The culture of India is very rich and diverse, and reflects the historical influences of the numerous peoples inhabiting the Indian subcontinent, and of the different empires that, at one time or another, ruled over all of parts of it. The culture of India is thus a complex synthesis of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, around 5,000 years old, as well as ancient Hellenistic, medieval Muslim, local Hindu and Buddhist, and modern European civilizations; it is by no means a homogeneous culture.

India boasts a great number of local customs, traditions, languages, variations in Hindu religion, Buddhism and Islam, and all of these cultures are today united under the rule of one of the largest democratic states of the world. The population of India is the second-largest of the world, numbering more than 1.1 billion people, according to recent estimates.
Most of the Indian population is still rural, but the population of urban areas is increasing fast, with the rapid expansion of economic opportunities in the major cities of India. While the majority of the people (around 80%) are of the Hindu religion, there is also a significant Muslim minority, as well as Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, and other religious groups.

One of the most well-known and popular features of modern Indian culture is the Indian film making industry, its most popular part commonly referred to as Bollywood, based in Mumbai (formerly called Bombay, India’s most populous city).
India also has a rich art history in terms of literature (especially religious texts), music, poetry, sculpture, architecture, painting, and theater.