1. 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.
2. India is the largest democracy in the world.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. To avoid polluting the elements (fire, earth, water, air), followers of Zo
roastrianism 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. It is illegal for
foreigners to import or export Indian currency (rupees)
6. It is illegal to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India.
7. India leads the world with the most murders (32,719), with Russia
taking second at 28,904 murders per year.
8. India has one of the world’s highest rates of abortion.
9. 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.
10. 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 she offers milk as does one’s natural mother.
11. 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.
12. Rabies is endemic in India. Additionally, “Delhi Belly” or diarrhea is
commonplace due to contaminated drinking water.
13. Many Indian wives will never say her 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
Khajuraho’s exotic art may suggest that sex was a step for attaining
ultimate liberation or moksha.
17. 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 involves animals.
18. 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.
19. In ancient and medieval India, suttees, in which a recently widowed
woman would immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre, were
common.
20. 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.
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.
2. India is the largest democracy in the world.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. To avoid polluting the elements (fire, earth, water, air), followers of Zo
roastrianism 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. It is illegal for
foreigners to import or export Indian currency (rupees)
6. It is illegal to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India.
7. India leads the world with the most murders (32,719), with Russia
taking second at 28,904 murders per year.
8. India has one of the world’s highest rates of abortion.
9. 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.
10. 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 she offers milk as does one’s natural mother.
11. 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.
12. Rabies is endemic in India. Additionally, “Delhi Belly” or diarrhea is
commonplace due to contaminated drinking water.
13. Many Indian wives will never say her 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
Khajuraho’s exotic art may suggest that sex was a step for attaining
ultimate liberation or moksha.
17. 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 involves animals.
18. 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.
19. In ancient and medieval India, suttees, in which a recently widowed
woman would immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre, were
common.
20. 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.
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