Indian Culture

Henna tattoos are created using ink derived from henna trees found in Africa and Southern Asia. Unlike traditional tattoos, henna designs are temporary. However, the side effects can be lasting...

If you are of Indian descent and have recently moved to the U.S., or are looking to relocate due to work or schooling at University, then you'll need a place to live. Fortunately, there are...

Saris are important garments in an Indian woman's wardrobe. The sari is the traditional garment for Indian women; it originated in North and South India. There are a few regions that are famous...

For centuries, the Mazatec Indians have valued Salvia divinorum for its healing properties and for use in shamanic ceremonies. Recently, countries have begun to study the plant's psychotropic...

Chai tea is a popular Indian spiced drink that is served hot with milk and a bit of sweetener (usually white sugar but sometimes raw sugar or molasses is used instead). Over time, chai tea has...

Henna tattooing, also called mehndi, is ritualistic body painting. Henna leaves are ground into a powder, mixed with a liquid or oil to make a paste, then painted on the body in elaborate designs....

Ayurveda medicine originated in India and is traditional nature-based medicine. There are many techniques used to manipulate the nervous system. Most Ayurvedic practices induce a sense of calm...

Perfumes for women in India include traditional natural fragrances as well as synthetic perfumes. They are characterized by subtle fruity, floral and aromatic fragrances. The making of natural...

The Indian government's "Incredible India" tourism campaign and the information technology growth in India have been attracting millions of foreign tourists and business tourists to India. Medical...

Carnatic Music refers to the classical music form of Southern India, having roots in the Vedas (ancient texts derived from the vibrations in space) which comprise thousands of hymns. References to...

Ayurveda may be the oldest healing science in the world. Its origins are well known in India. Ayurveda is only just becoming known and comprehended in the Western world. The science of Ayurveda...

Merriam Webster defines arrowheads as "a wedge-shaped piercing tip usually affixed to an arrow." According to the Kentucky Heritage Council, though, most arrowheads found in Kentucky are really...

This is a celebration for married Hindu women. Karwa Chauth is considered the most important fast done by the married women. The fast is done to ask God’s blessing for their husbands’ long...

Yes, it may be a fact that Indians were scalping long before colonists arrived in America; however, some colonists, especially the unscrupulous ones who wanted to earn some money, took up this...

Stone spearheads unearthed in North America have carbon dates going back to 10,000 B.C. and earlier. Paleoindians, or the Clovis culture, are thought to be the original inhabitants of the...

Hindu weddings have become modernized in latter days. While they maintain the traditions of Hindu heritage, they are now mixed with the Westernized versions of wedding decor, food, dress and...

The Mauja dance comes from the 2007 Bollywood film "Jab We Met." The stars of the movie, Shaheed Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, play a couple who fall in love. At the end of the movie, they, along...

India's five-level caste system has been the basis of Indian society for hundreds of years, creating subcultures in which people from the same caste have lived insulated or outcast from those...

In the ancient art of painting henna tattoos, known variously as Mendhi, Mehndi or Mehendi, an artist draws intricate designs and patterns on skin using a dye made from the henna plant. Depending...

Hindi is the national language of India. It is a very beautiful language and here is how you say Hello and Goodbye under various circumstances in Hindi.

The costumes in India are distinctive, indicative of region, culture and religion and signal other nuances such as individual status and wealth. It is possible to identify which village a woman...

As one of the oldest languages of the world still in use, Tamil enjoys a privileged place. It is recognized as a classical language by scholars and researchers, such as Professor George L. Hart of...

While most people know how make a long-distance phone call, not everyone knows how make a call to another country. For instance, to call India you must have an exit code, country code, area code...

Showing your American pride is easy with all the flags and patriotic symbols displayed everywhere, but Native Americans sometimes have difficulty showing their pride because there is still some...

India is known for its uniquely styled jewelry. Most Indian women wear jewelry and nose studs as a mark of beauty. The preferred stud is diamond or gold. As nose studs become more popular among...

Kindness is a state of being and it stems from the purity of the heart and results in an act of unconditional giving. Kindness begets kindness. It is one of the highest kind of energy that works...

Kundalini is a Sanskrit word meaning coiled, like a snake. It is the life force energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine in the first chakra.

Ayurvedic practitioners call turmeric the "golden spice of life." Its botanical name is "Curcuma longa," and it belongs to the Ginger family. Ayurveda, a 5,000 year old medical system, has used...

Abundance is your birthright…the only way to manifest true abundance is when you change yourself at the cellular levels, invisibly or at quantum levels. No matter what profession you are in —...

Although many non-Native Americans may think of Native Americans only in terms of the Trail of Tears and old "Cowboys and Indians" films, Native Americans hardly spent all of their time being...

This is a method employed by California Indians in the old days Many tribes did not make pottery, but made very high quality baskets, some of which could hold water. I'm not a Native American. ...

Mahatma Gandhi wrote "If someone were to ask me what the most important outward manifestation of Hinduism was, I would suggest that it was the idea of cow protection." Hindus consider cows sacred...

Ayurveda evolved around 600 B.C. in India and is a system of holistic medicine that is based on eliminating toxic imbalances from the body. Basically, it treats the whole well-being of the...

Nag Champa is a popular Indian scent used most notably in incense, but also in soaps, lotions, perfume oils and candles. It is made from a mixture of exceptionally fragrant, rare (and costly)...

The character costumes in the Oruro Carnaval were created to commemorate people who helped shape the town of Oruro to the point that it is today. Regardless of the nature of the characters...

Indian Coconut Green Beans otherwise known as Thoran to Keralites is a simple side dish to accompany any meal. The green beans are dressed up with the contrast of natural sweetness of the coconut...

In today's fast-pace world of stress and multitasking, both men and women are putting the health of their hair at risk of becoming dull and prematurely white or gray. Practiced since ancient times...

It is a tradition for women of India to wear a nose stud. The nose stud is to make the woman more appealing to the man chosen to be her husband. It is also thought to make childbirth easier if the...

Urdu is a language widely spoken in southeast Asia, and is an official language of both Pakistan and India. It has an alphabet descended from Arabic and Turkish script, and is read from right to...

For those who practice Ayurveda, preparation for pregnancy is taken very seriously. The sperm and ova are primed for optimal quality, and the environment within the woman's body is prepped for...

Chai (Tea) is a refreshing beverage which is usually served around 4-5pm. It makes a great after-dinner drink as well. Below you learn how to make chai in less than 10 minuets. It's fast,...

Ayurveda teaches that an individual's ability to gain or lose weight is directly linked to her body type, or dosha. Individuals who identify themselves as having a Kapha dosha tend to have a more...

Spices play a very important role in Indian cooking. The Hindi word for spice is "masala," which is also used to describe the combination of spices and herbs. Wet "masala" refers to the mixture of...

Belonging to the mahogany family of trees, the neem tree is a tropical species which is best known in India. Growing in poor soil of semiarid lands, neem trees reach a height of 30 feet and help...

With the field of alternative medicine growing larger almost daily, it can be difficult to distinguish between what is medicine and what is new age mumbo jumbo. One good way to tell the difference...

Anusara (a-nu-sar-a) is a powerful Hatha yoga practice that employs a Tantric philosophy of "alignment to the current of the divine within" to "celebrate the heart."

The sari (the plural form is saree) is the traditional women's costume in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. There are some regional variations, but it is always worn loosely on the body and is...

Indian wedding is a great, fun, colorful event for every body involved. It's an occasion of festivities which last from 2 to 5 days. The wedding consists of several small ceremonies which are...

The ancient Hindu science of Ayurveda teaches that achieving balance in an individuals' dosha structure is essential in achieving true health. The three doshas--vata, pitta and kapha--each...

India is a vast, multicultural nation. You can find an amalgamation of different ethnic (there are 2,000 documented ethnic groups alone) and cultural groups, living alongside each other. Although...