Amazing India

2006-09-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

India

A peninsula and subcontinent of southern Asia south of the Himalaya Mountains, occupied by India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

A country of southern Asia covering most of the Indian subcontinent. Aryans from the northwest invaded c. 1500 b.c., pushing Dravidian and other peoples to the south. Most of India was unified by the emperor Asoka in the 3rd century b.c. It experienced a golden age in the 4th and 5th centuries a.d. before being invaded c. 1000 by Muslims and later by the Mongol conqueror Baber, who established the Mogul empire (1526-1857). Various European powers established trading posts in the 16th and 17th centuries, with the British assuming authority over India in 1857. In the 20th century civil unrest led by Mohandas Gandhi led to the independence of British India and its division (1947) into the separate Hindu and Muslim countries of India and Pakistan. New Delhi is the capital and Calcutta the largest city. Population: 1,040,000,000.

Amazing Facts about India and Indians!

1. India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization.
2. The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat.
3. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
4. India is the world's largest democracy.
5. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called "the ancient city" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
6. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
7. The World's first university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
8. Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.
9. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization.
10. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth.
11. The art of Navigation was born in the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'.
12. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.
13. The value of pi was first calculated by 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.
14. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were 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(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10**12(10 to the power of 12).
15. IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi.
16. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
17. According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time.
18. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
19. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.
20. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).
21. The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
22. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
23. India is one of the few countries in the World, which gained independence without violence.
24. India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World.
25. India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.
26. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously.
27. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.
28. Following facts were published in a German Magazine which deals with world history. (I couldn't find out the name of that German Magazine, if you find please let me know.)
38% of Doctors in America are Indians.
12% of Scientists in America are Indians.
36% of NASA employees are Indians.

34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of Intel employees are Indians.
13% of Xerox employees are Indians.

29. 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.
30. Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. ( Source . Gemological Institute of America).
32. The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
33. The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people !
34. India has the most post offices in the world !
35. 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. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
36. The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ' 80-tonne ' piece of granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola
37. The first six Mogul Emperor's of India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years, from 1526 to 1707.
38. India, home to more than one billion people, constitutes for 18% of the world's population.
39. India is the biggest diamond-cutting center for small roughs. These diamonds are eventually sold in shops on Fifth Avenue.
40. Acknowledged that the concept of zero, crucial to the development of the science, is India's contribution to the world, which was given to Europe through the Arabs. In the Ganita Sara Samgraha, 850 A.D., Mahaviracharya, the greatest Jain mathematician mentions the significance of zero. In the fifth century BC Brahmagupta became the first mathematician to solve the Pellian equation. A century later, Aryabhatta arrived at the most accurate value of the mathematical constant, Pi, in the Gitikapada. The Bakhsali manuscript, written in the third or fourth century BC, on 72 leaves of birch bark, is an exclusively mathematical text that presents rules, illustrated instances and solutions to geometric, algebraic and arithmetical problems. In the Kalpasutras, penned in 290 BC, Bhadrabahu solved the Pythagorean theorem. The mathematical genius of the Jains was so developed that their highest numeral was a forerunner of the Alef zero of modern-day mathematics.
41. Dating from the Vedic period, the Neem plant is considered to be very auspicious, not only for it's medicinal values, but also for it's use in religious rites. Neem is also revered for it's unmatched use as a biologically sound pesticide and an air purifier. The magical properties of the neem have now been revealed to the world
42. Yoga is highly relevant in the modern day context. With tension and stress becoming a part of our daily life ‘Yoga’ enables us to achieve self-realistion in a systematic manner. By helping the union of the body with the mind and the mind with the soul, it creates the ultimate symphony of life. Different forms of yoga i.e. -Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jnana yoga, Mantra yoga and Laya yoga- provides the finest system of education and brings out the best in a person
43. The caste system was created as an means for providing social status in the community. A family's caste was determined by the family's main occupation. The classifications of the caste system are: Brahman (the priest), Kshatriya (the warrior), Vaisya (the trader), and Sudra (the laborer).
44. India is one of the biggest players in the international fashion arena. Buyers such as Macys, Levi's, Wrangler, etc. all folk to India for its vast array of cloths and prints.
45. Since the beginning of history the Ganges (THE GANGA, Holy River) has been a precious source of water in the hot climate of India, providing water for drinking, irrigation, bathing, and most recently, electrical energy. For providing such sustenance the river is worshipped by millions of Indian as Mother Ganges. By bathing in the Ganges, one can wash away all sins and begin again, cleansed from the imperfections of the past
46. Kamasutra, This ancient text on sexual love, was written by Vatsyayana in the mid-4th century. The text was made accessible to the English-speaking world by the orientalist Sir Richard Burton. It is essentially a philosophy on love and how to achieve happy and harmonius relationships, especially between husband and wife.
47. The first Indian-made feature film (3700 feet long) was released in 1913. It was made by Dadasaheb Phalke and was called Raja Harishchandra. Based on a story from the Mahabharata it was a stirring film concerned with honour, sacrifice and mighty deeds. From then on many "mythologicals" were made and took India by storm. Phalke's company alone produced about a hundred films.
48. The arc-shaped Himalayas extend along the entire northern boundary of India and carve just as far across the Indian subcontinent as they do deeply into the life around them. The term "Himalaya" -- a Sanskrit word meaning "the Abode of Snow" -- was coined by the Indian pilgrims who traveled in these mountains in ancient times. For centuries, the inhabitants of India have been fascinated by this mountain chain. The feeling is a mixture of admiration, awe and fear; and for the Hindus of India, the Himalayas are also "the Abode of God". There are numerous pilgrim routes that have brought the Hindu pilgrims to these mountains since time immemorial.

India in Guinness World Records

1)LargestLantern
In 1998, a lantern measuring 11.58 m (38 ft) tall and 6.7 m (22 ft) wide was made by a team of nine people from 2,000 sheets of thermocol and 25 kg (55 lb) of nails. It was shown at Ganesh Kala Krida, Pune, India and lit by ten 250w bulbs.
2)Longest hand drum marathon
The longest performance on a hand drum was 101 hours and was achieved by Kuzhalmannam Ramakrishnan (India) in Cannanore, Kerala, India from May 25-29, 2005.
3) Longest lesson learned
The longest lesson learned was one of 73 hr 37 min on English grammar by Sanjay Kumar Sinha and 59 pupils (all India) at the Bay City Club in Bandra, India from October 20-23, 2005.
4) Longest Ear Hair
Radhakant Bajpai of Naya Ganj, Uttar Pradesh, India, has hair sprouting from the centre of his outer ears (middle of the pinna) that measures an incredible 13.2 cm (5.19 in) at its longest point. The length of the 50-year-old's pinna pelt was confirmed by medical examiner Dr. R P Gupta.
5) Most Letters Published In One Year
Madhu Agrawal (India) had 334 of her letters published during the year 2003 in 23 prominent Indian newspapers with circulations over 50,000, the most ever by one author in a single year in multiple publications.
6) Most Letters To One Editor Published In A Year
During 2001 Pooran Chandra Pande (India) had 118 of his letters published in the Dainik Jagran newspaper.
7) Largest abacus
The largest abacus measured 6 m x 3 m (19.6 ft x 9.8 ft) and contained 78 beads. It was made by Murugaiyan Govindaraj (India) and unveiled at the Middle East College of Information Technology, Muscat, Oman on December 11, 2004.
8) Most fingers and toes - living person
The person with the most fingers and toes is Devendra Harne (India; born January 9, 1995) who has 25 in total (12 fingers and 13 toes) as a result of the condition polydactylism.
9) Longest Civil Disobedience March
On March 12, 1930, Mohandas Karamchand (“Mahatma”) Gandhi led 78 followers on a 387.85-km (241-mile) march from Sabarmati Ashram, Gujarat, India, to the coastal town of Dandi, Gujarat, in protest at British India's levy of salt tax.
10) Longest Time Railway Ticket Bought in Advance
On Jan 19, 2000, Fakhruddin Takulla (India) traveled from Mumbai (Bombay) to New Delhi, using a ticket he had purchased on July 15, 1973 – 26 years and 6 months earlier.
11) Biggest Cooler
An air cooler named "Big Boy" measured 4.33 m (14 ft 2.5 in) in height, and was manufactured by Symphony Comfort Systems Limited based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, in January 2000. The record-breaking cooler is a scaled-up version of their popular Rs 7000 Sumo model. It was put on public display on the lawn of the company's factory and after being shown at various trade shows it was suggested it could be given as a gift to India's President.
12) Largest Wedding Banquet
Jayalalitha Jayaram, former Tamil Nadu chief minister and movie star, hosted a luncheon for over 150,000 guests at her foster son's wedding. The banquet was served in grounds by the coast in the state capital, Madras, on September 7, 1995.13) Largest Gathering Of SikhsMore than 8 million Sikhs gathered at the Anandpur Sahib gurdwara (Sikh temple), Punjab, India, from April 13-17, 1999, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Sikh Khalsa, an order of the Sikh religion.
14) Fastest Six Digit Square Root Calculation
M Hari Prasad correctly calculated the square root of a six digit number in 1 minute 3.8 seconds at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, on October 30, 1999. Without the use of a calculator or computer he worked out the square root of 732,915 as 856.1045496. He also made two other successful mathematical attempts - most calender dates calculated in a minute and the fastest time to multiply two eight digit numbers.
15) Longest lecture marathon
The record for the longest lecture marathon lasted for 98 hr 30 min and was achieved by Dr. Annaiah Ramesh (India) who talked on the subject of the 'Molecular Logic of Life' at the Old Senate Hall, Mangalore University, India; from March 22, to March 26, 2006.16) Youngest Tabla PerformerRajat Kumar Mishra was born on November 28, 1992, in India, and it was in March 1998 at the young age of five that his talent was spotted by his father, a retired headmaster. Rajat was heard playing ‘Kaharwa’ – one of the most popular types of ‘taal’, or rhythm, without even being aware of what he was playing!
Mishra's father began teaching advanced techniques, and within a year the six-year-old had mastered the instrument. By the time he was seven, Mishra had performed live on Rourkela Steel Television and All India Radio.
A student at Pragati Vidyamandir in Rourkela, he has since been taught tabla by Guru Gokulananda Das and Guru Arabinda Sahoo, and often accompanies his brother, who is a classical singer.
Mishra practices tabla for one hour every morning and for half an hour before he goes to sleep.
17) Largest Blood Donation in one day
A blood donation drive organized by Dera Sacha Sauda held at Bapu Ji village, Sriganganagar, India. on 10 October 2004, attracted 17,921 donors.
The drive yielded 13,938.5 units ( a unit = 350 ml) in the 12 hours that it ran for.
18) Largest Cotton Sculpture
In April 1999, Anant Narayan Khairnar of Jalagon, India, completed a 2.28 m (7.5 ft) tall sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi. Made entirely from cotton wool, it weighed 20 kg (44 lb). It took Anant Narayan 11 months to build, working on it four hours a day. The cotton wool is dunked into chemicals to harden so that the finished sculpture appears to be made from marble.
19) Largest Suitcase
A total of eight people from Sane Sports Wear, Vadodara, India, built a suitcase measuring 4.06 x 2.66 x 1.26 m (13.33 x 8.75 x 4.16 ft) in February 1999.
20) Most Worms Eaten in 30 seconds
India's C. Manoharan, aka "Snake Manu", swallowed 200 earthworms each measuring at least 10 cm (4 in) long in 30 seconds at Chennai City, Tamil Nadu, India, on November 15, 2003. Snake Manu also possesses the ability to "snake floss" – that is, feeding small cobras and the like into his mouth and passing them out through his nose.
21) Largest Film Output
In 1990 a record 948 films in 21 languages (including Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Bengali and Gujarati) were produced in India.
22) Largest Donation Of Hair
Pilgrims to the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, India, donate a tonsure of their hair as a gift. Every year an estimated 6.5 million people make donations of their hair, and more than US$2.2 million is raised through its annual auction.
23) Largest Cricket Bat
On April 16, 1999, LG Electronics India Private Ltd unveiled a cricket bat 15.24-m (50-ft) long and 1.82-m (6-ft) wide, in the National Stadium, New Delhi, India. The monster bat weighed approximately430 kg (948 lb).
24) Most Prolific Female Director
Vijaya Nirmala of Hyderabad, India, has directed 42 feature films since 1972. She made her acting debut in films at the age of seven in Matsya Rekha, and since then has appeared in more than 250 films in the Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam languages.During the making of the film Sakshi, in which she played the heroine, she decided to pursue a directing career, making her debut in 1972 with Meena, followed a year later by Devadas.
25) Largest film studio
The largest film studio complex in the world is Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, India, which opened in 1996 and measures 674 ha (1,666 acres). Comprising of 47 sound stages, it has permanent sets ranging from railway stations to temples.
26) Largest Employer
The world's largest commercial or utility employer is Indian Railways, with 1,583,614 regular employees in March, 1997.
27) Most Devastating Air Pollution
More than 6,300 people died from the effects of a poisonous cloud of methyl isocyanate, which escaped from a Union Carbide pesticide plant near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, on December 3, 1984.
28) Longest Fingernails on a Single Hand
Back in July 1998, Shridhar Chillal of Poona, India had his record-breaking fingernails measured on the set of Guinness World Records: Primetime. The combined length of the five nails of his left hand were found to be a staggering 6.15 m (20 ft 2.25 in). Shridhar does not grow the nails on his right hand.
29) Most Leprosy Patients Treated
The Avadhoot Bhagwan Ram Kushta Seva Ashram Hospital at Parao, India, has treated more leprosy patients than any other hospital. The total number of registered patients since 1961 has been 99,045 with full Leprosy and 147,503 with partial Leprosy - all of whom were fully cured. The hospital was established in 1961 and receives no government funding - it runs entirely from public donations and gifts. Patients are treated free of charge using Ayurvedic herbal medicines and the Fakiri System, a method invented by the Indian religious saints
30) Longest saree / sari

The longest saree/sari measured 388.9 m (1276 ft) long and 1.2 m (4 ft) wide and was created by a team of weavers for Pothy’s on a traditional loom. The saree/sari weighed 45 kg (99.2 lb) and was completed in February 2005, Tamil Nadu, India.
31) Largest Delta
The world's largest delta is that created by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. It covers an area of 75,000 sq. km. (30,000 sq. miles).
32) Highest Monthly Rainfall
For a calendar month, the record is 9,300 mm (366 in) at Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India, in July 1861. The 12-month record was also set at Cherrapunji, with 26,461 mm (1,041 in) from August 1, 1860 to July 31, 1861.
33) Largest School
The largest school in terms of pupils is the City Montessori School in Lucknow, India, which had a record enrolment of 29,212 pupils on 11 April 2005 for the 2004-2005 academic year. Admissions are continuing for the same period and the school is expecting to surpass a total enrolement of 30,000.
34) Youngest Masters Graduate
Tathagat Avatar Tulsi (b. September 9, 1987) of New Delhi, India, successfully passed his M.Sc in Physics from Patna University, at the age of 12 years, two months, and 19 days, on November 28, 1999.
35) Largest Religious Crowd
An estimated 20 million people gathered at the Hindu festival of Ardh Kumbha Mela, held at the confluence of the Yamuna, the Ganges, and the invisible "Saraswati" rivers at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, on January 30, 1995.
36) Youngest Cricket Test Captain
The youngest Test captain was the Nawab of Pataudi (later Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi), who was aged 21 yr. 77 days on March 23, 1962, when he led India against the West Indies, at Bridgetown, Barbados. He had a reputation as a brilliant slip fielder.
37) Highest Score In Men's International Hockey
The highest score in men’s international hockey occurred when India defeated the USA 24-1, at Los Angeles, California, USA, in the 1932 Olympic Games.
38) Highest Motorable Road
The highest motorable road in the world is in the Khardungla Pass, Kashmir, India. At its highest point it climbs to an altitude of 5,682 m (18,640 ft). It was completed in 1976 by the Border Roads Organization, New Delhi, and has been open to motor vehicles since 1988. The Khardungla pass is one of the three passes on the mountainous Leh to Manali road route.
39) Largest Motorcycle PyramidThe Dare Devils Team of the Indian Army Signal Corps achieved a motorcycle pyramid consisting of 201 men balanced on 10 motorcycles, on July 5th, 2001 at Gowri Shankar Parade Ground, Jabalpur, India. The pyramid travelled a distance of 129 m (424 ft).
40) Largest Bus FleetThe largest fleet of buses is owned by the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation in India. As of October 31, 1999, the company owned a total of 18,397 buses.

Famous Quotes on India (by non-Indians)

Albert Einstein said: We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.
Mark Twain said: India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.
French scholar Romain Rolland said: If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.
Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA said: India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.
Mark Twain said: So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."
Sylvia Levi said: She (India) has left indelible imprints on one fourth of the human race in the course of a long succession of centuries. She has the right to reclaim ... her place amongst the great nations summarizing and symbolizing the spirit of humanity. From Persia to the Chinese sea, from the icy regions of Siberia to Islands of Java and Borneo, India has propagated her beliefs, her tales, and her civilization!"
Max Muller Said: "If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India"
Will Durant Said :India was the mother of our race and Sanskrit the mother of Europe's languages. She was the mother of our philosophy, mother through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics, mother through Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity, mother through village communities of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all."
Appollonius Tyanaeus Quotes : “In India, I found a race of mortals living upon the Earth, but not adhering to it, inhabiting cities, but not being fixed to them, possessing everything, but possessed by nothing".