is rich with curries and spices, including ginger, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, dried hot peppers, and cinnamon, among others. Chutneys — thick condiments and spreads made from assorted fruits and vegetables such as tamarind and tomatoes and mint, cilantro and other herbs — are used generously in Indian cooking.

Many Hindus are vegetarians, but lamb and chicken are common in main dishes for non-vegetarians. The Guardian reports that between 20 percent and 40 percent of India's population is vegetarian.

Much of Indian food is eaten with fingers or bread used as utensils. There is a wide array of breads served with meals, including naan, a leavened, oven-baked flatbread, and bhatoora, a fried, fluffy flatbread common in North India and eaten with chickpea curry.

Architecture And Art 

The most well-known example of Indian architecture is the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles. India also has many ancient temples.

India is well known for its film industry, which is often referred to as Bollywood. The country's movie history began in 1896 when the Lumière brothers demonstrated the art of cinema in Mumbai, according to the Golden Globes. Today, the films are known for their elaborate singing and dancing. 

Indian dance, music and theater traditions span back more than 2,000 years, according to Nilima Bhadbhade, author of “Contract Law in India” (Kluwer Law International, 2010). The major classical dance traditions — Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Kathakali — draw on themes from mythology and literature and have rigid presentation rules.

CLOTHING

Indian clothing is closely identified with the colorful silk saris worn by many of the country’s women. The traditional clothing for men is the dhoti, an unstitched piece of cloth that is tied around the waist and legs. Men also wear a kurta, a loose shirt that is worn about knee-length. For special occasions, men wear a sherwani, which is a long coat that is buttoned up to the collar and down to the knees. The Nehru jacket is a shorter version of a sherwani.

CELEBRATIONS AND CUSTOMS

The country celebrates Republic Day (Jan. 26), Independence Day (Aug. 15) and Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday (Oct. 2). Diwali is the largest and most important holiday to India, according to National Geographic. It is a five-day festival known as the festival of lights because of the lights lit during the celebration to symbolize the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. Holi, the festival of colors, also called the festival of love, is popular in the spring.

7 Wonders of India

India is a land of unlimited wonders; here we would talk about “The Seven Wonders of India,” which are worth a visit. Among these wonders, four are considered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These wonders include the majestic architectural structures that attract tourists from all over the world. The list of wonders includes a monolith, places of worship, a university and a marvelous mausoleum. It was through an SMS polling system that The Times of India has selected the spectacular constructions that enrich the beauty of incredible India. According to the poll,

The Seven Wonders of India are:

Gomateshwara, Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Taj Mahal, Hampi, Konark Sun Temple, Nalanda and Khajuraho. All of these seven wonders are located in small towns except the Harmandir Sahib and the Taj Mahal. Some of these are not known to the people worldwide. We’ll introduce these wonders to you below

GOMATESHWARA (KARNATAKA)

It is a statue of Gomateshwara or Bahubali (a Jain Arihant), of 60 feet / 18 m located at Shravanabelagola, in Karnataka. This monolithic statue of Gomateshwara was built by the minister of Ganga dynasty and commander Chamundaraya in AD 981.

It is located at a distance of 140 km from Bangalore. Thousands of tourists, devotees or pilgrims from across the world and India visit the place during the event of Maha-Mastak-Abhisheka (Anointing Ceremony).

This festival is observed by the Jain devotees once in every 12 to 14 years. During the festival, the head of the statue is washed by gallons of Water, Milk, Honey, Sandal, including eight different types of sandal paste. The Jain devotees do this to acquire powerful spiritual energy.

HARMANDIR SAHIB (PUNJAB)

(Popularly known as Darbar Sahib / Golden Temple) - It is a Sikh Gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab. The Harmandir Sahib Temple was built in between 1585–1604 by the Guru Arjan, the 5th Nanak. He came up with the idea to create a central place of worship for Sikh community. The design of Sri Harmandir Sahib was done by Guru Arjan himself. This majestic abode of God has 4 doors for entrance. Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the nineteenth century protected Punjab from exterior attack and coated the upper floors of this Gurdwara with pure gold. Since then it is known for its unique appearance and achieved its English name (Golden Temple).

TAJ MAHAL (UTTAR PRADESH)

(It is a white marble mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal built by Shah Jahan in 1632. It is located at Agra, in Uttar Pradesh. It was built in 22 years by 20,000 workers and artisans along with 1,000 elephants.

It was constructed under the supervision of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. This wonderful construction is a blend of traditional Persian and Mughal architecture. Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz built this monument as promised.

Taj Mahal changes its color with the variation of lights. It looks stunning under moon light and the view of the Taj at that moment is so pleasant that one would like to visit the place again. It is one of the most visited tourist sites in India.

HAMPI (KARNATAKA)

(Also known as Pampa-kshetra / Kishkinda-kshetra / Bhaskara-kshetra) - It is a village located in the midst of ruins of Vijayanagara, Karnataka. The ruins are collectively known as the Group of Monuments, which came into being in between 1342-1565. It was once a rich kingdom of Vijayanagar.

These remarkable ruins of Hampi represent the amazing architecture and culture of the region. Hence, it has been undertaken by UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hampi also has many remarkable Hindu temples. The backdrop of beautiful hills makes the place unique and worth visiting. It serves like an open museum for the visitors to throng in more than 100 plus places. Though the place is counted in ruins it still holds charm in it with its beautiful architectural ruins.

KONARK SUN TEMPLE

(also known as Black Pagoda) – It is a temple of the Sun God- Surya in Kalinga architectural style, located at Konark, in Odisha. It was built by the king Narasimhadeva I in Mid-13th century AD.

Konark temple has been built in the shape of a huge chariot, adorned with 12 pairs of carved wheels made of stone, walls and pillars pulled by seven horses. It is considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site but unfortunately, a major portion of this temple is now ruins. The temple was built near the river Chandrabhaga. The temple remains open for visitors from sunrise to sunset.

NALANDA

It is an ancient religious centre of higher learning located near Patna, Bihar. It was built in the 5th century AD. It is located at a distance of 95 km from Patna. It was once a prosperous village and had a major trade route. The route ran through the city of Rajagriha/Rajgir, which used to be the capital of Magadha.

It covers an area of 14 hectares. Scholars and students from countries like China, Tibet, Persia and Greece were attracted to this university. This complex was destroyed in the 12th Century AD by a Turkish Muslim army.

It is believed that Mahavira, the Jain thirthankara, was at Nalanda for 14 rainy seasons. It is also said that Gautama Buddha delivered lectures in a mango grove named Pavarika, located nearby.

KHAJURAHO

(Kharjuravāhaka) - It is a complex of Hindu and Jain temples of medieval period, located at Chhatarpur District in Madhya Pradesh. It is about 175 km to the southeast of Jhansi. This group of monuments was built in 9th century AD.

Khajuraho is one of the major tourist destinations in India. The place is popular and has unique erotic sculptures. It is known for its nagara-style architecture.

Most of its temples were built by the Chandela dynasty in between 950 and 1050 CE. According to records, there were 85 temples in the Khajuraho temple site by 12th century, out of which only 20 temples have survived.

The Khajuraho group of temples was dedicated to Hinduism and Jainism, honoring diverse religious views.