The Indus valley civilization saw its genesis in the holy land now known as

India around 2500 BC. The people inhabiting the Indus River valley were thought
to be Dravidians, whose descendants later migrated to the south of India. The
deterioration of this civilization that developed a culture based on commerce and
sustained by agricultural trade can be attributed to ecological changes. The
second millennium BC was witness to the migration of the bucolic Aryan tribes
from the North West frontier into the sub-continent. These tribes gradually
merged with their antecedent cultures to give birth to a new milieu.

The Aryan tribes soon started penetrating the east, flourishing along the
Ganga and Yamuna Rivers. By 500 BC, the whole of northern India was a civilized
land where people had knowledge of iron implements and worked as labor,
voluntarily or otherwise. The early political map of India comprised of copious
independent states with fluid boundaries, with increasing population and
abundance of wealth fueling disputes over these boundaries.

Unified under the famous Gupta Dynasty, the north of India touched the
skies as far as administration and the Hindu religion were concerned. Little
wonder then, that it is considered to be Indias golden age. By 600 BC,
approximately sixteen dynasties ruled the north Indian plains spanning the
modern day Afghanistan to Bangladesh. Some of the most powerful of them were
the dynasties ruling the kingdoms of Magadha, Kosla, Kuru and Gandhara.

Known to be the land of epics and legends, two of the worlds greatest
epics find their birth in Indian settings - the Ramayana, depicting the exploits of
lord Ram, and the Mahabharta detailing the war between Kauravas and
Pandavas, both descendants of King Bharat. Ramayana traces lord Rams journey
from exile to the rescue of his wife Sita from the demonic clutches of Ravana with
the help of his simian companions. Singing the virtues of Dharma(duty), the Gita,
one of the most priced scriptures in Indian Mythology, is the advice given by Shri
Krishna to the grief laden Arjun, who is terrified at the thought of killing his kin,
on the battle ground.

Mahatma Gandhi revived these virtues again, breathing new life in them,
during Indias freedom struggle against British Colonialism. An ardent believer in
communal harmony, he dreamt of a land where all religions would be the threads
to form a rich social fabric

HISTORY
 The history of India includes the prehistoric settlements and societies
in the Indian subcontinent; the advancement of civilization from the Indus
Valley Civilization to the eventual blending of the Indo-Aryan culture to form
the Vedic Civilization; the development of Hinduism as a synthesis of various
Indian cultures and traditions; the rise of the ramaa movement; the decline
of rauta sacrifices and the birth of the initiatory traditions of Jainism,
Buddhism, Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism; the onset of a succession of
powerful dynasties and empires for more than two millennia throughout
various geographic areas of the subcontinent, including the growth of
nomadic Central Asian Muslim dominions during the Medieval period
intertwined with Hindu powers; the advent of European traders resulting in
the establishment of the British rule; and the subsequent independence
movement that led to the Partition of India and the creation of the Republic of
India.
Evidence of anatomically modern humans in the Indian subcontinent is
recorded as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including
Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. Considered a cradle of
civilization, the Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the
northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from 3300 to 1300 BCE, was the
first major civilization in South Asia. A sophisticated and technologically
advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600
to 1900 BCE. This civilization collapsed at the start of the second millennium
BCE and was later followed by the Iron Age Vedic Civilization, which extended
over much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witnessed the rise of major
polities known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms, Magadha,
Gautama Buddha and Mahavira propagated their Shramanic philosophies
during the fifth and sixth century BCE.
Most of the subcontinent was conquered by the Maurya Empire during
the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. From the 3rd century BC onwards Prakrit and
Pali literature in the north and the Sangam literature in southern India started
to flourish. Wootz steel originated in south India in the 3rd century BC and
was exported to foreign countries. Various parts of India were ruled by
numerous dynasties for the next 1,500 years, among which the Gupta Empire
stands out. This period, witnessing a Hindu religious and intellectual
resurgence, is known as the classical or "Golden Age of India". During this
period, aspects of Indian civilization, administration, culture, and religion
(Hinduism and Buddhism) spread to much of Asia, while kingdoms in southern
India had maritime business links with the Middle East and the
Mediterranean. Indian cultural influence spread over many parts of Southeast
Asia which led to the establishment of Indianised kingdoms in Southeast Asia
(Greater India).

The most significant event between the 7th and 11th century was the
Tripartite struggle centred on Kannauj that lasted for more than two centuries
between the Pala Empire, Rashtrakuta Empire, and Gurjara Pratihara Empire.
Southern India saw the rise of multiple imperial powers from the middle of the
fifth century, most notable being the Chalukya, Chola, Pallava, Chera,
Pandyan, and Western Chalukya Empires. The Chola dynasty conquered
southern India and successfully invaded parts of Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka,
Maldives and Benga in the 11th century. The early medieval period Indian
mathematics influenced the development of mathematics and astronomy in
the Arab world and the Hindu numerals were introduced.
Muslim rule started in parts of north India in the 13th century when the
Delhi Sultanate was founded in 1206 CE by nomadic Central Asian Turks;
though earlier Muslim conquests made limited inroads into modern
Afghanistan and Pakistan as early as the 8th century. The Delhi Sultanate
ruled the major part of northern India in the early 14th century, but declined
in the late 14th century when several powerful Hindu states such as the
Vijayanagara Empire, Gajapati Kingdom, Ahom Kingdom, as well as Rajput
dynasties and states, such as Mewar dynasty, emerged. The 15th century
saw the emergence of Sikhism. In the 16th century, Mughals came from
Central Asia and gradually covered most of India. The Mughal Empire suffered
a gradual decline in the early 18th century, which provided opportunities for
the Maratha Empire, Sikh Empire and Mysore Kingdom to exercise control
over large areas of the subcontinent.
From the late 18th century to the mid-19th century, large areas of India
were annexed by the British East India Company of British Empire.
Dissatisfaction with Company rule led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, after
which the British provinces of India were directly administered by the British
Crown and witnessed a period of both rapid developments of infrastructure
and economic stagnation. During the first half of the 20th century, a
nationwide struggle for independence was launched with the leading party
involved being the Indian National Congress which was later joined by other
organizations. The subcontinent gained independence from the United
Kingdom in 1947, after the British provinces were partitioned into the
dominions of India and Pakistan and the princely states all acceded to one of
the new states.

Population: 1.252 billion

(2013)

Longitudinal extent of India is 60 degree 32 minutes

North

Geography of India
India lies on the Indian Plate, the northern portion of the Indo-
Australian Plate, whose continental crust forms the Indian subcontinent. The
country is situated north of the equator between 84' to 376' north latitude
and 687' to 9725' east longitude. It is the seventh-largest country in the
world, with a total area of 3,287,263 square kilometres (1,269,219 sq mi).
India measures 3,214 km (1,997 mi) from north to south and 2,933 km (1,822
mi) from east to west. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km (9,445 mi) and a
coastline of 7,516.6 km (4,671 mi).
On the south, India projects into and is bounded by the Indian Ocean
in particular, by the Arabian Sea on the southwest, the Laccadive Sea to the
south, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. The Palk Strait and Gulf of
Mannar separate India from Sri Lanka to its immediate southeast, and the
Maldives are some 400 kilometers (250 mi) to the southwest. India's
 Andaman and Nicobar Islands, some 1,200 kilometers (750 mi) southeast of
the mainland, share maritime borders with Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia.
Kanyakumari at 8441N and 773228E is the southernmost tip of the
Indian mainland, while the southernmost point in India is Indira Point on Great
Nicobar Island. Northernmost point which is under Indian administration is
Near Indira Col, Siachen Glacier. India's territorial waters extend into the sea
to a distance of 12 nautical miles (13.8 mi; 22.2 km) from the coast baseline.
The northern frontiers of India are defined largely by the Himalayan
mountain range, where the country borders China, Bhutan, and Nepal. Its
western border with Pakistan lies in the Punjab Plain and the Thar Desert. In
the far northeast, the Chin Hills and Kachin Hills, deeply forested
mountainous regions, separate India from Burma. On the east, its border with
Bangladesh is largely defined by the Khasi Hills and Mizo Hills, and the
watershed region of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
The Ganga is the longest river originating in India. The Ganga
Brahmaputra system occupies most of northern, central, and eastern India,
while the Deccan Plateau occupies most of southern India. Kanchenjunga, on
the border between Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, is the highest point
in India at 8,598 m (28,209 ft.) and the world's 3rd highest peak. Climate
across India ranges from equatorial in the far south, to alpine and tundra in
the upper reaches of the Himalayas

Geography
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
(/ndi, n-/; Hindustani: [mondas krmtnd
andi] ( listen); 2 October 1869 30 January 1948) was
the preeminent leader of the Indian independence
movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent
civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and
inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across
the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "high-
souled", "venerable")applied to him first in 1914 in
South Africa,is now used worldwide. He is also called
Bapu (Gujarati: endearment for "father", "papa") in India.
In common parlance in India he is often called Gandhiji.
He is unofficially called the Father of the Nation.

Mother Teresa MC, known in the

Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta
(born Anjez Gonxhe Bojaxhiu Albanian: [a
z nd bjadiu]; 26 August 1910 5
Aamir Khan (pronounced [amr
September 1997), was an Albanian-Indian
xan]; born Mohammed Aamir Hussain Roman Catholic nun and missionary. She was
Khan on 14 March 1965) is an Indian born film in Skopje (now capital of the Republic of
actor, director and producer. ThroughMacedonia),
his then part of the Kosovo Vilayet
in the Ottoman Empire. After having lived in
career in Hindi films, Khan has established
himself as one of the most popular Macedonia
and for eighteen years, she moved to
influential actors of Indian cinema. He isIreland
the and then to India, where she lived for
recipient of numerous awards, including most of her life.
four National Film Awards and seven
Filmfare Awards. He was honored by the
Government of India with the Padma Shri in
2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010.
 Famous People
The Government of India (GoI) (Hindi translation: ;
transliterated bhrat sarkr in IAST) is a federal government established by
the Constitution of India as the constituted governing authority of the union
of 29 states and seven union territories of a proclaimed and established
parliamentary democratic republic, constitutionally called the Republic of
India. It is located in New Delhi, the capital of India.
Effecting the Westminster system for governing the state, the federal
government is mainly composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial
branches, in which all powers are vested by the Constitution in the
Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court. The President of India
is the Head of State and the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces
while the people-elected Prime Minister acts as the chief executive (of the
executive branch) and is responsible for running the federal government.
There is a bicameral Parliament with the Lok Sabha as a lower house and the
Rajya Sabha as an upper house. The judicial branch systematically contains
an apex Supreme Court, 24 high courts, and several district courts; all inferior
to the Supreme Court.
The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of India are set
down in major parliamentary legislation, such as the Civil Procedure Code, the
Indian Penal Code, and the Criminal Procedure Code. Similar to the federal
(union) government, individual state governments each consist of executive,
legislative and judicial branches. The legal system as applicable to the federal
and individual state governments is based on the English Common and
Statutory Law. The full name of the country is the Republic of India. No other
name appears in the Constitution, and this is the name that appears on legal
banknotes, in treaties and in legal cases. The Union Government, Central
Government or Government of India are often used in an official and unofficial
capacity to refer to the Government of India. Because the seat of government
is in New Delhi, "New Delhi" is commonly used as a metonym for the Central
Government.
President: Pranab Mukherjee
Government
1. Buttons
Buttons were first used in Mohenjo-daro for ornamental purpose
rather than for fastening. They were first used in the Indus
Valley Civilization by 2000 BCE.

2. Snakes & Ladders

The game, Snakes & Ladders, was invented in India as a game of morals.
Later it spread to England and eventually introduced in the USA by game
pioneer Milton Bradley in 1943.

3. Cotton cultivation
The ancient Greeks used to wear animal skins and were not even aware of
cotton. But Indians were sort of cool and started cultivating cotton during
the 5th 4th millennium BCE in the Indus Valley Civilization.

4. Fibonacci Numbers
The Fibonacci numbers were first described by Virahanka, Gopala
and Hemachandraas an outgrowth of earlier writings
by Pingala.

5. Cataract Surgery
Indian physician Sushruta (6th century
BCE) had the knowledge

India
of performing cataract surgery. It spread to China
from India. Greek scientists would visit
India to get operations done
and also to learn the nitty-
gritties

Contribution
 History
Population
Geography
Tourist spots
Famous people
Government
Contribution
 Goa is a state in western India with coastlines stretching along the Arabian Sea. Its long
history as a Portuguese colony prior to 1961 is evident in its preserved 17th-century
churches and the areas tropical spice plantations. Goa is also known for its beaches,
ranging from popular stretches at Baga and Palolem to those in laid-back fishing villages
The Taj Mahal (/td m
hl)is an ivory-white marble
mausoleum on the south bank of
the Yamuna river in the Indian city
of Agra. It was commissioned in
1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah
Jahan (reigned 16281658), to
house the tomb of his favorite wife,
Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the
centerpiece of a complex nearly 17
hectares (42 acres) in area, which
includes a mosque and a guest
house, and is set in formal gardens
bounded on three sides by a
crenellated wall.

This tomb, built in

1570, is of particular
cultural significance as it
was the first garden-tomb
on the Indian
subcontinent. It inspired
several major
architectural innovations,
culminating in the
construction of the Taj
Mahal.

Tourist Spots