India is a microcosm of the globe as a whole and should be held up as a symbol of diversity and variation. We owe it to our children to provide them with as much information as possible about this stunning country.

Amazing Facts About India That Children Should Know

Children love information, so here are a few fun facts about India for kids.

Geographical Facts

• India is the seventh-largest country in the world, with an area of 32,87,590 square kilometres.
• India is the second most populated country with a population of 1.2 billion.
• The Tropic of Cancer passes right through the middle of our country.
• Chilika is the largest lake in India.
• Cherrapunjee is the wettest place in India with an annual rainfall of about 1200 centimetres.
• Ganga is the longest river in India, flowing through a length of 2525 km.
• The coldest place in India is Dras, which is located in the western part of Ladakh.
• Kanchenjunga, with an altitude of 8,586 meters, is the highest mountain peak in India.
• The largest state and smallest states in India are Rajasthan and Goa respectively.
• While the highest point of India is Kanchenjunga, the lowest point of India is Kuttanad.
• The world’s largest mangrove forest is located on the Bay of Bengal.

Culture Facts

• The Indian culture is one of the oldest in the world, going back to about 4,500 years.
• India saw the birth of two of the most popular religions; Hinduism and Buddhism. A good 84 per cent of the total population identifies itself as Hindu.
• Indian religion facts – Hinduism and Buddhism are not the only religions we find here. Our nation is filled with so many religions, like Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and more.
• The Taj Mahal located in Agra is one of the seven wonders of the world.
• India boasts of several dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Manipuri.
• Indian clothing facts for kids – Each state here produces a different style of clothing. From sarees to lehengas to lungis and kurtas, India has it all.
• India has 22 official languages.
• Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tamil Nadu is the largest temple in India (156 acres).
• The ancient Indus Valley Civilisation is over 8000 years old.
• India was once the hub of Buddhism and emperor Ashoka helped spread it around the world, particularly South East Asia.
• India has a popular way of greeting by joining hands and saying Namaste. The Sanskrit meaning of this word is “the divine in me bows to the divine in you”.

Historical Facts

Here are a few ancient India facts for kids –

• India has contributed so much to the field of mathematics. Branches like algebra, calculus and trigonometry find their roots here. Zero was invented by Aryabhata, who was an Indian.
• Chess happens to find its roots in India.
• A good peaceful Indian fact for children is that we haven’t invaded any country in our history.
• The world’s first university, the University of Takshashila, was built in 700 B.C.
• All the European languages were derived from Sanskrit, which happens to be the oldest and richest language, again, from India.
• In 100 BC, the decimal system was invented in India.
• Baudhayana is the genius who calculated the value of Pi. He was an Indian.
• Ayurveda is the first stem of medicine that originated in India.
• Alexander’s Army turned back once they entered India as they were terrified of the powerful army of the Nanda empire.
• The Dutch Navy was defeated decisively by Marthanda Varma of Travancore in 1741.
• The Iron Pillar of India, constructed by Chandragupta II, is popular for its high resistance to corrosion because of its unique metal composition.

Animal Facts

• India has close to 500 wildlife sanctuaries.
• The Eastern Himalayas, Western Ghats, and Indo-Burma are the three hotspots for biodiversity.
• The Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Asiatic lion, Mugger crocodile are a few threatened species found in India.
• India is home to around 1300 species of beautiful birds.
• The Bengal Tiger is the national animal of India.
• The peacock is the national bird of India.
• The river dolphin of the Ganges is the national aquatic animal of India.
• The Himalayan blue sheep is found only in India.
• The Sarus crane is one of the biggest cranes in India.
• Coming second to New Zealand, India has the highest population of sheep in the world (75,000,000).
• The snow leopard, which is found in the Himalayan mountains, is so elusive that it is named the ghost cat.

Facts About Indian Currency

• India minted a zero rupee note to make a point about the NGO 5th pillar’s move to fight corruption.
• Every Indian currency note has 15 languages on the reverse side and two on the front, which are English and Hindi.
• Back in the day, the Indian five-rupee coin was smuggled all the way to Bangladesh and was used to make razors.
• Indian notes are made of cotton and cotton rag.
• Shortly after the India – Pakistan divide, Pakistan used the Indian Rupee notes up until they could mint their own money.
• We don’t have 5,000 and 10,000 rupee notes now, but between the years 1954 and 1978, these were in circulation.
• The Ministry of Finance issues one-rupee notes.
• Every note has a depiction of India.
• A damaged or torn note can be exchanged at local banks.
• Destroying money is considered an offense punishable by law.
• In 2010, the Indian government held an open competition to design the new symbol of the Indian rupee. An Indian academic, D Udaya Kumar won the competition by designing the symbol – ₹.

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Facts About Sports

• Dhyan Chand, the hockey legend, was offered the rank of field marshal in the German army by Hitler. He refused the offer and led the Indian team to win gold in the Berlin Olympics of 1936.
• Sarfaraz Khan was only ten years old during the first IPL match. Now he is 24.
• Five international men’s Kabbadi tournaments have been held, and India won all of them.
• India has won 26 medals in the Olympic Games.
• Martial arts or the sport of self-defense finds its roots in India.
• The first time India participated in the Olympics was in 1900.
• A poet called Gyaydevji came up with this game called “Parambadham”. That is today’s snakes and ladders for you.
• Polo too finds its roots in India. The game has gone through a lot of modification from the original, though.
• Hockey is India’s national game.
• The IPL has the second-highest amount of money spent on it, after the NBA.
• Kila Raipur Sports Festival is a rural winter festival running since 1933. This festival conducts rural games of Punjab, like horseback acrobatics, bullock cart races, etc., that demonstrate farmers’ strength.

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Indian Music Facts

• Gandharva Mahavidyalaya was India’s first music school.
• Each state produces a different kind of folk music. A few examples are Dandiya from Gujrat, Bauls from Bengal and Lavani from Maharashtra.
• Bageshwari Qamar is the first shehnai player of India.
• Sarod is an instrument that is exclusively Indian.
• The tabla, too, is a musical instrument that was made first in India.
• Banjaran was the first folk album of India that contained folk songs from Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• The national anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore and first sung in a rally at Kolkata.
• The veena is a beautiful instrument that was first made in India.
• The Ladybirds was the first India band that only had women.
• Carnatic music is one of the oldest classical forms of music.
• Indian ranks 20th among other countries in the Global Influential Music Index.

Facts about Indian Festivals

• Diwali is the festival of lights. It is significant of the return of Rama and Sita after defeating Ravana.
• Holi is the festival of colours, and it marks the beginning of the new year in the Hindu calendar.
• The most popular Islamic festival of India is Eid. It marks the end of the holy month of Ramzan.
• Navaratri is considered the Hindu festival of dance and worship of Hindu deities and is celebrated for nine days.
• Ganesh Chaturthi is held in reverence of Lord Ganesha and is a popular festival throughout India, more so in Mumbai.
• Onam is a harvest festival, exclusive to the people of Kerala.
• Janmashtami is another popular festival that revolves around Lord Krishna.
• Pongal is the Tamil New Year and is the festival of harvest.
• The Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi to mark the commencement of the time of harvest.
• Karwa Chauth is a festival that Hindu women in the North celebrate, where they pray for their husbands’ long life.
• Kumbh Mela is a popular pilgrimage festival in India that sees one of the largest gatherings in the world of religious pilgrims.

Indian Food Facts

• Karnataka is famous for its Bisi Bele Bath and Pulyogare.
• India produces the most amount of spices in the world.
• Chai is the most popular drink in India.
• Rice is the staple food of India. Here you will find different types of rice including white, black, red, brown, and sticky.
• The world’s hottest chilli, Bhut Jolokia, is from India.
• Fish is relished in coastal regions such as West Bengal and Kerala.
• West Bengal is the birthplace of the delicious Rasgulla.
• Tamil Nadu is famous for its Pongal.
• Dum biryani was originally a money-saving dish engineered by the Nawab of Awadh to feed the poor.
• The state of Haryana produces over 60% of the basmati rice in India.
• According to Ayurveda medicinal system, there are three categories of food: Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic. Sattvic includes minimally processed vegetarian food, Rajasic includes oily and spicy food, and Tamasic includes non-vegetarian food.

Other Interesting Facts

• India has the longest constitution in the world.
• India has one of the world’s largest postal networks.
• India has the fifth largest railway line network in the world.
• The Kumbh Mela is said to be visible from space.
• The idea of shampooing began in India.
• Indian scientists were the first to discover the presence of water on the moon.
• India has the second-largest English-speaking population after the United States.
• It is thought of India as a vegetarian country. In fact, not everyone in the country is vegetarian. As the Indian government’s survey, only about 29 per cent of the Indian population follows a strict vegetarian diet.
• India is also where the first diamonds were mined.
• India has the third-largest economy in the world using the PPP method.
• Chenab Rail Bridge is the world’s highest rail bridge.

As parents, it is our responsibility to instill in our children a love for and an appreciation for this great country. Since India is our home and has provided us with so much, we owe it to future generations to share the many positive aspects of this amazing country with them.