Well on the occasion of our Independence day last week lot of people gave
their opinions on our country through articles, blog, TV interviews etc, and
what I have noticed is that most of them were talking about the crisis we are
going through, the problems we are facing and how sick the people of our country
has become especially men. And I am not denying any of them, yes this is a
vicious and unfortunate reality of our nation right now, it’s been bitten by a
deadly snake and the venom is spreading all over, and if measures are not taken
the result can be fatal. Also it is important to discuss these issues because
if we don’t ask questions than how can we find answers, if we don’t know the
problem than how can we find the solutions. But on the other hand it is also important
to keep this issues away for a while and remember the positive aspects of this
great nation, its important to remember the scarifies people have made to give
us freedom, its important to make the next generation aware of our culture, our
civilization, and the contribution our country has made in the development of
this world. It is important to understand that if the next generation will grow
up listing to the news of hatred and enmity, than they will posses the same for
country and people, and if we teach them how great our country is and make them
aware of the treasures we possess then it will help us restore the sense of
pride towards our motherland amongst them which seems to be lost nowadays. So when lots of people are busy wondering
“what is wrong with India ?’
I have decided to take a different approach and tell everybody, “Yes, this is
right about India ”.
Here are some facts about India
which I think as a citizen of this country everybody should be aware of:
- India
never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.
- When
many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago,
Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley
Civilization)
- The
name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which
were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshipers referred to the
river Indus as the Sindhu.
- The
Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines
Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
- Chess
was invented in India.
- Algebra,
Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
- The
'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in
100 B.C.
- The
World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil
Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of
granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between
1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
- India
is the largest democracy in the world, the 7th largest
Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.
- 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. In time, the game underwent several
modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take
people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
- The
world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in
1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea
level.
- India
has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.
- The
largest employer in India is the Indian Railways, employing over a million
people.
- 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.
- Ayurveda
is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of
Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
- India
was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the
early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had
come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by
mistake.
- The
Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000
years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'.
The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.
- Bhaskaracharya
rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds
of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the
time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.
- 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, long before
the European mathematicians.
- Algebra,
Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in 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 Terra:
10*12(10 to the power of 12).
- Until
1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world
(Source: Gemological Institute of America). - 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.
- Sushruta
is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata &
his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs,
cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
- Usage
of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge
of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology,
genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.
- India
exports software to 90 countries.
- The
four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism,
are followed by 25% of the world's population.
- Jainism
and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.
- Islam
is India's and the world's second largest religion.
- There
are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country,
including the Muslim world.
- The
oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin.
They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.
- Jews
and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D.
respectively
- The
largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in
Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.
- The
Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the
world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome
or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the
temple everyday.
- Sikhism
originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the
Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.
- Varanasi,
also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord
Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited
city in the world today.
- India
provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka,
Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious
and political persecution.
- His
Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan
Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in northern
India.
- Martial
Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist
missionaries.
- Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.