India, being one of the greatest country in the world as well as the fastest growing economy. We have some facts about India that we assume you won’t be knowing. So let us now check out those facts!
#1: India has a spa for elephants. These gentle giants can receive a special treatment that includes massage, food, and even soothing baths.
So, if you think your elephant is in need of a spa day, go to the Punnathoor Cotta Elephant Yard Rejuvenation Centre in Kerala.
#2: India is the second largest English-speaking country in the world.
The #1 country is, of course, the US, which has over 283 million English speakers.
But India still has a whopping 125 million, and that number is expected to quadruple in the next few decades.
#3: India has the largest number of vegetarians in the world.
Some people don’t eat meat due to their beliefs, others are just health-conscious, but the fact remains.
According to different estimates, around 25 to 40% of Indians are vegetarian.
#4: In West Bengal, cows have issued a photo-ID card, which contains details about the animal’s age, height, gender, horn type, color, tail switch, and other features.
Authorities are now planning to provide all cows in the country with special polyurethane ear tags with 12-digit ID numbers.
#5: India is the largest milk producer in the world.
In 2018, India produced about 194 million tons of milk. However, there are even more ambitious plans to increase milk production to 280 million tons by 2022.
Besides pumping out more milk than any other country in the world, India is also number one in producing bananas, lemons, ginger, and mangoes.
#6: The popular game Snakes and Ladders was invented in India many centuries ago.
It was originally intended to be a lesson about karma for young children, with the ladders symbolizing good virtues and the snakes representing evil.
By the way, snakes seriously outnumbered ladders in the original game!
#7: In 1963, India’s first rocket was transported to the launching station on a bicycle.
As for the country’s first satellite, it was transported on an ox cart in 1981. It’s safe to say the Indian space program came from humble beginnings.
#8: The very first shampoo appeared in ancient India.
People there used special pastes made from different herbs to clean their hair. In fact, the word “shampoo” itself comes from the Hindi “champo,” which means “head massage.”
#9: India’s Shakuntala Devi got in the 1982 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Thanks to her ability to multiply, add, subtract, and divide huge numbers in her head.
She was even dubbed “the human computer,” but, in fact, she was probably even faster and more efficient than any existing processor at that time.
#10: When it comes to mobile phones, India seems to have more of these gadgets than toilets.
A little under 50% of homes don’t have toilets, but more than half of India’s citizens have a smartphone or two.
#11: Tech giant Apple just can’t seem to take off in India.
That’s mostly due to the fact that Indians either can’t afford or are unwilling to shovel over such crazy amounts of cash for a phone.
Apple even slashed its prices in India, but its sales only count for 1% of smartphones in the country.
#12: The world learned about the art of purifying and cultivating sugar from India.
The first country to develop such techniques. Nowadays, India is the second largest sugar producer in the world.
It has countless candy stores, so if you got a sweet tooth, this country is definitely the place for you.
#13: Diamonds were first discovered and mined in India in the silt deposits of the Krishna River Delta District.
Until the 18th century, India was the world’s sole provider of diamonds. Until its mines became depleted, and South Africa along with Brazil got into the diamond-mining game.
#14: The religious pilgrimage is known as “Kumbh Mela” is the largest on the planet.
In 2013, it saw over 120 million visitors in just 2 months and a record-breaking 30 million people on just one single day. But the craziest part is that this massive gathering can be seen all the way from space!
#15: India is home to the world’s largest postal network.
It has over 155,015 post offices, and a single one typically serves more than 7,000 people within an 8-mile radius.
There’s even a floating post office in Dal Lake, Kashmir that was opened in August 2011. The office is situated on a houseboat and provides all the regular postal services.
#16: India’s first president, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, used to take only 50% of his salary.
Because he believed he didn’t need any more than that. By the end of his 12-year presidency, he was only taking 25% or about 10,000 rupees back then. For comparison, that’s a mere $145 today.
#17: To all chess lovers out there, ever wondered where this board game was invented?
Yep, it’s India. In fact, it was an earlier version of chess called “chaturanga,” and it was popular in India until the 6th century.
#18: The world’s largest family lives in India.
73-year-old Ziona Chana has 39 wives, 94 children, 33 grandchildren, and 14 daughters-in-law. That’s a total of 180 and still counting.
Rumor has it that the family prepares 220 pounds of rice and 39 chickens every day. So, how big is the dinner table then?
#19: Housewives in India own more than 21,000 tons of gold in different ornaments.
That’s 11% of the world’s gold and more than the combined reserves of Germany, the US, France, Russia, and Italy.
Gold is considered an investment in India. Because it’s in constant demand in this country and can easily be traded for money.
#20: About 70% of the world’s spices come from India.
Hence the nickname The Land of Spices. (Aaah, it all makes sense now!)
From 2017-2018, the country’s spice exports stood at $3.11 billion. I’m sure you associate India with turmeric and cumin, but what about black pepper, basil, and mint.
#21: Mahant Bharatdas Darshandas is a single voter from Banej village in the Gir forest.
But even just one man’s vote counts. That’s why the Election Commission of India brings him a special polling booth. Otherwise, Darshandas would have to travel 74 miles just to cast a ballot.
#22: About 85% of Indians prefer an arranged marriage.
And only 1 out of 10 ends in divorce. As a result, India has one of the lowest divorce rates on the planet.
#23: After the US and the UK, India is third for Guinness World Records claimed.
Among the most amazing ones is the longest solo dance marathon that lasted for 123 hours and 15 minutes.
And how about the tiniest cow in the world? The bite-sized bovine lives in Kerala and stands at just 2 feet tall, making it shorter.
#24: Hospitals in India, or, more specifically, maternity wards are flooded with deliveries every year.
In fact, each year India welcomes 26 million babies to this world. If all these newborns were a country, they’d be #51 on a list of 195 nations and territories by population.
While the world quenches its thirst with Pepsi and Coca-Cola. India has successfully found an alternative use for it.
#25: Indian farmers have been using Coke as an effective and inexpensive pesticide for years.
According to them, it works just as well as traditional pesticides and helps cut costs by 80%. When asked which seasons they know. Most people will immediately name spring, summer, fall, and winter.
But what’s unusual about India is that it has not four, but six seasons.
They do have the four conventional ones. But besides those, they distinguish two additional seasons known as “the summer monsoon” and “the winter monsoon.”
#26: Despite being a third of the size of the US, India boasts a population of 1,345,850,000 people.
which outnumbers the US by pretty much exactly a billion. It turns out that 17% of the world’s population lives in India.
#27: The wettest place on Earth is in India.
Mawsynram, a town in Meghalaya, holds a Guinness record for getting more than 465 inches of rain annually.
Due to the town’s proximity to the Bay of Bengal. people have to live through a six-month-long monsoon period every single year.
#28: Indians love cricket.
That’s why it should come as no surprise that the highest cricket ground in the world is in India. This place, located at a dizzying 7,034 feet above sea level, has also got a Guinness world record.
#29: The 3.5 mile-long cable-stayed bridge Bandra-Worli.
Sea Link in Mumbai is constructed with the use of so many steel wires. That if you stretched them all out and lined them up, they’d wrap around the Earth. The $220 million construction itself weighs as much as 50,000 elephants.
#30: Buttons come from ancient India.
They were originally carved from seashells and only used as a sort of decoration on garments, rather than for fastening clothes together. It was the Indus Valley Civilization that came up with the concept at around 2000 B.C.E.