It’s understandable why so many travellers consider India to be on their bucket list! Mumbai and Varanasi offer a diverse landscape, vibrant festivals, and fiery cuisine that are incentive enough to pack your bags and travel there.
Whether you’ve never been to IND or you’re just captivated by it, these 10 fascinating facts about the nation may surprise you.
1. India is divided into 29 states
The fact that IND is divided into states is not well known to outsiders. Certain states, such as Assam, Kashmir, and Goa, are more widely known due to their exports, such as Assam tea, Kashmir silk, or the well liked Goa tourist attractions.
2. Tea is the national beverage of India
There’s no denying that Indians adore tea every home serves it with meals and throughout the day. India, right behind China, is the world’s second-largest producer of tea.
3. Around 70% of the world’s spices come from India
The world’s restaurants and kitchens use spices, which are shipped across continents and produced mostly in IND. The most well-known spices include chilli powders, saffron, cumin, and turmeric.
4. India has the current tallest statue in the world
At six hundred feet (182 metres) high, the Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world at the moment.
The statue honouring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the leader of the independence movement, is situated in Gujarat, in the western state where Patel was born.
In contrast, the Statue of Liberty stands 305 feet (93 metres) tall, making this statue nearly twice as tall. It is approximately 67,000 tonnes in weight and is composed of over 12,000 bronze panels.
The easiest way to visit the statue is with this day tour from Ahmedabad.
5. The Amritsar Golden Temple serves free meals…. for thousands
The Amritsar Golden Temple is one of the most dazzling architectural monuments in IND, but it is also a site of generosity and compassion. This Sikh temple is open to people of all religions.
Every day, it serves a simple vegetarian meal, often to over fifty thousand people. What’s even more impressive is that almost all the ingredients are donated.
This private day tour to the Amritsar Golden Temple and Wagan Border is one to not be missed.
6. IND was the first country to refine and consume sugar
If you have a sweet tooth, you have India to thank for it. IND was the first place were sugar was extracted, refined, and used in cooking although once people got a taste of the delicious stuff, sugar production quickly spread around the world.
7. Shampoo originated in India
The word “shampoo” comes from the Sanskrit word “champu,” which means “to massage.”
Ground herbs mixed with water were the very first forms of shampoo. Not until later, when the idea caught on were commercial bottles produced.
8. India is Famous for its Iconic Step Wells
IND abandoned step-wells, known as vavs in Gujarat and baolis (or baoris) elsewhere in northern India, are an important part of its history and architecture.
While information about them is scarce, they’re believed to have started appearing mostly between the 2nd and 4th centuries to supply water from the country’s deep water tables – especially in the hot, dry states in northern India.
Beyond their primary use, they were often used to provide shade, as temples, community centers, and layovers on trade routes.
Among the most stunning step wells is the Rani ki Vav (the Queen’s Step Well), which is undoubtedly India’s most awe-inspiring step well.
It’s crazy to think that this UNESCO World Heritage site was just recently discovered.
These step wells are best explored on a tour. Here are some of the best step well tours in the region.
9. The steel wires in the Bandra Worli Sealink could stretch around the world
Completed in 2010, the incredible Bandra Worli Sealink bridge required 90,000 tons of cement to build. To hold that all up, enormous steel cables – each with the ability to hold up 900 tons of weight – were put in place along the bridge.
If they were laid out end to end, the cables could reach around the circumference of the globe.
10. Gandhi is one of India’s most famous icons
Revered the world over for his nonviolent philosophy of passive resistance, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was known to his many followers as Mahatma, or “the great-souled one.”
He was also commonly referred to as “Bapu,” which means father.
In the years following World War I, he became the leading figure in India’s struggle to gain independence from Great Britain.
After Partition in 1947, he continued to work toward peace between Hindus and Muslims until his death, when he was fatally shot in Delhi in January 1948 by a Hindu fundamentalist.
Gandhi’s face has appeared on all denominations of IND Rupees printed since 1996.
11. There’s a floating post office in IND
Not only does India have the largest network of postal services in the world, but it also has some very unique post offices, including one that floats on the water.
Located in Dal Lake, Srinagar, the post office has begun to serve as a tourist destination for curious visitors who hope to photograph the unique site. Trust me, Srinagar is one of the most beautiful places in IND!
These amazing facts about IND are just the tip of the iceberg; this country has so many surprises in store for travelers!
There’s nothing quite like real-life experience, so if these fun facts about India have piqued your curiosity, get ready to have your mind blown when you travel there in person!
