95-450: The Yadava ( lit. ' descended from Yadu ' ) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu , a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans , being the Satvatas , Andhakas , Bhojas , Kukuras , Vrishni , Surasenas , and Abhira who all worshipped Krishna . They are listed in ancient Indian literature as
190-927: A sangha (tribal oligarchy) form of government In the Drona Parva (141.15) of the Mahabharata , Andhakas were categorized as the Vratya s (deviators from orthodoxy). According to the Puranas, the Andhakas were the descendants of Bhajamana, son of Andhaka and grandson of Satvata. According to the Mahabharata , the allied army of the Andhakas, the Bhojas, the Kukuras and the Vrishnis in the Kurukshetra War
285-790: A sangha (tribal oligarchy) form of government but in the Manusmriti (X.23), the Satvatas are placed in the category of the Vratya Vaishyas . According to a tradition, found in the Harivamsa (95.5242-8), Satvata was a descendant of the Yadava king Madhu and Satvata's son Bhima was contemporary with Rama . Bhima recovered the city of Mathura from the Ikshvakus after the death of Rama and his brothers. Andhaka, son of Bhima Satvata
380-451: A common pool, from which resources are drawn to meet the needs of all members, which are regulated by the heads of the family. However, with modernisation and economic development, India has witnessed a break up of traditional joint family into more nuclear families and the traditional joint family in India accounted for a small percent of Indian households. Arranged marriages have been
475-510: A conservative 12 million to 20 million-person diaspora. The British Indian community had grown to number over one million. According to the 2001 UK Census , 1,053,411 Britons had full Indian ancestry (representing 1.8% of the UK's population). An overwhelming majority of 99.3% resided in England (in 2008 the figure is thought to be around 97.0%). In the seven-year period between 2001 and 2009,
570-650: A contingent of Sikh soldiers visited the western coast of Canada, primarily British Columbia which at the time was very sparsely populated and the Canadian government wanted to settle to prevent a takeover of the territory by the United States. More than a million people of South Asian descent live in South Africa, with their ancestors having left colonial India mostly as indentured labourers, and with smaller numbers emigrating later as "Passenger Indians", in
665-478: A corrupt form of Andhaka-Venhi , Pali equivalent to Sanskrit Andhaka-Vrishni) brothers seized Dvaravati and killed its king Kamsa. Later, these brothers fought amongst themselves and except Vasudeva and Baladeva everybody died. Vasudeva and Baladeva also died soon after. The Samkicca Jataka mentions that the Andhaka-Venhu s killed each other. Kautilya also in his Arthaśāstra (I.6.10) mentioned about
760-478: A figure higher than both the United States and Britain. South Asian Canadians account for 7.1% of Canada's population. According to Statistics Canada, Indo-Canadians are one of the fastest-growing visible minority groups in Canada, making up the second-largest group of non-European descent in the country after Chinese Canadians. The Indo-Canadian community can trace its history in Canada back 120 years to 1897 when
855-538: A follower of, was the head of the Peethams . Perhaps the at this time were under the influence of although they were incorporated into the category. Indian people Indian people or Indians are the citizens and nationals of the Republic of India . In 2022, the population of India stood at 1.4 billion people, of various ethnic groups . According to United Nations forecasts, India overtook China as
950-775: A long history alongside its music and dance. One of the earliest known theatre play is Mṛcchakatika composed by Śudraka . Followed by Aśvaghoṣa 's Śāriputraprakaraṇa and Bhāsa 's Swapnavāsavadatta and Pancharātra . Most notable works are Kālidāsa's Abhijñānaśākuntala , Vikramorvaśīya and Mālavikāgnimitra . Harsha 's Ratnavali , Priyadarsika , and Naganandam , other notable ancient dramatists include Bhatta Narayana , Bhavabhuti , Vishakhadatta , Thirayattam and Viswanatha Kaviraja . Notable fable story-plays Panchatantra , Baital Pachisi , Kathasaritsagara , Brihatkatha and Jataka tales were performed in folk theatres since ancient period. Jataka tales has become part of Southeast and East Asian folklore with
1045-414: A mixture of two major ancestral components, one component restricted to South Asia and the other component shared with Central Asia , West Asia , and Europe . Bhishmaka Bhishmaka ( Sanskrit : भीष्मक , romanized : Bhīshmaka ), also called Hiranyaroman , is the king of Vidarbha In Hinduism . He is the father of Rukmini , the chief wife of Krishna and an incarnation of
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#17327647084391140-525: A number of other Puranic texts, the Bhojas were descendants of Babhru, grandson of Satvata. In the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata (85.3533) and in a passage of the Matsya Purana (34.30) the Bhojas are mentioned as the mleccha s. Another passage of the Matsya Purana (44.69) describes them as pious and the performers of the religious rites. Kautilya in his Arthaśāstra (XI.1.5), describes
1235-709: A relationship with Indian spirituality, such as the Baháʼí Faith which recognises Buddha and Krishna as manifestations of the God Almighty. Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics also have visible influence along with a self-ascribed tolerance to other people. According to the 2012 WIN-Gallup Global Index of Religion and Atheism report, 81% of Indians were religious, 13% were not religious, 3% were convinced atheists , and 3% were unsure or did not respond. Traditionally, Indian society
1330-475: A self-ascribed name by people of the Indian subcontinent and the Republic of India since 1949. The designation "Bhārata" appears in the official Sanskrit name of the country, Bhārata Gaṇarājya . The name is derived from the ancient Vedic and Puranas , which refer to the land that constitutes India as Bhārata varṣam and uses this term to distinguish it from other varṣa s or continents. The Bhāratas were
1425-1529: A symbol for zero , interpolation formula , Fibonacci's identity , theorem , the first complete arithmetic solution (including zero and negative solutions) to quadratic equations . Chakravala method , sign convention , madhava series , and the sine and cosine in trigonometric functions can be traced to the jyā and koti-jyā . Notable military inventions include war elephants , crucible steel weapons popularly known as Damascus steel and Mysorean rockets . Other notable inventions during ancient period include chess , cotton , sugar , fired bricks , carbon pigment ink , ruler , lac , lacquer , stepwell , indigo dye , snake and ladder , muslin , ludo , calico , Wootz steel , incense clock , shampoo , palampore , chintz , and prefabricated homes . Indian cultural aspects, religions , philosophy , arts and architecture have developed over several millennia and have spread through much of Asia in peaceful manner. Many architectural structures of India such as Sanchi Stupa , Taj Mahal and Mahabodhi Temple are UNESCO World Heritage Sites today. In modern times, Indian people have continued to contribute to mathematics , sciences and astrophysics . Among them are Satyendra Nath Bose , Srinivasa Ramanujan , Jagadish Chandra Bose , Meghnad Saha , Homi J. Bhabha , Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis , and notable Nobel Prize recipients C. V. Raman , Har Gobind Khorana , Venkatraman Ramakrishnan , and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar who
1520-787: A variety of lentils (dal), whole-wheat flour (aṭṭa), rice and millet (kutki, kodra, bājra), which has been cultivated in Indian subcontinent since 6200 BCE. Over time, segments of the population embraced vegetarianism during Śramaṇa movement while an equitable climate permitted a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains to be grown throughout the year. A food classification system that categorised any item as saatvic , raajsic or taamsic developed in Ayurveda tradition. The Bhagavad Gita prescribed certain dietary practices. During this period, consumption of various types of meat became taboo , due to being considered sacred or impure. Indian cuisines use numerous ingredients, deploy
1615-700: A vedic tribe mentioned in the Rigveda , notably participating in the Battle of the Ten Kings . India is named after legendary Emperor Bharata who was a descendant of the Bhāratas tribe , scion of Kuru Dynasty who unified the Indian Subcontinent under one realm. In early Vedic literature, the term Āryāvarta ( Sanskrit : आर्यावर्त) was in popular use before Bhārata . The Manusmṛti (2.22) gives
1710-555: A village near Mathura and dated to the early decades of the Common era records the installation of the images of the five Vrishni vira s (heroes) in a stone shrine by a person, named Tosha. These five Vrishni heroes have been identified with Samkarshana , Vasudeva , Pradyumna , Aniruddha and Samba from a passage in the Vayu Purana (97.1-2). A unique silver coin of the Vrishnis was discovered from Hoshiarpur , Punjab . This coin
1805-481: A wide range of food preparation styles, cooking techniques and culinary presentation depending on geographical location. The oldest preserved examples of Indian music are the melodies of the Samaveda (1000 BC) that are still sung in certain Śrauta sacrifices; this is the earliest account of Indian musical hymns. The Samaveda, and other Hindu texts, heavily influenced India's classical music tradition, which
1900-605: Is an extended family arrangement prevalent throughout the Indian subcontinent , particularly in India . The family is headed by a patriarch, the oldest male, who makes decisions on economic and social matters on behalf of the entire family. The patriarch's wife generally exerts control over the household, minor religious practices and often wields considerable influence in domestic matters. A patrilineal joint family consists of an older man and his wife, his sons and unmarried daughters, his sons' wives and children. Family income flows into
1995-596: Is derived ultimately from Sindhu , the Sanskrit name of the river Indus, but also meaning "river" generically. The history of India includes the prehistoric settlements and societies in the Indian subcontinent ; the blending of the Indus Valley civilization and Indo-Aryan culture into the Vedic Civilization ; the development of Hinduism as a synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions;
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#17327647084392090-596: Is grouped according to their caste . It is a system in which social stratification within various social sections defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups are often termed jāti or castes . Within a jāti , there exists exogamous groups known as gotras , the lineage or clan of an individuals. Caste barriers have mostly broken down in cities but still exists in some form in rural areas. Most Indian states are majority Hindu . However, Kashmir and Lakshadweep are majority Muslim ; Nagaland , Mizoram , and Meghalaya are majority Christian and Punjab
2185-499: Is known today in two distinct styles: Hindustani music and Carnatic music . Both the Hindustani and Carnatic music systems are based on the melodic base known as Rāga , sung to a rhythmic cycle known as Tāla . These principles were refined in the nātyaśāstra (200 BC) and the dattilam (300 AD). The nātyaśāstrais an ancient Indian treatise on the performing arts , encompassing theatre , dance and music . It
2280-438: Is majority Sikh . Although participants in the Indian census may choose to not declare their religion, there is no mechanism for a person to indicate that he/she does not adhere to any religion. Due to this limitation in the Indian census process, the data for persons not affiliated with any religion may not be accurate. India contains the majority of the world's Hindus , Jains , Sikhs , Zoroastrians and Baháʼí . Christianity
2375-468: Is notable for currently accepted theory on the later evolutionary stages of massive stars, including black holes. Bharat Mata ( Hindi , from Sanskrit भारत माता , Bhārata Mātā ), Mother India , or Bhāratāmbā (from अंबा ambā 'mother') is the national personification of India as a mother goddess . The image of Bharat Mata formed with the Indian independence movement of the late 19th century. A play by Kiran Chandra Bandyopadhyay, Bhārat Mātā ,
2470-404: Is one of the earliest form of materialistic and atheistic movement in ancient India. Sramana , Buddhism , Jainism , Ājīvika and some schools of Hinduism like Samkhya consider atheism to be valid and reject the concept of creator deity , ritualism and supernaturalism . India has produced some notable atheist politicians and social reformers . Although approximately 80% of
2565-464: Is presently preserved in the British Museum , London . Later, a number of copper coins, clay seals and sealings issued by the Vrishnis were also discovered from Sunet, near Ludhiana . The Shaineyas are believed to have descended from Shini, son of Anamitra, son of Vrishni. In the Mahabharata and the Puranas, the most notable Shaineya was Yuyudhana , son of Satyaka and grandson of Shini. He
2660-546: Is the third-largest Asian American community in the United States after Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans . After slavery was abolished in the European colonies, Indians were hired under the Indian indenture system to become indentured laborers to fill the need for cheap labor and for their skills in agriculture. In the English-speaking Caribbean and Suriname , Indians primarily came from
2755-561: Is trending away from traditional arranged marriages, they find that the marriage trends in India are similar to trends observed over last 40 years where arranged marriages were previously common, particularly in China and Japan. India's clothing styles have continuously evolved over the course of history. Cotton was first cultivated in Indian subcontinent around the 5th millennium BC. Dyes used during this period are still in use, particularly indigo , red madder , lac and turmeric . Silk
2850-526: Is widespread in Northeast India , parts of southern India, particularly in Kerala and among various populations of Central India. Muslims are the largest religious minority. India is also home to the third-largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan . Historically, India had a prevailing tradition of the joint family system or undivided family . Joint family system
2945-825: The Brahma Purana , he was mentioned as the keeper of the Syamantaka , the most well-known jewel of the Yadavas. According to the Puranas Akrura had two sons, Devavant and Upadeva. According to the Mausala Parva (7.185-253) of the Mahabharata a few years after the Kurukshetra War , Andhaka-Vrsni Yadava clans of Dvaraka were destroyed due to a fratricidal war. Both Balarama and Krishna died soon after this war. Later, son of Kritavarma became ruler of Mrittikavati and grandson of Yuyudhana became ruler of
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3040-648: The Amoghavarsha of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty was described by the Arab traveller Sulaiman as one of the four great kings of the world. The medieval south Indian mathematician Mahāvīra lived in the Rashtrakuta dynasty and was the first Indian mathematician who separated astrology from mathematics and who wrote the earliest Indian text entirely devoted to mathematics. The greatest maritime empire of
3135-652: The Devibhagavata Purana (IV.1.2), Shurasena was father of Vasudeva, father of Krishna. Alexander Cunningham in his Ancient Geography of India states that because of Surasena, his grandfather, Krishna and his descendants were known as the Surasenas. Bhasa , in his Balacharita mentions that the mother of Kamsa was a Shurasena ( Shaurasenimata ). Besides chiefdoms and jagirs , the peethams (seats) granted to them by virtue of their religious powers. For instance, there were fourteen seats ( peethams ) among
3230-753: The European colonization of the Americas , the term "Indian" is still used as an identifier for indigenous populations in North America and the Caribbean . This usage is growing rarer, as terms such as indigenous, Amerindian, and specifically First Nations in Canada , and Native American in the United States , are widely used in official discourse and in law. The name Bhārata has been used as
3325-690: The Hindi Belt , especially the Awadh region in central and eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Bhojpur region of eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Bihar , and northwestern Jharkhand , along with a significant minority who came from South India , and a smaller minority who came from other parts of India. They arrived from the late 1830s to the early 1920s as indentured laborers to work primarily on sugarcane estates , as well as on cocoa , rice , banana , coconut , and coffee estates after indentureship. After
3420-451: The Indian subcontinent and has been influenced and shaped by a history that is several thousand years old. Throughout the history of India, Indian culture has been heavily influenced by Dharmic religions. They have been credited with shaping much of Indian philosophy , literature , architecture , art and music . Greater India was the historical extent of Indian culture beyond the Indian subcontinent . This particularly concerns
3515-552: The Kurus . At various times there have been a number of communities and royal dynasties of the Indian subcontinent that have claimed descent from the ancient Yadava clans and legendary Yadava personalities, thus describing themselves as the Yadavas. The Haihayas were an ancient confederacy of five gana s (clans), who were believed to have descended from a common ancestor, Yadu. These five clans are Vitihotra, Sharyata, Bhoja, Avanti and Tundikera. The five Haihaya clans called themselves
3610-515: The Mahabharata it is mentioned that when the Yadavas abandoned Dvārakā (Dwaraka) and Gujarat after the death of Krishna and retreated northwards under Arjuna 's leadership, they were attacked and broken up. It can be inferred from the vamshanucharita (genealogy) sections of a number of major Puranas that, the Yadavas spread out over the Aravalli region, Gujarat , the Narmada valley,
3705-786: The Marathas , the Rajputs , the Pathans , the Jats and the Sikhs , gained military and governing ambitions during Mughal rule, which, through collaboration or adversity, gave them both recognition and military experience. Following the death of Aurangzeb in the early 18th century, the empire saw the emergence of autonomous regional powers such as Marathas , the Rajputs and various de facto independent Mughal governors and other Hindu and Muslim princely states, though they all continued to recognise
3800-551: The Mughal emperor as their suzerain . The period also saw the emergence of the British East India Company who took control of large parts of the empire, though they nominally ruled and traded under the authority of the emperor and nominally considered him as their suzerain. The regions under Company rule witnessed a period of rapid development of infrastructure, economic decline and major famines . During
3895-675: The Ramayana , the Shashabindus are mentioned along with the Haihayas and the Talajanghas. The Shashabindus or Shashabindavas are believed as the descendants of Shashabindu, a Chakravartin (universal ruler) and son of Chitraratha, great-great-grandson of Kroshtu. The Chedis or Chaidyas were an ancient Yadava clan, whose territory was conquered by a Kuru king Vasu, who thus obtained his epithet, Chaidyoparichara (the overcomer of
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3990-522: The Roman Empire and was one of the major exports of ancient India to other parts of the world along with Indian spices and Wootz steel . Traditional Indian clothing greatly varies across different parts of the country and is influenced by local culture, geography and climate. Women traditionally wear Sari , Gagra Choli , Angarkha , Phiran , Shalwar Kameez , Gharara and Bandi with Dupatta or Ghoonghat worn over head or shoulder to complete
4085-532: The Sultan Abdullah of Qutb Shahi dynasty in 1071 Hijri , Kondiah built the fort for the sultan by using his charisma in resolving the mystery of the site, and also discovered for him gold coins buried underground. In return, the sultan gave him the Charter conferring upon Kondiah the rights and privileges due to the head of the fourteen seats, and of twelve classes of and two classes of Kondiah, although
4180-670: The Vayu Purana , the Vaidarbhas are described as the inhabitants of Deccan ( Dakshinapatha vasinah ). According to the Aitareya Brahmana (VIII.14), the Satvatas were a southern people held in subjection by the Bhojas. The Satapatha Brahmana (XIII.5.4.21) mentions that Bharata seized the sacrificial horse of the Satvatas. Panini, in his Ashtadhyayi mentions the Satvatas also as being of the Kshatriya gotra , having
4275-502: The Warangal according to a sanad granted in 1425 (Shaka Samvat), by Sree Pratapa Rudra, Maharaja of Warangal, to Sree Kondiah Guru, as the head of the fourteen seats. Subsequently when Bhagyanagar was founded by Sultan Abdulla of Qutub Shahi in AD 1560 the rights of the were acknowledged and recognized, and the name Golkonda was substituted for Manugal. According to the charter awarded by
4370-520: The sangha ) According to the Puranas, Vrishni was one of the four sons of Satvata. Vrishni had three (or four) sons, Anamitra (or Sumitra), Yudhajit and Devamidhusha. Shura was son of Devamidhusha. His son Vasudeva was father of Balarama and Krishna. According to the Harivamsa (II.4.37-41), the Vrishnis worshipped goddess Ekanamsha , who, elsewhere in the same text (II.2.12), described as daughter of Nandagopa . The Mora Well Inscription , found from
4465-576: The Chaidyas) or Uparichara (the overcomer). According to the Puranas, the Chedis were descendants of Chidi, son of Kaishika, grandson of Vidarbha, a descendant of Kroshta. According to the Puranas, the Vidarbhas or Vaidarbhas were descendants of Vidarbha, son of Jyamagha, a descendant of Kroshtu. Most well known Vidarbha king was Bhishmaka , father of Rukmin and Rukmini . In the Matsya Purana and
4560-590: The Hindi Belt made up the majority of Indians in the Anglo-Caribbean and Suriname. Hence, their dialect of Hindustani, known as Caribbean Hindustani collectively, is based mostly on Bhojpuri and Awadhi, and it became the lingua franca of the early Indians. Also, since they formed the largest group of Indians, the traditions and culture from the Bhojpur and Awadh regions became the dominant culture for
4655-406: The Indian people was the Maurya Empire having Patliputra (currently Patna , Bihar ) as its capital, conquered the major part of South Asia in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka alongside their senior advisor, Acharya Chanakya , the world's pioneer of the fields of political science and economics. The next great ancient empire of the Indian people
4750-464: The Indian subcontinent and within the international borders of the modern country of India had been migrating to Southeast Asia , East Asia , Central Asia , North Africa , and even along Europe's Mediterranean coast, the Indian diaspora generally socio-politically or historically refers to those whose families or themselves migrated to other parts of the world after the British Empire established itself in India. Population estimates from 2016 vary from
4845-435: The Indians in those countries. France sent southern Indians to its colonies in the Caribbean as indentured laborers, hence there are also many residents of Indian descent in Guadeloupe , Martinique , and French Guiana , mostly of southern Indian descent. Many Indo-Caribbean people have migrated to the United States , United Kingdom , Canada , the Netherlands , and France , and few of them have even seasonally migrated to
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#17327647084394940-494: The Kukuras as a clan, having sangha (tribal oligarchy) form of government, whose leader uses the title of rājā ( rājaśabdopajīvinah ). According to the Bhagavata Purana , the Kukuras occupied the territory around Dwarka . The Vayu Purana mentions that the Yadava ruler Ugrasena belonged to this clan ( Kukurodbhava ). According to the Puranas, Ahuka, an Kukura, had two sons by a Kashi princess, Ugrasena and Devaka. Ugrasena had nine sons and five daughters, Kamsa being
5035-470: The Kukuras in the list of the peoples conquered by him. The Vrishnis are mentioned in a number of Vedic texts, which include the Taittiriya Samhita (III.2.9.3), the Taittiriya Brahmana (III.10.9.15), the Satapatha Brahmana (III.1.1.4) and the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana (I.6.1). The Taittiriya Samhita and the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana mention about a teacher, Gobala belonging to this clan. Although, Panini, in his Ashtadhyayi (IV.1.114) includes
5130-419: The Mathura region. A number of traditions exist regarding the origin of the Shurasenas. According to a tradition, found in the Linga Purana (I.68.19), Shurasenas were descendants of Shurasena, son of Arjuna Kartavirya. According to another tradition found in the Ramayana (VII.62.6) and the Vishnu Purana (IV.4.46), the Shurasenas were descendants of Shurasena, son of Shatrughna , brother of Rama. According to
5225-417: The Talajanghas According to the Puranas , Haihaya was the grandson of Sahasrajit, son of Yadu. Kautilya in his Arthaśāstra mentioned about the Haihayas. In the Puranas, Arjuna Kartavirya conquered Mahishmati from Karkotaka Naga and made it his capital. Later, the Haihayas were also known by the name of the most dominant clan amongst them — the Vitihotras. According to the Puranas , Vitihotra
5320-454: The Vrishnis in the list of the clans of the Kshatriya gotra , having a sangha (tribal oligarchy) form of government, but in the Drona Parva (141.15) of the Mahabharata , the Vrishnis, like the Andhakas were categorized as the Vratya s (apsotates). In the Shanti Parva (81.25) of the Mahabharata , the Kukuras, the Bhojas, the Andhakas and the Vrishnis are together referred as a sangha , and Vasudeva Krishna as Sanghamukhya (seignor of
5415-659: The advent of European traders resulting in the establishment of British India ; and the subsequent independence movement that led to the Partition of India and the creation of the Republic of India . The Indian people established during the ancient and medieval periods to the early eighteenth century some of the greatest empires and dynasties in South Asian history like the Maurya Empire , Satavahana dynasty , Gupta Empire , Rashtrakuta dynasty , Chalukya Empire , Chola Empire , Karkota Empire , Pala Empire , Vijayanagara Empire , Delhi Sultanate , Mughal Empire , Maratha Confederacy and Sikh Empire . The first great empire of
5510-636: The centuries, there has been significant integration of Hindus , Jains , and Sikhs with Muslims across India. India is the birthplace of Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism , collectively known as Indian religions . Indian religions, also known as Dharmic religions, are a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic ones. Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third- and fourth-largest religions respectively, with over 1 billion followers altogether, and possibly as many as 1.5 or 1.6 billion followers. Throughout India's history, religion has been an important part of
5605-490: The citizens of India are Hindus , the country has a substantial population of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and adherents of tribal faiths. Zoroastrianism and Judaism each has several thousands of Indian adherents, and also have an ancient history in India. India has the largest population of people adhering to Zoroastrianism and Baháʼí Faith in the world, even though these two religions are not native to India. Many other world religions also have
5700-404: The concept of zero and the Hindu–Arabic numeral system decimal system during this period. During this period Indian cultural influence spread over many parts of Southeast Asia which led to the establishment of Indianized kingdoms in Southeast Asia . During the early medieval period the great Rashtrakuta dynasty governed most of the Indian subcontinent from the 8th to 10th centuries and
5795-421: The country's culture. Religious diversity and religious tolerance are both established in the country by the law and by custom ; the Constitution of India has declared the right to freedom of religion to be a fundamental right . Atheism and agnosticism have a long history in India and flourished within Śramaṇa movement . The Cārvāka school originated in India around the 6th century BCE and
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#17327647084395890-654: The destruction of Vrishni clan because of their foolhardiness. According to a modern historian, Romila Thapar , the kinship system of the Yadavas shows traces of matrilineal structure, which is found from the mention of their cross-cousin marriages. This is particularly prohibited in the Indo Aryan kinship system. The Vishnu Purana mentions that Krishna married Rukmini, a Vidarbha princess. His son Pradyumna married Rukmavati, daughter of Rukmi , brother of Rukmini. Pradyumna's son Aniruddha married Rochana, granddaughter of Rukmi. The Buddhist and Jaina texts list 16 powerful states ( shodasha mahajanapada ), which flourished in
5985-492: The early 6th century BCE. Shurasena was one of such states mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya , a Buddhist text. The capital of the Shurasenas was Mathura, which was also known as Madura. Megasthenes (c. 350 – 290 BCE) mentions that the Sourasenoi (Shurasenas), who lived in the Mathura region, worshipped Herakles , by which he may have meant Vasudeva Krishna , the Indian god bearing the closest resemblance to Herakles. The worship of Vasudeva Krishna seems to have originated in
6080-418: The eldest. Devaka had four sons and seven daughters, Devaki was one of them. Kamsa usurped the throne of Mathura after imprisoning Ugrasena. But later he was killed by Krishna , son of Devaki, who re-installed Ugrasena to the throne. The Nashik Cave Inscription of Gautami Balashri mentions that her son Gautamiputra Satakarni conquered the Kukuras. The Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman I includes
6175-437: The extent that it is treated as a religion in itself. Sports like hockey, volleyball, football are quite popular while polo, golf and tennis are preferred sports for affluent sections of the society. In recent times with government support Olympic sports like shooting, archery, wrestling, javelin throw, swimming, badminton have gained prominence in the Indian society. Although, population groups originating in different parts of
6270-487: The first half of the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for Indian independence movement was launched, the Indian subcontinent gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, after the British provinces were partitioned into the dominions of India and Pakistan and the princely states all acceded to one of the new states. India is one of the world's oldest civilisations. The Indian culture, often labelled as an amalgamation of several various cultures, spans across
6365-434: The first wave of migration of indentured laborers, more Indians from Gujarat , Sindh , Kutch , Punjab , Bengal , and South India came to the Caribbean for business and professional occupations from the 1930s till present-day. There are more than a million Indo-Caribbean people . In Trinidad and Tobago , Guyana , and Suriname they are the largest ethnic groups. The Indians from the Bhojpuri and Awadhi-speaking areas of
6460-426: The goddess Lakshmi . The Skanda Purana describes Bhishmaka to be a wealthy and powerful monarch. At the time of the birth of Rukmini, the text describes a celestial voice instructing him to marry his daughter to a four-armed one ( Caturbhujā ) who had been born on earth. After eight years, he betroths his daughter to Shishupala upon the insistence of the latter's father, Damaghosha, who tells him that Caturbhujā
6555-490: The late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are concentrated around the city of Durban . They were classified as members of an "Indian" race under the country's defunct Apartheid system. About 40,000 people of Indian origin live in Tanzania mostly in the urban areas. According to the American Community Survey of the United States Census Bureau , the Indian American population in the United States grew from almost 1.67 million in 2000 to 3.1 million in 2010 which
6650-465: The medieval Indians was the Chola dynasty . Under the great Rajaraja Chola I and his successor Rajendra Chola I the Chola dynasty became a military, economic and cultural power in South Asia and South-East Asia . The power of the Chola empire was proclaimed to the eastern world by the expedition to the Ganges which Rajendra Chola I undertook and by the occupation of cities of the maritime empire of Srivijaya in Southeast Asia , as well as by
6745-520: The name Āryāvarta to "the tract between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges, from the Eastern (Bay of Bengal) to the Western Sea (Arabian Sea)". While the word Indian and India is derived from Greek Ἰνδία ( Indía ), via Latin India . Indía in Koine Greek denoted the region beyond the Indus ( Ἰνδός ) river, since Herodotus (5th century BC) ἡ Ἰνδική χώρη , hē Indikē chōrē ; "the Indian land", Ἰνδός , Indos , "an Indian", from Old Persian Hinduš and medieval term Hindustani . The name
6840-499: The neighboring Latin American and other Caribbean countries as migrant workers. A majority of Indo-Caribbean are Hindus , while there is significant minority of Christians and Muslims , along with smaller numbers of recently arrived Indian Jains , Sikhs , Buddhist , and Baháʼís . Indo-Caribbean people are known as the descendants of the jahajis or girmityas . Recent genome studies appear to show that South Asians are
6935-564: The northern Deccan and the eastern Ganges valley. The Mahabharata and the Puranas mention that the Yadus or Yadavas, a confederacy comprising numerous clans were the rulers of the Mathura region. and were pastoral cowherds . The Mahabharata also refers to the exodus of the Yadavas from Mathura to Dvaraka owing to pressure from the Paurava rulers of Magadha , and probably also from
7030-533: The number of Indian-born people in the UK increased in size by 38% from 467,634 to around 647,000 (an increase of approximately 180,000). There are approximately 1.86 million people of Indian origin or ancestry in Canada, the majority of which live in Greater Toronto and Vancouver , with growing communities in Alberta and Quebec. Roughly 5.1% of the total Canadian population is of Indian ancestry,
7125-608: The orbitals of planets. The Mughal Empire consolidated much of the Indian sub-continent under a single realm. Under the Mughals, India developed a strong and stable economy, leading to commercial expansion and greater patronage of culture, greatly influencing Indian society. The Mughal Empire balanced and pacified local societies through new administrative practices and had diverse and inclusive ruling elites, leading to more systematic, centralised, and uniform rule. Newly coherent social groups in northern and western India, such as
7220-450: The outfit. Men traditionally wear Angarkha , Achkan , Bagalbandi , Kurta , Kameez , Phiran , Sherwani and Koti for upper garment, lower garment includes Dhoti , Churidar , Shalwar , and Lungi . Pagri is usually worn around head to complete the outfit. In urban centres, people often wear western clothing and variety of other contemporary fashion. Indian food varies from region to region. Staple foods of Indian cuisine include
7315-535: The repeated embassies to China. During the late medieval period the great Vijayanagara Empire ruled most of southern India from the 14th to 16th centuries and reached its peak during the reign of Sri Krishnadevaraya The medieval Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics flourished during this period under such well known south Indian mathematicians as Madhava ( c. 1340 – c. 1425 ), who made important contributions to Trigonometry and Calculus, and Nilakhanta (c. 1444–1545), who postulated on
7410-478: The rise of sixteen oligarchic republics known as Mahajanapadas ; the rise of the Śramaṇa movement ; the birth of Jainism and Buddhism in the 6th century BCE, and the onset of a succession of powerful dynasties and empires for more than two millennia throughout various geographic areas of the subcontinent, including the growth of Muslim dynasties during the Medieval period intertwined with Hindu powers;
7505-599: The segments of the lineage of Yadu ( Yaduvamsha ). Amongst the Yadava clans mentioned in ancient Indian literature, the Haihayas are believed to have descended from Sahasrajit, elder son of Yadu and all other Yadava clans, which include the Chedis , the Vidarbhas , the Satvatas, the Andhakas, the Kukuras, the Bhojas, the Vrishnis and the Surasenas are believed to have descended from Kroshtu or Kroshta, younger son of Yadu. In
7600-617: The spread of Hinduism , Buddhism , architecture , administration and writing system from India to other parts of Asia through the Silk Road by the travellers and maritime traders during the early centuries of the Common Era . To the west, Greater India overlaps with Greater Persia in the Hindu Kush and Pamir Mountains . During medieval period, Islam played a significant role in shaping Indian cultural heritage. Over
7695-447: The spread of Buddhism. These literature's were also influential in development of One Thousand and One Nights during medieval period. Indian people have played a major role in the development of the philosophy , sciences , mathematics , arts , architecture and astronomy throughout history . During the ancient period, notable mathematics accomplishment of India included Hindu–Arabic numeral system with decimal place-value and
7790-676: The territory near the Sarasvati River . The rest of the surviving Yadavas took refuge in Indraprastha . Vajra, great-grandson of Krishna was installed as their king. Vajra is mentioned as the great-grandson of Krishna in the Vishnu Purana . According to a section of this text (IV.15.34-42), he was the son of Aniruddha and Subhadra. But according or another section (V.32.6-7), he was the son of Aniruddha and Usha, daughter of Bana and granddaughter of Bali . Bahu (or Pratibahu)
7885-429: The tradition in Indian society. Marriage is considered a union of the two families rather than just the individuals, the process involved in an arranged marriage can be different depending on the communities and families. Recent survey study found that fewer marriages are purely arranged without consent and that the majority of surveyed Indian marriages are arranged with consent. The study also suggested that Indian culture
7980-584: The world's most populous country by the end of April 2023, containing 17.50 percent of the global population. In addition to the Indian population, the Indian overseas diaspora also boasts large numbers, particularly in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf , former British colonies, and the Western world . While the demonym "Indian" applies to people originating from the present-day Republic of India , it
8075-541: Was a contemporary of Krishna. According to the Puranas, Asanga and Yugandhara were his son and grandson respectively. A number of Puranas mention Akrura , a Vrishni, as the ruler of Dvaraka. His name is found in the Nirukta (2.2) as the holder of the jewel. In the Puranas, Akrura is mentioned as the son of Shvaphalka, who was great-grandson of Vrishni and Gandini. In the Mahabharata , the Bhagavata Purana and
8170-459: Was also used as the identifying term for people originating from what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh prior to the Partition of India in 1947. Particularly in North America , the terms "Asian Indian" and "East Indian" are sometimes used to differentiate Indians from the indigenous peoples of the Americas . Although the misidentification of indigenous Americans as Indians occurred during
8265-481: Was an epithet of his son. Krishna and Balarama are invited to the betrothal ceremony by Bhishmaka, upon which Krishna elopes with his daughter after they fall in love with each other. In the Harivamsha , when the king Bhishmaka's eldest son Rukmi chooses to marry his sister Rukmini off to suitors through a svayamvara ceremony, the king opposes Rukmi's decision, regarding it to be bad conduct on his part. When
8360-737: Was contemporary with Kusha , son of Rama. He succeeded his father to the throne of Mathura. The Andhakas , the Vrishnis , the Kukuras , the Bhojas and the Surasenas are believed to have descended from Satvata, a descendant of Kroshtu . These clans were also known as the Satvata clans. According to the Ashtadhyayi (IV.1.114) of Panini , the Andhakas were of the Kshatriya gotra , having
8455-408: Was first performed in 1873. She is usually depicted as a woman clad in an orange or saffron sari holding a flag and sometimes accompanied by a lion . Sports in India are mainly in two categories: traditional sports and global sports. Traditional sports like gilli danda , kho kho , kabaddi are quite popular. On the other hand, Indians are highly enthusiastic about the game of cricket, to
8550-643: Was his son and Sucharu was his grandson. Elsewhere in this text (V.38.34), he was mentioned as installed as king in Mathura instead of Indraprastha. The narrative of the Yadava fratricidal war is also found in two Jataka tales of the Pali Buddhist canon : the Ghata Jataka and the Samkicca Jataka . According to the Ghata Jataka , Vasudeva, Baladeva and eight other Andhaka-Venhu (probably,
8645-521: Was led by Kritavarma , son of Hridika, an Andhaka. But, in the same text, he was also referred as a Bhoja of Mrittikavati. According to the Aitareya Brahmana (VIII.14), the Bhojas were a southern people, whose princes held the Satvatas in subjection. The Vishnu Purana (IV.13.1-61) mentions the Bhojas as a branch of the Satvatas. According to this text, Bhojas of Mrittikavati were descendants of Mahabhoja, son of Satvata. However, according to
8740-668: Was the Gupta Empire . This period, witnessing a Hindu religious and intellectual resurgence, is known as the classical or " Golden Age of India ". During this period, aspects of Indian civilisation, administration, culture, and Hinduism and Buddhism spread to much of Asia , while the Chola Empire in the south had flourishing maritime trade links with the Roman Empire during this period. The ancient Indian mathematicians Aryabhata , Bhāskara I and Brahmagupta invented
8835-538: Was the great-grandson of Arjuna Kartavirya and eldest son of Talajangha. Ripunjaya, the last Vitihotra ruler of Ujjayini was overthrown by his amatya (minister) Pulika, who placed his son, Pradyota on the throne. The Mahagovindasuttanta of the Dighanikaya mentions about an Avanti king Vessabhu (Vishvabhu) and his capital Mahissati (Mahishmati). Probably he was a Vitihotra ruler. In the Balakanda (70.28) of
8930-489: Was woven around 2450 BC and 2000 BC. In the 11th century BC Rig-veda mentions dyed and embroidered garments known as paridhan and pesas respectively and thus highlights the development of sophisticated garment manufacturing techniques during this period. In the 5th century BCE, Greek historian Herodotus describes the richness of the quality of Indian textiles. By the 2nd century AD, cotton , muslins and silk textiles manufactured in India were imported by
9025-512: Was written during the period between 200 BCE and 200 CE in classical India and is traditionally attributed to the Sage Bharata . Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope. While it primarily deals with stagecraft, it has come to influence music , classical dance , and literature as well. It covers stage design , music , dance , makeup , and virtually every other aspect of stagecraft . Indian drama and theatre has
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