The word ‘Bohra’ is derived from the Gujarati word vohorvu or vyavahar meaning “to trade”. The Muslim community of Daudi Bohras traces its ancestry to early conversions to...
Sufism or tasawwuf, as it is called in Arabic, is generally understood by scholars and Sufis to be the inner, mystical, or psycho-spiritual dimension of Islam. Today, however,...
The Shramana movement was a Non-Vedic movement parallel to Vedic Hinduism in ancient India. The Shramana tradition gave rise to Jainism, Buddhism, and Yoga, and was responsible for...
Hindu society has been categorized into four classes, called varnas. They are: Brahmins: Vedic teachers and priests; Kshatriyas: warriors, nobles, and kings; Vaishyas: farmers, merchants, and businessmen; and...
The nāstika (heterodox) schools don’t draw upon the Vedas as the sole primary authoritative text, but may emphasize other traditions of thought. The main nāstika schools are Cārvāka...
Swar or Sur refers to the basic note in an octave. The seven basic notes are shadja, rishabh, gandhar, madhyam, pancham, dhaivat and nishad, shortened to Sa, Ri,...
The third type of sculpture art that Flourished during the Kushana time was at Amaravati and Nagarjunkonda in Andhra Pradesh. The sculptures of Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda are fully...
Natya means drama, Nritta means ‘abstract dance’ and Nritya means ‘interpretative dance.’ Katahakali is a story-play. It involves elaborate dance depicting the stories of the victory of truth...
Karna is a combined movement of the feet and the hands, which, though momentarily static, is a dynamic series of movements which culminates in a specific pose. Natya...
The Rasa-Bhava is the central concept in Indian performing arts such as dance, drama, cinema, literature etc. Bhava means “to become”. Bhava is the state of mind while Rasa is...
