India in Fantasy

[Matt Larkin (author)]

A fantasy version of India might include creatures from Hinduism, too. Someone mentioned rakshasas (those mythically these aren't too similar to the D&D description). Also see apsaras, danavas, kinnaras, vanaras, gandharvas, yakshas, naga (here serpent is the same as dragon--nagas were possibly Indian adaptations of the Chinese long (dragon) that could also take human form), pisacas.

And then there's the devas and asuras (of which rakshasas are a kind).

[sparkletwist]

you also might want to keep in mind the debate over wehether or not the aryan invasion took place.

Eh... I was hoping nobody would bring this up.  :soap:
 :offtopic:

This "debate," like many other so-called "debates" where nationalist or religious beliefs are being questioned-- in this case both-- is simply a fringe making a lot of noise in an attempt to make it look like there are two sides to the issue. (Young earth creationism, etc.)

There's pretty much no question that there was a large migration of Aryan Indo-Europeans out of Central Asia and into the Indian subcontinent. How quick and violent this was can of course be discussed and debated, so you could say there's a "debate" over whether you want to call it an "invasion," but that's really just semantics. :)
 :ontopic:
That said, since we're talking about a fictional society, who knows what happened in their past.

[Atlantis]

BRAHAMN- The creator
VISHNU- The preserver
SHIVA- The destroyer
(three main gods and their roles).
I believe that Vishnu has 7 or 13 incarnations.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Vishnu has 10 great avatars (Dasavatara), though the last has yet to appear in this cycle of the wheel of time.

Shiva sometimes has avatars or aspects (sometimes Hanuman is considered one). Brahma usually does not have avatars (Brahman is the all-pervading soul of the universe; Brahma is the deity of creation; Brahmin is the priestly caste--confusing, no?).

Also, each of the male versions of the trinity has a female counterpart. Usually (respectively) Sarasvati, Lakshmi, and Parvati (or Durga/Kali depending on whether she's angry).

[Atlantis]

and doesnt Brahma have 4 faces when hes depicted in sculptures?

[Matt Larkin (author)]

and doesnt Brahma have 4 faces when hes depicted in sculptures?

Usually. But other Hindu deities can also have multiple heads. For instance, three-headed Shiva is fairly common (but not his only form). And Ganesha may have more than one elephant head (usually one or five).

[limetom]

Just combing through the archives and saw this thread again.  I swore I posted here when it was still fresh, but I guess not.

Some more to think about: India is one of the most diverse countries in the world.  In modern times, it is comprised of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, among others.  Most of these have had some significant hand in governing all or part of India throughout it's history.  Interestingly, all of them have learned to coexist in some interesting ways in modern India, including cuisine; Hindus don't eat beef, and Muslims don't eat pork, and Jains and Buddhists don't eat meat at all, so restaurants in the cities must always take this into account.

Don't forget about the unique cultures of border regions, such as Sri Lanka, Punjab, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan, among others.  And a final mention is the Roma ("Gypsies"), who left (or were forced, there's some debate as to what happened) what is modern northwestern India in 1000 AD for Europe.

[Kaptn'Lath]

wow i was comming to post at i knew, but ended up learning some instead from reading the posts. Didnt realise we had a group of people who knew their stuff on india namely hinduism... but there is more to a peoples than just their religion. They where great irrigators (maybe not as good as the egyptians or the dutch but good) and where very knowlagable about the plants around them, which where good food, which where good spices, ect. They learned the plants to learn how to grow them and where they liked to grow, strong in adaptable agriculture.

Because of the caste system the individual is taught to work hard just because its their purpose in life is to do their job well. Industrious hard working people.

Their pechant for debate (and instebility of the region refelcts this) has already been mentioned. Scientific method, dont take anything for granted untill you Know and Understand it for yourself.

Good at complex textiles/clothing. Maybe show some reflection of the schism between india and pakistan and former bangladesh? (cant remember what its called now)

This is where elefants come from in your world. I know i am not going into the same detail as the others (who probleble know more about india than i) i am just trying to cover some bases from a campaign/world/nation builders RPG perspective.

[Kindling]

I can't believe I haven't said anything in this thread yet. Not that I have anything worthwhile to contribute.