Amazing facts abot INDIA

Etymology
The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hinduš. The latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi , which translates as "the people of the Indus".

The geographical term Bharat (pronounced  which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country,[16] is used by many Indian languages in its variations. The eponym of Bharat is Bharata, a theological figure that Hindu scriptures describe as a legendary emperor of ancient India.

Hindustan was originally a Persian word that meant "Land of the Hindus"; prior to 1947, it referred to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan. It is occasionally used to solely denote India in its entirety.India is the world's largest, oldest civilization. India is the world's Largest democracy. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history. India invented the number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization) There are 300,000 active mosques in India , more than in any other country, including the Muslim world Sanskrit is the mother of all the European Languages . Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magzine July 1987. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.


 India has the second largest pool of Scientist and Engineers in the World. India is the largest English speaking nation in the world. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indeigenously. India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world One of the largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways , employing over a million people 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 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 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. 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. 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.

History


Ancient India

The earliest authenticated human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 years ago.[19] Nearly contemporaneous Mesolithic rock art sites have been found in many parts of the Indian subcontinent, including at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh.[20] Around 7000 BCE, the first known Neolithic settlements appeared on the subcontinent in Mehrgarh and other sites in western Pakistan.[21] These gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,[22] the first urban culture in South Asia;[23] it flourished during 2500–1900 BCE in Pakistan and western India along the river valleys of Indus and Sarasvati.[24] Centred on cities such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Dholavira, and Kalibangan, and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilisation engaged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade.[23]
Map of the Indian subcontinent during the Vedic period.

During the period 2000–500 BCE, in terms of culture, many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age.[25] The Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism,[26] were composed during this period,[27] and historians have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upper Gangetic Plain.[25] Most historians also consider this period to have encompassed several waves of Indo-Aryan migration into the subcontinent.[28][26] The caste system arose during this period, which created a hierarchy of priests, warriors, free peasants and traders, and lastly the indigenous peoples who were regarded as impure; and small tribal units gradually coalesced into monarchical, state-level polities.[29][30] On the Deccan Plateau, archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation.[25] In southern India, a progression to sedentary life is indicated by the large number of megalithic monuments dating from this period,[31] as well as by nearby traces of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and craft traditions.[31]