Did you know that India – the land of holy saints was once an island which later collided with the Asian continent? Not just this but the Indian Empire was the richest empires in the history of the world. Interesting, isn’t it? With boasting its rich culture and traditions, religions and ethnicities, there are still unusual facts about India that are lesser known or unheard.
So, let’s get into it and learn about the interesting facts about India along with little-known facts that might intrigue you:
- #1: India was once an Island. In the sense, around 10 million years ago the land was a part of a supercontinent called Gondwanaland, which was collided 50 million years later with Asia. Evidence could still be witnessed by fossilised sea shells found high in the mountains.
- #2: The Indian Empire also known as the British Raj was one of the richest empires in the history of the world with $134.9 billion (in 1870). Being established in the year 1958, the empire remained active till 1947 with other nations becoming part of the Indian Empire including Pakistan, Bangladesh, British Somaliland, Burma, and Singapore.
- #3: India is the second largest English-speaking nation in the world with approx 125 million English Speakers. Though Hindi and English are the official language but the other 6 major languages are Marathi, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu and Urdu which are spoken by approx 50 million people in India. Apart from this, in total there are 22 major languages and 720 dialects spoken in India.
- #4: Chess was invented in India before the 16th Century AD. Later the game was spread to Persia when chess was taken by the Muslim world and then was spread to Southern Europe.
- #5: India has the highest number of mosques with more than 300,000. Perhaps more than the number of Islamic world. So, talking about the population of Muslims in India, yes, it is the second highest.
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- #6: India still has the Head-hunting tribes. Though the tradition of headhunting was meant to have ended years ago but the Northeast India is home to the Konyak Tribe, better known as the head-hunters and the largest of 17 officially recognized tribes in Nagaland.
- #7: India has the Royal Families in some parts of India living the live king size with having their own uniqueness and charms. Some of them are The Mewar Dynasty of Rajasthan, The Wadiyar Dynasty of Mysore, The Royal Families of Alsisar (Jhunjhunu District of Rajasthan), The Royal Family of Rajkot (Gujarat), The Gaekwads of Baroda (Gujarat) and more.
- #8: There are tribes in India specially in Andaman who kill the outsiders as they don’t like them. These people are called Sentinelese People who are the indigenous people of North Sentinel Island in Andaman Islands. So if you happen to visit Andaman Islands, stay away from the Sentinelese People.
- #9: There is a Magnetic Hill in India. Yes, on the Leh-Kargil Highway there lies a small stretch of road that defies the phenomenon of gravity and it has been experienced by the travellers that the magnetic hill in Ladakh pulls stationary vehicles upwards.
- #10: Kumbh Mela or Kumbha Mela is the world’s largest religious human gathering. Inscribed on the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. The Mela is observed to be rotating in four pilgrimage places including at Haridwar on the Ganges River, Ujjain on the Shipra River, Nashik on the Godavari River and Prayag (modern Allahabad) on the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna/Jamuna and the mythical Saraswati River. Out of which Haridwar and Allahabad have been recognized to celebrate the largest peaceful and religious gathering so far.
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- #11: Shaniwar Wada in Pune which was once Bajirao and Kashibai’s love nest is now believed to be one of the haunted places in India. Not to scare you but it’s a thrilling experience to visit the fort on a full moon night where it is said by the local people that they hear a sound coming from the fort.
- #12: Human Bones of 300 people belonging to the 9th century were found in the skeleton lake in Uttarakhand’s Roopkund. It was also found that apart from the dead bodies Besides the skeletons, the melting ice has also revealed the personal belongings such as spears, leather shoes and knives.
- #13: Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. It is believed that the city was founded 5000 years ago by Lord Shiva on the banks of River Ganges. Apart from this, the city is also known as ‘the city of learning’, ‘the holy city of India’, ‘the city of lights’, ‘the religious capital of India’ and ‘the city of temples.’
- #14: The water falling at the Chashme Shahi garden in Srinagar is believed to have medicinal properties. Visiting the place, you would see a number of tourists drinking this water believing that it can cure and prevent a number of diseases.
- #15: Gulmarg Gondola in Gulmarg (Jammu & Kashmir) is Asia’s highest and longest largest cable car project. The first stage starts from the Gulmarg Resort at 2,600 m (8,530 ft) to Kongdoori Station in the bowl-shaped Kongdori valley to a height of 3,747 m (12,293 ft). The second stage of the ropeway, takes skiers to a height of 3,747 m (12,293 ft) from Kongdoor to Afarwat Peak (4,200 m (13,780 ft).
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- #16:The Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand is the highest dam in India. Also, being one of the highest dams in the world it is a multi-purpose rock and earth-fill embankment dam on the Bhagirathi River near Tehri in Uttarakhand, India.
- #17:India has the highest number of Royal Bengal Tigers. The Bandipur National Park in Karnataka has the highest number of Royal Bengal Tigers at 408 closely followed by Uttarakhand with 340 tigers and Madhya Pradesh with 308. The Royal Bengal tiger is the symbol and combination of agility, grace and strength that is unmatched by any other animal.
- #18:India is the largest producer and exporter of carpet in the world. Bhadohi-Mirzapur region of Uttar Pradesh being famous for GABBE woollen carpet in and outside India.
- #19:India is a home to all of the major world religions namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Throughout India’s history, it is religion that has been an important part of the Indian Culture and tradition. If you happen to visit India, you would witness that the major world religion being practiced, brings diversity to the country.
- #20:India is the second largest producer of tea in the world, producing an average 900,000 tonnes each year with Assam and Darjeeling being exclusive producer of a variety of popular tea.
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- #21:Majuli Island in Assam holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest Island in the world. The beautiful Island is situated on the Brahmaputra River.
- #22:Mawlynnong in Meghalaya is one of the cleanest villages of the world. The travel magazine ‘Discover India’ declared the Mawlynnong Village as the cleanest in Asia in 2003, and the cleanest in India in 2005.
- #23:India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes. Surprisingly, there are more than 100 varieties of mangoes grown across the country.
- #24:Mawsynram in the state of Meghalaya, is the wettest place in the world, holds the record of the annual rainfall of 11,871 millimetres. Also, Cherrapunji which is located at a distance if 81 km is the second wettest place on the earth with a record of annual rainfall of 11,777 millimetres.
- #25:Kanchenjunga Mountain range which lies between Nepal and Sikkim (India) is the third highest mountain in the world with an elevation of 28169.29 ft (8,586 m).
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- #26: India has the world’s largest movie industry, based in the city of Mumbai (known as the “City of Dreams”) followed by Nollywood (Nigeria) and Hollywood (US).
- #27: The houses, spare houses, even shops in Shani Shingnapur village (situated in Nevasa taluka of Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra) do not have doors. The surprising fact is that no theft has been reported in the village so far.
- #28: The Golden Temple in the state of Punjab, feeds about nearly 50,000 people in a day with no regards to their religion or race. Whereas, on holidays/religious occasions, the number often goes up to 100,000.
- #29: India has one and only floating office which is Dal Lake, Srinagar which was inaugurated in 2011. Surprisingly locals and tourists in Srinagar take a boat ride right up to the post office just to send a postcard to their loved ones.
- #30: The Chenab Bridge which is under construction in between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir is supposed to be the World’s Highest Railway Bridge with a height of 1,178 ft. (359 m).
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- #31: The Ancient India Facts consist of the Kailasa Temple (1200-year-old) in Aurangabad was carved out of a single rock.
- #32: There is a Living Root Bridge in Meghalaya, which have been noticed as the strong roots and estimated to be 500 years old. The beautiful thing about the bridge is unlike the traditional bridges, these get stronger, as they get older.
- #33: The World’s Biggest Family is in Baktawng, Mizoram where the father Ziona Chana has 94 children by 39 wives and 14 daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren.
- #34: The Highest Cricket Ground in the world is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh with an altitude of 2,444 metres (8,018 ft).
- #35: Khari Baoli situated in Old Delhi is Asia’s biggest wholesale spice market. The place is very close to Red Fort. Visiting the place becomes a unique experience for the tourists as one could see large quantities of spices.
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- #36: The Ganges in the Northern Plains of India is the greatest of the rivers and produces the world’s largest alluvial plains and the largest delta.
- #37: Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport bags three international awards including one for the best airport by size in the Asia Pacific region.
- #38: The Khasi People of Meghalaya (North-Eastern India/) puts women in control. In the sense, the only tribe where the women rule and men demand gender equality.
- #39: The World’s First Airmail Took Place in India on 18 February 1911 from Allahabad to Naini when 6000 letters and cards were carried.
- #40: The Mysore Palace in Mysore, Karnataka is the most visited monument in India even more than the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
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- #41: The Longest Route on the Indian Railway is from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari which is covered by the Vivek Express Train. Also, it is the 9th Longest train route in the world.
- #42: The First Town/City to Get Electricity in India was Darjeeling, West Bengal in 1897. Later in Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka in the year 1902.
- #43: Sikkim is the first and only state in India to receive 100% sanitisation. 1,722 schools were have been covered under the total sanitation programme.
- #44: The Gorakhpur Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh is the longest in the world 1,366.33 m (4,483 ft)
- #45: The Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra is only man-made sanctuary in India where all the animals have been reintroduced.
- #46: The Tawang Monastery is the largest in India and second largest in the world after Potala Palace in Tibet.
- #47: India is the second largest producer of milk with 60.6 billion Kilograms followed by United States.
- #48: Umling La or Umlingla Pass with 19,300 ft (5,883 m) is the world’s highest motorable pass.
- #49: India has the world’s second highest number of languages i.e., 780.
- #50: India adopted a market-based economy in the year 1991 and since then it became one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
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So being the land of importance, a jewel in the east, and a land full of diversities in terms of culture, cuisines, people, languages, architecture, rich history and so much more, India has so much to offer to the tourists coming from across the globe that help one gain a lot of things as it gives education opportunity for the international tourists who are thinking about visiting this beautiful country.
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About the author
Born and brought up in Assam- ‘The Land of Tea Gardens’, Swati is a Travel Writer who yearns to travel around the whole world someday. Coming from one of lush-green and peaceful states of India, her love for nature and rain is beyond imagination. She is an observant and is keen to explore more about the things that comes her way which could be clearly seen in her write ups. Other than this, she is a foodie and can do anything for food that is made out of cheese especially- The Alfredo Penne Pasta!
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