The Culture of India is one of the oldest in the world. India has managed to preserve its established traditions throughout history whilst 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 diversity throughout the country. The South, North, and North-East have their own distinct cultures and almost every state has carved out its own cultural niche. In spite of the diversity, a common thread as one civilization perhaps because of its common history binds it. Indian culture and religions had great impact on its immediate neighbors, South East Asia and beyond. Indian influences are still very strong in Thai, Malay, Singaporean, Indonesian, Laotian, Khmer, Burmese, Tibetan, Mongolian cultures and many more. India has been the birth place of many major religious systems such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Ayyavazhi, Buddhism and Jainism, that are strong and influential not only in India but across the world.