Despite being Indian, India never fails to surprise me. Here are some interesting facts about India that you might find interesting.
*The official name of India is the Republic of India. Other names induced Bharat and often called Hindustan.
*India was the name given by the British because Indians used to grow Indigo (a dye used to colour clothes). Some say that it comes from the River Indus.
*India is the seventh largest country in the world.
*It is the second most populated country in the world.
*It is the largest democracy in the world.
*The Indian subcontinent is said to be a tectonic plate.
*India was under British rule during 19th and 20th centuries (1858 to 1947). It got its independence in the year 1947.
*The capital of India is New Delhi.
*Hindi and English are the official languages of India along with 17 other languages.
*India’s neighbours are China, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.
*India is viewed by the Taliban as enemy number 3 after America and Israel.
*India is about 1/3 the size of the United States.
*The Kumb Mela at Allahabad is largest human gathering in the world. The gathering could even be viewed by space.
*Sadly, India has the highest rates of abortion (mostly female foetuses).
*Rabies is endemic in India. You will find plenty of stray dogs around. *Make sure you have your rabies jabs before you come to India.
*Diarrhoea is common in India due to contaminated water.
*It is India that the game of chess was born.
*The earliest cotton was woven and spun in India. The figurines and sculptures found at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa (civilisation) depict this fact.
*In ancient and medieval times, Indian widows used to jump onto their husbands funeral pyre and kill themselves.
*India’s national animal is the Bengal tiger.
*Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism originated in India.
*Every religion of the world can be found in India including Indian Jews.
*75% of Indians are actual Hindus. 80.5% identify themselves as Hindus.
*India has the world’s largest film industry popularly called “Bollywood”.
*Mohandas Gandhi is the father of the nation.
*All of India is under one time zone.
*India has 6 seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer monsoon, and winter monsoon.
*India is the largest producer of tea.
*When Alexander the great came to India, the first thing he saw was monkeys. He thought Indians were like monkeys.
*India has the most number of post offices in the world.
*Trigonometry, Algebra and Calculus originated in India.
*Zero was invented in India by Brahmagupta (not Aryabhatta).
*The value of Pi up to 5 decimal points was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Aryabhatta.
*Arabic numericals are in fact Indian numericals.
*The largest employer in India is the Indian Railways.
*Quadratic equations were first used by Indian mathematician Sridharacharya in the 11th century (how cool is that).
*Varanasi (Banaras) the ancient city of the Hindus is the oldest and continuously inhabited city in the world today.
*Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in Northern India.
*Yoga has its origins in India.
India for kids: Amazing facts about India book
I was explaining some of these interesting facts about India to my children and realised that there must be other kids round the world who also needs to know about India. Having lived in the UK and Canada, I know that there are lots of children whose parents of Indian origin want their children to learn about India and its culture.
In addition to this, there are many foreign parents who want to teach their children about other countries. Great thing about the West is that the people are very tolerant of other cultures. The children in the West are often taught about other cultures, nations and religions and hence they grow up tolerating people who are different to them.
I have therefore decided to compile a book about facts for India for children. It’s called, “India For Kids: Amazing Facts About India”. It’s now available for download on Amazon.
Here are some of the topics covered in the ebook:
What is India?
Where is India?
How did India get its name?
Why India is also called Bharat?
What is the capital of India?
How big is India?
What is the flag of India?
Tell me about the geography of India?
Which is the highest mountain in India?
Which is the biggest river in India?
What type of money is used in India?
Who are India’s neighbours?
Why are Pakistan and Bangladesh separate from India now?
What language do Indians speak?
What is Sanskrit?
What is the population of India?
What are the seasons of India?
Is it really hot in India?
How old is Indian civilization?
Why was India under British Rule?
When did India get independence?
Who was Mahatma Gandhi?
What do Indians like to eat?
Why is Indian food spicy?
What is an “onion bhaji”?
What is a chapatti?
What is the national animal of India? Where is it found?
Please tell me more about Indian wildlife?
What games do Indian kids play?
What is cricket? Why do Indians like cricket so much?
Do Indians play football?
What is the religion of India?
How many other religions are there in India?
What are the festivals of India?
What is the story of Ramayana?
What is the story of Mahabharata?
What is the Taj Mahal?
Is the cow worshipped in India?
Why are there cows on the streets of India?
How do Indians travel?
What do Indians wear?
What is the national flower of India?
What is the national bird of India?
What is the national tree of India?
What is Bollywood?
What are the great Indian epics?
Did Indians in the past write books?
How big was India in the past?
Which are the Seven Wonders of India?
Which is the Pink City of India and why?
What is the national anthem of India?
What is the national symbol of India?
What kind of songs and music are there in India?
What kinds of dances are there in India?
What kind of musical instruments are there in India?
Why do Indians wear bright and colorful clothes?
The book covers most of the important facts about India. The book is aimed at children who can read and understand from the ages of 7 onwards. I have selected fun and interesting facts on India that children and parents will find about India and its people, history and culture. This ebook will also be particularly useful to Non-Resident Indian parents wishing to teach their children about India. It will also be useful to travellers to India wishing to learn facts about India before they their trip to India.
You can buy my ebook the, ‘India for kids: Amazing facts about India’ which is now available on all Amazon stores. The paperback version of the book is also available here. More interesting facts about India here.
