Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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india and subcontinent

270

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal (left), at agra in northern

India, was built in 1631 by Shah jahan,

the Mogul emperor of India. It was

constructed as a tomb and memorial for

his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. She was

the mother of 14 children. The Taj Mahal

is built of white marble and inlaid with

semiprecious stones.

dance

Traditional Indian

dances have a variety

of forms and rhythms.

They differ according

to region, occupation,

and caste.

MuSIc

Traditional Indian music is very complex, with a wide range of

rhythms. Melodies are based on ragas—a fixed series of notes

the performer must play as a basis for improvising (making

up the tune). Bhangra—a new music combining traditional

Indian music from Punjab with Western rock music—has

become popular among young people in recent years.

delhI

The ancient city of delhi lies

on the hot plains of northern India.

In 1638, it became the capital city

of the Indian Mogul empire. When

the British took control of India

in the 1800s, they moved the capital to

Kolkata (calcutta), in the east of the

country. In 1912, the British began to

build a new city in the outskirts of

delhi from where they could govern

their vast Indian empire. new delhi

has been the nation’s capital since

India gained independence in 1947.

The Taj Mahal is built of

the finest white marble

and is a supreme example

of Islamic architecture.

Find out more

asia

asia, history of

Buddhism

dance

hinduism

Movies

Cows are sacred

to Hindus in India

and must not

be harmed.

A still from a movie

by Indian film director,

Satyajit Ray. His

work is shown and

admired worldwide.

Sacred waterS

From its source in the himalayas, the Ganges River

(below) flows eastward across India, then turns south.

The river’s 1,560-mile (2,510-km) course takes it

through Bangladesh to reach the sea in the Bay of

Bengal. hindus consider the river to be sacred. They

believe that bathing in its waters washes away sins and

cures illness. Indians rely on the waters of the Ganges

for the irrigation of agricultural land.

BollyWood

The Indian movie industry produces even

more movies than hollywood. More than

1,000 full-length feature films are shot

each year, mainly in Mumbai, nicknamed

“Bollywood.” chennai (Madras) is also

a center of the movie industry.

US_270_India_Sub_Cont_3.indd 270 29/01/16 10:30 am