Not many places on Earth can trace their civilization back as far as India, and not many cultures can count as many ‘firsts’ as the ancient Indians. The accomplishments of ancient India go way beyond yoga and Kama Sutra — at a time when the rest of the world had not yet come up with a successful numerical method, India was making big advances in everything from science & technology to board games that are still important today.
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List of 25 Amazing and Interesting Facts About Indian History
These 25 facts will offer a taste of ancient India’s rich heritage and stunning achievements.
1. The Atom
Atomic theory was established by Acharya Kanad in Ancient India, who had already spoken about the concept of an atom — an indestructible particle of the universe more than 2600 years ago.
2. Ancient Inventions
Throughout history, a host of Indian inventions have forever changed the world. Some of the most notable inventions include Zero, Keys, Cotton farming, shampoo, binary code, fibre optics, Ayurveda medicine, yoga, ruler, and radio / wireless communication.
3. Only Source for Diamonds
According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds in the world. Diamonds were initially present only in the alluvial deposits of Guntur and Krishna in the Krishna River Delta. Before diamonds were discovered in Brazil in the 18th century, India led the world in the manufacture of diamonds.
4. Freddie Mercury
The iconic rockstar/singer from ‘Queen, Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar – an island off Tanzania. Farrokh Bulsara aka Freddie Mercury was of Parsi descent who alongside his family moved to Mumbai as a child. Bulsar, Gujarat is believed to be the hometown of Farrokh’s grandparents, which is also the town from which his parents derived their surname.
5. The First Granite Temple
The First Granite Temple of the World is the Brihadeswara Temple in Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is constructed of a single 80-ton piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
6. Golf and the monkeys
When the British brought Golf to India, they were furious at the monkeys running on the course and playing with their balls. When all efforts to avoid the monkeys failed, the game had to be modified. To do so, a new rule was introduced: “Play the ball where the monkey drops it.
7. The Satiyaa Group
The Satiyaa group is a gipsy tribe in the Indian state of Rajasthan, celebrating death as one of the happiest events in their lives while treating births as occasions of great sorrow.
8. Richest Country In The World
Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Until 1858 before the British ruled in India, the East India trade company came to rule while India was very weak, The company made India one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
9. One of The Oldest Inhabited Places in the World
Located on the banks of the Ganges River and represented in Parliament by PM Narendra Modi, the holy city of Banaras or Varanasi is at least 3000 years old. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva found this town 5000 years ago.
10. Indian Chess
The game we know as chess is believed to have originated from the ancient Indian game of Chaturanga. Invented 1500 years ago, Chaturanga features foot-soldiers that move like chess pawns, a Raja that moves like a chess king, and a horse that moves like a chess knight. Not all pieces are similar to chess, though — instead of bishops, for example, Chaturanga uses elephants.
11. Highest Bridge
The Baily Bridge is the highest 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.
12. An Ancient Dam
The Kallanai Dam was built in the second century AD. It is the fourth-oldest water diversion structure in the world, more amazingly – it’s still in use today!
13. Second Mother
From the moment an Indians born, he has two mothers. One, his mother’s conception, and two, Gaumata. Cows are considered to be sacred in Hinduism, and the Constitution has a set of laws in place to prohibit the selling and slaughter of cows. It’s not a great thing about India now.
14. Ancient Astronomy
Bhaskaracharya has measured the time taken by the planet to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the Smart astronomer. The period took by earth to orbit the sun: 365,258756484 days (5th century).
15. History of Cotton
The ancient Indians were the first to cultivate cotton, around 3,000 BC. By 1,000 B.C., cotton cloth was used in India, and cotton-spinning methods had been developed that would remain in use until industrialization had happened.
16. Birthplace of Yoga
Yoga first started being practiced about 5,000 years ago, and the first use of the term ‘yoga’ for this practice occurred about 2,500 years ago.
17. Divided and Never Re-established
Ancient India has achieved its height under a series of indigenous empires. When the Huns invaded, the region was divided and vulnerable to further invasions by outsiders, and India never re-established a native empire.
18. Invention of Snakes & Ladders
The game of Snakes & Ladders was invented by the poet of St. Gyandev in the 13th century. Originally, it was called ‘Mokshapat.’ The ladders in the game represented the virtues, and the snakes displayed the vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dice. Over time, the game underwent numerous changes, but its essence remained the same, i.e. good deeds lead people to heaven and bad to a series of rebirths.
19. Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization, a culture of the Bronze Age that existed from 3,300 to 1,300 BC, is one of the three oldest civilizations in the world. The inhabitants of this society have progressed in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, navigation, and mineral extraction.
20. World’s First University
The world’s first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world have studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda, founded in the fourth century, was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
21. Largest Religious Pilgrimage Destination
The Vishnu Temple in the town of Tirupathi, built in the 10th century, is the largest religious pilgrimage destination in the world. More than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors contribute $6 million (US) to the temple every day.
22. Ancient Dentistry Pioneers
The ancient Indians were pioneers of dentistry. The earliest evidence of dental drilling performed on a living human being comes from India, 9,000 years ago. This also tells me that people have been afraid of the dentist for 9,000 years.
23. Father of Surgery
Sushruta is considered to be the father of surgery. About 2600 years ago Sushrata & his team performed complicated operations such as cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery, and brain surgery.
The Art of Navigation & Navigation was born more than 6000 years ago in the Sindh River. The actual word Navigation comes from the Sanskrit word ‘NAVGATIH.’ The word navy also derives from the Sanskrit word ‘Nou.’
25. Theories of Gravity
Ancient Indians have also come up with some of the first theories of gravity. In the 6th century AD, Aryabhata used gravity to explain why objects don’t fly off the Earth’s surface while it rotates.