The culture of India was moulded throughout various eras of history, all the while absorbing customs, traditions and ideas from both invaders and immigrants. Many cultural practices, languages, customs and monuments are examples of this co-mingling over centuries. In modern India, there is remarkable cultural and religious diversity throughout the country. This has been influenced by the various regions of India, namely South, North, and North-East, have their own distinct identities and almost every state has carved out its own cultural niche. In spite of this unique cultural diversity, the whole country is bound as a civilization due to its common history, thereby preserving the national identity. India was the birth place of religious systems such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism, which have a strong influence not only over India, but also the whole world. Following the Islamic invasions and the subsequent foreign domination from the tenth century onwards, the culture of India was influenced by the foreign cultures , particularly Persian, Arabic and Turkish cultures. Their influence comes in the form of religion, language and dress. In turn, the various religions and the multihued traditions of India have influenced South East Asia(and to a minimal extent, East Asia).

Food Indian cuisine is distinguished by its sophisticated use of spices and herbs and the influence of the longstanding and widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society. Food is an integral part of India's culture, with cuisines differing according to community, region, and state. Indian cuisine is characterized by a great variety of foods, spices, and cooking techniques.

Dress The garment most commonly worn by Indian men is the dhoti, a four- to five-yard white cotton cloth wrapped around the waist and tucked between the legs. There are variations in its drape, length, texture, and quality of border adornment. However, now trousers and shirt is accepted and worn by Indians of all age groups. Most Indian women wear the sari, a bordered length of cloth from six to nine yards long, which is draped loosely around the entire body and frequently covers the head as well. Except in lower-class groups, where it may be the sole garment, it is normally worn over a half slip. The sari is wrapped around the waist several times, making pleats in front, and then thrown across the chest and shoulders. Either a full blouse or a short, halterlike garment called a choli is worn on the upper body.

Dance India offers a number of Classical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. The eight main styles are Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Bhangra, Manipuri and Kathakali. Besides, there are several forms of Indian folk dances, and special dances observed in regional festivals.

Sculpture The first sculptures in India date back to the Indus Valley civilization, where stone and bronze carvings have been discovered. This is one of the earliest instances of sculpture in the world. Later, as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism developed further, India produced some of the most intricate bronzes in the world, as well as unrivalled temple carvings. Some huge shrines, such as the one at Ellora were not actually constructed using blocks, but instead carved out of solid rock, making them perhaps the largest and most intricate sculptures in the world.

Cinema The Indian film industry is the largest in the world in terms of number of films (877 feature films and 1177 short films made in India were released in the year 2003 alone);[1] compared with 473 films released in the US in 2003.[2] Movie tickets in India are among the cheapest in the world (the average ticket costs US$0.20; in comparison, the average ticket in the US in 2005 cost US$6.41). India accounts for 73% of Asia-Pacific movie admissions, currently estimated at US$2.9 billion. The Indian cinema industry is also home to the biggest film studio in the world, Ramoji Film City [1]. The industry is mainly supported by the vast cinema-going Indian public. The Central Board of Film Certification of India cites on its website that every three months an audience as large as India's billion-strong population visit cinema halls). Indian films are gaining increasing popularity in the rest of the world, especially in countries with large numbers of expatriate Indians.

Sports Common sports in India include cricket (by far the most popular), soccer, field hockey, lawn tennis, chess, and more. The history of sports in India dates back to the Vedic era. Physical culture in ancient India was fed by a powerful fuel--religious rites. There were some well-defined values like the mantra in the Atharva-Veda, saying," Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of victory in my left". In terms of an ideal, these words hold the same sentiments as the traditional Olympic oath: ".......For the Honour of my Country and the Glory of Sport."