INDIA FACTS

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therefore suitable language for computer software. ( areport in Forbes magazine,

July 1987 ).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 100 BC in India.The first six Mogul Emperor's of

India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years,

from 1526 to 1707.The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at

Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ' 80-tonne ' piece of

granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between

1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja CholaIndia is.......the

Largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country in the world AND one of

the most ancient and living civilizations (at least 10, 000 years old).The game

of snakes & ladders was created by the 13th century

poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat.' The ladders in the

game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played

with cowrie shells and dices. Later through time, the game underwent several

modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and

evil to a cycle of re-births.The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail,

Himachal Pradesh.Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is

2444 meters above sea level.India has the most post offices in the world !The

largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a

million people !.The World's first university was established in Takshila in

700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60

subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the

greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.Ayurveda is

the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The father of medicine,

Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.Although modern images &

descriptions of India often show poverty, India was one of the richest

countries till the time of British in the early 17th Century. Christopher

Columbus was attracted by India's wealth and was looking for route to India

when he discovered America by mistake.The art of Navigation & Navigating was

born in the river Sindh 6000 over 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. His

calculations was - Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: ( 5th century )

365.258756484 days.The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian

Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept

of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th

century, which was long before the European mathematicians.Algebra,

trigonometry and calculus also orignated from India. Quadratic equations were

used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and

the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 ( i.e 10

to the power of 53 ) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C. during the

Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12( 10 to the

power of 12 ).Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world.

( Source . Gemological Institute of America )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.Sushruta is regarded as the father of surgery. Over 2600 years ago

Sushrata &

his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs,

cesareans, fractures, urinary stones and also plastic surgery and brain

surgeries.Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine.

Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology,

etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.Did

you know ?India also celebrates the birthday of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,

former President and Vice-President and great statesman, as "Teachers'

Day".Born on September 5, 1888, at Tiruttani, 40 miles to the north-east of

Madras, Radhakrishnan grew to become the most famous Indian teacher and

philosopher of all times. In his honour, this day is celebrated as Teacher's

Day.He was also the Vice-President of India from 1952-1962. He held the office

of the Chancellor, University of Delhi, before taking over as the President of

India in May

1962."What makes a nation, is the past, what justifies one nation against others

is the past", says the noted historian Eric Hobsbawm.Hence, when talking of a

nation, it becomes very imperative that the past should also be talked about.

And the past of India is as fascinating and interesting as it is momentous.

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