FACTS OF INDIA

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA

1.      Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.

2.      Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine is called as CHARAK.

3.      Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.

4.      Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. He was the court physician of Kaniska.

5.      Chess was invented in India.

6.      Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

7.      Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India.

8.      Decimal system was introduced by Bhaskara.

9.      'Din-i-Ilahi' which means divine faith was founded by Akbar, his own religion.

10.  Gujarat was traditionally known as Saurashtra.

11.  Hirakud dam in Odisha is the longest dam of the World on the river Mahanadi.

12.  India exports software to 90 countries.

13.  India has the largest mileage of canals in the world.

14.  India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.

15.  India has the largest postal network.

16.  India is the largest democracy in the world, the 7th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.

17.  India is the largest exporter of cut-diamonds.

18.  India is the largest manufacturer of cycles.

19.  India is the largest producer of ginger, sugarcane & turmeric in the world.

20.  India is the largest producer of manganese in the world.

21.  India is the world's largest reserves of Iron.

22.  India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization.

23.  India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.

24.  India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.

25.  India ranks first in the production of milk.

26.  India ranks first in the production of tea.

27.  India ranks first in the production of wheat.

28.  India ranks second in the world in production of coconut.

29.  India was invaded by Timur Lane in 1398.

30.  India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century.

31.  Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.

32.  Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.

33.  Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively

34.  Kamarupa is the old name of Assam.

35.  Kushans issued the first gold coins in India.

36.  Mahabharat is also known as Jahanama-Itihasa.

37.  Manu is regarded as the greatest law giver of ancient India.

38.  Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.

39.  Pataliputra was the ancient name of Patna.

40.  Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century is an Indian.

41.  Shaer Shah Suri was constructed the Grand Trunk Road.

42.  Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.

43.  Surdas was the first writer in Hindi.

44.  Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over 2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery, and brain surgeries.

45.  The Ancient name of Bengal was Gauda.

46.  The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.

47.  The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan Mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

48.  The discovery on seas route from Europe to India was made by Vasco-de-Gama.

49.  The first Muslim invasion of India was led by Muhammed bin Kasim.

50.  The first Muslim ruler in India was Muhammad Ghori.

51.  The first newspaper in India was the Bengal Gazette.

52.  The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.

53.  The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. It means good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.

54.  The Greeks and the Romans were used the largest number is 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 1053. Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 1012.

55.  The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.

56.  The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.

57.  The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.

58.  The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.

59.  The oldest school in India is St. Mary’s Church Charity School at fort St. Georges, Chennai.

60.  The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

61.  The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.

62.  The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

63.  The value of (pi) "p" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century.

64.  The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple every day.

65.  The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.

66.  The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.

67.  The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.

68.  There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.

69.  Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world

70.  Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.

71.  Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

72.  When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)

73.  World's biggest festival - Car festival celebrated in India (Odisha)

74.  Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.