20 Interesting Facts about India
1-You may think that the game of Chess originated in Russia, but it was in fact invented in India, where an early version of the game – called Chaturanga – flourished in India by the 6th century.
2-Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism – the four religions that began in India – are today followed by more than a quarter of the world’s population.
3-India has the 3rd largest military force in the world, yet the country has never in its history invaded another country.
4-India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.
5-India has more Post Offices than any other country in the world, around 156 000 in total!
6-The value of pi was first calculated by an Indian mathematician Baudhayana, who is also credited with discovering what is now known as the Pythagorean theorem.
7-Cricket is the most popular sport in India and the Indian team recently lifted the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy when they won the final match in their own country.
8-The largest single employer in the world is Indian Railways, with more than a million employees!
9-The Indian Film Industry, otherwise known as Bollywood, is the largest film industry in the world – even bigger the Hollywood!
10-The world’s first granite temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. It was started in 1004 AD and is made from 130 000 tons of granit
11-The boardgame Snakes & Ladders was created in India as Mokshapat by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. The ladders in the game represented virtues (good deeds lead you up to heaven) and the snakes represented vices (evil deeds lead to a cycle of re-births).
12-The material that was required to build the Taj Mahal was brought in from different regions in India by a fleet of 1000 elephants.
13-Ayurveda, which was developed in India, is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind and the fastest growing alternative medicine system all over world.
14-Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia through the Buddhist missionaries.
15-Yoga also started in India – more than 5000 years ago.
16-India is home to 27 of the world’s UNESCO world heritage sites.
17-Every year India hosts around a thousand festivals!
18-India is credited with inventing the number system.
19-The World’s first ever university was established in Takshashila in India, in 700 BC.
20-India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World.
