Astounding Ancient Indian Culture Facts Everyone Will Absolutely Adore

India is home to various cultures, traditions, and customs.

There have been a lot of famous thinkers, philosophers, and Indian scholars since ancient times. From the number system or decimal system that we use today to board games, ancient Indians had a lot of innovations that became famous throughout the world!

One of the oldest civilizations that can be traced to ancient Indians is the Indus valley civilization. It can be traced back to the Bronze Age! After its deterioration and eventual disintegration, India's culture changed after 1500 BC.

Northern India, after the deterioration of the Indus valley civilization, changed a lot. This happened due to the migration of various people like Aryans. This is known as the Aryan invasion. Ever since then, Indian culture has been changing and has become unique in its own way. India is a secular country with six main religions and hundreds of languages and dialects. This is unlike any other country in the world. Hindu festivals and mythology have been an integral part of India. Ancient India also understood the importance of education in development. Nalanda University was formed in 425 AD! This university provided an excellent education in all fields. India's geography also helped shape history as the northern Himalayas protected the mainland from invaders and made it possible for kingdoms to flourish. In addition, the Vedas provide various cures and treatments for diseases. Brain surgery has also been studied since ancient times. Indians greatly valued hygienic practices. The solar system was first mentioned in ancient India.

If you like reading about amazing ancient Indian culture and traditions, be sure to check out ancient Indian architecture facts and ancient Greek culture facts here on Kidadl.

Customs And Celebrations

India has a vast historical background. Rich Indian scripts and cultures depict this ancient history and there are traditions that are still followed to this day! Some traditions like the infamous Kumbh Mela happen every 12 years. Kumbh Mela is the world's largest gathering of religious pilgrims. It consists of a huge fair, with hundreds of naga sadhus in attendance. These sadhus have a monostatic lifestyle, and every 12 years, they get an opportunity to wash away their sins in the holy water during the pilgrimage. This is just one of the hundreds of celebrations that occur in India. Other celebrations include the Thimithi tradition, the Chhau dance, and Buddhist chanting.

One of the widely known customs when people think of India is the greeting in the form of namaste or namaskar. It means to bow to the divine in you. It is a sign of greeting with respect and honor. Many yoga classes around the world today start with the Hindi word namaste, where palms of both hands are joined together near your chest. Arranged marriages are also another popular custom that takes place in India. It is a long-lasting custom from the Vedic times where suitors from the kingdom would compete for the bride. Of course, the suitors don't have to engage in competitions or fights anymore, but the arranged marriage custom still stands strong!

Architecture And Art

Various modern and ancient art can show us the importance of design in India. Art has evolved in India in various forms like pottery, paintings, architecture, sculpture, and woven silk. Art in India can be traced as far back as the third millennium BC. Cultural influences can also be seen in art throughout the country. Indian art and architecture have also spread throughout the Indian subcontinent, including countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tibet. At the same time, India has taken inspiration from other countries like Iran and Europe too.

India has been rooted in Indian history, religion, and culture. Depending upon the region, you will find different types of art and architecture. The Hindu temple architecture can be seen through the country with various regional styles within it. These Hindu temples can be classified into the Nagara style in the northern parts and another style, namely the Dravidian style, in the south. A great variety of housing architecture can also be seen depending upon the region and climate. Another main theme of architecture that is found is the Indo-Islamic architecture. Since there was a rule of Mughals in ancient India, India also has Islamic features. This gave rise to Mughal architecture, which is one of the most known types of Indo-Islamic architecture. One such architecture can be seen in Agra, where the Taj Mahal was built. When the British were ruling India, they introduced European architecture, which became prevalent in India. As the ancient world has progressed, the architecture in India has progressed too. But, despite everything, Vastu shastra, a traditional Indian architecture, still remains firmly in place.

Mahajanapadas And The Mauryan Empire

Mahajanapadas is a Sanskrit word that can be directly translated into the great foothold of people. There were 16 main kingdoms from the 6th to 4th centuries BCE. The 5th and 6th centuries were especially turning points in Indian history. These kingdoms were Kasi, Kosala, Anga, Magadha, Vajji, Malla, Chedi/Cheti, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena/Shurasena, Assaka, Avanti, Gandhara, and Kamboja. The Pre-Buddhist region of India was divided into several such kingdoms, which were bound from each other by boundaries. Each one of these kingdoms was named after Kshatriya people who had settled in those kingdoms. Buddhist scripts have been seen to refer to 16 great nations, but this is only incidental. They don't have any solid proof of connection except for Magadha.

Magadha had a famous empire called the Mauryan empire. This empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya around 322 BCE (called the Gupta empire). Pataliputra (modern-day Patna) was the capital of this empire. It was protected by a loyal military who controlled the kingdom. King Ashoka ruled the empire around 268 BCE. During his rule, the empire had many major urban hubs under its control. After Ashoka's death, ancient India's Mauryan empire started to decline and eventually disintegrated in 185 BCE after 50 years. This was primarily caused by the assassination of Brihadratha by Pushyamitra Shunga. This then gave rise to the Shunga dynasty in Magadha. All in all, Mauryas gave importance to human interactions and the economy. They also built an artificial lake. Due to internal and external trade, economic activities, and agriculture the Maurya dynasty spread into south Asia by the creation of a great financial system and security and administrative planning.

Indus Valley Civilization

The Indus valley civilization was a bronze age ancient civilization in south Asia. It lasted from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE. It was one of the three oldest civilizations, which included a vast expanse of regions. It included parts of countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan. This civilization was situated along the banks of the Indus river. The Indus river was a perennial river located near the Ghaggar-Hakra river. This old civilization was popular for its urban city planning, modern sewage system, new handicrafts, and metals like lead and tin. The largest city was called Mohenjo-Daro. Another large city is Harappa. It is said that these huge cities contained at least 30,000 to 60,000 citizens. The whole civilization might have had between one to five million individuals.

Citizens of the Indus valley civilization achieved great ways to measure things accurately in length, mass as well as time on an industrial scale. They were among the first people to develop such methods which were accurate as well as uniform. Their smallest scale was found in Lothal, Gujurat (an Indian state from the Indian subcontinent), which was marked on an ivory scale. They also had hexahedron weights. This was proof that the engineering during that period followed a specific decimal division method for measuring. There are also some Indus valley scripts written on seals, which played an important role in civilization. But as of now, we have not been able to decode it.

Traditions And Customs Of Ancient India Vs. Modern India

India is a very diverse country. India has 22 official languages and thousands of dialects. Customs and traditions of the Indian subcontinent may vary according to where you go. Language, religion, clothes, and festivals are all considered traditions and customs of ancient India. India has retained various ancient practices from ancient times while eliminating others.

The ancient Vedic chanting which takes place in India and the Indian subcontinent has religious afflictions. There is a traditional way of chanting the Vedas, which was implemented during the Vedic period. Yoga is one of the ancient time medical practices in the medical system. During Ramlila, the northern Indian states perform plays on Lord Ram and his journey. Indian subcontinent customs and traditions are also seen in the way they dress. This changes as we move into different parts of the country. Mahabharata has been very important for Indian culture for the development of Hinduism and it has been studied extensively in India. Morals of dharma in Mahabharata and Ramayana are exercised by people not only in India but across the world. It has a significant influence on literature, religion, and architecture in India.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ancient Indian culture facts, then take a look at ancient Roman culture facts or ancient Japan facts.