Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions. It symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin and Kartika—between around mid-September and mid-November. The celebrations generally last five or six days.
The Gondi (Gōṇḍī) or Gond people, who refer to themselves as "Kōītōr", are an ethnolinguistic group in India. Their native language, Gondi, belongs to the Dravidian family. They are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha. They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe for the purpose of India's system of reservation.
Bhai Dooj, Bhai Tika, Bhaubeej, Bhai Beej, Bhai Phonta or Bhratri Dwitiya is a festival celebrated by Hindus on the second lunar day of the Shukla Paksha of Kartika, the eighth month of the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar or the Shalivahana Shaka calendar. It is celebrated during the Diwali or Tihar festival and Holi festival. The celebrations of this day are similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Bhil or Bheel refer to various indigenous groups inhabiting western India, including parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and are also found in distant places such as Bengal and Tripura. They speak various languages of Indo-Aryan origin, owing to language shift, collectively referred to as the Bhil languages. Bhils are divided into a number of endogamous territorial divisions, which in turn have a number of clans and lineages.
The Konkani people are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the Konkan region of the Indian subcontinent. They speak various dialects of the Konkani language. Following the Konkani language agitation, Konkani became the premier official language of Goa state, while Marathi remains as the associate official language of Goa. Konkani is also spoken by populations in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Damaon, Kerala, & Gujarat. A large percentage of Konkani people are bilingual.
The Marathi people or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a Marathi-speaking state of India on 1 May 1960, as part of a nationwide linguistic reorganisation of the Indian states. The term "Maratha" is generally used by historians to refer to all Marathi-speaking peoples, irrespective of their caste; However, it may refer to a Maharashtrian caste known as the Maratha which also includes farmer sub castes like the Kunbis.
Shree Tulaja Bhavani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Bhavani. It is located in Tuljapur in Dharashiv district of Maharashtra, India, and is considered as one of the 51 Shakti Pithas. It is situated 45 km from Solapur. The temple was built in 12th century CE by Maratha Mahamandaleshwara Māradadeva of the Kadamb dynasty.
Dhanteras, also known as Dhanatrayodashi, is the first day that marks the festival of Diwali in most of India.
The Warli or Varli are an indigenous tribe (Adivasi) of western India, living in mountainous as well as coastal areas along the Maharashtra-Gujarat border and surrounding areas. They have their own animistic beliefs, life, customs and traditions, and as a result of acculturation they have adopted many Hindu beliefs. The Warli speak the unwritten Varli language which belongs to the southern zone of the Indo-Aryan languages. Waralis have sub castes such as Murde varli, Davar varali.
Maharashtra is the third largest state of India in terms of land area and second largest in terms of population in India. It has a long history of Marathi saints of Varakari religious movement, such as Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Chokhamela, Eknath and Tukaram which forms the one of bases of the culture of Maharashtra or Marathi culture. Maharashtrian culture had large influence over neighbouring regions under the Maratha Empire.
Swakul Sali is an ethnic community found among Hindus in India. They claim descent from the Jivheshwara. Marathi is the primary language spoken by the Swakul Salis, who also speak local dialects. Their primary professions is weaving. It was Swakul Salis who first created Narayanpet silk and cotton factory.
Bir Kuar or Birkuar, also known as Birnath, is a Hindu god worshipped by Yadavs of western Bihar in India. He is considered to be a form of god Krishna and was born in Krishnaut clan of Ahir. He is worshipped in form of wooden posts that depict him standing arms-akimbo. Bir Kuar is honoured as the protector of cattle.
The Gamit are Adivasi, or indigenous Bhil people of Gujarat, India. They are mainly found in Tapi, Surat, Dang, Bharuch, Valsad and Navsari districts of Gujarat and some parts of Maharashtra. They are included in state list of scheduled tribes.
Kosta are a Hindu caste found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
Harsidhhi, one of the aspects of Durga, is a regional Hindu goddess, popular in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, adjoining Maharashtra states of India.
Here is a list of glossary of culture of India in alphabetical order:
Religion in Maharashtra is characterised by the diversity of religious beliefs and practices.
The Mannervarlu is tribal community native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. They are mainly located on the border regions of Maharashtra and Telangana, primarily in the Nanded district and Hingoli district of Maharashtra. They speak dialects of the Marathi and Telugu languages with adopted Hindi and Urdu words.
Waghoba is an ancient tiger/leopard deity worshipped by a number of tribes in India for centuries. Depending on the region of India, the deity is either described exclusively as a tiger or a leopard as a deity that can take both forms. There are several temples for the deity throughout India.
Hinduism is a minority religion in the Meghalaya state of India constituting 12% of the state's population. The Nartiang Durga Temple in Meghalaya is one of the 51 Shakti peethas on Earth and is considered by Hindus of Meghalaya as the permanent abode of Goddess Durga. Hinduism is a popular religion practice by Rabhas, Hajongs, Kochs, Rajbongshis, Mikirs, Bengalis, Nepalis, Biharis etc.
