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{{short description|Overview about the culture of southern region of India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Dravidian|Culture}}
'''South Indian culture''' refers to the culture of the [[South India]]n 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]].<ref name= "beck">Beck, Brenda. 1976. "The Symbolic Merger of Body, Space, and Cosmos in Hindu Tamil Nadu." Contributions to Indian Sociology 10(2): 213-43.</ref><ref name= "Bharata">Bharata (1967). The Natyashastra [Dramaturgy], 2 vols., 2nd. ed. Trans. by Manomohan Ghosh. Calcutta: Manisha Granthalaya.</ref><ref name= "Dehejia">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}}</ref><ref name= "Kallarasa">Kallarasa Virachita Janavasya Ed: G.G. Manjunathan. Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, University of Mysore, Mysore 1974</ref><ref name= "Wadley">Wadley, Susan, ed. 1980. The Powers of Tamil Women. Syracuse: Syracuse U. Press.</ref> It is exemplified through its [[dance]], [[clothing]], and [[sculptures]].<ref name="beck"/><ref name="Bharata"/><ref name="Dehejia"/><ref name="Kallarasa"/><ref name="Wadley"/>

== Traditional clothing ==
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 [[Draped garment|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.<ref name="beck"/><ref name="Bharata"/><ref name="Dehejia"/><ref name="Wadley"/> Hence by tradition, the stomach and the navel is to be left unconcealed, though the philosophy behind the costume has largely been forgotten.<ref name="beck"/><ref name="Bharata"/><ref name="Dehejia"/><ref name="Kallarasa"/><ref name="Wadley"/> 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]].<ref name="beck"/><ref name="Bharata"/><ref name="Dehejia"/><ref name="Kallarasa"/><ref name="Wadley"/> These principles of the sari, also hold for other forms of drapes, like the [[lungi]] or [[mundu]] or [[dhoti|panchey]] (a white lungi with colourful silk borders in [[kannada]]), worn by men.<ref name="Boulanger">Boulanger, Chantal; (1997) Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, Shakti Press International, New York. {{ISBN|0-9661496-1-0}}</ref> 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 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.

== Cuisine ==
{{main|South Indian Cuisine|Cuisine of Karnataka|Udupi cuisine|Andhra cuisine|Cuisine of Kerala|Tamil cuisine|Chettinad cuisine}}
[[File:Lunch from Karnataka on a plantain leaf.jpg|right|thumb|250px| The tradition of serving meals on [[plantain (cooking)|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 [[Pickling|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.

== Music ==
{{main|Carnatic music}}
There is a variety of music. It ranges from rural folk music to the sophisticated [[Indian Classical Music]] of South India is known as [[Carnatic music]] (after ''[[Carnatic (region)|Carnatic]]'', the name by which south India was known in the earlier colonial days. Sarang Dev coined south Indian classical music as ''Karnatic'' Music). It includes melodious, mostly devotional, rhythmic and structured music by composers such as [[Purandara Dasa]], [[Kanaka Dasaru]], [[Tyagaraja]], Dikshathar, Shyama Sasthri, and [[Swati Tirunal]]. It is difficult to discuss the culture and music of the four states of South India in a single breath. In Tamil Nadu, there is Tamil Pann, which is sung by Oduvars in Temples. They sing the works of famous Tamil Poets like Sambandar, etc. in various panns (another word for raagas).

===Hindu Temple Music===
The main instrument that is used in south Indian Hindu temples is the ([[nadaswaram]]) It is said to have been created when the very first temple was established in South India. The nadaswaram and the (thavil) were played together in South Indian temples to create a periya melam ensemble. Because of its harsh tone, periya melam is not favored by many Europeans, but to South India, it is a sound of pride and majesty. For many temple traditions, periya melam is necessary for worshippers to feel a spiritual presence. Periya melam is used to play for daily rituals inside the temples and annual rituals outside and around temples. Terada, Yoshitaka. "Temple Music Traditions in Hindu South India: "Periya Melam" and its Performance Practice." Asian Music 39.2 (2009): 108-51. ProQuest. Web. 24 Sep. 2013.

==Dance==
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; South Indian Dance
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Mani Madhava Chakyar as Ravana.jpg|Ancient Sanskrit drama tradition [[Koodiyattam]]. Nātyāchārya [[Padma Shri]] [[Māni Mādhava Chākyār]] as [[Ravana]].
Thirayattam - An Ethnic Dance Form of Kerala.jpg|Thirayattam, an ethnic dance form of Kerala.
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The South Indian culture is celebrated in the elaborate dance forms of South India: [[Koodiyattam]], [[Bharata Natyam|Bharatanatyam]], [[Oyilattam]], [[Karakattam]], [[Kuchipudi]], [[Kathakali]], [[Thirayattam]],<ref>"Thirayattam"(Folklore Text -malayalam), state institute of Language, Kerala {{ISBN|978-81-200-4294-0}}</ref> [[Theyyam]], [[Bhuta Kola]], [[Ottamthullal]], [[Oppana]], [[Kerala Natanam]], [[Mohiniaattam]] and [[Yakshagana]]. Thirayattam is a Ritualistic Performing art of South Malabar region in Kerala state.<ref>"Thirayattam" (Folklore Text-malayalam, Moorkkanad Peethambaran), State Institute of language,Kerala.</ref> The Bharatanatyam is the celebration of the eternal universe through the celebration of the beauty of the body.<ref name="beck"/><ref name="Bharata"/><ref name="Dehejia"/><ref name="Kallarasa"/><ref name="Wadley"/> 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.<ref name="beck"/><ref name="Bharata"/><ref name="Kallarasa"/> These tenets bring to life the [[philosophy]] of [[Natya Shastra|Natyashastra]], 'Angikam bhuvanam yasya' (The body is your world).<ref name="beck"/><ref name="Bharata"/><ref name="Kallarasa"/> This is elaborated in the ''araimandi'' posture, wherein the performer assumes a half sitting position with the knees turned sideways, with a very [[Human position|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.<ref name="beck"/><ref name="Bharata"/><ref name="Kallarasa"/>

== Architecture and paintings ==
{{main|Kerala mural painting|South Indian Architecture}}
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Karnataka Hampi IMG 0837.jpg|The ruins at [[Hampi]] attest to the richness of [[Vijayanagara]] architecture.
Raja Ravi Varma, Pleasing.jpg|[[Raja Ravi Varma]]'s paintings combined European techniques with a distinctly South Indian sensibility.
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South India boasts of having two enchanting styles of rock architecture, the ''pure Dravida'' style of [[Tamil Nadu]] and the ''[[Vesara]]'' style (also called ''Karnata Dravida'' style) present in [[Karnataka]]. The inspirational [[temple]] sculptures of [[Mahabalipuram]], [[Tanjore]], [[Hampi]], [[Badami]], [[Pattadakal]], [[Aihole]], [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]], [[Halebid]]u, [[Lakkundi]], [[Shravanabelagola]], [[Madurai]] and the mural paintings of [[Travancore]] and Lepakshi temples, also stand as a testament to South Indian culture. The paintings of [[Raja Ravi Varma]] are considered classic renditions of many themes of South Indian life and mythology. There are several examples of Kerala Mural paintings in the [[Mattancherry Palace]] and the [[Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple|Shiva kshetram at Ettamanoor]]. South India is home, as of April 2006, to 5 of the 26 World Heritage-listed sites in India.<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/in World Heritage Listed Sites in India]. URl accessed on 12 April 2006.</ref>

== Sculptures and figurine ==
[[File:Karnataka Hampi IMG 0826.jpg|200px|thumb|left|[[Sculpture]]s at [[Hampi]] embodying human expression, [[Karnataka]].]]
[[Sculpture]]s became one of the finest medium of South Indian expression after the human form of dance. In this medium it was possible to etch the three-dimensional form in time. The traditional South Indian sculptor starts his [[sculpture]] of the [[divinities]] from the navel which is always represented unclothed by the sari. A koshta or [[Grid (spatial index)|grid]] of the sculpture would show the navel to be right at the centre of the sculpture, representing the source of the union of the finite body and the infinite [[universe]].
Sculptures adorn many of the [[temple]]s around the complexes and also inside them. They are also depiction of dance steps of various stylizations and have served to preserve [[dance]] forms and revive it.<ref name="Dehejia"/>
{{clear}}

== Literature and philosophy ==
{{main|Kannada literature|Malayalam literature|Tamil literature|Telugu literature|Dakhini}}
[[File:Tiruvalluvar Statue Kanyakumari.jpg|right|thumb|125px|[[Tiruvalluvar]], the author of the [[Tirukkural]].]]
South India has a literary tradition reaching back over two thousand years. The first known literature of South India are the poetic [[Sangam literature|Sangam]]s, which were written in Tamil around two to one and a half thousand years ago. The Kannada classic ''[[Kavirajamarga]]'', written in 850 CE by King Amoghavarsha I, makes references to Kannada literature of King Durvinita in early sixth century CE. Tamil [[Buddhist]] commentators of the tenth century CE, ''Nemrinatham'' makes references to Kannada literature of fourth century CE Distinct Malayalam and Telugu literary traditions developed in the following centuries. The artistic expressions of the South Indian people show their admiration of the magnificence of nature and its rhythms. Some of the works include ''[[Silappadhikaram]]'' by [[Ilango Adigal]], ''[[Tolkāppiyam|Tholkappiam]]'' written by Tholkappiar, Thiruvalluvar's ''[[Thirukural]]'', [[Kumaravyasa|Kumaravyasa's]] ''Karnata Bharata Katamanjari'', [[Adikavi Pampa|Pampa's]] ''[[Vikramarjuna Vijaya]]'', ''Andhra Maha Bharatamu'' by the three poets namely Nannaya, Tikkana and Errana, ''Shiva Sharana'' by [[Basavanna]] and Akka Mahadevi's ''Vachanas''. In South Indian [[literature]] and philosophy, [[women]] are considered very powerful. A married woman is regarded as auspicious, her [[shakti]] or feminine power, protects and empowers her husband and their children. Contemporary [[Kannada literature|Kannada]] writers have received eight [[Jnanpith Award|Jnanapith awards]] which is the highest for any [[languages of India|Indian language]].

==Communities and traditions==
The main spiritual traditions of South India include both [[Shaivism|Shaivite]] and [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnavite]] branches of [[Hinduism]], although [[Buddhist]] and [[Jain]] philosophies had been influential several centuries earlier (recent studies suggest at least the [[Shaivite]] branch of [[Hinduism]] was present in Southern India before the arrival of [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]] as [[Ellalan]] a Tamil King who invaded Sri Lanka in the year 205 BCE is identified by Sinhalese Buddhists as a Shaivite). [[Shravanabelagola]] in Karnataka is a popular pilgrimage center for [[Jainism|Jains]]. [[Christianity]] has flourished in coastal South India from the times of [[Thomas the Apostle|St. Thomas the Apostle]] who came to Kerala in 52 AD and established the Syrian Christian tradition today called Saint Thomas Christians or [[Syrian Malabar Nasrani|Nasrani]]s.<ref name="Menachery">Menachery G (1973) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, B.N.K. Press, vol. 2, {{ISBN|81-87132-06-X}}, Lib. Cong. Cat. Card. No. 73-905568; B.N.K. Press – (has some 70 lengthy articles by different experts on the origins, development, history, culture... of these Christians, with some 300 odd photographs).</ref><ref name="Menachery1">Menachery G (ed) (1982) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, B.N.K. Press, vol. 1;</ref><ref name="Menachery2">Menachery G (ed); (1998) "The Indian Church History Classics", Vol. I, The Nazranies, Ollur, 1998. {{ISBN|81-87133-05-8}}.</ref><ref name="Mundalan">Mundadan, A. Mathias. (1984) History of Christianity in India, vol.1, Bangalore, India: Church History Association of India.</ref><ref name="Podipara">Podipara, Placid J. (1970) "The Thomas Christians". London: Darton, Longman and Tidd, 1970. (is a readable and exhaustive study of the St. Thomas Christians.)</ref><ref name="Lbrown">Leslie Brown, (1956) The Indian Christians of St. Thomas. An Account of the Ancient Syrian Church of Malabar, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1956, 1982 (repr.)</ref><ref name="Puthiakunnel">Thomas Puthiakunnel, (1973) "Jewish colonies of India paved the way for St. Thomas", The Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, ed. George Menachery, Vol. II., Trichur.</ref><ref name="Koder"/><ref name="VPillai">T.K Velu Pillai, (1940) "The Travancore State Manual"; 4 volumes; Trivandrum)</ref> There is a large [[Muslim]] community in South India, particularly in the [[Malabar Coast]], which can trace its roots to the ancient maritime trade between Kerala and [[Oman]]is and other Arabs. [[Madras]] and [[Cochin]] is home to one of the oldest [[Cochin Jews]] and [[Paradesi Jews]] in the world who are supposed to have arrived in the Malabar coast during the time of [[Biblical account of King Solomon|King Solomon]].<ref name="Puthiakunnel"/><ref name= "Koder">Koder, S. "History of the Jews of Kerala". ''The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India'', ed. G. Menachery, 1973.</ref><ref name= "LJamesH">Lord, James Henry. (1977) ''The Jews in India and the Far East''. 120 pp.; Greenwood Press Reprint; {{ISBN|0-8371-2615-0}}</ref><ref name= "Katz">Katz, Nathan; & Goldberg, Ellen S; (1993) ''The Last Jews of Cochin: Jewish Identity in Hindu India''. Foreword by Daniel J. Elazar, Columbia, SC, Univ. of South Carolina Press. {{ISBN|0-87249-847-6}}</ref> The oldest surviving Jewish [[synagogue]] in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] is the [[Paradesi Synagogue]] in [[Kochi India|Kochi]], Kerala.

==See also==
*[[Culture of India]]
*[[Art and culture of Karnataka]]
*[[Arts of Kerala]]
*[[Culture of Andhra Pradesh]]
*[[Culture of Kerala]]
*[[Culture of Tamil Nadu]]
*[[Culture of Telangana]]
*[[Etiquette of Indian dining]]
*[[Sūtak]], Rules of Impurity

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References and bibliography==
{{commons category|Culture of South India}}
{{refbegin}}

* Beck, Brenda. 1976. "The Symbolic Merger of Body, Space, and Cosmos in Hindu Tamil Nadu." Contributions to Indian Sociology 10(2): 213–43.
* Bharata (1967). The Natyashastra [Dramaturgy], 2 vols., 2nd. ed. Trans. by Manomohan Ghosh. Calcutta: Manisha Granthalaya.
* Boulanger, Chantal; (1997) Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, Shakti Press International, New York. {{ISBN|0-9661496-1-0}}
* Craddock, Norma. 1994. Anthills, Split Mothers, and Sacrifice: Conceptions of Female Power in the Mariyamman Tradition. Dissertation, U. of California, Berkeley.
* Danielou, Alain, trans. 1965. Shilappadikaram (The Ankle Bracelet) By Prince Ilango Adigal. New York: New Directions. {{ISBN|0-8112-0001-9}}
* 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}}
* Hart, George, ed. and trans. 1979. Poets of the Tamil Anthologies: Ancient Poems of Love and War. Princeton: Princeton U. Press
*Kallarasa Virachita Janavasya Ed: G.G. Manjunathan. Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, University of Mysore, Mysore 1974.
* Gover, Charles. 1983 (1871). Folk-songs of Southern India. Madras: The South India Saiva Siddhanta Works Publishing Society.
* Nagaraju, S. 1990. "Prehistory of South India." In South Indian Studies, H. M. Nayak and B. R. Gopal, eds., Mysore: Geetha Book House, pp. 35–52.
* Trawick, Margaret. 1990a. Notes on Love in a Tamil Family. Berkeley: U. of California Press.
* Wadley, Susan, ed. 1980. The Powers of Tamil Women. Syracuse: Syracuse U. Press.
* Zvelebil, Kamil. 1975. Tamil Literature. Leiden: Brill. {{ISBN|90-04-04190-7}}
* Caldwell, R (1998) "A comparative grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian family of languages" 3rd ed. rev. and edited by J.L. Wyatt, T. Ramakrishna Pillai. New Delhi : Asian Educational Services. {{ISBN|81-206-0117-3}}

{{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:South Indian Culture}}

[[Category:South India]]
[[Category:Indian culture]]
[[Category:Culture of Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Culture of Kerala]]
[[Category:Culture of Telangana]]
[[Category:Culture of Karnataka]]

South Indian culture - Revision history

imported>Robin klein: hyperlink