India never invaded
any country in her last 100000 years of history.
When many cultures
were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established
Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)
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.
The Persian invaders
converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and
thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
Chess was invented
in India.
Algebra,
Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
The 'Place Value
System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.
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, (between 1004 AD and 1009
AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
India is the largest
democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the
most ancient civilizations.
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. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning
remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle
of re-births.
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.
India has the
largest number of Post Offices in the world.
The largest employer
in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.
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.
The University of
Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of
ancient India in the field of education.
Ayurveda is the
earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine,
Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
India was one of the
richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century.
Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea
route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
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'.
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.
The value of
"pi" 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, long before the European mathematicians.
Algebra,
Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were
used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks
and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53
(i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during
the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to
the power of 12).
Until 1896, India
was the only source of diamonds in the world (Source: Gemological Institute
of America).
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.
Sushruta is regarded
as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team
conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans,
fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
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.
India exports
software to 90 countries.
The four religions
born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25%
of the world's population.
Jainism and Buddhism
were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.
Islam is India's and
the world's second largest religion.
There are 300,000
active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim
world.
The oldest European
church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in
1503 and 1568 respectively.
Jews and Christians
have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively
The largest
religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia
built at the end of the 11th century.
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 everyday.
Sikhism originated
in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple,
the city was founded in 1577.
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.
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.
His Holiness, the
Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his
government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India.
Martial Arts were
first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
Yoga has its origins
in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
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