What Are Some Fun Facts About India?

Fun facts about India include the fact that India is the largest democracy in the world and is the second most populous country.  Plus, yoga and the game of chess both originated there.  Let’s look at more interesting facts about India.   

Here are some fun basic facts about India:

• The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat. 
• Some favorites in India include the favorite sport of cricket and the favorite drink of tea. 
• India leads the world in the export of dried beans and tea and is second in the world to Brazil in exporting bananas. 
• It is one of the biggest in the exporting of computer software. 
• India is also the largest producer of milk in the world.          

Geographic and Weather Facts

Following are fun geography facts about India. 

• It is interesting to know that there is only one time zone in all of India.  Also, India recognizes six seasons. They are Vasant = spring, Grishm = summer, varsha = rains, sharad = autumn, hemant = winter, and shishir = cool season. 
• The Himalayas are a mountain range in the northern part of India and are the world’s tallest mountains. 
• They are home to Mount Everest, the highest mountain on earth.
• The name for the Himalayas comes from the word “hima” meaning “snow” and “alaya” meaning “abode.”

Beliefs in India

India has representatives of all the world’s major religions so many beliefs listed here do not apply to all or even a majority of people.  Here are some fun facts about some of the more interesting beliefs of people in India.

• When you hold your ear, this represents sincerity or repentance. 
• A widow is bad luck in Indian society and in some families widows are not allowed to be around newly married people and are not welcome at social events. 
• Instead of using toilet paper, many Indians use their left hand to splash water on parts needing to be cleaned.  Because of this practice, they do not eat with their left hand.
• Zoroastrians do not bury their dead because they do not want to pollute the earth.  Instead, they put the bodies in a Tower of Silence and let the vultures have them.  When the bones are picked clean, they are swept into a central well.      
• You will find cows wandering in India.  They are considered sacred and one of our seven mothers because they give milk. 
• In Hindu weddings, marigolds are used for decorations because they symbolize good luck and happiness.  

Miscellaneous Facts About India

Here are some miscellaneous fun facts about India:

• Two of the most beautiful buildings in India and in the world are the Baha’i Temple and the Taj Mahal. 
• Because the lotus flower is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus, the Baha’i house of worship, also called the Lotus Temple, is shaped like a lotus flower with 27 petals covered in marble. 
• The Taj Mahal, or Place of the Crown, was built for the wife of Emperor Shah Jahan. 
• It has intricate details, marble inlaid with gems, and it took 22 years to complete.   
• On the Indian flag are three horizontal bands.  The top band is colored saffron to represent sacrifice and bravery, the middle band is white, to symbolize peace and truth, and the lower band is green to stand for fertility, faith, and chivalry. 
• The symbol in the middle of the white band and the flag is a Buddhist “dharma chakra,” or wheel of life. 
• Facts about the national animals are always fun, especially for India.  Their national animal is the Bengal tiger, their national bird is the peacock, and the national aquatic animal is the river dolphin.  The lotus is the national flower of India, the banyan, or Indian fig tree, is the national tree, and the mango is the national fruit of India.   
• In the 5th century, an Indian named Bhaskaracharya correctly calculated the time it took the earth to orbit the sun.  In the 6th century, Indian mathematician Budhayana first calculated the value of pi and he also explained the Pythagorean theorem.

So, now you know lots of fun facts about India.