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South Indian culture refers to the culture of the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. South Indian culture though with its visible differences forms an important part of the Indian culture. The South Indian Culture is essentially the celebration of the eternal universe through the celebration of the beauty of the body and femininity. It is exemplified through its dance, clothing, and sculptures. Tamil in Tamil Nadu, Telugu in Andra Pradesh and Telangana, Kannada in Karnataka and Malayalam in Kerala are the native languages spoken in each of these South Indian states. These languages are collectively known as Dravidian languages.[1]

Traditional clothing

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South Indian women traditionally wear the sari while the men wear a type of sarong, which could be either a white dhoti or a colourful lungi with typical batik patterns.The saree, being an unstitched drape, enhances the shape of the wearer while only partially covering the midriff.In Indian philosophy, the navel of the Supreme Being is considered as the source of life and creativity. This makes the realization of sharira-mandala, where in Angikam bhuvanam yasya (the body is your world) unites with the shaarira-mandala (the whole universe), as expressed in the Natyashastra.[2][3][4][5][6]. These principles of the sari, also hold for other forms of drapes, like the lungi or mundu or panchey (a white lungi with colourful silk borders in kannada), worn by men.[7] The lungi is draped over clockwise or counterclockwise and is tied at the back or fixed just along the waistline. It's sometimes lifted to the knee and tied at the waist leisurely or just held in hand to speed up walking.

Traditionally, South Indian men do not cover their upper body. Sometimes, in a formal situation, a piece of cloth may cover the upper body. Certain temples in South India even ban men from wearing upper-body garments when inside the temple. In Andhra Pradesh and parts of north Karnataka, men wear kachche panchey where it is tied at back by taking it between legs. A similar pattern is seen in women. All over the peninsular coastal region, men wear coloured lungis and women wear saris in a manner of tying them at the back.

The traditional clothing is very eccentric in the Kodagu district of Karnataka.The women from Kodagu drape their saree differently, here the pleats are tucked to the back and the 'pallu' is worn over the shoulder. They also wear a piece of clothing on their head called the 'vastra'. The traditional men's Kodava costume is a collarless half-sleeve knee length jacket called the 'Kupya' worn with a white shirt.A golden embroidered maroon sash called 'Chale' is worn around the waist,further complimented by a silver dagger called the 'Peechekatti' which is tucked into the sash. [8].

The Araimudi (araimuti) was worn by young Tamil girls.

The Araimudi (araimuti) (Tamil: அரைமுடி, araimūḍi) is a small silver metal plate, shaped like a heart or a fig leaf, formerly worn by young Tamil girls on their genitals.[9][10][11] "Arai" means loin and "mudi" means cover.[12] The araimudi is also known as the "Genital shield" and an araimudi was mentioned in the "Guide to the principal exhibits in the Government Museum, Pudukkottai", by M. S. Chandrasekhar, published in 1966 as being displayed in an exhibit in the Madras Government Museum.[13] "A Manual of the Salem district in the presidency of Madras, Volume 1" said "The children sometimes, to the age of ten years or more, go in a state of nudity, relieved perhaps by a piece of string round the waist which sustains the "araimudi" or heart-shaped piece of silver, which calls attention to what it purports to conceal."[14] The "Madras district gazetteers, Volume 1, Part 1" said 'Little girls, up to the age of about 3, wear nothing but the little heart-shaped piece of silver suspended by a waist-cord (arai- mudi) " which calls attention to what it purports to conceal."'[15] "Percival's Tamil-English dictionary", edited by P. Percival defined Araimudi as "அரைமுடி arai múḍi, A small plate of gold or silver, appended to the girdle of female children, for the sake of decency".[16] Miron Winslow's dictionary, "A comprehensive Tamil and English Dictionary of High and Low Tamil" defined araimudi as "அரைமுடி, s. A small plate of metal worn by little girls over the private parts."[17][18] The Abbe Dubois book "Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies", translated from French and edited by Henry King Beauchamp stated that "Even the private parts of the children have their own particular decorations. Little girls wear a gold or silver shield or codpiece on which is graven some indecent picture; while a boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of that member which it is meant to decorate."[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] "Description of the character, manners, and customs of the people of India; and their institutions, religious and civil", also written by Dubois said "The children of either sex are likewise ornamented with various trinkets of the same form, though smaller than those of grown persons. They have also some that are peculiar. As all children in India go perfectly naked till they are six or seven years old, the parents, of course, adapt the ornaments to the natural parts of the body. Thus, the girls have a plate of metal suspended so as to conceal, in some measure, their nakedness. The boys, on the other hand, have little bells hung round them, or some similar device of silver or gold, attached to the little belt with which they are girt. Amongst the rest, a particular trinket appears in front, bearing a resemblance to the sexual part of the lad."[26] Until the 1960s in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka girls wore the Araimudi.[27][28]

Cuisine

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Main articles: South Indian Cuisine, Cuisine of Karnataka, Udupi cuisine, Andhra cuisine, Cuisine of Kerala, Tamil cuisine, and Chettinad cuisine
The tradition of serving meals on plantain leaves endures in South India, especially at formal events.

Food habits are diverse even regionally and are largely based on the traditions. Rice is the staple diet. Coconut is an important ingredient in Kerala and coastal part of Karnataka of South India, Hyderabadi biryani is also very special in Telangana and other neighbouring states whereas the cuisine in Andhra Pradesh is characterized by the pickles, spicy aromatic curries and the generous use of chili powder. Dosa, Idli, Uttapam etc. are popular throughout the region. Coastal areas like the state of Kerala and the city of Mangalore are known for their seafood. South Indian coffee is generally quite robust, and coffee is a preferred drink throughout the Malabar region. Tamil Nadu is well known for its Idli, Dosa, Pongal, Sambhar, Vada, Puri, which are the common breakfast in Tamil families. Among the Malayalees, Appam, Puttu, Upamav, Malabar biriyani are some of the common dishes. In Karnataka, Bisibele bath, Kara bath, Kesari bath, Raggi mudda, Udin Vada, Bene Masala Dosa, Paper Dosa are some of the common dishes. Karnataka's Kodagu district is renowned for its distinctive pork curry called pandi curry. Other Kodava dishes include baimbale curry, which is a bamboo shoot curry, kadambuttu and nuputtu, which are essentially rice balls and rice noodles. [29]

Dance

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South Indian Dance

The South Indian culture is celebrated in the elaborate dance forms of South India: Koodiyattam, Bharatanatyam, Oyilattam, Karakattam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Thirayattam,[30] Theyyam, Bhuta Kola, Ottamthullal, Oppana, Kerala Natanam, Mohiniaattam and Yakshagana. Thirayattam is a Ritualistic Performing art of South Malabar region in Kerala state.[31] The Bharatanatyam is the celebration of the eternal universe through the celebration of the beauty of the body.[2][3][4][5][6] This is done through its tenets of having a perfectly erect posture, a straight and pout curving stomach, a well rounded and proportionate body mass to the body structure, very long hair and curvaceous hips.[2][3][5] These tenets bring to life the philosophy of Natyashastra, 'Angikam bhuvanam yasya' (The body is your world).[2][3][5] This is elaborated in the araimandi posture, wherein the performer assumes a half sitting position with the knees turned sideways, with a very erect posture. In this fundamental posture of the Bharatanatyam dance, the distance between the head and the navel becomes equal to that between the earth and the navel. In a similar way the distance between the outstretched right arm to the outstretched left arm becomes equal to the distance between the head and the feet, thus representing the "Natyapurusha", the embodiment of life and creation.[2][3][5]. There are also a variety of folk dances in each state in southern India. The most common folk dances in Karnataka include Doolu kunitha, performed mostly by the Kuruba community belonging to northern Karnataka, Suggi kunitha which is a harvest dance performed by the farming community, Bolak-aat and Ummat-att are folk dances performed by people from the Kodagu region.The other folk dances from Karnataka include Kamsale,Veeragase and Nagamandala.[32].Some of the folk dances from Tamil Nadu include Kummi, Devarattam, Khadgam, PoikkalKutthirai Attam to name a few.[33].Burra katha, Andra natyam, Veeranatyam are few of the folk dance forms from Andra Pradesh.[34]

Festivals

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Festivals in India are extremely colorful and vivid. Festivals are a big part of every culture,and there are many such festivals that reflect the culture of South India.Ugadi is a festival in Karnataka that symbolizes the new year for the people from this state.Dasara is another festival which is celebrated quite extravagantly in the region of Mysore.[35].Few of the festivals celebrated in Tamil Nadu inclue Pongal which is a harvest festival,Thaipusam which is a festival that marks the birth of Karthikeya(Lord Shiva's younger son)and Natyanjali is a dance festival celebrated as a dedication to Lord Nataraja.Onam is the most popular festival from Kerala.Thrissur Pooram festival showcases Kerala's rich heritage and culture.Bathukamma Festival and Bonalu are some of the main festivals celebrated in Telangana.Bhogi is a festival in Andra Pradesh where people discard old things and concentrate on new things.Shankaranti is also an important festival celebrated by the people of Andra Pradesh.[36].


Notes

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  1. ^ The Dravidian Languages By Bhadriraju Krishnamurti
  2. ^ a b c d e Beck, Brenda. 1976. "The Symbolic Merger of Body, Space, and Cosmos in Hindu Tamil Nadu." Contributions to Indian Sociology 10(2): 213-43.
  3. ^ a b c d e Bharata (1967). The Natyashastra [Dramaturgy], 2 vols., 2nd. ed. Trans. by Manomohan Ghosh. Calcutta: Manisha Granthalaya.
  4. ^ a b Dehejia, Vidya, Richard H. Davis, R. Nagaswamy, Karen Pechilis Prentiss (2002) The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India. ISBN 0-295-98284-5
  5. ^ a b c d e Kallarasa Virachita Janavasya Ed: G.G. Manjunathan. Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, University of Mysore, Mysore 1974
  6. ^ a b Wadley, Susan, ed. 1980. The Powers of Tamil Women. Syracuse: Syracuse U. Press.
  7. ^ Boulanger, Chantal; (1997) Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, Shakti Press International, New York. ISBN 0-9661496-1-0
  8. ^ https://www.thestatesman.com/features/coorg-unique-in-diversity-109613.html
  9. ^ Tamil to English Dictionary "Meaning of iravirekku" (Meaning of இராவிரேக்கு)
  10. ^ TAMIL TO ENGLISH DICTIONARY இராவிரேக்கு - iravirekku - [irāvirēkku]
  11. ^ அரசிலை aracilai Archived 23 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Asiff Hussein (2007). Sarandib: an ethnological study of the Muslims of Sri Lanka. Vol. VOL. I.—THE DISTRICT. MADRAS : PRINTED BY E. KEYS, AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS: Asiff Hussein. p. 267. ISBN 9559726226. Retrieved 11 November 2012. 110 The term appears to literally mean 'loin (arai) cover (mudi)' 4,1 Winslow ( 1862) gives araimuti as 'a small plate of metal worn by little girls over the private parts'. Dubois (1906) who observed that the private parts of the children of the {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 3 Sep 2008
  13. ^ Government Museum (Madras, India), M. S. Chandrasekhar (1966). Guide to the principal exhibits in the Government Museum, Pudukkottai. Printed at Super Power Press, for the Director of Stationery and Print. p. 93. Retrieved 16 April 2012. Pamla malai (coral necklace), kasais, lead and glass bangles, lead rings for toes, ear and nose screws, and also the araimudi (or the " Genital shield ") worn by young female children are included.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 6 June 2011 Length 129 pages
  14. ^ A Manual of the Salem district in the presidency of Madras, Volume 1. Vol. VOL. I.—THE DISTRICT. MADRAS : PRINTED BY E. KEYS, AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS: Printed by E. Keys, at the Government Press. 1883. p. 141. Retrieved 16 April 2012. The children sometimes, to the age of ten years or more, go in a state of nudity, relieved perhaps by a piece of string round the waist which sustains the "araimudi" or heart-shaped piece of silver, which calls attention to what it purports to conceal. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)Compiled by Henry Le Fanu Original from Oxford University Digitized 6 June 2007
  15. ^ Madras (India : State) (1918). Madras district gazetteers, Volume 1, Part 1. Vol. VOL. I.—THE DISTRICT. MADRAS : PRINTED BY E. KEYS, AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS: Printed by the Superintendent, Govt. Press. p. 109. Retrieved 11 November 2012. Little girls, up to the age of about 3, wear nothing but the little heart-shaped piece of silver suspended by a waist-cord (arai- mudi) "which calls attention to what it purports to conceal." They are then promoted to a miniaturo " female " cloth {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 14 March 2005 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ P. Percival (1993). P. Percival (ed.). Percival's Tamil-English dictionary (reprint ed.). Asian Educational Services. p. 14. ISBN 81-206-0819-4. Retrieved 16 April 2012. அரைமுடி arai múḍi, A small plate of gold or silver, appended to the girdle of female children, for the sake of decency ;Google Books
  17. ^ M. Winslow (1989). Winslow's a Comprehensive Tamil and English Dictionary (3, reprint ed.). Asian Educational Services. p. 40. ISBN 81-206-0000-2. Retrieved 16 April 2012. அரைமுடி, s. A small plate of metal worn by little girls over the private parts.
  18. ^ Miron Winslow (1862). Acomprehensive Tamil and English Dictionary of High and Low Tamil. MADRAS : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY P. R. HUNT, AMERICAN MISSION PRESS, 167, POPHAM'S BROADWAY: Hunt. p. 40. Retrieved 16 April 2012. அரைமுடி, s. A small plate of metal worn by little girls over the private parts.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)Original from the Bavarian State Library Digitized 21 March 2011 Length 976 pages A COMPREHENSIVE TAMIL AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY OF HIGH AND LOW TAMIL, BY THE REV. MIRON WINSLOW. D.D. AMERICAN MISSIONARY, MADRAS. ASSISTED BY COMPETENT NATIVE SCHOLARS: IN PART FROM MANUSCRIPT MATERIALS OF THE LATE REV. JOSEPH KNIGHT, AND OTHERS. MADRAS : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY P. R. HUNT, AMERICAN MISSION PRESS, 167, POPHAM'S BROADWAY. 1862. Copyright Secured.
  19. ^ Jean Antoine Dubois (1899). Beauchamp, Henry King (ed.). Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies (2 ed.). Oxford PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS BY HORACE HART, M.A. PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY: Clarendon press. p. 336. Retrieved 16 April 2012. They have many other baubles of the same kind2. Even the private parts of the children have their own particular decorations. Little girls wear a gold or silver shield or codpiece on which is graven some indecent picture; while a boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of that member which it is meant to decorate.Original from Indiana University Digitized 11 June 2009 Length 730 pages HENRY FROWDE, M.A. PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK HINDU MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES BY THE ABBÉ J. A. DUBOIS TRANSLATED FROM THE AUTHOR'S LATER FRENCH MS. AND EDITED WITH NOTES, CORRECTIONS, AND BIOGRAPHY BY HENRY K. BEAUCHAMP FELLOW OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS ; MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY WITH A PREFATORY NOTE BY THE RIGHT HON. MAX MÜLLER AND A PORTRAIT SECOND EDITION Oxford AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1899
  20. ^ Fernando Henriques (1961). Love in action: the sociology of sex. Panther Books. p. 70. Retrieved 16 April 2012. Little girls wear a gold or silver shield or cod-piece on which is graven some indecent picture; while a boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of that member which it is meant to decorate.Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 3 October 2007 Length 432 pages
  21. ^ Robert Briffault (1969). The mothers: a study of the origins of sentiments and institutions, Volume 3 (reprint ed.). Johnson Reprint. p. 284. Retrieved 16 April 2012. Little girls wear a gold or silver shield, or cod-piece, on which is graven an indecent picture ; while a boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of the member it is meant toOriginal from the University of Virginia Digitized 15 August 2008 Length 841 pages
  22. ^ Edward Alexander Powell (1929). The last home of mystery. The Century Co. p. 67. Retrieved 16 April 2012. parts of small children have their own particular adornments. Little girls often wear nothing save a gold or silver shield or cod-piece on which is graven an indecent picture. A boy's ornament, also of gold or silver, is an exact copy of that member which it pretends to conceal.Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 26 October 2006 Length 332 pages
  23. ^ J. A. (Jean Antoine) Dubois. Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies. (page 34 of 72) (PAINTING MARKS ON THE BODY 333)
  24. ^ HINDU MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES THIRD EDITION OXFORD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1906
  25. ^ Full text of "Hindu manners, customs and ceremonies"
  26. ^ Jean Antoine Dubois (1862). Description of the character, manners, and customs of the people of India; and their institutions, religious and civil (2 ed.). MADRAS : PRINTED AT THE ASYLUM PRESS, MOUNT ROAD, BY WILLIAM THOMAS: J. Higginbotham. p. 163. Retrieved 16 April 2012. The children of either sex are likewise ornamented with various trinkets of the same form, though smaller than those of grown persons. They have also some that are peculiar. As all children in India go perfectly naked till they are six or seven years old, the parents of course, adapt the ornaments to the natural parts of the body. Thus, the girls have a plate of metal suspended so as to conceal, in some measure, their nakedness. The boys, on the other hand, have little bells hung round them, or some similar device of silver or gold, attached to the little belt with which they are girt. Amongst the rest, a particular trinket appears in front, bearing a resemblance to the sexual part of the lad.Original from University of Minnesota Digitized 18 February 2010 Length 410 pages DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTER, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE OF INDIA ; AND OF THEIR INSTITUTIONS, RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL, BY THE ABBE J. A. DUBOIS, Missionary in the Mysore. Second Edition, WITH NOTES, CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS BY REV. G. U. POPE, Head Master of the Ootacamund Grammar School, and Fellow of the Madras University. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH MANUSCRIPT. Madras : J. HIGGINBOTHAM, MOUNT ROAD. Law Bookseller and Publisher. LONDON—MESSRS. ALLAN AND CO. CALCUTTA—HAY AND CO., THACKER SPINK AND CO. BOMBAY—CHESSON AND WOODALL. 1862.
  27. ^ Asiff Hussein (2007). Sarandib: an ethnological study of the Muslims of Sri Lanka. Vol. VOL. I.—THE DISTRICT. MADRAS : PRINTED BY E. KEYS, AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS: Asiff Hussein. p. 267. ISBN 9559726226. Retrieved 11 November 2012. Little girls of the Eastern districts such as Amparai are also said to have formerly worn a cache-sexe plate in the shape of the Indian Fig leaf (Ficus Religiosa) known as araimudi 450 to cover their private parts. The ornament made of silver or ... {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 3 Sep 2008
  28. ^ Dress and Ornamentation among the Moors page 33 Archived 23 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ https://www.cntraveller.in/story/13-recipes-coorg-tingle-taste-buds/#s-cust0
  30. ^ "Thirayattam"(Folklore Text -malayalam), state institute of Language, Kerala ISBN 978-81-200-4294-0
  31. ^ "Thirayattam" (Folklore Text-malayalam, Moorkkanad Peethambaran), State Institute of language,Kerala.
  32. ^ https://www.hinduscriptures.in/vedic-society/arts/dance/dance-forms-of-karnataka-1
  33. ^ Indian Art & Culture By Arihant Experts
  34. ^ https://mythicalindia.com/features-page/list-of-5-traditional-tamil-folk-dance-forms/
  35. ^ https://www.karnataka.com/festivals/festivals-of-karnataka/
  36. ^ https://www.icytales.com/important-festivals-of-andhra-pradesh/
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