Interesting Facts about India
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 worshippers 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 6th 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.
Constitution of India
India, also known as Bharat, is a Union of States.It is a Sovereign Socialist Secular
Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Republic is
governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent
Assembly on 26th November 1949 and came into force on 26th January 1950.
The Constitution provides for a Parliamentary form of government which is federal in
structure with certain unitary features. The constitutional head of the Executive of the
Union is the President. As per Article 79 of the Constitution of India, the council of the
Parliament of the Union consists of the President and two Houses known as the Council
of States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha). Article 74(1) of the
Constitution provides that there shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister
as its head to aid and advise the President, who shall exercise his functions in accordance
to the advice. The real executive power is thus vested in the Council of Ministers with the
Prime Minister as its head.
The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the House of the People (Lok
Sabha). Every State has a Legislative Assembly. Certain States have an upper House also
called State Legislative Council. There is a Governor for each state who is appointed by
the President. Governor is the Head of the State and the executive power of the State is
vested in him. The Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister as its head advises the
Governor in the discharge of the executive functions. The Council of the Ministers of a
state is collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State.
The Constitution distributes legislative powers between Parliament and State legislatures
as per the lists of entries in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. The residuary
powers vest in the Parliament. The centrally administered territories are called Union
Territories.
Republic Day Celebrations
Each year, 26th January is a day on which every Indian heart fills up with patriotic fervour and
immense love for motherland. There are many significant memories as it was this day when the
Indian Tricolour was first unfurled in January 1930 at Lahore, by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru and the
declaration of an independent Indian National Congress was made.
26th January, 1950 was the day when the Indian republic and its constitution came into force. It
was this day in history in 1965 when Hindi was declared as the official language of India.
Celebrations Galore
Republic Day is celebrated every year with much enthusiasm all over the country and to mark
the importance of this occasion, a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from Raisina
Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's House), along the Rajpath, past India Gate and on
to the historic Red Fort.
The event begins with the Prime Minister of India laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at
India Gate, commemorating all the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. Soon, a 21
gun salute is presented, the President unfurls the National Flag and the National Anthem is
played. This marks the beginning of the parade.
The President is accompanied by a notable foreign Head of State - who is the invited Chief Guest
at the celebration.
The Parade begins with winners of gallantry awards passing the President in open jeeps.
President of India, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute
at the grand parade. The Indian Military also showcases its latest acquisitions such as tanks,
missiles, radars, etc.
Soon after, awards and medals of bravery are given by the President to the people from the
armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also to those civilians who have
distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations.
After this, helicopters from the armed forces fly past the parade area showering rose petals on the
audience.
The military parade is followed by a colourful cultural parade. India's rich cultural heritage is
depicted in the form of tableaus from various states. Each state depicts its unique festivals,
historical locations and art. This exhibition of diversity and richness of the culture of India lends
a festive air to the occasion.
Tableaus from various government department and ministries of India are also presented
displaying their contribution towards the progress of the nation. The most cheered section of the
parade is when the children who have won National Bravery Awards ride past the dais on
elephants. School-children from all over the country also participate in the parade showcasing
folk dances and singing to the tunes of patriotic songs.
The parade also includes displays of skilful motor-cycle rides, by the Armed Forces personnel.
The most eagerly awaited part of the parade is the fly past, put on by the Indian Air Force. The
fly past marks the conclusion of the parade, when fighter planes of the IAF roar past the dais,
symbolically saluting the President.
Live Webcast (External website that opens in a new window) of the Republic Day Parade is
made available every year to millions of surfers who wish to view the parade over the Internet.
After the event is over, the exclusive footage is made available as 'video on demand'.
Celebrations, though on a relatively smaller scale, are also held in all state capitals, where the
Governor of the state unfurls the Tricolour. Similar celebrations are also held at district
headquarters, sub divisions, talukas, and panchayats.
PM Rally
The Republic Day celebration is a three day extravaganza and post this celebration at India Gate,
on the 27th January, a Prime Minister's Rally is held by a crème of N.C.C cadets displaying
various breath-taking performances and drill.
Lok Tarang
The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in association with seven Zonal Cultural Centres
organises "Lok Tarang, - National Folk Dance Festival" every year from 24th to 29th January.
This festival provides a unique opportunity for people to witness colourful, vibrant and authentic
folk dances drawn from various parts of the country.
Beating the Retreat
Beating The Retreat officially denotes the end of Republic Day festivities. All important
Government Buildings are beautifully decorated with lights every evening from 26th to 29th.
Beating the Retreat ceremony is conducted on the evening of January 29, the third day after the
Republic Day. The ceremony starts by the massed bands of the three services marching in
unison, playing popular marching tunes.
The drummers also give a solo performance (known as the Drummer's Call). Followed by this
the drummers play Abide With Me (which is also said to be GandhiJi's favourite) and the
chimes made by the tubular bells, placed quite at a distance, create a mesmerising ambience.
This is followed by the bugle call for Retreat, the band master then marches to the President and
requests permission to take the bands away, and informs that the closing ceremony is now
complete. The bands march back playing a popular martial tune Saare Jahan Se Achcha.
At exactly 6 pm, the buglers sound the retreat and the National Flag is lowered, and the National
Anthem is sung, bringing the Republic Day celebrations to a formal end
.
History of Indian Tricolor
"A flag is a necessity for all nations. Millions have died for it. It is no doubt a kind of idolatry which would
be a sin to destroy. For, a flag represents an Ideal The unfurling of the Union Jack evokes in the English
breast sentiments whose strength it is difficult to measure. The Stars and Stripes mean a world to the
Americans. The Star and the Crescent will call forth the best bravery in Islam."
"It will be necessary for us Indians Muslims, Christians Jews, Parsis, and all others to whom India is their
home-to recognize a common flag to live and to die for."
- Mahatma Gandhi
Every free nation of the world has its own flag. It is a symbol of a free country. The National
Flag of India was designed by Pingali Venkayyaand and adopted in its present form during the
meeting of Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947, a few days before India's
independence from the British on 15 August, 1947. It served as the national flag of the Dominion
of India between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950 and that of the Republic of India
thereafter. In India, the term "tricolour" refers to the Indian national flag.
The National flag of India is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (kesari) at the top, white in the
middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its
length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel which represents the
chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of
Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes.
Evolution of the Tricolour
It is really amazing to see the various changes that our National Flag went through since its first
inception. It was discovered or recognised during our national struggle for freedom. The
evolution of the Indian National Flag sailed through many vicissitudes to arrive at what it is
today. In one way it reflects the political developments in the nation. Some of the historical
milestones in the evolution of our National Flag involve the following:
Unofficial flag of India
in 1906
The Berlin committee
flag, first raised by
Bhikaiji Cama in 1907
The flag used during the
Home Rule movement
in 1917
The flag unofficially
adopted in 1921
The flag adopted in 1931.
This flag was also the
battle ensign of the
Indian National Army
The present Tricolour
flag of India
The first national flag in India is said to have been hoisted on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee
Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta now Kolkata. The flag was composed of three horizontal
strips of red, yellow and green.
The second flag was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of exiled revolutionaries in
1907 (according to some inl9OS). This was very similar to the first flag except that the top strip
had only one lotus but seven stars denoting the Saptarishi. This flag was also exhibited at a
socialist conference in Berlin.
The third flag went up in 1917 when our political struggle had taken a definite turn. Dr. Annie
Besant and Lokmanya Tilak hoisted it during the Home rule movement. This flag had five red
and four green horizontal strips arranged alternately, with seven stars in the saptarishi
configuration super-imposed on them. In the left-hand top corner (the pole end) was the Union
Jack. There was also a white crescent and star in one corner.
During the session of the All India Congress Committee which met at Bezwada in 1921 (now
Vijayawada) an Andhra youth prepared a flag and took it to Gandhiji. It was made up of two
colours-red and green-representing the two major communities i.e. Hindus and Muslims.
Gandhiji suggested the addition of a white strip to represent the remaining communities of India
and the spinning wheel to symbolise progress of the Nation.
The year 1931 was a landmark in the history of the flag. A resolution was passed adopting a
tricolor flag as our national flag. This flag, the forbear of the present one, was saffron, white and
green with Mahatma Gandhi's spinning wheel at the center. It was, however, clearly stated that it
bore no communal significance and was to be interpreted thus.
On July 22, 1947, the Constituent Assembly adopted it as Free India National Flag. After the
advent of Independence, the colours and their significance remained the same. Only the Dharma
Charkha of Emperor Asoka was adopted in place of the spinning wheel as the emblem on the
flag. Thus, the tricolour flag of the Congress Party eventually became the tricolour flag of
Independent India.
Colours of the Flag:
In the national flag of India the top band is of Saffron colour, indicating the strength and courage
of the country. The white middle band indicates peace and truth with Dharma Chakra. The last
band is green in colour shows the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land.
The Chakra:
This Dharma Chakra depicted the "wheel of the law" in the Sarnath Lion Capital made by the
3rd-century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The chakra intends to show that there is life in
movement and death in stagnation.
Flag Code
On 26th January 2002, the Indian flag code was modified and after several years of
independence, the citizens of India were finally allowed to hoist the Indian flag over their homes,
offices and factories on any day and not just National days as was the case earlier. Now Indians
can proudly display the national flag any where and any time, as long as the provisions of the
Flag Code are strictly followed to avoid any disrespect to the tricolour. For the sake of
convenience, Flag Code of India, 2002, has been divided into three parts. Part I of the Code
contains general description of the National Flag. Part II of the Code is devoted to the display of
the National Flag by members of public, private organizations, educational institutions, etc. Part
III of the Code relates to display of the National Flag by Central and State governments and their
organisations and agencies.
There are some rules and regulations upon how to fly the flag, based on the 26 January 2002
legislation. These include the following:
The Do's:
The National Flag may be hoisted in educational institutions (schools, colleges, sports camps,
scout camps, etc.) to inspire respect for the Flag. An oath of allegiance has been included in the
flag hoisting in schools.
A member of public, a private organization or an educational institution may hoist/display the
National Flag on all days and occasions, ceremonial or otherwise consistent with the dignity and
honour of the National Flag.
Section 2 of the new code accepts the right of all private citizens to fly the flag on their
premises.
The Don'ts
The flag cannot be used for communal gains, drapery, or clothes. As far as possible, it should be
flown from sunrise to sunset, irrespective of the weather.
The flag cannot be intentionally allowed to touch the ground or the floor or trail in water. It
cannot be draped over the hood, top, and sides or back of vehicles, trains, boats or aircraft.
No other flag or bunting can be placed higher than the flag. Also, no object, including flowers or
garlands or emblems can be placed on or above the flag. The tricolour cannot be used as a
festoon, rosette or bunting.
The Indian National Flag represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India. It is the
symbol of our national pride. Over the last five decades, several people including members of
armed forces have ungrudgingly laid down their lives to keep the tricolour flying in its full glory.
Indian Armed Forces
The Government of India is responsible for ensuring the defence of India and every part thereof.
The Supreme Command of the Indian Armed Forces vests in the President. The responsibility for
national defence rests with the Cabinet. This is discharged through the Ministry of Defence,
which provides the policy framework and wherewithal to the Armed Forces to discharge their
responsibilities in the context of the defence of the country. The Indian Armed Forces comprise
of three divisions – Indian Army, Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force. .
Indian Army
The Indian subcontinent had witnessed the cohesive concentration of many Empires in the quest
for control of military power, and governance of the State. As time rolled by, societal norms
found an ethos in the workplace, the system of rights and privileges, and service under the flag.
The Indian Army, as we know it today became operational after the Country gained
independence from British colonialism. The Indian Army's HQ is located in New Delhi and
functions under the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is responsible for the command, control,
and administration as a whole. The Army is divided into six operational commands (field armies)
and one training command, each under the command of a Lieutenant General, who has an equal
status to the Vice-Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS), working under the control of Army HQ in
New Delhi. .
Indian Navy
The foundation of the modern Indian Navy was laid in the seventeenth century when the East
India Company had established a maritime force, thereby graduating in time to the establishment
of the Royal Indian Navy in 1934. The Headquarters of the Indian Navy is located in New Delhi,
and is under the command of the Chief of the naval staff – an Admiral. The Indian navy is
deployed under three area commands, each headed by a flag officer. The Western Naval
Command is headquartered in Bombay on the Arabian Sea; the Southern Naval Command in
Kochi (Cochin), in Kerala, also on the Arabian Sea; and the Eastern Naval Command in
Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on the Bay of Bengal. .
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8th October 1932, and on 1st April 1954, Air
Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, one of the founding members of the Air Force took over as the first
Indian Chief of Air Staff. With the passage of time, the Indian Air Force undertook massive
upgrading of its aircraft and equipments, and as part of the process, it introduced more than
twenty new types of aircrafts. The last decade of the twentieth century saw a phenomenal change
in the structure of the Indian Air Force with induction of women into the Air Force for short
service commissions. It was also a time when the Air Force undertook some of the most perilous
operations ever undertaken.