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CULTURAL HERITAGE
Hindu civilization and culture reached its apogee in the territory of Uttar
Pradesh. Some scholars are of the view that the Rig Veda was composed in the
Gangetic valley. But even if this be not true, it is generally accepted that a
substantial portion of the Vedic literature had its origin here in its many
hermitages, which were seats of learning. Some of the big names in Hindu sacred
literature, such as Yajnavalkya, Vashishtha, Vishwamitra, Valmiki, Attriyea,
Bharadwaja, Kapil and Vyas lived in
these sylvan retreats of Uttar Pradesh and inspired millions through the ages.
Uttar Pradesh's greatest gifts to humanity are the two epics, 'Ramayana' and
'Mahabharata'. From the epic age, the territory of Uttar Pradesh being watered by several
fresh streams of culture, the two most significant being those generated by the
teachings of the Buddha and Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankar. Manifestations
of these are to be found in a mass of literature and numerous relics of art and
architecture which form part of the precious cultural heritage of the country. Brahmanical culture eclipsed by the more virile and vigorous Buddhism.
Culture in all its manifestations served the ends of religion. The fountainheads
of Brahmanical culture were centered at holy places as Kashi, Ayodhya, Prayag,
Mathura and the Himalayan hermitages. Mathura has proved to be a veritable
store-house of buried ancient art, both of the Brahmanical and Buddhist
varieties and Kashi, which has withstood the ravages of times, of living Hindu
art.
There was an efflorescence of Buddhist art during the reign of
Ashoka and of
Hindu art during the Golden Age of the Guptas. The invasion by the Greeks a
little earlier and during this period supplied the necessary leaven for art and
literature to flourish. Secular literature was not neglected and included
poetry, drama, lyric, prose, romance and fables. There are several writers whose
work have earned distinction and renown. Some of them are Asvaghosha of Ayodhya
of Buddha Charita fame, Harishena, the author of the Allahabad Prasasti,
Vakapatiraja of Kannauj and Bhavabhuti in Vashovarman's court and Bana Bhatta,
the court-poet of Emperor Harsha and author of Kadambari. By the beginning of the seventh century
AD, Hinduism had revived
sufficiently to cripple Buddhism. Hindu temples outnumbered Buddhist
monasteries in an increasing proportion. Shankaracharya further weakened this
dying institutions, but the death-blow was dealt by the early Muslim who razed
their monasteries - the last ditch positions which the Buddhist held against
resurgent Hinduism. Buddhism ceased to be an effective instrument of culture in
the country after this. Then began the dark Middle Ages for Hindu culture. Vandalism was let loose on
the land by the fanatical Muslim rulers. Art and culture came to a grinding
halt. Some compulsory contacts had to be maintained between the attacker and the
attacked through a spoken word. The result was the development of Hindu and the
birth of Urdu as Hindustani or rekhta. Music found its votaries among Muslims. Muslim building activity led to a synthesis of architecture which is styled
as Indo-Saracen. New industries, arts and crafts, came up including
shawl-making, inlay work, brocade, muslin, carpet-weaving, paper-making etc.
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