Ancient land of stories. #MeraShandarBharat

It is impossible to understand this country's diversity and ancient belief system without experiencing it. I have had the opportunity to travel a lot ever since I was a kid with my family and hence, I got to travel to many places across India.

My childhood journeys have played an important role in the exploration which I have done in the last decade. This journey begins with the introduction of fine arts in my life, I started my bachelor degree in the year 2012, from there onwards my interest towards this country started growing, I wanted to see everything that this diverse nation had to offer, architecture, landscapes, festivals, tribes, tradition, culture, lifestyle with my own eyes in this lifetime.

If you do not know, this country is gifted with different types of terrain, from mountains to oceans to jungles and deserts. You can find almost all kinds of natural conditions in this country. It is also said to be the oldest civilisation on earth, dated back to thousands of years, before any existing religion, and this land of Sanatan dharma with more than a million gods and the goddesses, this country is also responsible for the dawn of many religions like Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism and many more.

Here you get to see many ancient architectural marvels depicting stories from mythology and history. Places like Khajuraho, Modhera, Sanchi, Rani ki vav are famous for their temples and stone carvings on their walls which were so ahead of their time. Even today, it is impossible for anybody to recreate any of those architectural marvels with available modern technology. After looking at these ancient temples, a question always arises in my mind, what makes people dedicate their lives to construct these ancient temples? Many of these temples served as an educational institution in ancient times, where people from different parts of the world came to understand our complex tradition of Sanatan dharma. In this tradition, stories play a very important role, a wall of temples carved with mythological figures, ancient stories, gods and goddesses to educate and aware our society with all the necessary details. Many temples were destroyed due to Mughal invasion, so apart from that it was impossible for anyone to completely remove this country’s ancient belief system.

Varanasi is the perfect example of this ancient tradition, which our ancestors used to follow from thousands of years. It is said to be the oldest living city and also known as a spiritual capital. People believe this city was founded by Lord Shiva three principal deities along with Brahma and Vishnu. This city still follows ancient tradition and knowingly or unknowingly these traditions, customs and values can be seen embedded in their lifestyle even in this modern world. Situated on the bank of holy river Ganga, this city is famous for its temple architecture, some of the temples can be dated back to 3000 years or even more,while making this city one of its kind.There are people and communities in India, who are somehow able to restore this ancient tradition and knowledge to this modern world.

Places like Rishikesh, Kedarnath, Prayagraj, Mathura, Chitrakoot were famous for their association with ancient stories of divine beings like Shiva, Rama and Krishna who once walked through these places. This country is not only famous for its tradition, art and architecture, it is also responsible for the introduction of yoga to the world. Many modern scientific theories have been derived from its ancient textbooks including the field of Mathematics and Medical science. Festivals like Holi, Diwali, Durga puja, Ganesha Chaturthi are celebrated here to spread awareness and traditional values to our current society. Many ancient festivals like Kumbh are also celebrated in this country, dating back to thousands of years, many historical and mythological stories were associated with this festival. This took me to the conclusion that no one can understand this nation without knowing its past.

My journey took me to many places in India, which helps me to understand its cultural diversity in our modern world, and makes me proud to be a part of this beautiful Nation.