MORE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA:

The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat.

INDIA has been called Bharat even in Satya yuga (Golden Age).

 

MORE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA:

1) 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.

2) The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan’ 

    combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

3) The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist 

    who invented the digit zero.

4) Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is 

    because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for 

    computer software(a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987).

5) Chess was invented in India.

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

7) The' place value system' and the 'decimal system' were developed in 100 

    BC in India.

8) 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.

9) 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

10) India is.......the Largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country 

      in the world AND one of the most ancient and living civilizations (at 

      least 10, 000 years old).

11) 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.

12) 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.

13) India has the most post offices in the world !

14) The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, 

      employing over a million people !.

15) 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.

16) Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The 

     father of medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.

17) Although modern images & descriptions of India often show poverty, 

     India was one of the richest countries till the time of British in the early 

     17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth and 

     was looking for route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

18) The art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh 6000 

      over years ago. The very word 'Navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit 

      word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 

      'Nou'.

19) Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit 

      the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. His calculations 

      was - Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: ( 5th century ) 

      365.258756484 days.

20) 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, which was 

      long before the European mathematicians.

21) Algebra, trigonometry and calculus also orignated from 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 Tera: 10*12( 10 to the power of 12 ).

22) Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. 

     (Source. Gemological Institute of America )

23) 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.

24) 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 and also plastic 

     surgery and brain surgeries.

25) 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.

26) Did you know ?
 

     India also celebrates the birthday of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former 

     President and Vice-President and great statesman, as "Teachers' Day".

     Born on September 5, 1888, at Tiruttani, 40 miles to the north-east of 

     Madras, Radhakrishnan grew to become the most famous Indian teacher 

     and philosopher of all times. In his honour, this day is celebrated as 

     Teacher's Day.
   

     He was also the Vice-President of India from 1952-1962. He held the 

     office of the Chancellor, University of Delhi, before taking over as the 

     President of India in May 1962.

27) "What makes a nation, is the past, what justifies one nation against 

      others is the past", says the noted historian Eric Hobsbawm.

28)  Hence, when talking of a nation, it becomes very imperative that the 

      past should also be talked about. And the past of India is as 

      fascinating and interesting as it is momentous.