Arts and Culture of Chandigarh is a collection of the beautiful regional festivals, rituals, foods, music and dances and traditions which have been followed in this northern Indian state since several centuries. Chandigarh is the capital of Haryana and Punjab, in the northern part of India. The culture of this part of the country is generally associated with the Punjabi culture, as well as that belonging to the Hindus, Muslims and the Sikhs. However, like many other regions of India, the culture of Chandigarh is cosmopolitan and one will notice people of various cultures residing in this state.
Religions of Chandigarh
Hinduism is the predominant religion of Chandigarh followed by 80.78% of the population. Sikhism is the second most popular religion in the city, followed by 13.11% of the people. In Chandigarh city Islam is followed by 4.87%. Minorities are Christians 0.83%, Jains 0.19%, Buddhists 0.11%, those that didn`t state a religion are 0.10%, and others are 0.02%. Many institutions serve minorities in the city. One such being the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shimla and Chandigarh, serving the Catholics, which even has a co-cathedral in the city, Christ the King Co-Cathedral, although it never was a separate bishopric. Most of the convent schools of Chandigarh are governed by this institution. Chandigarh hosts many religious places, including Chandimandir, the temple after which it was named. The ISKCON temple in Sector 36 is one of the worship places for Hindus. Nada Sahib Gurudwara, a famous place for Sikh worship lies in its vicinity. Apart from this, there are a couple of historical mosques in Manimajra and Burail.
Events and Festivals of Chandigarh
Sahitya and Sangeet Natak Academy which is located in the State Library and Lalit Kala are some of the cultural organisations which are dedicated to the promotion of dance, literature, arts, and drama in Chandigarh. These bodies arrange exhibitions, lectures and performances throughout the entire year. Chandigarh also possesses a Cultural Complex, which comprises an Art Gallery, Museum and Audio-Visual Training Institute. This capital city boasts of various industries like IT, fashion, technology and education. Chandigarh`s Rose Festival, also referred to as the `Festival of Gardens` is quite popular and is a famous local event which attracts several people from various portions of India. In this festival, numerous artists and singers deliver their performances. They also celebrate a bunch of festivals which consist of `Raksha Bandhan`, `Gurpurab`, `Lohri`, `Tika`, `Baisakhi`, `Diwali`, `Shivaratri`, `Holi`, `Dussehra` and others. Such festivals are accompanied by innumerable types of food dishes, `Puja` and various sweet preparations. During the occasion of Shivaratri, `Bhaang` is a very popular cuisine which is served to the devotees. Republic Day and Independence Day are observed with equal gusto in the local schools. Chandigarh Literati or Chandigarh Literature Festival is a literary festival held in Chandigarh, India. It is organized by the Chandigarh Literary Society with the support of the Chandigarh Administration and Haryana Tourism.
Folk Dances of Chandigarh
The inhabitants of Chandigarh perform many kinds of well-known folk dances like teeyan`, `sammi`, `bhangra`, `gidda`, `julli` and many more, which are a portrayal of the rich cultural traditions of this area. While performing bhangra dance, men wear a kurta and Lungi and turbans (colorful long piece of cloth) to cover their head, women wear salwar kameez and dupatta to cover their heads.
Folk Music of Chandigarh
Punjab has folk songs on birth, marriage, funeral, death, love, separation, beauty, social and economical status, village lifestyle, food, nature, bravery, folklores and folktales, folk romances, folk and historical heroes, festivals and many more. The songs of different castes of Punjab are also included in the folk songs. Jugni, Mahia, Tappe, Jindua, Dhola, Kafian, Dohre, Bolian, Sadda, Jhokan and the folk romances of Punjab region like Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiban, Sohni Mahiwal, Sassi Punnun are main folk love songs. In heroic or bravery, the folk song narrates about the Punjabi heroes like Dulla Bhatti, Raja Rasalu, Jagga Jatt, S. Bhagat Singh, S. Udham Singh, Sucha Soorma and Jeona Morh. Sikhism is closely related to music. The sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind, established the singers called Dhadis to sing the Gurbani, Vaars and other folk genres using the normally two folk instruments, Dhad and Sarangi.
>
Traditional Costumes of Chandigarh
The costumes worn in this area are quite similar to those worn in several other Indian states. The regional womenfolk are clad in saree, salwar kameez or `lehenga-choli` while men love wearing the `sherwani`. Kurta Salwar is the favorite costumes for Punjabi and Haryanavi women. In every region of Chandigarh, Patiala suits are very popular. The designs are very attractive and unique. The loose salwar kameez are also common. During the festival and special occasions, women in Chandigarh wear very expensive saris. Women in Punjab have a lot of dress sense so we can see beautiful girls in Chandigarh. In Chandigarh, men follow the traditional attires. Their main dress is kurta pajama and Punjabi dhoti kurta. Another important traditional dance dress is the costume of Bhangra. With the Bhangra costume, men wear chaadra, which is a long piece of cloth and turban which is called pagri.
Languages in Chandigarh
Punjabi and Hindi are amongst the main languages which are spoken by the regional people of Chandigarh. Sometimes, these people are also known to communicate in a language which is a mixture of both these Indian languages. Punjabis and Hindus represent the dominant groups in Chandigarh and therefore these languages are common here.
Cuisine of Chandigarh
People of this Indian state are believed to harbor an excellent taste for food and many delicious cuisines can be found in this part of the country. Punjabi food dishes are quite popular in Chandigarh, which is spicy and delectable and the local people are fond of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The main feature of Punjabi food is the extensive use of butter, cream, ghee and cheese. Their meals usually consist of pulses cooked on a slow flame with the traditional Punjabi tadka. For preparing the gravy, a mixture of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and spices are used. Usually the traditional Punjabi food is prepared in the earthen tandoors, which give the food a unique aroma. In the category of beverages, one name that truly deserves a mention is the Punjab-di-Lassi. Popular dishes of Chandigarh are Makki di Roti, Sarson ka Saag, Dal Makhni, Kadhi, Punjabi Chhole, Palak Paneer, Stuffed Vegetable Punjabi Parantha, Baingan da Bhurtha, Butter Chicken, Punjabi Lachha Paratha, Chicken Tikkas, Amritsari Fish etc.
This is essentially because Chandigarh is home to people hailing from different Indian states. One will come across numerable crowded markets or `bazaars` in Chandigarh, which is quite similar to those, existent in various ancient Indian towns.
