India is a vast and diverse country with a rich cultural heritage that has developed over thousands of years. When comparing India with other cultures around the world, there are several that share similarities due to geographical proximity, shared history, religious beliefs, and other factors.
Geographical Proximity
Some of the cultures most similar to India can be found in the surrounding region of South Asia. Countries that border India or are located nearby have interacted for millennia through trade, migration, and conquest. This close contact has led to the exchange of ideas, customs, languages, and more.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh shares a border with India to the east and northeast. As part of the Bengal region, Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal share cultural and linguistic ties. The Bengali language and script are used in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. Bangladesh’s Islam mixed with Hindu influences and British colonialism created a unique cultural blend.
Pakistan
Pakistan borders India to the northwest. Prior to partition in 1947, Pakistan and parts of northern India shared a history as part of British India. Elements of Indo-Islamic culture like music, poetry, architecture, and cuisine are found on both sides of the India-Pakistan border. Many cultural practices in Sindh province derive from Hindu influence.
Nepal
Nepal sits along India’s northern border in the Himalayas. Significant cultural overlap exists due to migration and intermingling between Nepal’s different ethnic groups and Indians over centuries. Hinduism and Buddhism coexist in both India and Nepal and have shaped their worldviews. Festivals, food, and family traditions share common cultural DNA.
Sri Lanka
The island nation of Sri Lanka lies off the southeastern coast of India. As neighbors in the Indian Ocean, maritime trade and the spread of religions like Buddhism connected their people. Sri Lankan cuisine, classical dance, mythology, and temple architecture share aspects with southern India’s Dravidian culture.
Shared History
India has interacted with different cultures throughout its history, leaving an imprint on traditions and practices.
Southeast Asia
Parts of Southeast Asia including Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia experienced significant Indian cultural influence and settlement starting from the 1st century CE. Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms dominated the region and shaped philosophy, arts, governance and literature in kingdoms like Angkor Wat’s Khmer Empire.
Central Asia
India traded with and was invaded by powers from Central Asia like the Kushans and Mughals over centuries. This led to exchanges in language, clothing, cuisine, music and other domains. Mughlai cuisine and Bollywood music retain Central Asian touches today.
China
As India’s large neighbor to the northeast, Chinese and Indian cultures have impacted each other since ancient times. Trade on the Silk Road and the spread of Buddhism connected the civilizations. Martial arts, diet, and spiritual beliefs retained cross-cultural influences despite periodic conflicts.
Shared Religious Beliefs
India shares several religious traditions and philosophies with other cultures, generating similarities in values and customs.
Hinduism
Hinduism originated in India over 4000 years ago. As it spread across South and Southeast Asia, it became interwoven into local cultures. Hindu communities can be found in Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia and beyond where Hindu rituals, epics, festivals and beliefs shaped cultural practices.
Buddhism
Buddhism arose in India in the 5th century BCE before spreading worldwide. Countries where Buddhism is widely practiced like Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan, Tibet, China, Korea and Japan incorporated Buddhist philosophy into their arts, architecture and way of life. Meditation, vegetarianism and non-violence are shared principles.
Islam
Islam arrived in India as early as the 7th century CE. Muslim rule over India left a profound impact on Indian culture seen in architecture, clothing, poetry and music. The cultural synthesis created during Mughal rule contributed to diverse traditions that remain today in India and Muslim countries worldwide.
Cultural Diffusion Through Migration
Waves of migration, both voluntary and forced, between India and other world regions caused cultures to influence each other.
Indian Ocean Trade Network
Maritime trade networks across the Indian Ocean allowed the movement of goods and people from India and South Asia to East and Southeast Asia and the Middle East over centuries. This fostered cultural exchange as ideas, languages, religions and lifestyles encountered each other.
Indentured Labor
Colonialism led to the migration of over a million Indians across the British Empire as indentured laborers between the 17th to 20th centuries. They brought aspects of Indian culture to the Caribbean, Africa, Fiji and other settlement regions where Indian diaspora communities exist today.
Immigration
Recent patterns of immigration from India to Western regions like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have created Indian diasporas overseas. Cultural elements like food, film, music, dress and festivals are more globally accessible through the cultural fusion within immigrant communities.
Conclusion
No culture exists in isolation. India’s proximal location, history of trade and exchange, shared philosophies and movement of peoples have created cultural overlaps with diverse regions over millennia. The diffusion process continues today in our interconnected world, as cultures evolve through globalization while retaining their unique essences.