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101 Interesting Facts about India
Whether you are from India looking for some Interesting Facts about India or a foreigner travelling to India and looking to know some facts about India, these 101 Facts about India will blow your mind away.
1. Population: With over 1.2 billion people, India is second only to China and will likely overtake China if current growth continues.2. Land size: In order to accommodate the huge population, India does have the seventh largest land area in the world.
3. One quarter of the work force: It’s estimated that in the next two to three years, 25% of people entering the workforce will be Indian.
4. Millions: There are over a million Indian millionaires. However, the gap between the rich and poor is still very big, with many living on a poverty level.
5. Language: India has no National Language. Hindi is an official language used in many regions, English is also commonly used in many regions. There are many popular regional languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi spoken and officially used in their respective regions.
6. Value of PI: Baudhayana, an Indian mathematician first calculated the value of PI. He is also said to have discovered other mathematical theorems still in use.
7. University: The first university is said to have been started in Takshila in 700 B.C. Thousands of students from all over the world studied a variety of subjects.
8. Largest postal system: India still uses the postal system and it shows. They still have the largest postal system in the world.
9. Trains: India has the world’s second largest train network, and it is the largest civilian employer.
10. Varanasi: Having been visited by Buddha in 500 B.C. Varanasi is the oldest continuously habituated city in the world.
11. Wonder: The Taj Mahal is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife.
12. Food: Cooking and eating are a large part of Indian culture and tradition. It’s not uncommon for meals to require hours of preparation time and most festivals and gatherings center around food.
13. Roads: The world’s largest road network is in India—over 1.9 million miles of roads cover the country.
14. Chess: Chaturanga—Sanskrit, meaning “four members of an army” was invented in India. Now known all over the world, chess had its beginnings in India.
15. Name: The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat Ganarajya. Even today, it is often called Bharat by young and old.
16. Origin of India name: The name “India” comes from the Indus River, which is where earliest settlers made their homes. The Indus valley is one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations.
17. British rule: The British ruled India from 1858-1947, although their presence and trade had been going on for some time before then.
18. Independence: On August 15, 1947, India gained independence from the British, after a successful nearly non-violent independence movement.
19. Government: India is governed under a parliamentary system and is a federal constitutional republic. There are 28 states and 7 union territories in India.
20. Capital: The capital city of India is New Delhi. It is the center of government and is also home to 2 UNESCO heritage sites.
21. Diamonds: Until 1986, the only place where diamonds had been officially found was in India.
22. Multi-lingual: There are 1,652 dialects and languages spoken in India. It is not at all unusual for an Indian to speak at least two and often more languages well.
23. Recognized languages: There are currently 22 recognized languages in India, with Standard Hindi and English being the standard languages.
24. English speakers: Because so many Indians speak English, India now has the largest population of English speakers in the world.
25. Borders: India shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are neighboring ocean countries.
26. Exports: Going back thousands of years, India has long exported textiles. Current exports include steel, agricultural goods, and many services, such as in the tech or medical industries.
27. Beauties: India has won two Miss Universe and five Miss World titles so far. Many Indian beauty queens are also Bollywood actresses or models.
28. Age demographic: More than 50% of India is younger than 25 and more than 65% are 35 or younger. The average Indian age is much younger than most other nations.
29. Old civilization: Some of the oldest and most long-lasting civilizations can be traced to India, or areas that used to belong to India. Early empires were larger than other neighboring empires of the time, including Egypt and Mesopotamia.
30. Peace loving: India has never invaded any country. It was invaded by other countries and rulers, including Alexander the Great.
31. Movies: No list featuring facts about India would be complete without this tidbit: India has the largest movie industry in the world. Most Indian movies come from Bollywood, but there are many studios around the country who contribute as well.
32. Holy Writings: The Vedic Scriptures date to 2000-500 BC and were composed in the Punjab region.
33. Invented zero: A commonly known, but not to be neglected India fact is that the number and concept of zero was invented and documented first by Indians.
34. Ancient buildings: All over India, ancient buildings and structures can be found. Sculptures and paintings on the buildings often tell stories or describe life at that time period.
35. IT: The Pentium chip and Hotmail were created by Indians—Vinod Dahm and Sabeer Bhatia respectively. The Indian IT population is growing and is highly sought after all over the world.
36. School: The world’s largest Montessori school is in India. It has over 26,000 students!
37. National fruit: While India may not be the biggest mango exporter, over 12 million tons of mangoes are grown each year. That’s the equivalent of over 2,400 Asian Elephants!
38. Cotton: Indian cotton was well known; some of the earliest cotton came from India. Roman and Mongol royalty wore Indian cotton, known for being light and airy.
39. Beans: India produces more dried beans than any other nation on earth. This includes a variety of legumes such as the kidney bean and chick peas as well as a variety of lentils.
40. Bananas: Another top export from India is bananas. No other country exports as many bananas, not even Brazil, which is second.
41. Producer of milk: Because India’s pastoral community is heavily dependent on milk, India has become the largest producer of milk in the world.
42. National drink: Chai, or tea is drunk widely in India. They produce more tea than any other country, exporting to countries all over the world.
43. Spices: While Saffron has its roots in neighboring countries, India uses the most expensive spice in several sweets and other dishes.
44. Staples: The main food staples in India are rice in the south, wheat in the north, and dhal or lentils.
45. Lucky color: Red is the color of good luck and is usually worn for weddings and other celebrations and festivals.
46. Vegetarian: India has the largest amount of vegetarians in the world.
47. Finger food: Most Indian food is still traditionally eaten without silverware. Rotis or chapattis aid with this.
48. Time: All of India — despite the large land-space is on one time zone. This is, however, half-an-hour different to neighboring countries, making for a complicated time zone.
49. Cherrapunji is the wettest spot on earth. It receives at least 425 inches of rain every year, which is over 5 times more than the tropical rain forests of South America!
50. Highest peaks: The Himalaya includes the highest peak in the world—Everest. The mountain range stretches about 1,500 miles long and is over 23,600 ft at its highest.
51. Sacred River: The Ganga is the longest river in India and is considered sacred by Hindus. It has the most populated river basin in the world.
52. Coastline: The actual coastline on the main land is 3,400 miles, but if you include the islands that belong to India, the coastline is closer to 4,700 miles.
53. Mangrove: The Sundarbans is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangroves in the world. 1/3 of the Sundarbans is in India. This is also the reserve for the Bengal Tiger.
54. Jungle: Less than 12% of the Indian landmass is covered in jungle. However, the country has a large variety of plant and animal life including 13.7% of all avian creatures.
55. Protected: India has worked hard to preserve endangered species and their shrinking wild-life. There are more than 500 wildlife sanctuaries and 13 reserves.
56. Heritage: There are 27 UNESCO heritage sites in India. These protected areas help to protect the long culture and history of the country.
57. Diversity: India has a lot of geographical diversity, including sand beaches, mountain ranges, desert, rock beaches, and large planes.
58. Climate: The four main climate groups in India are: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and mountain. The four seasons are: winter, summer, monsoon, and post monsoon.
59. Vishnu Temple: This temple in Tirupathi is the most visited pilgrimage destination in the world, even more than Mecca or the Vatican.
60. Lotus Temple: Made from white marble, this temple has 27 free-standing “petals”. The structure is widely recognized for its artistic value as well as a Baha’i place of worship.
61. Humayun’s tomb: A little known fact about India is that the first garden-tomb in the world was built in India. It was built as a tomb for Emperor Humayun, but also houses the graves of his wife and other Mughals.
62. Religious gathering: Every twelve years, the Maha Kumbh Mela happens in Allahabad. This is the largest religious gathering in the world.
63. Brihadeeswara Temple: India’s largest temple which houses the statue of Nandi—carved out of a single 13ft rock. The entire temple is made out of granite and is over 1000 years old.
64. High ground: The world’s highest cricket ground is in Himachal Pradesh. It was built after a hill was leveled at over 2,400 meter above sea level.
65. Largest democracy: India is a democracy and has one of the highest voter turn-outs in the world. Election expenses grow from election to election as well.
66. Flag with meaning: The Indian flag is ‘tri colored’. Saffron—courage and sacrifice; white—truth, peace, and purity; green—prosperity. The Ashok Chakra—righteousness.
67. National Emblem: The Sarnath Lion depicts four lions back to back from which the national emblem stems. It symbolizes courage, confidence, and strength.
68. National animal: The national animal is the Bengal Tiger. Nearly extinct, it enjoys a national reserve where it is protected.
69. National bird: The peacock is the national bird of India and can be seen in many parks, even in the cities.
70. Ganges River Dolphin: Another little known fact about India is this species of dolphin, which includes 2 subspecies and is the only blind dolphin in the world. Both subspecies are in danger of extinction and as such are protected.
71. National flower: The beautiful and fragile lotus is the national flower of India. It’s very common in many bodies of water.
72. National tree: The national tree of India is the bunyan or fig tree. It’s featured in many stories and legends.
73. Gold: India is still the largest buyer of gold in the world. Gold is an important part of Indian culture, including gifts for weddings and other major events or festivals.
74. Largest city: Mumbai is the largest city in India, with over 15 million people.
75. Melting pot: India is home to every major religion in the world. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all started in India.
76. Hindus: The majority of Indians are Hindus. Most of the religious festivals and holidays are Hindu.
77. Mosques: Home to more mosques than any other country in the world; India has a large Islamic population, the second largest in the country.
78. Cows: The cow is considered a sacred animal and is allowed to roam free in most cities and villages. They often wear a tilak as a symbol of good fortune.
79. Snakes and Ladders: The game of Snakes and Ladders also originated in India, with the lesson being of virtue vs. vices.
80. Music: As diverse as the country itself, music is an integral part of Indian culture, along with dance. There are dozens of local dances, music styles, and theater throughout the country.
81. Cricket: Although the English brought cricket to India, it is still the most popular game in the country. Games are played in parks and official games are watched and cheered by many.
82. National game: The national game of India is field hockey, India has won several gold medals over the years.
83. Mathematics: Indians made noteworthy contributions to trigonometry, calculus, and algebra. In 100 B.C. the decimal system was invented here.
84. Navigation: The word navigation comes from a Sanskrit word as the first navigators made their way along the Sindh River about 6000 years ago.
85. Medical advances: Surgeries were done in India over 2,600 years ago by Sushruta. He also developed Ayurveda and made records of several complicated surgeries and operations.
86. Big business: Vinod Khosla co-founded Sun Microsystems and Rajiv Gupta is the GM of Hewlett-Packard. Many other big international companies are founded or run by or with Indians.
87. Outsourcing: Half of the outsourced IT services in the world come from India. This is a large industry and big part of the current Indian economy.
88. Software: One of the largest exporters of software, India exports to over 60 countries right now.
89. White: Tradition in India holds that white be worn for funerals, in contrast to other countries, where black is more common.
90. Family: The extended family is an important part of Indian life and culture. Many families still live together in extended or ‘joined’ family units.
91. Festivals: Most Indian festivals are religious in origin. The most popular and widely known are Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja, and Ganesh Chaturthi. Festivities can go on for days.
92. Diwali: The festival of lights is celebrated for five days and includes a variety of festivities and traditions, usually done at home with family. Firecrackers and lights are a big part of this festival.
93. Holi: The festival of colors is a bright and colorful festival where playing with colors and water is enjoyed with home-made sweets.
94. Durga Puja: This five day festival is celebrated mostly in the eastern states, though it is celebrated in one form or other all over the country.
95. Ganesh Chaturthi: During the ten-day festival, Hindus remember the Lord Ganesh with decorations, prayers, and celebrations.
96. Rakhi: On this festival, sisters tie a rakhi or holy thread—often a colorful band—on their brother’s wrist while the brothers vow to look after their sisters while presenting them with gifts.
97. Yoga: One of the more known India facts is yoga. Originating in India, yoga is now a world-wide form of exercise and relaxation. Meditation and stretches are an integral part of yoga.
98. Martial arts: Many martial arts have their origins in India. There were said to have been spread throughout Asia by traveling monks.
99. Raziya Sultana: The only woman ruler of both the Mughal period and Sultanate. She dressed as a man and was an efficient and qualified ruler.
100. Dress: Most Indian women prefer ethnic dress, most commonly the sari or salwar kameez. However, for festivals and other events, there are other dresses, some specific for certain occasions.
101. Men’s wear: Men in general wear western clothing, though they often don ethnic wear for festivals, holidays, and occasions. In rural areas, local dress is more common.
61 Interesting Facts About . . . Golden India
India
- India is about 1/3 the size of the United States, yet it is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of 1,166,079,217. India is the seventh largest country in the world, at 1.27 million square miles.g
- India is the largest democracy in the world.i
- The Kumbh Mela (or Grand Pitcher Festival) is a huge Hindu religious festival that takes place in India every 12 years. In 2001, 60 million people attended, breaking the record for the world’s biggest gathering. The mass of people was photographed from space by a satellite.c
- Many Indians find toilet paper repellent and consider it cleaner to splash water with the left hand in the appropriate direction. Consequently, the left hand is considered unclean and is never used for eating.f
- To avoid polluting the elements (fire, earth, water, air), followers of Zoroastrianism in India don’t bury their dead, but instead leave bodies in buildings called “Towers of Silence” for the vultures to pick clean. After the bones dry, they are swept into a central well.f
- It is illegal to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India.f
- India leads the world with the most murders (32,719), with Russia taking second at 28,904 murders per year.j
- India has one of the world’s highest rates of abortion.e
- More than a million Indians are millionaires, yet most Indians live on less than two dollars a day. An estimated 35% of India’s population lives below the poverty line.l
- Cows can be found freely wandering the streets of India’s cities. They are considered sacred and will often wear a tilak, a Hindu symbol of good fortune. Cows are considered one of humankind’s seven mothers because they offer milk as does one’s natural mother.k
- Dancing is one of India’s most highly developed arts and was an integral part of worship in the inner shrines of every temple. It is notable for its expressive hand movements.f
- Rabies is endemic in India. Additionally, “Delhi Belly” or diarrhea is commonplace due to contaminated drinking water.f
- Many Indian wives will never say their husband’s name aloud, as it is a sign of disrespect. When addressing him, the wife will use several indirect references, such as “ji” or “look here” or “hello,” or even refer to him as the father of her child.f
- A widow is considered bad luck—otherwise, her husband wouldn’t have died. Elderly women in the village might call a widow “the one who ate her husband.” In some orthodox families, widows are not allowed near newlyweds or welcomed at social gatherings.b
- India is the birthplace of chess.l The original word for “chess” is the Sanskrit chaturanga, meaning “four members of an army”—which were mostly likely elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers.d
- The Indian flag has three horizontal bands of color: saffron for courage and sacrifice, white for truth and peace, and green for faith, fertility, and chivalry. An emblem of a wheel spinning used to be in the center of the white band, but when India gained independence, a Buddhist dharma chakra, or wheel of life, replaced the spinning wheel.m
- The temples of Khajuraho are famous for their erotic sculptures and are one of the most popular tourist attractions in India. Scholars still debate the purpose of such explicit portrayals of sexual intercourse, which sometimes involve animals.a
- The earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India. Roman emperors would wear delicate cotton from India that they would call “woven winds.” Mogul emperors called the fabrics “morning dew” and “cloth of running water.”i
- In ancient and medieval India, suttees, in which a recently widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre, were common.b
- The Himalayas—from the Sanskrit hima, meaning “snow,” and alaya, meaning “abode”—are found in the north of India. They extend 1,500 miles and are slowly growing taller, by almost an inch (2.5 cm) a year. Several ancient Indian monasteries are found nestled in the grandeur of these mountains.m
- India is the world’s largest producer of dried beans, such as kidney beans and chickpeas. It also leads the world in banana exports; Brazil is second.l
- In India, the fold and color of clothing are viewed as important markers of social classification. Additionally, a woman will be viewed as either a prostitute or a holy person depending on the manner in which she parts her hair.k
- With 150,000 post offices, India has the largest postal network in the world. However, it is not unusual for a letter to take two weeks to travel just 30 miles.f
- In India, grasping one’s ears signifies repentance or sincerity.f
- The Bengal tiger is India’s national animal. It was once ubiquitous throughout the country, but now there are fewer than 4,000 wild tigers left.m
- Indians hold prominent places both internationally and in the United States. For example, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems (Vinod Khosla), the creator of the Pentium chip (Vinod Dahm), the founder/creator of Hotmail (Sabeer Bhatia), and the GM of Hewlett-Packard (Rajiv Gupta) are all Indian.h
- Alexander the Great of Macedon (356-323 B.C.) was one of the first important figures to bring India into contact with the West. After his death, a link between Europe and the East would not be restored until Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) landed in Calicut, India, in 1498.l
- The British Raj, or British rule, lasted from 1858 to 1947 (although they had a strong presence in India since the 1700s). British influence is still seen in Indian architecture, education system, transportation, and politics. Many of India’s worst famines are associated with British rule in India.i
- Every major world religion is represented in India. Additionally, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all originated in India.f
- About 80% of Indians are Hindu. Muslims are the largest minority in India and form approximately 13% of the country’s population. In fact, India has the third largest population of Muslims in the world, after Indonesia and Pakistan.i
- India has the world’s largest movie industry, based in the city of Mumbai (known as the “City of Dreams”). The B in “Bollywood” comes from Bombay, the former name for Mumbai. Almost all Bollywood movies are musicals.l
- Mumbai (Bombay) is India’s largest city, with a population of 15 million. In 1661, British engineers built a causeway uniting all seven original islands of Bombay into a single landmass.l
- Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) is known around the world as Mahatma, which is an honorific title meaning “Great Soul” in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit. He devoted his life to free India from British rule peacefully and based his campaign on civil disobedience. His birthday, October 2, is a national holiday. He was assassinated in 1948.m
- The lotus is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. The Bahá'í house of worship in Delhi, known as the “Lotus Temple,” is shaped like a lotus flower with 27 gigantic “petals” that are covered in marble.i
- The banyan, or Indian fig tree, is considered a symbol of immortality and is mentioned in many Indian myths and legends. This self-renewing plant is India’s national tree.m
- Marigold flowers are used as decoration for Hindu marriages and are a symbol of good fortune and happiness.i
- The official name of India is the Republic of India. The name “India” derives from the River Indus, which most likely is derived from the Sanskrit sindhu, meaning “river.” The official Sanskrit name of India is Bharat, after the legendary king in the epic Mahabharata.m
- Introduced by the British, cricket is India’s most popular sport. Hockey is considered the national sport, and the Indian field hockey team proudly won Olympic gold in 1928.i
- Indians made significant contributions to calculus, trigonometry, and algebra. The decimal system was invented in India in 100 B.C. The concept of zero as a number is also attributed to India.m
- The national fruit of India is the mango. The national bird is the peacock, which was initially bred for food.m
- Most historians agree that the first recorded account of plastic surgery is found in ancient Indian Sanskrit texts.b
- Hindi and English are the official languages of India. The government also recognizes 17 other languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali, Manipuri, Konkani, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu). Apart from these languages, about 1,652 dialects are spoken in the country.l
- India’s pastoral communities are largely dependent on dairy and have made India the largest milk-producing country in the world.l
- India has the world’s third largest road network at 1.9 million miles. It also has the world’s second largest rail network, which is the world’s largest civilian employer with 16 million workers.f
- Rivers have played a vital role in India’s popular culture and folklore—they have been worshipped as goddesses because they bring water to an otherwise dry land. Bathing in the Ganges in particular is thought to take away a person’s sins. It is not unusual to spread a loved one’s ashes in the Ganges.f
- Raziya Sultana (1205-1240) was the first woman leader of India. She was considered a great leader, though she ruled for only three years before being murdered.b
- Most Indians rinse their hands, legs, and face before eating a meal. It is considered polite to eat with the right hand, and women eat after everyone is finished. Wasting food is considered a sin.i
- During the Vedic era in India, horse sacrifice sanctioned the sovereignty of the king.a
- It is traditional to wear white, not black, to a funeral in India. Widows will often wear white in contrast to the colorful clothes of married or single women.k
- All of India is under a single time zone.g
- On India’s Independence Day, August 15, 1947, the country was split into India and Pakistan. The partition displaced 1.27 million people and resulted in the death of several hundred thousand to a million people.g
- In recent years, Indian authors have made a mark on the world with such novels as Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses (1988), Vikram Seth’s Suitable Boy (1993), and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997).i
- India experiences six seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer monsoon, and winter monsoon.m
- India is the world’s largest tea producer, and tea (chai) is its most popular beverage.f
- The Taj Mahal (“crown palace”) was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666) for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631). This architectural beauty has been called “marbled embroidery” for its intricate workmanship. It took 22,000 workmen 22 years to complete it.m
- The first and greatest civilization in ancient India developed around the valley of the Indus River (now Pakistan) around 3000 B.C. Called the Indus Valley civilization, this early empire was larger than any other empire, including Egypt and Mesopotamia.l
- After the great Indus Civilization collapsed in 2000 B.C., groups of Indo-Europeans called Aryans (“noble ones”) traveled to northwest India and reigned during what is called the Vedic age. The mingling of ideas from the Aryan and Indus Valley religions formed the basis of Hinduism, and the gods Shiva, Kali, and Brahma all have their roots in Aryan civilization. The Aryans also recorded the Vedas, the first Hindu scriptures, and introduced a caste system based on ethnicity and occupation.l
- Alexander the Great invaded India partly because he wanted to solve the mystery of the “ocean,” which he had been told was a huge, continuous sea that flowed in a circle around the land. When he reached the Indian Ocean, he sacrificed some bulls to Poseidon for leading him to his goal.m
- Greek sculpture strongly influenced many portrayals of Indian gods and goddesses, particularly after the conquest of Alexander the Great around 330 B.C. In fact, early Indian gods had Greek features and only later did distinct Indian styles emerge.m
- Chandragupta Maurya (340-290 B.C.), a leader in India who established the Mauryan Empire (321-185 B.C.), was guarded by a band of women on horseback.a
- When the first independent prime minister of India, pacifist Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), was featured in Vogue, his distinctive close fitting, single-breasted jacket briefly became an important fashion statement for the Mod movement in the West. Named the Nehru jacket, the prime minister’s coat was popularized by the Beatles and worn by such famous people as Johnny Carson (1925-2005) and Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990).n
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