India, officially the Republic of India (Bhārat
Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area,
the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous
democracy in the world.
Protected by the great Himalayan mountain ranges spreaded over the north to north
East, bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west,
and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to
the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh
to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the
Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border
with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade route
and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and
cultural wealth for much of its long history. It was also known as “Sone Ki Chidiya”.
The number Zero (0), Yoga and Ayurveda (an alternative medicine therapy) have originated
from India
Four religions originated here – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikkhism whereas
Zoroastiranism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the 1st millenium CE
and also shaped the region’s diverse culture.
India is a federation composed of 29 states and 7 union territories.
Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan
West Bengal,Odiisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh*, Assam*, Manipur*, Meghalaya*, Mizoram*,
Nagaland*, Tripura* (* known as seven sisters)
Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala
Diu, Daman, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Chandigarh, National Capital Territory of Delhi,
Puducherry,Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep
Art & Culture :
Dance :
Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Kathak, Odishi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi
Garba, Raas, Tippani, Bhavai, Ghummar, Kalbelia, Bhangra,Geedha, Bihu,Chhau, Goti
Pua, Jhumur, Koodiattam............and many more
Bollywood dance (performed on the Indian film songs)
Music :
You will find in every corner of India
Literature :
The Rig Veda- a collection of sacred hymns (1500 – 1200 BCE), Ramayana & Mahabharata,
Bhagvad Gita
Classic Sanskrit literature :
Shakuntala & Meghdootam (plays written by Kalidas), Svapnavasavadattam by Bhasa,
Ratnavati by Sri Harsa. Geet Gobindam by Jaydeva, Chanakya’s Arthashastra & Vatsyanana’s
Kamasutra, geetanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.
Festivals :
Independance day (15th August), Republic Day (26th January), Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti
(02nd October)
Deepawali/Diwali (the festival of lights), Makar Sankranti (kite flying), Pongal,Lohri,
Vasant Panchami (Spring), Mahashivratri, Holi & Dhuleti (the festival of colours),
Rakshabandhan (the festival of bonding of brothers and sisters), Ganesh Utsav, Krishna
Janmashtami, Navratri (Garba- a folk dance being performed for 9 nights), Durga
Puja, Dussera, Buddha Purnima, Mahavir Jayanti, Eid, Christmas, Easter, Gudi Padva/Poila
Baishak/Chettichand/Visu/Baisakhi, Pateti
Languages :
India, a potpourri of different cultures, religions and beliefs, is home to not
just one or two languages but to an uncountable number of different lingual families.
Languages belonging to the two major language families - Indo Aryan and Dravidian
- are spoken by more than 90% of the people of India.
India is considered to be home to 461 languages, out of which 14 have been reported
to be extinct. But still there is not a single Indian language that is spoken across
its length and breadth. Hindi is spoken by a majority of North Indians, but it is
not a popular means of communication in the southern part of India. Similarly, South
Indian languages such as Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam are not understood by the
people of North India. For the convenience of people, the Constitution of India
has recognised 22 languages as the official languages of India. These are known
as Scheduled Languages and constitute the major languages of the country.
Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi,Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English
Indian Seasons (Rutu) :
Hemant Rutu /Pre Winter :
Shishir or Shita rutu/Winter :
Major Religious places :
Yamnotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Amarnath, Dwarka, Mathura – Vrundavan,
Varanasi (Kashi/Banaras), Nathdwara, Pushkar, Somanth, Ujjain, Jagannath Puri, Shirdi,
Shani Shingnapur, Rameshwaram, Tirupati, Meenakshi Mandir, Guruvayur, Sabarimala....
Ajmer Sharif, Khwaja Salim Chishti Dargah at Fatehpur Sikri, Jama Masjid, Haji Ali
The Golden Temple at Amritsar, Hemkund Sahib – Uttarakhand
Sankheshwar, Shetrunjay, Delwada
St Xavier’s Church at Goa
World Heritage sites of India :
There are 32 World Heritage sites in India recognised by the UNESCO. The list
is :
- Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam
- Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh
- Nandadevi & Valley of Flowers National Park, Uttarakhand
- Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal
- Western Ghats – Sub clusters of Agastyamalai, Periyar, Anamalai, Nilgiri, Kudremukh,
Talakaveri, Sahyadari
- Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya, Bihar
- Konark Sun Temple, Odisha
- Buddhist monuments at Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
- Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh
- Group of monuments at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
- Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi
- Qutub Minar and its monuments, Dehli
- Red Fort Complex, Delhi
- Taj Mahal – Agra, Uttar Pradesh
- Agra Fort, Uttar Pradesh
- Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh
- Jantar Mantar – Jaipur, Rajasthan
- Keoladev National Park – Bharatpur, Rajasthan
- Hill Forts of Rajasthan – Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Amber Sub Cluster,
Jaisalmer, Gagron
- Champaner – Pavagadh ArcheologicalPark, Gujarat
- Rani ni Vav - Patan, Gujarat
- Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra
- Ellora Caves, Maharashtra
- Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra
- Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) railway station, Maharashtra
- Churches and Convents of Goa, Goa
- Group of monuments at Pattadakal, Karnataka
- Group of monuments at Hampi, Karnataka
- Great living Chola Temples - Brihadeeswar temple of Thanjavur & Gangaikonda Cholapuram,
Airavateshwar temple,Tamil Nadu
- Group of monuments of Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
- Mountain Railways of India – Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Kalka Shimla Railway,
Himachal Pradesh, Nilgiri Mountain Railway – Ooty, Tamil Nadu