The Making of Regional Culture

The Chera kingdom Mahodayapuram was established in the ninth century in the south-western part of the peninsula, part of present day Kerala.

Lilatilakam is a 14th century treatise on grammar and poetics. It was composed in Manipravalam, referring to the two languages, Sanskrit and the regional language.

In the nineteenth century, the region that constituted most of the present-day Rajasthan was called Rajputana by the British. This was the area mainly inhabited by Rajputs.

Kathaks were originally a caste of story tellers in the temples of north India. They performed in village squares and temple courtyards. They were mostly specialized in recounting mythological and moral tales from the scriptures, and embellished their recitals with hand gestures and facial expressions.

With the advent of the Mughals, this dance form underwent a radical transformation. Kathak, as we know it today, is the result of the fusion between the Hindu and Muslim cultures. The Persian and Muslim influences altered the dance from a temple ritual to a means of royal entertainment. The emphasis shifted from the religious to the aesthetic. Kathak developed into two traditions called as gharanas for example Rajasthan gharanas, Lucknow gharanas and Benaras gharanas

The term "classical" was introduced by Sangeet Natak Academy to denote the Natya Shastra-based performing art styles. The Indian classical dancers use the mudra or hand gestures to narrate a story and to demonstrate certain concepts such as objects, weather and emotion. Facial expressions are as an integral part of many classical dance forms. Some of the classical dances and their states are:

Bharatanatyam - Tamil Nadu
Kathakali - Kerala
Odissi - Orissa
Kuchipudi - Andhra Pradesh
Manipuri - Manipur

Animism refers to the belief that all natural things, such as plants, animals, rocks, thunder and earthquakes have spirits (beings that cannot be seen) and can influence human events.

Miniature paintings are small in size and generally are drawn in water colour on cloth or paper. The earliest miniatures were drawn on palm leaves or wood. Some of the most beautiful miniatures are found in western India and were used to illustrate Buddhist and Jaina texts. Themes used in the miniature paintings were from Indian epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Rasamanjari as well as ragas of Indian classical music, etc.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, miniature artists who were patronised by the Mughal emperors moved to the regional courts of Deccan and the Rajput courts of Rajasthan. They depicted the rulers and court scenes and themes from mythology and poetry. The core of miniature painting lies in Rajasthan and can be traced back to its school of Jodhpur, Jaipur, Mughal, Kangra and Mewar. While the Mughal School features muted colours, giving it a shadow and depth, the Rajasthan School uses bold primary colours which give the painting an abstract look.

The most popular text Rasamanjari written by Bhanudatta was illustrated in the miniature paintings.

In the region of Himachal Pradesh by the late seventeenth century, a bold and intense style of miniature painting called Basohli developed. This style of painting is characterized by vigorous use of primary colours and a peculiar facial formula prevalent in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in the foothills of the Western Himalayas in the Jammu and Punjab States

Bengali literature can be divided into two categories:

• One category of literature is indebted to Sanskrit. Under this category come the translated Sanskrit epics, the Mangalakavyas (auspicious poems) and bhakti literature such as the biographies of Chaitanya, the leader of the Vaishnavite movement
• The second category includes Nath literature such as the songs of Maynamati and Gopichandra stories concerning the worship of Dharma Thakur and tales, folk tales and ballads

Dochala means two-roofed and chauchala means four-roofed. These were the terms used in the structure of the thatched huts in Bengal

The Chera kingdom of Mahodayapuam was established in the ninth century in the south-western part of the peninsula, part of present day Kerala. The language of this region was Malayalam

Lilatilakam was composed in Manipravalam (literally meaning diamonds and corals). Lilatilakam deals with grammar and poetics.

In the 12th century, a ruler of Ganga dynasty Anantavarman erected a temple for Purushottama Jagannatha at Puri. The Jagannath temple at Puri gained great importance and became a centre of pilgrims for both Hindus & Buddhists.The three deities namely Jagannatha, Sudhadra and Balbhadra represents Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, are worshipped over there.

Rajput women like men were very brave. The practice of 'Sati' or Self-immolation of widows for their husbands who died in battle was started by Rajput women to protect their honor. These women who sacrificed their lives are depicted as great heroines. Rajput cultures have been enriched by heroic deeds of men and women.

After Mughals, several schools or styles known as gharnas like Lucknow gharna, Jaipur gharana, Banaras gharana which helped the artists to take new challenges and obtain their individual mastery. Jaipur gharana include a command of complicated pure dance patterns. Lucknow style is famous for graceful expression of romantic feelings. It is characterized by precise, fine detailed movements and an emphasis on the exposition of thumri, a semi classical style of love song. Pandit Birju Maharaj also belong to Lucknow gharana.

Miniature paintings are small in size and generally are drawn in water colour on cloth or paper executed delicately with brush. Colours for these paintings were derived from minerals, vegetables, stones, shells, gold and silver.The earliest miniatures were drawn on palm leaves, bark of trees or wood.Some of the most beautiful miniatures are found in western India and were used to illustrate Jaina texts.

Nadir Shah invaded India and captured Delhi in 1739. This invasion resulted in the migration of Mughal artists to the hills.They found new school called the Kangara school of painitng. They got the inspiration from the Vaishnavite tradition. The famous colours of this were soft colours such as blue and green.