FACTS OF INDIA

 Surprising Facts You May Not Know About India

1. The name 'India' derives from the river Indus.

The Republic of India has two principal short names, each of which is historically significant, "India" and "Bharata". A third name, "Hindustān", is sometimes an alternative name for the region comprising most of the modern Indian states of the subcontinent when Indians speak among themselves. The usage of "Bhārat", "Hindustān", or "India" depends on the context and language of the conversation.

The name "India" is originally derived from the name of the river Sindhu (Indus River) and has been in use in Greek since Herodotus (5th century BCE). The term appeared in Old English as early as the 9th century and reemerged in Modern English in the 17th century.

2. India introduced shampoo to the world.

Shampoos actually came from India. People in India were known to use the pulp of a fruit called soapberries combined with some herbs and hibiscus flowers as early as the 1500s. That's when the British colonial traders came to know about it and introduced the idea of shampooing your hair to Europe.

A young Indian barber named Sake Dean Mahomed from Patna introduced the Indian-origin Shampoo to the western world. Mahomed was born in 1759 and was from a family of barbers.

Sake Dean Mahomed, a Bengali traveler, surgeon, and entrepreneur, is credited with introducing the practice of shampoo or "shampooing" to Britain. In 1814, Mahomed, with his Irish wife Jane Daly, opened the first commercial "shampooing" vapor masseur bath in England, in Brighton.

3. World's Highest Cricket Ground

Chail Cricket Ground is a cricket ground located in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. The ground was established in 1893 by Bhupinder Singh Maharaja of Patiala who owned a summer retreat in Chail, At that time the ground was developed. The ground is located at 2444 meters above sea level which make highest cricket ground in the world.

 This ground is also used as a Polo ground, located at the height of around 2,144m. It rests 7500 feet above sea level and is known as one of the famous cricket stadiums in India.

4. World's Largest Statue in India

The Statue of Unity is the world's tallest statue, with a height of 182 meters (597 feet), located in the state of Gujarat, India. It depicts Indian statesman and independence activist Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950), who was the first deputy prime minister and home minister of independent India and an adherent of Mahatma Gandhi. 

5. World's largest bird sculpture

Jatayu Earth Center, also known as Jatayu Nature Park or Jatayu Rock, is a park and tourism center at Chadayamangalam in the Kollam district of Kerala. It stands at an altitude of 350m (1200ft) above the mean sea level.

Jatayu Nature Park holds the distinction of having the world’s largest bird sculpture, which is of Jatayu.

The sculpture measures (200 feet (61 m) long, 150 feet (46 m) wide, 70 feet (21 m) in height and occupies 15,000 square feet (1,400 m²) of floor area). It was sculpted by Rajiv Anchal.

6. The first Rocket Launched from India

The launch of the first sounding rocket from Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 21 November 1963, marked the beginning of the Indian Space Programme.