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India

India is a land of infinite diversities and a centuries old civilization. The diversity of India, which encompasses the land from the Himalayas in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south, is immense. Indian civilization is one of the oldest in the world. A world renowned scholar of ancient Indian culture and religion, A.L Basham writes:

“There are four main cradles of Civilization in which elements of culture have spread to other parts of the world. There are, moving from East to West, China, the Indian sub-continent, the ‘fertile crescent, and the Mediteranian especially Greece and Italy. Of these four areas India deserves the largest share of the credit that she is usually given, because, on a minimal assessment, she has deeply affected the religious life of most of Asia and has provided very important elements in the culture of the whole South East Asia as well as extending her influence, directly and indirectly to other parts of the world”.(A. L. Basham, A Cultural History of India)

Contents

India, a land of infinite diversities and centuries old civilization
India is a land of infinite diversities and a centuries old civilization. The diversity of India, which encompasses the land from the Himalayas in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south, is im Read more...

India : Area, population and Economy
India has often amazed and intrigued the world by the vast variety of castes and creeds, a unique Indian tradition of religious tolerance, a capacity for survival and by the unswerving adherence to it Read more...

Major Cities of India
India has a fast growing economy with powerful industrial, commercial and trade sectors. Even though India is a country of countless villages, it has many ancient and modern cities. New Delh Read more...

Indus Valley Civilization, ancient Indian civilization
The Indian subcontinent which includes the present day Pakistan and Bangladesh has been inhabited since at least 5,000-6,000 B.C. Indus Valley Civilization, which developed in the Indus river delta is Read more...

World’s first religious text, first university and oldest language
India, where the world’s first religious text the Rigveda was written has a great philosophical tradition. Ancient time’s science, architecture and literature developed in India. [ Read more...

Physical features of India
The Indian mainland (excepting Andaman & Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep Islands in Arabian Sea) lies between latitudes 8 4’ and 37 6’ north, longitudes 68 Read more...

Physical Environment
Indian mainland comprises of four regions, namely The Great Mountain Zone or The Himalayan Mountain System, The Indo- Ganga Plains, The Desert Region and The Southern Peninsula or Read more...

Himalayas, the mountain system on the northern part of India
The Himalayas form a part of an extensive mountain system. From Pamir Knot in Central Asia it swings in an unbroken arc of several parallel ranges for over 2413 km, rising abruptly almost like a wall Read more...

The Indo – Ganga Plains, the largest stretch of alluvial plain in the world
The Indo-Ganga plains include the largest stretch of alluvial plain in the world; the basins of the great rivers, Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra together with their many tributaries. The pla Read more...

The Desert Regions of India
The desert region of India has two parts-The Great Desert and the Little Desert. The Great Desert extends from the edge of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat beyond the Luni River northward. Read more...

Southern Peninsula
The Southern Peninsula is mostly a raised table and of old, stable structure generally known as Deccan Plateau. Peninsular Plateau is marked off from the Indo-Ganga Plains by a mass of mou Read more...

Climate of India, Tropical Monsoon
The climate of India is tropical monsoon type. The prevalence of monsoonal or seasonal winter system is its distinguishing character. There are four seasons in India, winter (Jan-Feb); hot wea Read more...

Indian constitution and administrative structure
India is a democratic, sovereign, socialist, secular republic comprising twenty eight states and seven union territories The Indian Constitution came into being on 1950 January 26. India gained Read more...

States of India
Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, [ Read more...

Union Territories of India
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagarhaveli, Daman and Dieu, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Lakshadweep, Puducherry (Pondicherry). Read more...

The Demographic features of India
India is the second populous country in the world. It comes second to China .According to the census report of 2001 the population of India is 1,028,737,436 million. In this men are 532.223,09 Read more...

Religionwise distribution of Indian population
The religious composition status according to 2001 census of India as follows: The number of Hindus is 827,578,868 and form 80.5 % of the total population. Next place goes to Muslims. They com Read more...

Indian culture and literature
The culture of India is like a garland of beads of various colors. Diversity is its hallmark. But there is a string that joins all the beads into one single piece. And this, in fact, is the Indian-nes Read more...

Dance and Music traditions of India : Margi and Desi or Classical and folk
A variety of dance forms and a great tradition of music is another salient feature of Indian culture. Indian music has two streams. Margi (Classical) and Desi (Folk). Hindustani music of Northern I Read more...

Sculpture
A vast variety of art forms based on the ritualistic tradition also have their importance in Indian culture. India has a great tradition of painting, sculpture and architecture. The tradition of paint Read more...

World Heritage Sites of India
India has 27 UNESCO world heritage sites. A world heritage site is considered to be of outstanding value to humanity and human culture. The world heritage site programme was formed with the intern Read more...

List of World Heritage Sites in India
Agra Fort (1983) Ajanta Caves (1983) Ellora Caves (1983) Taj Mahal (1983) Group of Monuments at M Read more...

Indian Railway history
Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest and busiest rail networks, and the largest commercial employer. It is a department of the Government of India. The first railway in the Indi Read more...

Railway Zones
Indian Railways, which cover a total length of 63,140 km, is divided into 17 zones. ·1 Northern Railway (NR) Delhi ·2 North East Read more...

Flora of India
India has a wide variety of vegetation. In plant diversity India enjoys the tenth position. The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has identified over 46,000 plant species so far. The vascular In Read more...

Floristic Regions of India
The forests of the Himalayan region (from Kashmir to Kumaon) possess a rich variety of Deodar, Blue Pine, Spruce, Silver Fir, Chir, Pine, other Conifers and broad leaved temperate trees. T Read more...

Indian Fauna, biodiversity spots and animals
India is one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world with three biodiversity hotspots, the Eastern Himalayas, the Western Ghats or (Sahyadri), and the Hills of India belonging Read more...

Pre-Historic period upto Palaeolithic Period
India was inhabited by humans thousands of years ahead of the development of civilization. There are evidences that the homo erectus, one of the earliest of human species, had reached India before Read more...

Mesolithic Age of India
There is a possibility of the migration to India of the modern human from Myanmar in the East. This is evident from the weapons, tools and fossils unearthed from Tripura and Eastern Bangladesh. Th Read more...

Neolithic period of India, Beginning of home building and agriculture
The Neolithic period began in India during 7000-4000 B.C. It was during this period that the inhabitants developed the craft of building homesteads using sun-baked mud bricks, and began to live as a v Read more...

Indus Valley Civilization, the beginning of urbanized centres in India
It was during the Bronze Age that followed the Neolithic age that the foundations were laid for a modern culture in India. It was the period when urbanized centers developed along the banks of Read more...

Relics of Indus Valley and new theories of civilization
In later years, Indian archeologists have discovered many new monuments of this monumental culture. These have given rise to new theories on to the origin of the civilization. The emergence of urban l Read more...

City plans, languages, scripts and seals in Indus valley civilization
Compared to the other civilizations of the same period, the Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations, the Indus Valley civilization was far superior with respect to its city plans. From the Indus cities th Read more...

The Vedic Age, an important period in the history of India
The next important age in the history of India after the Indus Valley Civilization is the Vedic Age. It was during this period that India presented to human culture one of its invaluable c Read more...

Vedic Society, a system in which the social group has four layers
The Vedic society was based on what came to be known as ‘chaturvarnaya’. This was a system in which the social group has four layers, with the Brahmins (‘the brahmanas’) on top Read more...

The Iron age in Indian history, Budhism and Jainism appears
During the Iron Age, (between 1000-500 B.C.) there came up 16 powerful mahajanapada (kingdoms or states) in the Gangetic Plains of North India. Vedic Literature including the itihasaas make repeat Read more...

Jainism, an unorthodox religion, founded by Vardhamana Mahavira
Jainism was one of the earliest unorthodox religions in India and Vardhamana Mahavira (599-527 BC), a kshatriya from Videha (modern Bihar), its greatest name. Vardhamana left his home at the a Read more...

Principles of Jainism, an important religion of India
The principles of Jainism revolve around the concept of man’s direct knowledge of things. Jaina teachings place man’s ability to think and feel as a natural manifestation of life as the pr Read more...

Buddhism
One of the most influential religions in the world, Buddhism is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who lived twenty five centuries ago (563 - 483 B.C.) in India. Born as a prince in Kapil Read more...

Satavahana Dynasty
Fifteen years after Ashoka’s death, in 185 B.C., the Sumgaraja dynasty came to power in Magadha. Pushyamitra Sumga, till them the army chief, established this dynasty and capture Read more...

Religion
India is the birthplace of more than four religions. The ancient most of all the religions and the philosophic systematization, the Hinduism, was born in the soil of India. Apart from Hi Read more...

Density of Population of Indian states and Union Territories
Delhi comes first in the highly populated category (13,850,507) and Lakshadweep is the lowest (60,650). Medinipur of West Bengal is the district with the highest population (9,610,788) Read more...

Buddhism and Jainism
Though Buddhism originated in India, the Buddhists are a minority in the country now. Buddhism faced this predicament in the country of its birth not now, but long back when Vedic Hinduism had a r Read more...

Muslim population of India
In Muslim population, India is second only to Indonesia. Both the Sunni and the Shia the major sects of Muslim or Islam are there in India, but Shiites are a minority. The majority of Indian S Read more...

Krishna
Who is the most popular and the most colorful among the many gods of Indian Pantheon? The most benevolent? The most adored? The most pragmatic? The most expressive? The most scholarly? The most philos Read more...

Mahabharata
“OM! Having bowed down to Narayana and Nara, the most exalted male being, and also to the goddess Saraswati, must the word Jaya be uttered… Ugrasrava, the son of Lomaharshana, surnamed Sa Read more...

Christianity
Christianity is believed to have reached India soon after the crucifixion of Jesus. The history of Indian Christianity begins in 52 A.D. when St. Thomas is believed to have arrived in the country. Read more...

Zorashtrianism
Fearing the Islamic invaders, the Zoroastrians or Parsies fled from Persian Empire. A large segment of these people found their refuge in India and settled mainly in Gujarat. The Parsies of Read more...

Judaism
The Jews too reached India several centuries ago. It was the trade relations that the Mediterranean countries had with the Western coast of India that opened the door for their arrival in this land. A Read more...

Hindu
The ancient-most religion in the world, according to scholars, is Hinduism. It is not easy even for the most scholastic groups to differentiate the history of India from that of Hinduism. Read more...

Hinduism
Of the 1.12 billion people of India, 83 % are the followers of Hinduism according to the latest census. And Hindus live in large numbers outside India too. This religion is not founded on Read more...

Gita
In this context, a look at what Romila Thapar, famous Indian historian has to say about these texts of Hinduism. She Says: “The Epics had originally been secular and therefore had now to be revi Read more...

Darsana
The Darsanas form another significant branch of Hinduism’s philosophical moorings. Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa, and Uttara Mimamsa (Vedanta) are the s Read more...

Sects of Hinduism
In Hinduism, there are four different streams or sects such as the Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakteya and Smarta. Thos who worship the god Shiva are Shaivites and the worshippers of Vishnu are the Vaishnavit Read more...

Dravidian
The Hindu temples and the art forms that developed around them have, as have literature and philosophies, contributed greatly to the Indian culture. It was by imbibing the tribal cultural traditio Read more...

Mongoloid
The people of the Mongoloid race of the North East, while retaining their racial identity, did not fight shy of dissolving themselves in the Hinduish mainstream of life. In the Epics of Ramayana and M Read more...

Transformation of Hinduism
The most important reason for Hinduism to survive in spite of being made to face an unending cascade of attacks and intrusions and military occupations is that it has no centralized structure. The spe Read more...

Varna
The most peculiar characteristic of the Hindu society is the system called varna and jati. Varna is caste on the basis of position in the society and jati a sub-caste. (Varna in Sanskrit actually Read more...

Caste
The Sanskrit word for caste, varna, actually means color. The color element of castes was emphasized, throughout this period, and was eventually to become deep-rooted in north-Indian Aryan cul Read more...

Cuisine
It is rather impossible to find a cuisine that can be labeled an exclusive Indian Cuisine. From place to place all along the country, and the country itself is a very large dining table for which a la Read more...

Languages
About eight hundred different languages, about two thousand dialects – it is this rare diversity in linguistic life that makes another specialty for India. Including Hindi there are 22 langu Read more...

Official languages
Among the eight hundred Indian languages the following have been recognized as the official languages of India. Hindi : Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman &a Read more...

Architecture
The Stupa at Sanchi, the Sun Temple of Konark, the Brihadeeswara Temple of Tanjore (Thanchavur), Taj Mahal, the Temples of Pattadakkal – these are enough to stand testimony to the great gran Read more...

Transportation
It is the transport network that plays a crucial role in the economic development of India today. The Indian Railways, which has a history of 15 years, is one of the largest of its kind in the wor Read more...

Traditions of painting, architecture and sculpture in India
A vast variety of art forms based on the ritualistic tradition also have their importance in Indian culture. India has a great tradition of painting, sculpture and architecture. The tradition of p Read more...

Animal Wealth
India tops in cattle wealth in the world. 15 % of the world’s cattle and 57% of buffaloes are in India. The total number of the cattle in India as per the census of 2003 is 185 milli Read more...

Industry
Textile industry occupies the pride of place in India’s industrial enterprises. This field contributes 4 % of gross domestic product and 14 % of industrial product. This sector has a workforce o Read more...

Economy
The Indian economy is the world's fourth largest on the basis of buying capacity. And it is the second fastest growing economy as has been testified by the 8.9% growth rate for the first three months Read more...

Banking
Mumbai is India’s financial capital, where you have the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. The money transaction in the cou Read more...

Music
The culture of India is like a garland of beads of various colors. Diversity is its hallmark. But there is a string that joins all the beads into one single piece. And this, in fact, is the Indian Read more...

Classical dance forms of India
The diversity one see in the musical systems can be seen in the dance forms too. Ancient Indians have classified dance forms into three – nritta, nritya, and naatya. As in music, in dance too bo Read more...

Agriculture
The fulcrum around which Indian economy revolves is its agriculture. 22% of India’s GDP is contributed by its agriculture and related activities. 65-70% of its people bank upon agricultu Read more...

Rivers
Indian rivers are the arteries of Indian life and culture. Some of the world’s largest and longest rivers in the world –the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Godavari, Read more...

Indus
The Indus, the very name of the country, India, is derived from this river’s name. It originates from Tibet in the Himalayas, and flowing through India, it crosses on to Pakistan and fal Read more...

Ganges
At the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, at a place called Jumgipur, Ganges the holy river also known as Ganga, assumes two different courses. The south-flowing course is known Bhagirathi, Read more...

Brahmaputra
Brahmaputra, a river on the eastern side of India. Originating from a glacier called Jima Yangsong, near Mount Kailash in Tibet, China, the Brahmaputra traverses a very long way, through India and Read more...

Subarna Rekha
Subarna Rekha, a river on the eastern side of India. The Chhotanagpur plateau in the state of Jharkhand is the source of this river. Ranchi, the capital of this state is on the banks of Subarna Re Read more...

Mahanadi
Mahanadi, a river on the eastern side of India. The Raipur hills, in the state of Chhattisgarh is the source of this river. As it reaches the state of Orissa, it creates a wide estuary, ab Read more...

Godavari
Godavari: In length and width, the Godavari is the biggest river in South India. This 1450-kilometers-long river has its source in Triambakeshwar in the Western Ghats, near Nasik in Read more...

Kaveri
Kaveri: This is another holy river for the Hindus. Originating from Thalakaveri in the Sahyadri ranges of Karnataka, Kaveri carries a beautiful meaning on its name – ‘kaav&rs Read more...

Krishna
Originating from the Western Ghats at Mahabaleshwar in Maharahstra, river Krishna of South India is pampered by a number of tributaries in the Karnataka area and then crosses on to Read more...

Narmada
River Narmada, this river is the traditional boundary between the north and the south of India. The 1289-kilometer long river has its source in the Amarkandak in the Meykala hills in Madhya Prad Read more...

Indian rivers
A List of Important Indian Rivers a. Himalayan Rivers: Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra b. Interstate rivers falling in the Bay of Bengal: Su Read more...

Postal network
India’s is the largest postal network in India. It was in the second half of the 18th century that modern postal system was introduced in India. India’s postal network connects thousands o Read more...

Defence
India is one of the biggest military forces in the world. The Indian defence force is comprised of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, The Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, and the Para-mili Read more...

Education
India has a very long tradition of educational institutions dating from the very ancient times. Numerous were the ancient schools and hermitages which taught and trained people in languages, liter Read more...

Ganga II
This is the holy river of the Hindus, reverentially called Mother Ganga, also known as Ganges in English, the one that takes its origin from the Himalayan glacier called Gangotri, traversing a Read more...

Ganga
Name the most important river of India, and you name the Ganga or the Ganges. The Hindus worship it giving it divine status. The great river takes it form as Ganga, from the union of the Himala Read more...

Sundarbans
India and Bangladesh share the largest mangrove forest in the world, in the Delta of the rivers of Ganga or Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna, known as the Sundarbans. It is in the mouth of t Read more...

Indian Ocean
In a real extent of the oceans in the world, The Indian Ocean ranks third. Bordering on most of Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica, the Indian Ocean is the warmest of the oceans and claims 20% of Read more...

Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra is a city in the Indian State of Haryana. It is just three hours drive from New Delhi. The Kurukshetra War of the ancient Indian epic of Mahabharata is believed to have taken pl Read more...

Ramayana
[www.indiavideo.org/painting/ayodhyakanda-ramayana-painting-1753.php;www.indiavideo.org/painting/sugriva-kishkindhakanda-indian-painting-1754.php;www.indiavideo.org/painting/panchavadi-pahari-kangra Read more...

Lord Rama
Rama is the eldest son of Dasharatha, king of Ayodhya. Rama’s mother is Kausalya, the eldest of the three wives of Dasharatha. The other two wives are Kaikeyi and Sumitra. Kaikeyi’s son is Read more...

Sanskrit
Sanskrit is the language of the Vedas, of the Upanishads, of the epics Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Bhagavad Gita, and of the works of Kalidasa, Bhasa, and Bhavabhuti, of the world's oldest grammar Read more...

Vedic Sanskrit
And this language, Sanskrit, is classified into the vedic and the mundane. Panini has described the vedic Sanskrit as chhandas and the mundane as bhaasha. The vedic Sanskrit is classified further into Read more...

Gangtok
Gangtok, the capital of the state of Sikkim,India is a picturesque travel destination perched on a mountain with monasteries, parks, and colorful bazaars. Situated at an altitude of 5,800 Read more...

Four regions of Indian mainland
Indian mainland comprises of four regions, namely The Great Mountain Zone or The Himalayan Mountain System, The Indo- Ganga Plains, The Desert Region and The Southern Peninsula or Read more...

Sri Aurobindo
He returned to India in 1893 and went to Baroda on a pending invitation from the local king. He worked for seven years there and then joined the Maharaja’s College of Baroda as professor Read more...

Bhagat Singh
(1907-1931) March 23, 1931. Sitting in the shadows of gallows, Sardar Bhagat Singh, the great Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary took a pen for the last time to jot down a letter for the la Read more...

Andaman and Nicobar
Located in the Indian Ocean, in the southern reaches of the Bay of Bengal, near Indonesia and Thailand union territory of India Andaman and Nicobar island comprises of the island Read more...

Chandigarh
Chandigarh called City Beautiful is a union territory of India and serves as the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana.The name translates from Hindi to English as "the fort of Ch Read more...

Dadra and Nagar Haveli
The watershed of the Daman Ganga River, which flows through the territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli is a Union Territory in western India. It is wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat, whereas Dadr Read more...

Daman and Diu
Daman and Diu is a union territory in India. For over 450 years, these coastal enclaves on the Arabian Sea coast were part of Portuguese India, along with Goa and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Goa, Daman, a Read more...

Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep is the smallest union territory of India and the name Lakshdweep literally translates as "hundred thousand islands". Until 1973, the island group was known by the anglicised name Read more...

Delhi
The second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai, Delhi has a population of 12.8 million, and with an extended metropolitan population of almost 22 million Delhi is one of the oldest cont Read more...

Puducherry
Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry (help•info)) is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts(1.Pondicherry now called as Pud Read more...

Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh known as the Rice Bowl of India is a state in southern India. It is the 4th largest state in India by area and population. Bordered by Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Ori Read more...

Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh which means "land of the dawn lit mountains" is the easternmost state of India and shares a border with the states of Assam to the south and Nagaland to the sou Read more...

Assam
Asom (former name Assam) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city Guwahati. Located south of the eastern Himalayas. Asom comprises the Brahmaputra and the Bara Read more...

Bihar
Bihar is a state of the Indian union which lies in the very fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain. Culturally, it the Bhojpuri heartland of India. Bihar is most famous for its status as the birthplace of Bu Read more...

Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh, a state in central India, was formed when the sixteen Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on November 1, 2000. It is the 10th largest Read more...

Goa
Goa is a part of the coastal area known as the Konkan, which is an escarpment rising up to the Western Ghats range of mountains, which separate it from the Deccan Plateau. Goa's main rivers are the Ma Read more...

Gujarat
Gujarat the western most state of India borders Pakistan to the north and the state of Rajasthan to the north-east, Madhya Pradesh to the east, Maharashtra and the Union territor Read more...

Haryana
Haryana is a state carved out of the state of Punjab in 1966. It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and Rajasthan to the west and south. The eastern border to U Read more...

Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh meaning land of snowy mountains is a state in the north-west of India bordered by the states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana Read more...

Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northern most state of India. Situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains, Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab t Read more...

Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar state on 15 November, 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Utta Read more...

Karnataka
Karnataka is a state in the South India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in Read more...

Kerala
Kerala is a state on the tropical Malabar coast of southwestern India. To its east and north-east, Kerala borders Tamil Nadu and Karnataka; to its west and south lie the Arabian Sea island Read more...

Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh was the largest state in India until November 1, 2000 when the state of [ Read more...

Maharashtra
Maharashtra is India's third largest state in area and second largest in population after Uttar Pradesh. It is located in western India and is bordered by the states of Gujarat, Madhya Prade Read more...

Manipur
Manipur is a state in north east India with Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the south and Assam in the west; it also Read more...

Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a small state in north-east India which literally means "The Abode of Clouds" in Sanskrit and other Indian languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of t Read more...

Punjab
Punjab also spelled Panjab, is a state in northwest India. The Indian state borders the Pakistani province of Punjab to the west, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, Himachal Pradesh to the north- Read more...

Rajasthan
Rajasthan is now the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area and is part of west India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert) Read more...

Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. It is the least populous state in India and the second-smallest in area after Goa. The thumb-shaped state borders Nepal in the Read more...

Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India which lies on the eastern coast of the south Indian peninsula bordered by Puducherry (Pondicherry), Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Ta Read more...

Tripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spo Read more...

Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh located in north India, covers a large part of the highly fertile and densely populated upper Gangetic plain. While it is only the fifth-largest Indian state in terms of land area, i Read more...

Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand, known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. Uttarakhand borders Tibet to the north, Nepal to the east, and the states o Read more...

West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in eastern India. With Bangladesh, which lies on its eastern border, the state forms the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. To its northeast lie the states of Assam and Sikkim a Read more...

Mizoram
Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in north east India on the border with Myanmar. Its population during the 2001 census stood at 888,573. Mizoram's 98.1% literacy rate is second highest am Read more...

Nagaland
Nagaland is a hill state located in the far north east part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Myanmar to the east and [ Read more...

Orissa
Orissa is a littoral state of India with a long coastline and a storehouse of mineral wealth. Because of its mineral wealth and strategic location it attracts foreign investment in steel, aluminum Read more...

Sanskrit Literature
The Vedas marked the beginning of literature in Sanskrit. There are four Vedas, the Rig, the Yajur, the Sama and the Atharva. Scholars find these works should have been composed between 2000 BC an Read more...

Great authors of classical Sanskrit
When we discuss the poetry in classical Sanskrit, the earliest name that comes up is that of the Buddhist poet, Ashvaghosha. He lived in the 1st century AD, and composed the Buddhacharita, the lif Read more...

Lok Sabha elections 2009
India, the World's largest democratic nation, is preparing itself for its next general elections to the Lok Sabha, the people's council of the country's Parliament. Around 700 million Indians are Read more...

Lok Sabha or Parliament election results 2004
The complexity of India's general elections can be gauged from the following figures of the results from the last general elections to the Lok Sabha, India or Indian Parliament in the year 200 Read more...

Hindi, India’s official and national language
There are about 6,900 languages currently spoken in the world. Of these, Hindi ranks second after Mandarin Chinese. The third rank goes to Spanish, followed by English (Ref. World Languages & Cult Read more...

Bengali, the language of West Bengal
Bengali, the mother tongue of Rabindranath Tagore, the poet who won the first Nobel Prize for Asia (1913), Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bang Read more...

Kannada, the language of Karnataka
Bharatiya Jnanpith is India's topmost and most prestigious literary award, and out of the 32 years of its life so far, 7 times it went to Kannada writers. It shows the strength and brilliance of K Read more...

Telugu, the language of Andhra Pradesh
Spoken by about 75 million people around the globe, mainly in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Telugu belongs to the Dravidian family of languages, with the largest number of speakers in the fa Read more...

Tamil, a Dravidian language
"While the modern Indo-Aryan languages, with the exception of Sinhalese, had not found literary expression at the time of the Muslim invasion, the Dravidian languages had been flourishing for cen Read more...

Indian Astrology
Astrology projects into the future of a person or even an institution. And the discipline, as we have seen, bases this on certain calculations in which the present moment and the passage of his naksha Read more...

Taj Mahal, Agra, India
Snatch a ticket to Agra from New Delhi, and catch the express train. For about another 250 minutes you travel across a couple of bygone centuries of dramatic scenes of history and misty, musical l Read more...

Lord Shiva, the Supreme God
Wedded to Parvati, father of Ganapati and Subrahmanya, one who sits in deep meditation in the Mount Kailas of the Himalayas, the King of dance, the patron of all ascetics, and the one who represents e Read more...

Lord Ganesha
Ganesha is one of the most popular forms in Indian sculpture, painting and drawing. Among the temples of the Hindu gods, some of the most visited ones are those dedicated the Ganesha, who is worsh Read more...

Brahma, creator of Hindu mythology
Brahma is the creator god of the Hindu Trinity, and is accepted as the Creator of the entire universe. The other two of the Trinity are Vishnu, the protector god, and Shiva, the destroyer god. Bra Read more...

Devi or Mother Goddess
Though the term Devi refers generally to a Hindu goddess, it signifies specifically a synonym for Shakti or power, the consort of Shiva, the super god. Shakti worship is a significant element of t Read more...

Mother Goddess of Hindu mythology
Is the Mother Goddess the mother of a god, like Virgin Mary? Or is she the mother of all gods? Or, is she just a symbol of love, compassion and care, as from a philosophic point of view? In the Hin Read more...

Indian Mythology
India has a long history which is rather unique in the world. And this history, both recorded and unrecorded, is soaked in a magical mist – a richly variegated collection of its mythology. [ Read more...

The Great Dynasties
The 6th, 5th and the 4th centuries B.C. saw the rise of several dynasties in Northern India. The most remarkable and strong of these was the Magadha dynasties of kings which flourished from the so Read more...

The National Movement For Independence
The doomed uprising of 1857, leaderless and incohesive, set in motion a truly national movement, drawing in disparage ideologies and unlikely personalities, heroes and villains, that finally wrested i Read more...

The Gandhi Era
The World War I was another crucial occasion which vitiated the atmosphere in India. Though about 1.3 million Indian soldiers and laborers served for the British alliance in various theatres of th Read more...

VISHU
Vishu is one of the major festivals of Kerala. In Kerala, this festival has more to do with the celebrations and rituals connected to agriculture. This festival is celebrated on the first day of the M Read more...

Science, History, Mythology and more connected to Vishu
Science / Numerical derivations Vishu conveys the message of auspiciousness and prosperity. The advent of this festival is marked by the widespread blooming of Kanikonna (Laburnum) flower. Once, this Read more...

Ceremonies and Materials connected to Vishu
Padukkayiduka This is practice quite popular in south Kerala. Grapes, coconut, banana, rice and mango are used to make the padukka. The padukka is cut open following the auspicious sighting of the Vi Read more...

Central Government Ministries of Republic of India
Ministry of Civil Aviation Ministry of Culture Ministry of External Affairs Ministry of Finance Mini Read more...

Executive branch of India Government
The President of India The Vice President of India The Prime Minister of India The Cabinet Secretariat Read more...

The Directory of Government Websites
Executive Legislature Judiciary Central Government Ministries Independent Offices States & Union Territories State Legislatures Read more...

States and Union Territories in India
Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Union Territory) Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Chandigarh (Union Territory) Read more...

Independent Offices under Government of India
Central Bureau of Investigation Central Information Commission The Central Vigilance Commission Comptroller & Auditor General of India Read more...

Indian Judiciary
Supreme Court of India High Courts of India Allahabad High Court Andhra Pradesh High Court Bombay High Court Calcutta High Court Chh Read more...

Indian Legislature
Parliament of India Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Read more...

Onam
With her fine clothes, her intoxicating fragrances, her lilting music and her charming dances, Onam has held Kerala under her spell for years. But like the immortal Cleopatra who was staled neither by Read more...

History
Origins Where did it all begin? Who or what sparked the magic? Unfortunately, the answer has long been lost in the all-encompassing mists of time. However, evidences suggest that Onam may ha Read more...

Myths
King of hearts The hero of Onam, King Mahabali, was an Asura king - Asuras were the traditional enemies of the Gods - who ruled over Kerala. Bali was such a good ruler that soon the Devas - th Read more...

Rituals
Magic Carpet / Pookkalam The courtyard of every village house is decorated with beautiful flowers of different colours as a ritual to receive Mahabali (the beloved king of Kerala sent to the netherw Read more...

Cuisine
Feast for a king The Onam feast - Onasadya - is a mouth-watering spread of nearly two-dozen items. The vegetarian feast usually is of 6-7 courses and the number varies from region to region. All memb Read more...

Games
Fun time Fun 'n' frolic After the Sadya and the siesta that follows is the time for games. Games like Onappanthu, Thalappanthu - both ball games, Ambaiyyal or bow and arrow, Cheettukali or card g Read more...

Music
Singing 'n' swinging A number of Onam songs accompany the various customs and rituals of Onam - from the songs sung while swinging and the songs sung while plucking flowers for the Athappoo to the r Read more...

Arts
Shake a leg Shaking a leg The vibrant art forms that form part of the cultural repertoire of Onam include Mudiyattom, Pulikali, Kolkali, Thumbithullal, Thaalipeeli, Kaikottikali, Kummi, Kali Read more...

Literature
Apart from its music and arts, Onam has a distinctive literature too. During Onam time, every publication in the State brings out a special Onam issue. For major publications, this doubles up as the a Read more...

Customs
Onam best Onakkodi – Onam mundu and Onam saree New clothes are integral to Onam festivities. Elders gift ‘onakkodi’ or ‘onappudava‘ (‘kodi’ means new and & Read more...

What is Akshaya Tritiya (Akha Teej)?
This day, considered to be one of the four most sacred days in the Hindu calendar, falls on the third day after Amavasi (no moon) in the Hindu lunar month of Vaishakha. This is also the third day of t Read more...

What is the story behind the origins of Akshaya Tritiya (Akha Teej)?
Lord Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, the God who carries out the work of sustaining the universe, figures prominently in most stories about the origin of Akshaya Tritiya. Of these, the most famous one i Read more...

What are the various religious ceremonies related to Akshaya Tritiya?
Vishnu puja Lord Vishnu, the god who sustains the universe and one among the three gods who form the Supreme Trinity of Hinduism, is the main god associated with Akshaya Tritiya. The main pujas a Read more...

Rituals in some parts of the country
Orissa The construction of chariots for the famous Rath Yatra of the Jagannatha Temple of Puri, in Orissa, is started on this day of new beginnings. Jagannatha is worshipped by Hindus all over the wo Read more...

Akshaya Tritiya (Akha Teej) and Jainism
Apart from the Hindus, members of the Jain community also consider Akshaya Tritiya (Akha Teej) as an important day. Jains follow the Indian religion of Jainism that prescribes an attitude of non-viole Read more...

Onam 2011
The ten-day Onam festival is featured by colourful celebrations across the state. Though Thiruvonam, which falls on September 9 this year, is the main day of festivities, the day preceding it and the Read more...

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