India

Dhikshitha Gokulakrishnan

7E

Monday, March 7th 2011

Ancient India

Ancient India was a religious, artistic and educated civilization. The gods took numerous forms for different tasks. Diwali was the most vibrant festival until today in the Hindu calendar. Hinduism was the third largest religious in the world. General crafts and statues were extremely elaborate. One of India’s great monuments was Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal was also one of the world’s seven wonders. The writing system is very sophisticated and it was impractical to read till today. The Indians called their schools Gurukulam. A Gurukulam was a place where young boys were schooled. A Guru was a teacher who was equivalent to priests. Gurus were very devoted to the Gods in India.

The Gods in Ancient India took many forms. There were two main gods Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, they were the rulers of the world. The Main Goddess was Devi. Hindusim has many gods but all are forms of Shiva, Vishnu and Devi. Different forms are taken when the world was in danger or an important task has to be completed. All the gods had separate personality for example Shiva was a terrifying god, Vishnu was a happy god and his wife ‘Kali’ was the goddess of war. Elephants were a big part of Indian culture because there was an elephant god named Ganesh; Ganesh had an elephant’s head and a human body. Many festivals we celebrated for religious reasons. One of the most festive ones was Diwali the festival of lights.

Diwali was the most colorful festival in India until today. The festival lasted for 5 days; it started at the new moon of the year and ends on the second day of the New Year. It was ceremonies the legendary return of King Rama. On the day of Diwali houses were cleaned and new clothes were worn, Rows of lamps lit throughout the day to symbolize knowledge and goodness. People also called Diwali the festival of lights. People from various villages come together with families to practice rituals and cultures Villages hold...