BHARATAM RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT INDIA

ARTICLE

अतु쥍य भारत Incredible India

Sr.no TOPICS OF THE ARTICLE

1 FEATURES MAKING INDIA INCREDIBLE

2 INDIA’S INCREDIBLE CULTURE

3 INDIA’S GEOGRAPHICAL EXPANSION

4 INDIAN ART & LITERATURE

5 ASTONISHING BIODIVERSITY

6 INDIAN CONSTITUTION

7 INDIAN AGRICULTURE

8 INDIAN DEFENCE

9 AGILE SPORTS

10 GROWING ECONOMY

11 AYURVEDA

12 INDIAN TRANSPORT

13 LEGENDARY RULERS

14 LESSER KNOWN FACT ABOUT INDIA

15 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Features Making India Incredible

India Is the Largest Democratic Country in the World India Is Second Largest Country In Terms Of Population, After The China. But The China doesn't Have Complete Democracy. Hence, India Remains With The Largest Country (In Terms Of Population) Which Have Democracy. Therefore It Is Termed As The Largest Democratic Country.

Water Was Discovered On the Moon by India In September 2009, India’s ISRO Chandrayan-1 Using Its Moon Mineralogy Mapper Detected Water On The Moon. India Is the Country Who First Detected Water on the Moon

THE BIG TEMPLE The Great Tanjore Temple Is Built Of Interlocking Stones Without Any Binding Material. We Call Ourselves Modern And Technologically Advanced But Even Today – No 200+ Feet Structure In This World Is Built Without Binding Materials, Cements Or Blocks. Such Highly Developed, Flawless And Perfect Is The Vedic Building Technology Used By Hindu King Rajaraja Chola And His Hindu Engineers That In Comparison It Portrays Our Present Construction Technology As Primitive And Farce.

Angkor Wat Is Featured In the Cambodia Flag Is Made By Indian King

Have You Heard Of Religions Sharing Shrines? Never? Well, It Happened Once In Cambodia. Angkor Wat Was First A Hindu Religion Temple And Then Later It Was Turned Into A Buddhist Temple. It Is Located In Cambodia And Was First Built By Khmer King Suryavarman II In The Early 12th Century In Yasodharapura, The Capital Of The Khmer Empire. It Is The World's Largest Religious Monument And One Of The Most Visited Religious Sites In The World

The First Rocket In India Was Transported On A Cycle

The Very First Rocket Was So Light And Small, So It Was Transported On A Bicycle To The Thumba Launching Station In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

India Was The Only Place Where Diamonds Were Mined.

Diamond Mining In India Extends Back Into Antiquity. From Ancient Times, India Was The Source Of Nearly All The World's Known Diamonds, And Until The Discovery Of Diamonds In Brazil In 1726,

India Made Record By Launching Most Satellites From Single Rocket Indian Space Research Organisation Launches 104 Satellites In One Go

The Best Management Gyaan Is Provided By Mumbai Dabbawala

It's A Day Long Workshop Where You Can Learn About Management Techniques, The Dabbawala Way. I.E. Almost Zero Error! In

2005, IIM-A Featured A Case-Study On The Management Techniques Of The Dabbawala’s. Later, In 2010 , Harvard Business School

Also Conducted Their Own Study On The Timely And Efficient Delivery System Of This Company. They Had A Great Fan Following

Which Includes PRINCE CHARLES AND SIR.RICHARD BRANSON. INFACT Sir. Richard Branson Actually Delivered Dabba When He Visited

Dabbawalas!

India Still Remains The Top Gold Consumer In The World

Indian Citizens Buy So Much of Gold So That The Indian Government Owns Only 360 Metric Tons, While Private Gold Holdings Are Estimated To Be 15,000 Metric Tons And Gold Purchases Have Widened The Country’s Current Fiscal Deficit To 5.4% Of GDP . Indian Housewives Hold 11 % Of The Worlds Gold . That Is More Than The Reserves Of USA, IMF , Switzerland And Germany Put Together.

NASA Launches World’s Smallest Satellite Designed By 18-Year Old Indian Student

India Created History After NASA Launched The World's Smallest Satellite, Built By 18-Year Old Student Rifath Sharook And His Team Belonging To The State Of Tamil Nadu. Named As “ KALAMSAT ”, After Former President APJ Abdul Kalam, The Tiny Satellite Weighs Around 64 Grams.

On 26th MAY 2006, The Great Indian Scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam As Visited Switzerland. Upon His Coming Switzerland Declared That Day To Be The Science Day. This Gave A Countless Tribute And Gesture For The Supreme Scientist, Who Is Called To Be The “Missile Man Of India”.

INDIA’S INCREDIBLE CULTURE

• Indians Greet Each Other By Joining Their Hands Together At Their Chest And Using The Phrase “Namaste” Or “Namaskar”.

• "अतिथि देवो भवः" The Guests Are Treated As God and Are Well Taken Care Of, Even If They Are Not the Part of the Family.

• Indian Holidays And Festivals Are Celebrated On A Wide Scale, Irrespective Of Caste And Creed. Some Popular Festivals Include Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Pongal, Holi, Onam, Vijayadashami, Durga Puja, Eid Ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Christmas, Buddha Jayanti And Baisakhi. The Three National Holidays Are Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanthi.

• It Will Really Amaze You That, There Are 11 Different Religions Followed In India, Like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism And Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity And Islam. Of Which Religions Like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, And Sikhism All Originated From India.

• The Traditional Clothing Of Indians Includes Sarees, Ghagra-Choli, Salwar-Kameez, Dupatta, Dhoti, Pyjama And Kurta. Nevertheless, Indo-Western Clothing, A Fusion of Western and Subcontinental Fashion, Has Largely Influenced the Young Generation. People Can Be Found Donning This Fashion As Well.

• The Traditional Indian Music, Also Known As Sangeet, Focuses On Vocals, Instruments And Dance And Is Quite Popular Amongst People In India. However, Pop And Rock Music Have Also Been Widely Appreciated By The Indians.

• Indian Architecture Is Another Significant Area That Represents The Diversity Of Indian Culture. One Can Find Notable Monuments Like The Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Fatehpur Sikri And Red Fort Depicting The Mughal Architecture. Mumbai’s Nariman Point Is Famous For Its Art Deco Buildings. South India Boasts Of Several Hindu Temples Like

Chennakesava Temple, Hoysaleswara Temple, Kesava Temple, Brihadeeswara Temple, The Sun Temple, Konark Temple, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple And The Buddha Stupa.

• Rivers Have Played a Vital Role in India’s Popular Culture And Folklore—They Have Been Worshipped As Goddesses Because They Bring Water To An Otherwise Dry Land. Bathing in the Ganges In Particular Is Thought to Take Away a Person’s Sins. It Is Not Unusual To Spread A Loved One’s Ashes In The Ganges.

INDIA’S GEOGRAPHICAL EXPANSION

• India is the seventh largest country in the world, at 1.27 million square miles • The national fruit of India is the mango. The national bird is the peacock, which was initially bred for food • Hindi and English are the official languages of India. The government also recognizes 17 other languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali, Manipuri, Konkani, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu). Apart from these languages, about 1,652 dialects are spoken in the country • India has some of the wettest, driest, hottest and coldest regions in the world.

• India experiences six seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer monsoon, and winter monsoon. • Indian coastline is 7516 km long. • 16 types of forests are found in India including the evergreen tropical rain forests, dry alpine scrub forests, semi evergreen rain forests, deciduous monsoon forests, thorn forests, subtropical pine forests and more.

INDIAN ART AND LITERATURE

Dancing is one of India’s most highly developed arts and was an integral part of worship in the inner shrines of every temple. It is notable for its expressive hand movements.

The classical dance forms recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Ministry of Culture are:

sattriya,assam katthakali,kerala odissi,odisha

manipuri, manipur Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, from Tamil Nadu from Kerala

Kathak, from Northern and Kuchipudi, from Western India Andhra Pradesh

OTHER FOLK DANCES

Rouff – Jammu and Kashmir Bhangra – Punjab Rasleela, Uttar Pradesh

Bihu – Assam Ghoomar – Rajasthan Lavani – Maharashtra

Pulikali – Kerala Garba – Gujarat Raut Nacha – Chhattisgarh

Karakattam – Tamil Nadu Dollu Kunitha – Karnataka Ghumura – Odisha

Veeranatyam – Andhra Pradesh Chhau – West Bengal Matki Dance – Madhya Pradesh

SCRIPTURES

BHARTIYA SCRIPTURES

VEDAS SMRITIS DARSHAN PURANAS WRITINGS ITIHAS GITA SHASTRAS •Ramayan • RIGVED VEDANG UPVED •Writings of •Mahabharat • YAJURVED • POORV Acharyas, • SAMVED MIMANSA Jagadgurus • ATHARVED • ARTHVED • NYAY • Vyakaran • DHANURVED • VAISHASHIK Bhagwatam • Jyotish •Writings of • GANDHARVED • SANKHYA Rasik & Bakt • Nirukt Saints • AYURVED • YOG • Shiksha SECTIONS OF VEDAS • UTTAR • chand MIMMANSA •Kalpsutras • SANHITA • BRAHMAN • ARANYAK

ASTONISHING BIODIVERSITY

Each year, 22 May is celebrated as World Biodiversity Day. The word ‘biodiversity’ defines the variety of life on earth, but in its broader sense it is the reason life exists because in the living planet nothing can exist on its own. It is a term used to describe the different plants, animals, marine life, microorganisms, insects, habitats, ecosystem etc. that makes our planet so unique and so fascinating.

India is one of the mega-diverse nations in the world. It is called so because the country’s gamuts of life forms are wonderfully different wherever you might be. From extreme cold to extreme heat, coastal areas to rain forests, tropical jungles to mangrove belts, the extraordinary weather and climatic conditions have created homes and habitats for more than 50, 000 species of plants and 40,000 species of animals. Here are some fascinating facts about biodiversity of India.

India’s Biodiversity at a glance • India is just 2 percent of the world land mass but 8 percent of the world’s biodiversity is found in the country.

• 16 types of forests are found in India including the evergreen tropical rain forests, dry alpine scrub forests, semi evergreen rain forests, deciduous monsoon forests, thorn forests, subtropical pine forests and more.

• India is one of the 18 mega-diverse nations of the world.

• The two biodiversity hotspots present in India are the Western Ghats and the East Himalayan region.

• 11 percent of plant biodiversity in the world is found in India.

• There are 15,000 species of flowering plants in India.

• 2546 species of fishes are found in India.

• India has 198 species of Amphibians.

• 423 species of mammals are present in India.

• In the country there are 1331 species of birds.

• 408 species of reptiles inhabit India.

• There are 50,000 varieties of rice alone found in the country, making it the biggest reservoir of rice on earth.

Endemic species

• Among plants 33 percent of the species are endemic to India, which means they are found nowhere else in the world. • • 44 species of mammals are endemic to India like the Nilgiri Tahr, Wild Ass, and the Lion tailed Macaque. • • 55 species of birds are endemic to India found mostly in Western Ghats, eastern India along the mountain chains and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. • • There are around 187 endemic reptiles, and 110 endemic amphibian species in India.

Life under Threat • 929 species of animals in India are threatened today. • Four animals – the cheetah, Lesser Indian Rhinoceros, Pink-headed duck, and the Himalayan Mountain Quail – have become extinct in the last century. • Every 20 minutes a species is becoming extinct in the world, the next maybe from India

INDIAN CONSTITUTION

• A total of 283 members of the constituent assembly signed the constitution, which came into being on 26th January, 1950. • The Indian constitution is the longest in the world. • It took around 2 years, 11 months and 17 days for the assembly to finish writing the entire constitution. • The original Constitution of India was handwritten by Prem Behari Narain Raizada in a flowing italic style with beautiful calligraphy. Each page was beautified and decorated by artists from Shantiniketan • Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the first law minister of free India, a jurist, an economist, and a social reformer, was the Chairman of the committee. He also carries the tag of “Father of Indian Constitution”. • The date 26th January was especially selected since it was the anniversary of “Purna Swaraj Day” (26th January 1930); the day Indian congress seeded the fight for complete Independence and hoisted the Indian national flag for the first time. • The original hand-written copies of the Constitution are kept in helium-filled cases in the Library of Parliament House. • The national anthem of India, written by Rabindranath Tagore, was scribed in Bengali first and later translated to Hindi by Abid Ali in 1911. • The Indian national flag, with tri-color and the chakra in the middle, was conceptualized by Pingali Venkayya, a farmer from Machilipatnam (a city in southern state of Andhra Pradesh). • The ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in our Preamble have been taken from the French Revolution, which is also the French motto. • The Preamble to our Constitution was inspired by the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America, which also starts with "We the people". • The concept of Five Year Plans (FYP) was taken from the USSR, and the Directive Principles (socio-economic rights) were taken from Ireland.

• With 25 parts containing 448 articles and 12 schedules, the Indian Constitution is the longest written Constitution of any sovereign country in the world. • The Indian Constitution has also been hailed as one of the world's best Constitution because in 62 years of its adoption, it had been amended only 94 times. As of now, our Constitution has undergone a total of 100 amendments.

INDIAN AGRICULTURE:

• India’s pastoral communities are largely dependent on dairy and have made India the largest milk-producing country in the world

• There are 50,000 varieties of rice alone found in the country, making it the biggest Reservoir of rice on earth

• India is the world’s largest tea producer, and tea (chai) is its most popular beverage

• India produces 70% of the world's spices.[

• 1. India – 1st in Sugarcane production. 2. India – 1st in cashewnut production 3. India – 1st in banana production. 4. India – 1st in Milk production. 5. India – 1st in production and consumption of Tea. 6. India – 2nd in silk production 7. India – 1st in production of Vegetables. 8. India – 3rd in fertilizer production (No potash production in India ) 9. India – 3rd in Tobacco production (5.5-6.0 lakh tones) 10. India – 4th largest producer of natural rubber. (8.9%) 11. India – 5th in egg production 12. India – 6th in Fish production.

INDIAN DEFENCE

The Indian Armed Forces, consisting of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy and the Indian our country secure and free. They are respected and adored for their valor and sense of duty by the entire country. Many of us would know about their triumphs and stellar contributions to civilian life. But here are a few facts which Coast Guard are India’s shield and sword, which keep our interests safe, our enemies at bay and the people of will increase your respect for the Indian military ten-fold.

1. India controls the highest battlefield in the world, the Siachen glacier, at 5000 metres above Mean Sea Level (MSL).

2. Indian soldiers are considered among the very best in high altitude and mountain warfare. The Indian army’s High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is one of the most elite military training centers in the world and is frequented by Special Ops teams from the U.S, U.K & Russia. U.S Special Forces trained at HAWS before their deployment during the invasion of Afghanistan.

3. India covertly tested its nuclear arsenal in the early 1970s and late 1990s without the CIA even knowing what was happening. Till date, it is considered to be one of the CIA’s biggest failures in espionage and detection.

4. In the Battle of Longewala, on which the famous Bollywood movie “Border” is based, there were only two casualties on the Indian side. The Battle of Longewala was fought in December 1971 between India and Pakistan, in which just 120 Indian Soldiers with 1 jeep mounted M40 recoilless rifle held the fort against 2000 Pakistani soldiers backed by 45 tanks and 1 mobile infantry brigade. Despite being heavily out-numbered, the Indian soldiers held their ground throughout the night and with the help of the Air Force, were able to completely rout the aggressors.

5. Operation Rahat (2013) was one of the biggest civilian rescue operations ever carried out in the world. It was carried out by the Indian Air Force to evacuate civilians affected by the floods in Uttarakhand in 2013. It was the biggest civilian rescue operations in the world carried out by any Air Force using helicopters. During the first phase of the operation from 17 June 2013, the IAF airlifted a total of about 20,000 people; flying a total of 2,140 sorties and dropping a total of 3,82,400 kg of relief material and equipment.

6. The Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kerala is the largest of its kind in Asia.

7. The Indian army has a horsed cavalry regiment. It is among one of the last 3 such regiments in the world.

8. The Indian Air Force has an out-station base in Tajikistan and is seeking another in Afghanistan.

9. The Indian Army built the highest bridge in the world. The Bailey Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

10. The Military Engineering Services (MES) is one of the biggest construction agencies in India. The MES and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are together responsible for the construction and maintenance of some of the most awesome roads and bridges ever to have been built. To name a few, the Khardungla Pass (the highest motorable road in the world), the Magnetic Hill in Leh, etc.

11. The Indo Pakistan War of 1971 came to end with the surrender of about 93,000 combatants and officials of the Pakistani Army. This is the largest number of POWs taken into custody since World War II. The war resulted in the creation of the independent state of Bangladesh.

Though, India lacks sincere facilities regarding arms manufacture, it is the world’s second largest importer and on the verge of becoming the largest in the field of importing arms and ammunitions from foreign countries. As per the figures from Defense Ministry, India has spent around $50 billion on defense purchases in the last decade.

AGILE SPORTS

• India is the birthplace of chess. The original word for “chess” is the Sanskrit chaturanga, meaning “four members of an army”—which were mostly likely elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers.

• It is believed that Kabaddi was played in India as far back as 4000 years! Indians Kabbadi players are proud that till this date Indians have won all six world cups. Even the women’s team also has been unbeaten all over their matches . The word ‘Kabaddi’ has come from a Tamil word, Kai-pidi, which means ‘holding hands.

• India does not have a National Game.

• It's not hockey and definitely not chess. In an RTI reply , the centre said that there is no National game.

• Chail in Himachal Pradesh is the highest cricket pitch in the world.

• It is situated at an elevation of 2444 meters, above the sea level.

• Traditionally, Indians have enjoyed various sporting activities and games. Sports history of India dates back to the Vedic era. Traces of the earliest sport activities such as hunting, swimming, boating, archery, horse riding, wrestling, martial arts, fishing and board games like chess, snakes and ladders etc can be seen from ancient bronze ware, paintings etc and finds mention in books such as the two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

• The origin and development of sports activities are closely related with the work, defence and entertainment of the time. Records says that games like, Chess, Snakes and Ladders, Kabbadi, Kho-CKho, playing cards, martial arts of 'Kalari Payattu' etc had originated as a sport in India. Now the most popular sports in India is Cricket and Football. In fact, Cricket has become a way of life with Indians and India has an impressive track record in cricket. Traditionally a number of games were popular - Kho-Kho, Kabbadi, Gulli- Danda, Wrestling, camel race, Vallamkali (boat race), pachisi are a few amongst them.

• India is an active participant in major world sports tournaments such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, SAF Games, Wimbledon and many others. The country has hosted the Asian Games twice in 1951 and in 1982 and the World Table tennis championships three times in 1952, 1975 and 1987.

• A few notable performances were given by : triple-jumper Henry Rebello (1948), quarter-miler Milkha Singh (1960), hurdler Gurbachan Singh Randhawa (1964), 800m-runner Sriram Singh (1976) and P.T. Usha (400m hurdles, 1984) etc, Karnam Malleswari (2004).

• India has produced some players with exceptional skills who have made their presence felt at the international events in individual sports such as Viswanathan Anand in chess, Geeth Sethi in Billiards, Ramanathan Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and recently Sania Mirza who is making waves in tennis, Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand in badminton; Rajyavardhan Rathore, Jaspal Rana, Mansher Singh (shooting), Anju George (long jump), Narain Karthikeyan in Motor Racing, Chetan P. Baboor in table tennis, Chiranjeev Milkha Singh in golf, and A.Maria Irudayam in carrom etc. All these sportspersons and many others lent prestige and splendour to the Indian sports.

INDIAN ECONOMY

• The Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.2 per cent in FY 2017-18, as per the forecast by UNION BANK OF SWITZERLAND. • Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows rose 8.1 per cent year-on-year to US$ 60.1 billion during April 2016 – March 2017. • India's foreign exchange reserves were US$ 381.95 billion in the week up to June 16, 2017, as compared to US$ 381.15 billion over the past week. • Mutual Funds asset base stood at Rs 19.03 trillion (US$ 294.94 billion) at the end of May 2017, as against Rs 19.26 trillion (US$ 298.51 billion) at the end of April 2017. • India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) rose 3.1 per cent in April 2017, as against a rise of 2.7 per cent in March 2017. The cumulative IIP growth for April 2016 – March 2017 was 5 per cent as against 3.4 per cent growth for the same period in 2015-16. • The eight key infrastructure sectors rose 2.5 per cent in April 2017 as against 5.7 per cent in March 2017, with steel sector exhibiting the maximum growth of 9.3 per cent. The cumulative growth during April-March 2017 increased by 4.5 per cent. • India has moved up three index points to 136 in October-December 2016 quarter in Nielsen’s global consumer confidence index. The country's confidence score was 133 in July-September 2016 quarter, and 128 in April-June 2016 quarter. • Passenger vehicle sales rose 8.63 per cent year-on-year to 251,000 units in May 2017, as compared to 14.68 per cent year- on-year growth to 277,000 units in April 2017 • India's current account deficit (CAD) expanded marginally to 0.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) during January- March 2017, as against a deficit of 0.1 per cent during the same period of 2015-16. The current account deficit (CAD) for the financial year 2016-17 narrowed to 0.7 per cent of GDP, as against a deficit of 1.1 per cent in 2015-16. • India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation rate declined to 2.17 per cent in May 2017 as against 3.85 per cent in April 2017. • India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate declined to 2.18 per cent in May 2017, as against 2.99 per cent in April 2017. • Total Merger and Acquisition (M&A) activity rose 165.14 per cent year-on-year to US$ 35.45 billion in value terms during January-May 2017. • Total value of Private Equity (PE)/venture capital (VC) investments rose 64 per cent year-on-year to US$ 963 million in value terms in May 2017.

AYURVEDA

Top 10 Ayurvedic Herbs Ayurveda is a medical science of ancient India, which had found a very effective use of herbs to cure all types of major and minor ailments, without any side effect. Though Ayurvedic doctors use rare and unique herbs in treating ailments, there are also some very popular herbs which can be used every day to maintain good health. You can consume most of these medicinal plants in the form of spices, condiments, and oils. So, make sure to use these herbs regularly, and you may never ever have to visit a doctor again. 1. Turmeric Though commonly used as a spice for flavoring dishes, turmeric has great healing powers and has been used in Ayurveda for mostly for purifying blood, treating skin ailments, as well as in treatment of heart, liver and lungs diseases. Turmeric is considered great anti-bacterial, which helps in healing of wounds.

2. Garlic

This is one of the most sought after herb, both by the chefs and holistic medical practitioners, especially the Ayurvedic practitioners who refer to it as Lasuna. The herb is known for its excellent antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal property, besides being a good home remedy for influenza, cold and cough.

3. Aloe Vera

The magical herb was known as ‘The Plant of Immortality’ by the Egyptians. The herb is extensively used as cosmetic product due to its qualities in nourishing the skin. In Ayurveda, the herb was used to treat rashes, digestion, and curing various ailments of human body. 4. Ginger

Ayurveda has taken advantage of this herb to successfully treat, digestive problems and morning sickness, though it is not limited to that. Ginger has been considered stand by remedy for almost any ailment due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, anti pyretic and analgesic properties.

5. Tulsi or Holy Basil

Holy basil or Tulsi is used as a remedial herb for many ailments of human body, like cold, fever, sore throat, cough, bronchitis, asthma, and kidney stones and heart problems. The herb is an excellent nerve tonic and is known to increase memory power and mental ability. It is also known to relieve stress.

6. Amla

Amla, also known as Indian Gooseberry, has been an important ingredient of Ayurvedic medicine for many centuries. The edible fruit has been used to treat diabetes, cholesterol, cold, cough, indigestion and many more diseases effectively. Amla is well known for its high content in vitamin C and its amazing antioxidant properties. 7. Ashawagandh or Winter Cherry

This herb has been used as an aphrodisiac and treatment of infertility as it has great property of nourishing and rejuvenating the tissues of human body. Ayurveda has found good use of the whole herb, from its root to its leaves for use in medicines which are used to address various ailments.

8. Jatamansi or Indian Spikenard

This aromatic herb is sought for its amazing property of purifying blood and improving the complexion of skin, giving it a youthful appearance. The herb is used in ayurveda for treating ailments like poor circulation of blood, digestive disorders, respiratory diseases and infertility. It is also used in production of aromatic candles. 9. Neem

Neem is good for infections of skin, known to provide relief from even the dreaded small pox. Though bitter in taste, the plant has great healing power and used in most of medicines prepared in ayurveda.

10. Brahmi

Ayurveda has made use of this wonderful herb to enhance and rejuvenate memory powers as well as increase intelligence, as it greatly benefits the nervous system. The Brahmi or bacopa monnieri herb is also known to improve immunity. It treats psoriasis and hair loss as well.

• Sushruta, an ancient Indian surgeon, made important contributions to the field of plastic and cataract surgery in 6th century BC. The medical works of both, Sushruta and Charak originally in Sanskrit later spread. British physicians travelled to India to see rhinoplasties being performed by native methods.

INDIAN TRANSPORT RAILWAY:

▪ The total distance covered by the 14,300 trains on the Indian Railways everyday, equals three & half times the distance to moon. ▪ The first train on Indian soil ran between Bombay and Thane on the 16th of April 1853. ▪ IR has about 63,028 route kms. of track ▪ IR employs about 1.55 million people. ▪ It carries over 13 million passengers & 1.3 million tones of freight everyday ▪ It runs about 14,300 trains daily. ▪ IR has about 7,000 railway stations. ▪ The longest platform in the world is at Kharagpur and is 2,733 ft. in length ▪ Nehru Setu on Sone River is the longest Railway bridge. ROADS:

▪ The Kathipara Junction of Chennai is the largest cloverleaf interchanges in India and largest cloverleaf flyover in the whole of Asia. Kathipara cloverleaf grade separator is located at the intersection of Grand Southern Trunk Road, Inner Ring Road, Poonamallee road and Anna Salai. ▪ ▪ The Hebbal Flyover of Bangalore built by Gammon with the total spans length of 5.23 kilometers. The serpentine maze of flyovers connects the Outer Ring Road and Bellary Road, it will receive rapid expansion and growth for smoother traffic flow. Hebbal flyover is one of the Civil Engineering Wonder of India ▪ ▪ The Chenani Nashri Tunnel or Patnitop Tunnel is a under construction road tunnel at Chenani in Udhampur district of Jammu & Kashmir. Chenani Nashri Tunnel will be the India’s longest road tunnel with total length of 9.2 km long at an average elevation of 1,062 meters ( 3,487 feet). ▪ ▪ The Kanpur Over Bridge is one of the largest over-bridges in the Asia, It’s situated in National Highway 2 while entering the Kanpur city from Etawah. Kanpur over bridge is 23 km long and 12 lane over bridge, Another under construction bridge near Kanpur is Jajmau Bypass, will be 3 km long and 8 lane road ▪ ▪ The Mahatma Gandhi Setu river road bridge over the holy river Ganges in Bihar, connecting the capital city of Patna in the south to Hajipur. Mahatma Gandhi Setu is 5.5 km long, 4 lane roadway with 48 pilers, which makes India’s longest river road bridge and one of the longest bridges in the world. ▪ ▪ The Godavari Bridge also known as Kovvur Rajahmundry bridge over river Godavari in Rajahmundry is Asia’s second longest road-cum-rail bridge crossing a water body.The 2.7 kilometres long bridge has two lanes of road and single railway line. ▪ ▪ The 32-lane toll plaza is located at the Delhi-Gurgaon border in the route of Delhi Gurgaon Expressway. The 32 Lane Gurgaon Expressway toll plaza is the India’s largest toll plaza and biggest toll plaza in whole Asia. ▪ ▪ The Bandra Worli Sea Link of Mumbai is India’s longest Sea Bridge followed by second longest sea bridge, The Pamban bridge. Bandra Worli Sea Link connects Bandra with Worli and is the part of proposed Western Freeway. The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link is an under construction sea bridge in Mumbai and will be the longest sea bridge of India with total length of 22 km.

LEGENDARY RULERS

Maharana Pratap:

He was a Hindu Rajput ruler of Mewar, a region in north-western India in the present day state of Rajasthan. Known for his gallantry and magnanimity, Maharana Pratap opposed the Mughals, particularly Emperor Akbar. Chittor was conquered by the Mughals; Maharana Pratap won back most of his territory except his cherished Chittor. He had pledged to sleep on the floor and live in a hut until he won Chittor back from the Mughals which unfortunately he never accomplished in his life time. Chandragupta I:

He was a major king in Indian history and also the founder of the Gupta Dynasty. He is believed to have formed several alliances with powerful houses through marriages into those families. He was the Gupta Emperor from 320–335 CE and called himself Maharajadhiraj which means king of kings to show his superiority over others. He ruled over territories like Prayag (Allahabad), Saket (Oudh) and Magadh (south Bihar). Samudragupta:

He was the successor of Chandragupta I belonging to the Gupta Dynasty and was the greatest king of that dynasty. Samudragupta is the ruler who is known to have ushered in the Golden Age of India. A great warrior, a connoisseur of art and a generous ruler, Samudragupta was chosen for succession by his father inspite of him not being the eldest of his sons. Another quality that he is remembered for is his tolerance and patronage for other religions. Ranjit Singh:

Ranjit Singh was the founder of the Sikh Empire based in Punjab in the early half of the 19th century. During his rule he brought the whole of the central Punjab from the Sutlej to the Jhelum under his sway. His empire was based on the foundations of the Khalsa with opportunities for accession to commanding positions not restricted only to the Sikhs. He was a tolerant king and was also known as the “Maharaja of Punjab”.

Prithviraj Chauhan:

Prithvi Raj III was a king of the Hindu Chauhan dynasty. He ruled the kingdom of Ajmer and Delhi after succeeding to the throne at the young age of 20 and ruled much of present-day Rajasthan and Haryana. His elopement with the daughter of Jai Chandra Rathod of Kannauj, Samyukta , is a popular romantic tale of Indian history. But he is more importantly remember for having defeated Muhammad Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain in 1191 and later killing him during an archery show when blinded and imprisoned by the latter in 1192. Kanishka:

Kanishka, also known as Kanishka the Great, was an emperor of the Kushan Dynasty. His empire extended from Turfan in the Tarim Basin to Pataliputra on the Gangetic plain. With Pataliputra as his main capital, his reign was famous for its military, political, and spiritual achievements. He also had regional capitals as far as present- day Bagram in Afghanistan. Kanishka was a great patron of Buddhism and is still today considered as one of the greatest Buddhist Kings of India. Shivaji:

Shivaji Bhosale was the founder and the greatest king of the Maratha Empire. Hailing from the Bhosle Maratha clan, he created an independent Maratha kingdom with Raigad as its capital. He was crowned as Chhatrapati for leading the struggle against the Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur and the Mughal Empire. He is remembered as a great warrior and a hero who united most of India against the Mughals. Shivaji is also known for pioneering the guerilla warfare methods using geography, speed, and surprise for attacks against more powerful and larger enemies. Ashoka:

Ashoka is also known as Samraat Chakravartin. He belonged to the Maurya Dynastyand ruled from ca. 269 BCE to 232 BCE. He reigned over most of the Indian subcontinent from the modern Iranian provinces of Khorasan, Sistan and Balochistan (unpartitioned), through the Hindukush Mountains in Afghanistan, to the Indian state of Assam in the east, and as far south as northern Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. He is attributed to the global spread of Buddhism and the emblem of modern India is derived from the Lion Capital of Ashoka.

Akbar:

Akbar was the Mughal Emperor from 1556 until his death. The third ruler of the Mughal Dynasty, he succeeded Humayun at a very young age. He went on to become one of the greatest rulers in Indian history and the greatest Mughal Emperor, too. His empire included nearly all of the Indian Subcontinent north of the Godavari river and he consolidated the same using marriage alliances and diplomacy. Akbar is known to have been a liberal ruler who believed in cultural integration. Chandragupta Maurya:

Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan Empire and believed to be the first Emperor to have united India into one state. The Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta Maurya was the largest empire in Indian history up until that time. With his chief advisor Chanakya, he built a strong central administration and economy. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest rulers in Indian history known to have conquered Alexander the Great’s easternmost satrapies.

LESSER KNOWN FACTS ABOUT INDIA

• Traditionally, Indians found toilet paper repellent and considered it cleaner to splash water with the left hand in the appropriate direction. Consequently, the left hand is considered unclean and is never used for eating

• Indians made significant contributions to calculus, trigonometry, and algebra. The decimal system was invented in India in 100 B.C. The concept of zero as a number is also attributed to India. Indians made significant contributions to calculus, trigonometry, and algebra. The decimal system was invented in India in 100 B.C. The concept of zero as a number is also attributed to India

• . The City Montessori School in Lucknow is the world's largest school in terms of the number of students. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the City Montessori School in Lucknow, India, had 39,437 pupils and 2,500 teachers on December 29, 2011.

• The first and greatest civilization in ancient India developed around the valley of the Indus River (now Pakistan) around 3000 B.C. Called the Indus Valley civilization, this early empire was larger than any other empire, including Egypt and Mesopotamia

• London has more Indian restaurants than Mumbai or Delhi. Britain also has the largest Indian restaurant in the world, The Akash , which can seat up to 750 people in one sitting

• India is home to the world's biggest family. A man named Ziona Chana has 39 wives, 94 children, and 33 grand children. They all live together in a 100-room mansion

• The Golden Temple in India feeds a vegetarian meal to over 100,000 people a day regardless of race, religion and class.

• In Maharashtra, there is a village called Shani Shingnapur which is the most incredible of all. At the time when you to travel to this village, you might be surprised to note that there will be no doors in the houses and shops except the door frames. Till the year 2010, there was no theft has been stated. Till date, there is no door or locks in the village because it is due to the fear they have on Lord Shani

• Among all the facts these facts about Indis is a really incredible thing that happened in India. The 2011 Kumbh Mela that was held in Allahabad holds the largest gathering in the world. That was around 75 million people crowd which was very much visible from space.

• There are places in India where men demand gender equality for themselves

• There are places in India where a man marries a woman and moves to his mother-in-law's house. Khasi and t he matrilineal Muslim s in Minicoy, Lakshadweep are some of the examples

• Bear Grylls wanted to join The Indian Army after getting out of school Presenter of the famous show, Man Vs. Wild, Bear Grylls always knew he wanted to do something adventurous with his life. No wonder, his first choice was to join The Indian Army.

BODHIDHARMA: Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to Chinese legend, he also began the physical training of the monks of Shaolin Monastery that led to the creation of Shaolin kungfu. In Japan, he is known as Daruma.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/cultural-facts-about-india-9391.html • http://www.theforthright.com/interesting-things-indian-culture/ • https://www.ibef.org/economy/indiasnapshot/facts-about-indian-economy • http://indiavivid.com/facts-about-india • https://www.factretriever.com/india-facts • http://desinema.com/indian-superstitious-beliefs/ • http://desinema.com/hindu-traditions-scientific-reasons/ • http://www.webindia123.com/india/arts/index.html • http://www.webindia123.com/india/literature/literature.htm • https://www.indianartideas.in/blog/traditional-art/interesting-facts-about-traditional-indian-art • http://indiasendangered.com/facts-you-did-not-know-about-biodiversity-of-india/ • http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/125981-Agriculture-Facts-India.aspx • https://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/indian-military-respect/#.fzt4pfva4 • http://topyaps.com/top-10-greatest-kings-in-indian-history