Surprising Facts About India, You Don’t Know

“Unity in Diversity”- is one of the most repeated catchphrases about India. There is no wonder about a why question. From geography to languages, we are an assortment of odd and funny fellows. As much as we are proud of India and think that we know our country. It’s a facade. India is full of surprises. There are a plethora of surprises you can always unearth about our incredible country. Let us take a look at some of the surprise facts about our country.

• POST OFFICE NETWORK- India has the largest number of post offices connecting the entire country which includes a floating post office in Dal lake, Srinagar. Indian Post employs 5,66,000 people. It is still the only way to communicate and an affordable way to send packages all across the country. They also have Bank-like savings deposit schemes to encourage savings among people.
• BANDRA WORLI SEA LINK- This architectural masterpiece has steel wires that are of the same circumference as our planet.
• SHAMPOO- The word shampoo is originally from the Hindi word, “champu” meaning massage. There are historical records that we used various herbs to clean our hair which can be considered an ancient version of shampoo.
• ELEPHANT SPA- We regard elephants as a form of a Hindu god, Ganapati. Elephants are also a major part of Hindu festivals and worship. So there is little to be surprised when we know that we have an exclusive spa for elephants. The punnathoor kota is for elephant rejuvenation specifically which includes diets and special foods instructed by the experienced elephant mahouts.
• MILK PRODUCTION- India has surpassed European union in terms of production of milk. We are accountable for 22% of global milk production. We are also the largest producer of buffalo milk in the world. Considering that animal husbandry and agriculture is the livelihood for a large portion of the population in India, this may not come as much of a surprise.
• VOTING IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS- We take elections very seriously, so seriously that we set a separate polling booth for one voter who is alone in that entire area. The lone voter has been voting every year since 2004 when it was first set up. He is the only person who lives in Banej area of Gir forest.
• SNAKE & LADDER- Indians came up with a lot of warnings, rituals and traditions to teach their kids. They also tried their hand at games. Snake and Ladder was invented by Indians to teach kids the concept of karma. Snakes were a symbol of sin and the ladder was progress. If you do bad in the world, then you will surely go to hell while good always rewards you.
• ANTIGRAVITY HILLS ABOUT LADAKH- Ladakh has a magnetic hill which is a stretch of road for about 30 km where your vehicle automatically gets pulled upward instead of downward. Three are two scientific explanations behind this, one being optical illusion and the other it has a higher magnetic force.
• FLOATING PILLAR- India is home for many architectural marvels, especially as our country housed one of the ancient civilizations- the Indus Valley civilization. One of the most important marvels is the Floating pillar of Lepakshi temple in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The pillar is not attached to the ground. The pillar literally hangs from the ceiling.
• HIGHEST BRIDGE- Talking about architectural marvels, India also happened to construct the highest rail bridge of the world. This is taller than the Eiffel tower itself. The arc shaped bridge is in Jammu, over the river Chenab.
• LARGEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD- India has the largest family ever. Mr Ziona Chana, a resident in the state of Mizoram, is the head of the largest family. He has 39 wives. The total number of the members is 181.
• THE SKELETON LAKE- Yes, as creepy as the name suggests, this lake in Uttarakhand has hundreds of skeletons submerged. This high altitude glacial lake called Roopkund is surrounded by rocky terrain and is infamous for the skeletons it hosts. Many people believe that there are relics in there that should not be touched ever. Archeology and Anthropology enthusiasts are trying their best to understand the cause of mysterious death that caused these many deaths.
• SUGAR PRODUCTION- It is widely believed that Indians started producing sugar for the first time ever. Sometime after the 1st century CE. We also found the method for sugar crystallization for the first time too. This was under the Gupta period in North India.
• HIMALAYAS- The Himalayas are still growing! The tectonic plate shifts were supposed to be the cause for the creation of Himalaya. It still shifts every year and Himalayas continues to rise up to the sky. It is said to grow two inches taller every year. Wow! That’s one resilient growth spurt!
• DIAMOND MINING- Diamond was first discovered in India in the alluvial deposits of Guntur and Krishna more than 6000 years ago. The diamonds were found in Brazil only in 1725. This justifies how some of the most famous diamonds are from India, like Kohinoor or Regent diamond. Although, we do not have these diamonds with us now.
• VARANASI- This city dates back to 1900 BCE making it one of the oldest inhabited cities. It has also almost never been deserted. From Aryan settlements to hosting one of the beautiful temples and a prominent university. Most scholars debate that Varanasi existed even before 1900 BCE.
• EDICTS OF ASHOKA- Edicts of King Ashoka carved into pillars is the earliest known document for human rights. It dates back to 300 BCE. These are inscribed in Dhamma lipi. This covers righteous behavior to duty and the morals that should be observed with it.
• SECULAR INDIA- India is home for the largest number of mosques in the world. There are a number of 300,000 mosques in India which is significantly more than any Mslim country.
• CHAI-Being the second largest producer of Tea leaves, we ourselves are a huge fan of this hot beverage. There are many famous varieties of tea leaves cultivated in India like Assam chai and Darjeeling Tea. We have various variations of chai, like masala chai and adrak chai. We are emotionally linked to chai as that is the beverage we all bond over, have discussions and is a significant part of our day. It is our National drink too.
• SENTINELESE PEOPLE- They are the most isolated tribe in the world. No speck of modern technology or civilisation has touched them. They inhabit the North Sentinel island in Bay of Bengal. Indian Government has declared this island as an Island reserve and nobody is allowed around three miles of this island.
• LARGEST SUNDIAL- India also has the largest sundial in the world. In the city of Jaipur, this sundial is made of stone and UNESCO declared it as a world heritage site. It’s a fixed tool used as observatories by the kings. It is angles at 27 degrees which is the latitude of Jaipur
• DESI SPIDERMAN- This is a fun fact. India had its own version of spiderman in 2004. The name Peter Parker was changed to Pavitr Prabhakar. However, it is a mystical yogi who grants the young boy from Mumbai mystical powers. There is also an Indian version of American sitcom f.r.i.e.n.d.s with the exact same personas called Hello Friends!

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