Some interesting facts about India

India is a tourist's delight. The most famous tourist attraction is Taj Mahal. Build in the 17th century in pure Marble, Taj Mahal is the tomb built by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz. However India does not end with the Taj. Due to its vast size and varying culture , India is a challenge to any tourist. It is an adventure which leaves everyone well satiated at the end of it. The snow clad mountain peaks of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh , the forests of Madhya Pradesh, the deserts of Rajasthan, the beaches of Goa, the back waters of Kerala, the hustle and bustle of Bombay to the elegance of New Delhi are all bound to thrill any tourist. You are bound to be amazed by a nation that speaks about 15 languages and 800 dialects, by its richness and its poverty. You will be warmed by the smile on every face , the song on their lips. And as one finishes the tour of this glorious country , the sanguine people and the serene land, where time has often stood still , is sure to fill the memory for a long time.
India lies in South Asia between latitudes 8 degree 4' and 37 degree 5' North and longitudes 68 degree 7' and 97 degree 25' East. It is bound on the South-West by Arabian Sea and on the South-East by the Bay of Bengal. On the North-East & North-West lie Himalayan ranges. The Southern tip, Kanyakumari is washed by the Indian Ocean. It covers a total land area of 32,87,782 sq. kms., measuring 3214 kms. from North to South and 2933 kms. from East to West. It has a land frontier of 15200 kms and a coast line of about 6100 kms. excluding Lakshdeep, Andaman & Nicobar islands.

 Some Known and Unknown Facts of 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. 
• 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. 
• India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.  
• 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.
• 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.
• 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. 
• 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..