Ancient India facts. Kumbha Mela is the largest gathering of people in the world

During our travels in India, we saw a lot of interesting and unusual things - something impressed more, something less. Here we present the facts about India (mainly about the south and east), which are the most memorable.

1. As a gesture yes(instead of nodding their heads like we do), the Indians shake their heads to the sides, like our "ah-ay-ay". At first, subconsciously, there was a feeling that they were shaking their heads reproachfully in response to the question, they say, "Well, you have questions, whites." Likewise, when they meet - they often begin to swing their heads from side to side, like tumblers, very funny))

2. Left-hand traffic here, such a concept as traffic rules if it exists is very conditional, the main rule on the road is a dial tone. Moreover, unlike, for example, a turn signal indicator, the beep is more of a warning character, i.e. banged and immediately began to turn, and if you didn’t concede - your problems, you were warned =) Especially the frantic movement in large cities- Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta, aggravated by the incredible number of tuk-tuk scurrying here and there - the hum of signals there does not stop for a minute.

3. Close friendships are common among men, to such an extent that here you can often find them walking holding hands or embracing. At first we were surprised, but then we read that it was just such a friendship, without sexual connotation.

4. Indian kitchen, especially southern, very sharp, with big amount spices. The requests "no spicy", "no chilly" rarely lead to the expected result, despite the waiter's zealous nods. There is a certain set of dishes, initially not very spicy - you can eat them with a complete rejection of spicy food.

5. In most cases to indicate a place where you can eat, the word is used Hotel... At the same time, most of the hotels are called Lodge, but some, especially large ones, also use Hotel in their name.

6. The most common fruits- papayas, pineapples, tangerines and bananas, with the latter a huge number of varieties - large and small, thick and thin, yellow, red and green. Apples are often sold as well, but incredibly expensive.

7. Many products have MRP markings(maximum retail price) - The maximum retail price at which this product can be sold. This is especially noticeable in bottled water, which is sold on every corner and costs almost everywhere 15 rupees per 1 liter both in stores and in cafes.

8. In many small local restaurants there is no menu - people come and order dishes they have known for a long time.

9. Dishes for different meals as a rule, they are clearly divided into breakfast (until 11), lunch (from 12 to 15) and dinner (from 19 to 21). The time, however, is rather arbitrary and can vary, but ordering something from the breakfast menu in the afternoon, and in the afternoon from dinner most often will not work. Moreover, from 15 to 18-19 some of the cafes are generally closed.

10. The most common lunch among not very well-to-do residents - this is " meals ": a mountain of rice, usually on a banana leaf (very convenient, free disposable dishes, and also beneficial in waste disposal) with a few sauces and seasonings in bowls. Most often, this dish is without restrictions - sauces are almost always added, sometimes rice is added, cheap and cheerful. Meals are more popular in the south of India.

11. Tipping in cafes it is customary to leave at will from 3-10%, but most often it is 10-20 rupees.

12. No alcohol on sale... those. it is not prohibited, but it is not particularly welcome - you can buy it only in specially designated places. In most cafes, it is also not officially available (sometimes it is sold "under the counter"), it is only available in restaurants.

13. Staff in guesthouses and cafes, especially the inexpensive ones, are rarely friendly. They are not aggressive, but they talk as if they have this job in their livers, perhaps this is how it is. Moreover, the locals are often very smiling and friendly.

14. Rickshaws and other "helpers" for bringing a client to a hotel, as a rule, they receive a fixed amount, moreover, for each night the client spends in this hotel. So from a room for 250 rupees the rickshaw will receive 50 rupees, and for 300 already 75 and so on. Each city has its own taxes. The owner of the guesthouse in Allepie shared this with us in secret =)

15. Central hot water supply nowhere. In the cheapest guesthouses hot water no, in principle, in some it is brought in the morning in a tank (sometimes for extra money), in more advanced ones there are boilers.

16. Toilet paper Indians don't use, instead, in advanced places next to the toilet there is a small shower, and in simpler places there is a faucet with water and a ladle.

17. Hindu temples start working at 5 a.m. and this, as a rule, is accompanied by loud howls (prayer) into the microphone for the whole area, huge speakers are exposed on the street)) It is especially fun if such a temple turns out to be under the windows of the guesthouse =)

18. Most Hindus are very devout, believers. There are queues everywhere, there are many pilgrims everywhere, and as a result, the business of selling offerings is widely developed - as a rule, it is a set of flowers and fruits (bananas, coconuts). Some even have a small prayer room at home with an altar and deities, while visiting one of the couchsurfers they witnessed the evening prayer of his daughter - she rang the bell and waved incense sticks.

19. To most Hindu temples or only Hindus (Hindu) are allowed to enter some of their prayer parts, while an Indian priest can also bless Europeans (put a dot on the forehead, wash with holy water), if only the money is paid)

20. Apparently due to the heat, here most people get up at 5-6 in the morning. So at 7 am on an ordinary weekday, we witnessed a crowd on the beach - the locals played football, volleyball and just sat in groups or walked, the same thing in the evening - after 5 pm.

21. Indians for the most part do not like to swim in the sea, prefer lakes with fresh water and without waves. Women never bathe at all, at least in public places.

22. Often locals, mostly young people, from non-tourist areas are asked to take a photo with us. Children just say hello and wave their hands or ask them to photograph them. Older people also willingly pose in front of the lens, and then ask for "mani-mani" with innocent eyes.

23. Typical local dating procedure consists of two questions "hiv country ?, name?". Sometimes they just ask "name?" and being satisfied go on.

24. Children, seeing us, often ask for "skulpen"... At first they did not understand, and then they took it apart - school pen (school pen), apparently tourists often give them.

25. The most common clothing among women is the sari., young men wear jeans and T-shirts, and the older generation often prefers lungi - a rag wrapped around their legs, wrapped around their naked bodies.

26. On trains, in common wagons(class general), if not free places, people calmly ride on the luggage racks. Tested on our own experience - up to 3 people can be accommodated in the overhead rack + luggage =)
In class wagons sleeper up to 5 people can be accommodated on two side shelves - two on the top, 3 on the bottom, and in the reserved seat where we have four in Russia, there are 6 shelves, but not six, but 9-10 people sleep and sit on them, and they sleep in a bunch, they also sleep in the aisles right on the floor and in the vestibules near toilets and entrances. Each carriage has 2 types of toilets - Western style (toilet bowl) and Indian style (hole in the floor).

27. Prices for visiting various parks, palaces, nature reserves are often different for local and foreign tourists, usually 10, and sometimes 15 times, for example 10 and 150 rupees.

28. Yoga and Ayurveda are two big myths about India... In Russia, many believe that in India all Indians without exception practice yoga and are treated with Ayurveda, but both are more common outside India, and even here they are popular mainly among tourists.

P.S. Most of the above observations are unfair for large and developed cities like,. They are very strongly Europeanized with all that it implies.

consequences =)

P.P.S At the end of our India trip we published ""

Useful articles:

India is truly Dreamland, after visiting which any traveler will have amazing memories for a lifetime. Once having become acquainted with this country, everyone will become its captive and will lose their peace forever. In this unique country everything is unusual, in a different way, everything is new and special. India captivates guests with its exoticism, rich culture and magnificent nature. It is home to a large number of different types animals: nimble monkeys, vociferous peacocks with bright plumage, tigers and crocodiles. Gorgeous beaches, gentle waters of the Indian Ocean, ancient monuments of one of the most ancient civilizations and a spicy smell in the streets, a large number of various saints and nosy rickshaws, colorful saris and white-toothed locals - these are all signs of India, full of mysteries and open to guests!

The official name of the state: Republic of India.

Location - South Asia. The northern border separates the country from Afghanistan, China, Nepal and Bhutan, the eastern border separates from Bangladesh and Myanmar, and the western border separates Pakistan.

The form of government is a federal republic. Part of the British Commonwealth.

The total area is 3.29 million square kilometers.

The capital of India is New Delhi.

Geography

Geographically, India is located in three large orographic regions: the Himalayan mountains, the Indo-Gangetic plain and the Deccan plateau (Indian subcontinent). The Deccan is a vast ancient land mass composed of Precambrian crystalline rocks, predominantly gneisses, shales and granites. Most of the surface is overlain by volcanic lava, the thickest of which is observed in the northwest. Once the Deccan was part of the ancient mainland of Gondwana, in which Africa, India and South America... About two hundred million years ago, this continent disintegrated into several separate blocks. The vast Indo-Gangetic plain is located between the Himalayas and the Deccan.

In the part of the Eastern Himalayas located on the territory of India, great heights are noted, but the very structure of the mountains is relatively simple. To the north of the Ganges Valley, there is a jungle-covered marshy strip of Terai (as the locals call its natural vegetation cover). Merging proluvial trails gradually rise above it at the foot of the Sivalik mountains. To the north, the ridges of the Lesser Himalayas (up to 3000 m) rise. The next highest step is represented by the Great Himalayas (up to 5800), the brightest heights of which are in Nepal Everest (Chomolungma - 8848 m), and in India - Kanchenjunga (8598 m).

Animal world

According to the fauna represented in India, this country is considered to belong to the Indo-Malay region. The most widely represented mammals here are monkeys (gibbons, tonkotels, macaques), antelopes, deer (black, spotted and sambar), bulls (pygmy and Indian buffalo, gaur), there are panthers, tigers, Indian elephants, Himalayan bears. To date, leopards, lions, and Kashmir deer have been almost completely exterminated. The fauna of India is very rich in reptiles, birds and fish.

There are 47 national parks and reserves in India, the largest of which are the Gir Forest located in Gujarat (under the protection of the Asiatic lion), in Assam - Kaziranga and in West Bengal - Jaldapara (under the protection of the Indian rhinoceros).

Climate

South India has a predominantly tropical climate, and the northern part of the country is characterized by temperature differences from below zero to 50 ° C. In addition, the northern part of the country has distinct seasons. Here, winter lasts from December to February, the spring months are March and April, the summer months are May and June, the monsoon period is from July to September and the autumn months are October and November.

Timezone

The time zone of India is UTC + 5: 30, the time is 1.5 hours ahead of Moscow time (when switching to winter time the difference is 2.5 hours).

Currency

The official currency is the Indian rupee, which is equal to 100 pais. Coins of 1 rupee, 2 rupees and 5 rupees are widely used. The denomination of banknotes is 5-10-20-50-100-500-1000 rupees.

Population

In terms of the number of citizens, India is in second place in the world ranking after China, with a population of 1.2 billion. Most of Indians (almost 70%) live in rural areas, although in the last 10-20 years migration to large cities has increased greatly, due to which the number of urban population has increased dramatically. The largest cities in the country are Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Hyderabad, Chennai (formerly Madras), Bangalore, Ahmedabad. The Indian population has an average literacy rate of 64.8%. In India, there is an excess of the male population over the female population. The annual population growth in the country is on average 22 children per thousand people. Average age the citizens of the country are defined for about 25 years.

Language

According to the country's Constitution, the state languages, that is, the languages ​​spoken by the national government, are Hindi and English. English ubiquitous in business and administration, its status is auxiliary official language, he also plays an important role in the education system, especially in secondary and higher education.

Religion

Most of the inhabitants of India (over 80%) are Hindu. Islam (believers - 13.4% of the population) and Christianity (2.3%) also have a significant number of followers. There are also adherents of Sikhism (1.9%), as well as Buddhism (0.8%) and very few adherents of Jainism (0.4%). In addition, a small number of believers in India are represented by Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Bahá'ís and some other religions. In addition, animism is widespread among the population belonging to the aborigines of this area (8.1% of the population).

Administrative division

India is a federation of republics, it consists of the Delhi National District (capital), 6 union territories and 28 states. Their own government in all states, the National Capital District of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry is elected, the other 5 Union Territories are governed by administrators who are appointed by the central government, so that they are directly subordinate to the President. All union territories and states, in turn, are divided into administrative units - districts. In total, the country includes 600 such districts, each of which consists of even smaller administrative units - taluk.

State structure

This country belongs to the sovereign, socialist, secular liberal democratic republics. State power consists of three branches, which include legislative, executive and judicial.

India is headed by a president elected by an electoral college through an indirect vote for a term of 5 years. The head of the government of India is the prime minister, in whose hands is the executive branch.

The legislative branch of government in India is represented by the parliament, which consists of two chambers: the upper, called the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), and the lower house called the People's House (Lok Sabha).

The executive branch includes the president and vice president, as well as the Council of Ministers (headed by the Prime Minister). Each of the ministers must go to any of the houses of parliament. In the republic, the executive branch is subordinate to the legislative branch.

India is characterized by a three-stage unitary judicial branch composed of a Supreme Court, twenty-one High Courts and an uncountable number of smaller courts.

India Economy

Currently, certain sectors of the Indian economy are opening up for private business, as well as for foreign capital. The past three decades have seen an average annual GDP growth of almost 5.5%, making the Indian economy one of the fastest growing in the world. Among the important resources of India is the world's second largest labor force. The distribution of employees by field of activity is as follows: agriculture involved 60%, in the field of services - 28%, and in the industry - 12%. The main crops are rice, potatoes, wheat, sugarcane, tea, and cotton. Major industries include automotive, cement, chemicals, mechanical engineering, consumer electronics, food processing, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, textiles, metal and mining. Among the countries of the world, India is in sixth place in terms of oil consumption, and in terms of consumption coal- on the third.

India is characterized by a significant social stratification of the population. Although the country is experiencing economic growth, a quarter of India's population is forced to live below the subsistence level set by the state.

India is an exporter of software, technology and financial services, jewelry and textiles. The main imports are oil, chemicals, fertilizers and machinery. Major trading partners include the United States, China and the European Union. To the main natural resources India includes arable land, diamonds, iron ore, manganese, chromite, coal, bauxite, mica, limestone, titanium ore, natural gas and oil.

The culture

Indian culture is amazingly diverse. The entire historical development of this country has been preserved in ancient cultural traditions, in addition, some new traditions were borrowed from other countries and peoples. India's cultural influence is quite strong in other regions of Asia as well.

The veneration of elders and other traditional family values ​​are especially respected in this country, which is mainly due to the socio-economic relations established according to the traditions of the extended family system.

Indian cuisine

Indian culinary traditions are considered to be among the most ancient and popular in the world. The local cuisine is based on a variety of "sabji" vegetables (most of the Indians do not eat meat, and it is better for guests to wait until they eat meat), rice, fish, various flour products, "puri" cakes and a wide variety of dairy products. Count how much in Indian national cuisine Probably no one will succeed in original dishes. The hallmark of Indian food is spices added to almost any dish, be it salty or sweet, and in the most unpredictable combinations for other nations. The widely known curry seasoning in this country represents a large selection of the most varied recipes, which, when applied, make it possible to turn even the most commonplace dish into an unusual dish.

Especially popular here is tea, which is traditionally drunk with spices or hot milk, as well as coffee, fruit waters and fresh juices. It is not customary to drink alcoholic drinks at the table, most of the dishes are washed down with cold clean water... It is worth noting that in India, the use of alcoholic beverages on trains and public transport is strictly prohibited.

Vaccinations

Travelers do not have any responsibilities regarding vaccinations before visiting India. So, whether or not to do is a private matter for everyone. Of course, some vaccinations will not be superfluous, especially if you are going to India for a relatively long period (at least three months) and are going to go to ecologically unfavorable areas of the country, but there is no urgent need for these vaccinations. One has only to observe elementary measures of hygiene and safety, and this, with the maximum degree of probability, will allow tourists to avoid any diseases.

Airports

India has a fairly developed network of domestic airlines, and there are airports in almost all major cities and regional centers. Most often, tourists arrive at the airports of Delhi, Goa, Bombay, Kolkata or Chennaia. Typically, airports have toilets, restaurants, banks, bus and taxi stops. Some airports have equipped lounges. It should also be borne in mind that small airports are usually closed at night.

India is one of the oldest countries on the planet. The history and culture of India are rooted in such a deep past that even professional scientists, culturologists and historians still cannot fully understand them. True, the real picture is less rosy. India is an overpopulated, poor and sometimes rather polluted country, not at all reminiscent of that wonderful place that is usually described in fairy tales and shown in films.

1. India ranks second in the world in terms of the number of people living on its territory after China (the country's population is about 1.3 billion people).
2. The territory of modern India was inhabited by ancestors modern people about 500 thousand years ago. Just think - half a million years ago!
3. In the 2014 elections, 668 women and five transsexuals were elected to the Indian parliament.
4. India has an amazing variety of animal and plant species. At the same time, about 33% of the plant species growing in Indian forests are not found anywhere else on the planet.
5. The Indians were the first to season food with black pepper.
6. The national sport in India is field hockey, and the most popular is cricket, which the Indians inherited from the British colonialists. India has won more Olympic field hockey medals than any other country in the world.
7. India is the birthplace of yoga.
8. The Indian capital New Delhi hosts the International Mango Festival every year.
9. One of the main architectural symbols of India, the Taj Mahal, was built for almost 30 years by more than 20 thousand workers and artisans. Now this unique structure is gradually covered with cracks and turns yellow due to the extremely dirty air - the complex has to be regularly cleaned using special white clay.
10. In 2010, a luxury train called the Maharajah Train began operating between New Delhi and Mumbai. Passengers on the train can admire the most famous landmarks in India while sitting in the cool of the five-star carriages.
11. India leads among all countries in the world in the number of homicides and abortions per thousand population.
12. The inhabitants of India speak 780 languages ​​and more than a thousand dialects derived from these languages ​​(see).
13. The Indian authorities have legally prohibited the import of its national currency, the Indian rupee, across the border. Both the import of rupees into India and the export of local money from it are prohibited. True, usually no one checks anything anyway.
14. In India, it is customary to celebrate weddings on a grand scale - even not too rich families invite up to one and a half thousand guests to the wedding and organize a festive feast for them.
15. The Indians consider cows as sacred animals, so they do not eat beef and allow livestock to roam freely along the city streets and beaches. However, this does not apply to the state of Goa - they even eat beef here, since the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Goa are Christians, not Hindus.
16. More than a million people in India are dollar millionaires.
17. In India, almost no one uses washing machines- wealthy Indians prefer to hire a housekeeper who takes care of the laundry, while poor families simply wash their clothes in a nearby pond.
18. Indian women do not refer to their husbands by their first names, as this is considered disrespectful.
19. More vegetarians live in India than in any other country in the world.
20. Indian Post has the largest mail delivery network in the world. On the territory of the country there is a post office located at an altitude of 4400 meters above sea level, there is also a floating post office, and several decades ago the Indians were served by mobile postmen on camels.
21. The holy city of Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
22. India ranks second after the United States in terms of the number of English-speaking residents.
23. The Indian town of Cherrapunji is considered one of the wettest and wettest places on Earth.
24. Jaipur is home to the world's largest sundial.
25. Indians prepare over 140 types of traditional national desserts.
26. The Indian village of Baktwang is home to the largest family on Earth - it consists of the head of the family, 39 of his wives, 94 children and 39 grandchildren.

Interesting Facts about India that you might not know.

1. India is the most multilingual country in the world. More than 400 languages ​​and dialects are spoken there.

2. In India, you can often see men walking by the hand. This is only a sign of a close friendship and has no sexual connotation.

3. Many people call the inhabitants of India - Hindus, which is incorrect. A Hindu is a person whose religion is Hinduism. And since India is also home to a significant number of Muslims, Christians and representatives of other religions who are not Hindus, it is correct to use the term "Indian".

4. Approximately a third of the Indian population are pure vegetarians who even exclude eggs from their diet. Because of this, restaurants (pure vegetarian) are popular there, serving exclusively vegetarian food.

5. In India, cows are considered sacred animals. Therefore, they are completely free to walk the streets of Indian cities.

6. Sometimes, as a gesture of yes, some Indians may shake their heads from side to side, which can confuse foreigners who take this for denial.

7. In India, there is no traffic rules as such. Cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, carts and cows are mixed on the roads into a single mass. At first glance, to a foreigner, it may seem like sheer chaos. However, between all participants road traffic there is a kind of tacit understanding that does not allow traffic jams to form.

8. If in India you decide to use a city bus, be prepared that your bus may not stop at the stop, or stop in the middle of the road, or 100 meters further, closer to the stop. Also, often you have to jump, jump out of buses on the go. Here city buses have their own traffic rules, understandable only to Indians.

9. The most popular transport in India is motorcycles and mopeds. They are ideal for driving on congested Indian roads. It is very easy to buy and sell them even to a foreigner, and you will almost never be asked for a driver's license.

10. The most comfortable and inexpensive way travel in India - trains. This is a great way to contemplate all the beauty of the country.

11. The cheapest classes of Indian trains can sell tickets without a seat. As a result, as many people can be packed into these wagons as they are physically unable to accommodate. In the most extreme cases, people can hang from the doors of the carriage or even ride on the roof. Any tourist can also experience this "attraction" on himself by purchasing a ticket to the appropriate class.

12. India is very fond of spicy food, sometimes you can be served something just hellishly spicy and at the same time seasoned with a couple of chili peppers. The Indians themselves can easily eat it, since they have been eating such food since childhood and their taste buds are somewhat dull to pungency.

13. India is the largest democracy in the world in terms of population: 1 billion, 200 million people.

14. Indians are very fond of foreigners. People will often try to meet you and take pictures on the streets.

15. Indian streets can be very dirty because Indians care little about their cleanliness. Regardless, they are very clean about their own homes. The house of the Indians is always clean and tidy.

16. India is the most multinational country. It is home to over 400 ethnic groups.

17. In India, the prices for visiting many tourist attractions can vary 10-15 times for tourists and for locals. The record for this difference is the famous Taj Mahal (entrance costs 10 rupees for locals, 750 for foreigners).

18. India produces over 1000 films annually.

19. Indians are very fond of singing and dancing. That is why it is so reflected in their cinematography. There are practically no Indian films without songs and dances.

20. The Indian calendar has 6 seasons: spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, winter, early spring.

21. Mumbai is the richest and at the same time the poorest city in India. Nowhere else in the country will you find such a contrast between glittering skyscrapers and entire slum neighborhoods.

22. Shampoo was first invented in India. But not as a commercial product, but as a hair care product. The word shampoo comes from the Sanskrit champu, which means to massage.

23. India is the second country in the world (after the USA) in terms of the number of English speakers.

24. Alcohol in India is sold exclusively in specially designated stores. Just like cigarettes.

25. The most popular taxi in India is auto rickshaws, or as the locals call them, tuk-tuk. They are ideal for navigating the narrow, crowded streets of India and can be caught anywhere.

26. There are over 300,000 active mosques in India. This is more than in any other, even Islamic country.

27. The numbers we use now were invented in India. Also in India, the concept of zero was invented.

28. India has very cheap hotels, especially in tourist places where there is a lot of competition between them. In some cities, you can rent a great room with all the amenities for as little as Rs 500 ($ 8).

29. There is no time zone division in India. The whole country lives at the same time.

30. The swastika symbol, which in the modern world is strongly associated with the Nazi regime, has been used in India since ancient times as a symbol of life, happiness and prosperity. To this day, the image of the swastika can be seen everywhere on the streets of Indian cities.

31. By law, it is prohibited to export national currency from India in an amount exceeding 5,000 rupees.

32. In East Bengal, by law, every cow must have a photo ID.

33.70% of all spices in the world are exported from India.

34. India has a larger population than the Americas combined.

35. Indian airline GoAir hires only women for its planes, as they are lighter than men, which saves more than half a million dollars a year on fuel.

36. By 2050, India is projected to come out on top in terms of population, overtaking China.

37. Indian women own 11% of the world's gold reserves, which is more than the gold reserves of the United States, Switzerland and Germany combined.

38.70% of young Indians prefer to get married by arranged, instead of self-choice his chosen one.

39. The term "India" comes from the name of the Indus River. The ancient Greeks called the Indians the Indians (Indus people).

40. Chess was invented in India in the 5-6th centuries AD.

41. Before the British invasion in the 17th century, India was one of the richest countries in the world.

42. India exports software in more than 90 countries around the world.

43. The history of yoga in Indian culture is more than 5 thousand years old.

44.100 million years ago, India was an island that then collided with the Eurasian mainland to form the Himalayan Mountains.

45. India has the third largest army in the world (after the US and China).

46. ​​The sacred city of Varanasi is one of the oldest cities the world. It is believed to be over 3000 years old.

47. There is a huge income stratification in India. It is home to about one million millionaires, while 35% of the country's population lives on less than $ 2 a day.

48. The official name of India in many Indian languages ​​is Bharat (भारत).

49. The President of India performs only representative functions and does not almost take part in governing the country; in fact, the head of state is the Prime Minister.

50. The most famous Indian resort - Goa, until 1961 belonged to Portugal and was annexed by India as a result of a military operation.

Interesting facts about Ancient India ... A magical and fabulous country, one of the most ancient. India is full of secrets and mysteries, many facts about this state seem incredible. It is from India that many human achievements originate. Let's learn more about some of them.

1. The beloved game of chess has come to modern world from India.
2. Even in ancient times, the inhabitants of India made crystal sugar from cane... Many who lived at that time were amazed at how you can make honey without bees, it was artificial honey from sugar.

   

3. India is the birthplace of the world famous hookah... They taught the Persians to smoke, the Persians of the Egyptians, and so gradually the whole world learned about it.

   

4. As many religions as in India, there is no other civilization... In religion, Indian culture is unmatched. Since ancient times, Hindus have worshiped many gods, composed a lot of legends and stories about the origin of mankind. The religion of India has left its mark on many modern faiths.

   

5. The people of ancient India did a lot for the development of science... Indian sages have achieved great success in mathematics, medicine, astronomy, and also in linguistics. They knew the meanings of pi, and they came up with decimal system the accounts we use are also credit to them. Many mathematical terms were also coined by the people of India. In astronomy, they guessed about the rotation of the earth around its axis. Even in those distant times, doctors performed operations, using special tools... Doctors treated with herbal remedies serious illness... While in other civilizations they did not even know about it.

   

6. Hindus are not inferior in literature... The Vedas are the oldest literary heritage. They were created 2 thousand years ago. Later, the Ramayana and Mahabharata appeared. Next came the Panchatantra. It was a collection of fables, tales, parables and legends, and its content was instructive.

   

7. Surely everyone associates India with songs and dances, without which it is impossible to imagine this culture. Indian dances have their origins, the theater takes in the ancient rites of Indian tribes... Hindus consider Shiva to be the king of dance, and also prefer Krishna.

   

8. There are quite a few achievements in chemistry. The ancient Hindus knew various metals and alloys... They knew how to create dyes, glass, jewelry, fragrances, and even poisons.

   

9. In ancient India, human anatomy was well known... Doctors knew all the organs of the human body. They knew how to correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.

   

10. Hindus were able to tame a huge animal - an elephant... These animals served to transport heavy loads, carried logs. They also took part in battles, soldiers sat on them, and fired arrows at the enemies. Elephants trampled their enemies. The Hindus believed that elephants were of divine origin, one of their gods was with the head of an elephant. Buffaloes served them for digging up the field, and the cow was considered a sacred animal, she was called mother and nurse. Killing a cow was considered a sin.

    

11. People built their homes along rivers, or on the edge of the jungle... Ordinary Indians were engaged in the cultivation of wheat, vegetables and barley. They knew how to grow cotton, from which they made yarn, and made comfortable clothes. Over time, these clothes have been colorfully transformed.

    

12. There was a sewage system in the cities of ancient India... The sewerage system was simply exemplary in those days. It was collected from a network of channels. Everything was done very thoughtfully and carefully. The channels were cleaned from time to time. Outside the city, sewers were made of bricks.

    

13. There is information in history that the Indians fought unusual wars.... They used a kind of "weapon of the gods." What is most interesting, the action of this weapon is similar to a nuclear one, at that moment humanity was still very far from such achievements.

    

14. A unique archaeological discovery was made in the last century. Near the Indus River, a huge city dug up... Its length was 5 km, the city itself was divided into 12 parts. The streets were flat and straight. The houses are built of clay and bricks.

    

15. Sculpture schools existed in ancient India... The largest of these are the Gandhara, Mathura, and Amaravata. Sculptures in India are religious and cultural. The Hindus have come up with a special guide to making sculptures.