One of the largest and most populated countries in the world, India is blessed with stunning natural scenery. It holds many world heritage and iconic ancient structures that attract several millions of tourists from around the globe each year. It also offers a long list of unique attractions that you can’t find anywhere else.
General Facts about India
- Population: 1,352,642,280 as of 2018
- Capital: New Delhi
- Official Language: Hindi and English
- Currency: Indian rupee
- Islands: 1,208
- Highest Mountain: Kangchenjunga, 8,586 meters
- Country Area: 3,287,263 square kilometers
- Religion: 79.8% Hinduism, 14.2% Islam, 2.3% Sikhism, and others
- Official Website: https://www.india.gov.in/
- Country Number: +91
- Time Zone: UTC+05:30
- Country Code: IN
What are the Most Interesting Facts about India?
- Leopard attacks commonly happen in India.
- The Magnetic Hill is a place where cars roll uphill and seem to defy gravity.
- There is an Indian village where the houses do not have doors.
- You can find hundreds of human skeletons at Skeleton Lake.
- Elephants can relax and get massages at a rejuvenation center in India.
- You can send postcards and letters to anywhere on earth via India’s floating post office.
- There is an Indian temple that is inhabited by rats.
- The Golden Temple is the most visited place on the entire planet.
- India ranks first in global milk production.
- The world’s biggest living family lives in India and is made up of more than 100 members.
- India invented the first hospital train in the world.
- India’s Lonar Lake was created by a hypervelocity meteorite impact.
1. Leopard Attacks Commonly Happen in India
Did you know that leopard attacks are common in India? I was told not to camp anywhere in the Rajasthan region, due to leopards hunting at night.
If you Google “leopard attacks in India,” you will find several news articles and videos of shocking and terrifying encounters between these large wild cats and humans.
In one of the more recent reports, a three-year-old boy in a village in Tumakuru district was playing outside his place of residence at 8 p.m. when he was attacked by a leopard. His body was later found mutilated 150 meters away.
In the Indian state of Gujarat alone, about a hundred people have been attacked by leopards over the last two years, resulting in 16 deaths and dozens of injuries.
There have also been hundreds of reports of leopards attacking cattle in the region.
So, in response to this problem, the government regularly organizes awareness projects to educate villagers on how to protect themselves, such as by not sleeping out in the open.
2. Magnetic Hill is a Place where Cars Roll Uphill and Seem to Defy Gravity
Do you want to know what it feels like to be somewhere without gravity?
Located about 30 kilometers from the city of Leh in Ladakh region, the Magnetic Hill is a mysterious spot that attracts plenty of adventurers looking for out-of-the-ordinary experience.
At an altitude of 4,270 meters, the hill is believed to have some mystical gravity-defying and magnetic capabilities.
There is a road with a marked spot where you can park your vehicle and see it move uphill to a speed of up to 20 kilometers per hour as if it’s being pulled up by invisible force. Just look for the yellow box marker and follow the instructions, and remember to put your car in neutral gear for everything to work perfectly.
According to the village superstition, this particular road is a path that leads to heaven, and those who deserve to go to this transcendent place would be pulled to the path.
3. There is an Indian Village Where the Houses do not have Doors
Do you always double-check that you have securely locked your doors before leaving your house? Or, when you’re going to bed at night?
In India, there is one village that does not share the same concern. In fact, its houses do not have doors at all! It’s located in Nevasa taluka in the district of Ahmednagar. The village of Shani Shingnapur is home to 1,500 people that resides in doorless homes.
Everyone in the village has strong trust and devotion to the Hindu god Shani, who is the God of Justice that can bring good or bad karma depending on one’s deeds, speech, and thoughts. It’s also a symbol of hard work, discipline, and penance. They believe that the deity will punish anyone who attempts theft.
4. You can Find Hundreds of Human Skeletons at Skeleton Lake
Are you into horror and the macabre, and want to see something dark and grim while touring India?
In the Indian state of Uttarakhand, there is a glacial lake called Roopkund where hundreds of human skeletons are scattered around the edge.
Also sometimes referred to as Skeletons Lake or the Mystery Lake, the spot sits at an altitude of 5,020 meters and is surrounded by snow-capped mountains and rocky glaciers.
According to a local legend, the skeletons belonged to the King of Kanauj named Raja Jasdhaval, his pregnant wife, and their servants who were on a pilgrimage to the Nanda Devi shrine.
Once at the lake, a storm that brought large hailstones came and caused their deaths. However, recent studies have found that more than 300 skeletal-remains come from different eras – some dating to 800 CE and others to 1800 CE.
5. Elephants can Relax and get Massages at a Rejuvenation Center in India
Has it ever crossed your mind that elephants also need some loving care?
Every summer, the Punnathoor Cotta Elephant Yard welcomes many of these gentle giants to its spa services and facilities, where they receive relaxing massages, refreshing baths, and healthy foods.
Found in Thrissur district in the South Indian state of Kerala, the rejuvenation center works hand-in-hand with the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple. A Hindu Temple built in honor of Hindu god Guruvayurappan, where the elephants play a major role in the temple’s procession.
July can be very hot and humid in India, so spoiling these giants with scrubs and nourishment at this time of the year, is one way for the people to show care and kindness.
6. You can Send Postcards and Letters to Anywhere on Earth via India’s Floating Post Office
Are you interested in sending mail via the old, traditional way in this age of emails and instant messaging?
Established in 2011, the Nehru Park Floating Post Office on Dai Lake in the city of Srinagar is an active and working post office. It accepts postcards, letters, and parcels posted and not only by locals but by tourists as well.
Bearing the official logo of the Indian Post Office, it’s housed in a Shikara boat. It is a type of wooden boat that is common in the region and is typically used for transporting people.
Open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Sundays. It contains a philately museum with an impressive collection of rare and unique stamps and offers internet and international call facilities.
7. There is an Indian Temple that is Inhabited by Rats
Does the sight of a swarm of sewer rats or even the thought of one wriggling out of your toilet freak you out?
In the state of Rajasthan in Northern India, there is a Hindu temple that serves as a home to 25,000 black rats.
Called the Karni Mata Temple, the place is visited by people from around the country. Tourists from different parts of the world are also visiting. They pray for blessings and good karma.
According to legend, Hindu warrior goddess Karni Mata had a son named Laxman, who drowned while trying to drink water from a pond. Burdened with grief, the deity asked the god of death Yama to bring her son back to life. Yama reincarnated Laxman, as well as Karni Mata’s other male children as rats.
8. The Golden Temple is the Most Visited Place on the Entire Planet
Are you aware that none of the following world-renowned tourist sites hold the title for the most visited place in the world?
- Eiffel Tower
- Disneyland
- Buckingham Palace
- Times Square
- Great Wall of China
- Colosseum
- Vatican
In 2017, the World of Book Records named the Golden Temple the most visited place in the world.
Constructed in the late 16th century, the temple is regarded as Sikhism’s most important shrine, a house of worship open to all people – men and women, young and old, rich and poor.
It sits on a vast and spacious complex that houses several halls, museums, watchtowers, a clock tower, and a pool.
On weekdays, the Golden Temple draws 100,000 visitors a day. On weekends and holidays, the numbers increase to 150,000 – 200,000 a day.
9. India Ranks First in Global Milk Production
Did you think that because cows outnumber humans in New Zealand, it produces more milk than any other country?
Accounting for 22% of the world’s milk, India is actually today’s leading milk producer.
With 70 million producers and approximately 140 million cows and buffaloes, the country produced 176.3 million tons of milk in 2017-2018. It shows a consistent 4.5% average annual growth rate.
Researchers attribute this huge amount of milk production in India to domestic demand. Milk and other dairy products are an essential component of the daily Indian diet, so the need for these commodities is expected to continue to increase.
Other top milk-producing nations in the world are the following:
- The United States, which produced about 94 tonnes
- China, which produced 45 million tonnes
- Pakistan, which produced 42 million tonnes
- Brazil, which produced 36 million tonnes
10. The World’s Biggest Living Family Lives in India and is Made up of More than 100 Members
Do you ever wonder what it is like to have a big family with multiple siblings? In the village of Bakywang in the Indian state of Mizoram, a man named Zona is currently recognized as the head of the largest living family in the world.
Born on July 21, 1945, Zona is the leader of the Christian sect called Chana Pawi, which was founded by Zona’s father in 1942 and whose members practice polygamy.
He has 39 wives, fathered 94 children, and has 33 grandchildren. He married his first wife when he was 17, and she currently acts as the chief of the household and is respected by the rest of the family.
Because of his unconventional family setup, Zona was featured in the top 11 strangest stories of 2011 by Ripley’s Believe It or Not. It was also featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not book 9, released in 2013.
11. India Invented the First Hospital Train in the World
How does having a doctor’s check-up or undergoing surgery aboard a train sound? In 1991, India introduced the world’s first-ever hospital train to make health and medical services more accessible to the Indian people.
Called the Lifeline Express or the Jeevan Rekha Express, it provides a variety of medical services, including orthopedic surgery to correct problems caused by cerebral palsy, polio, and other diseases. It also offers screening tests and treatment services for epileptic patients, immunizations, and nutritional services.
Made up of air-conditioned coaches, the hospital train is well-equipped with a wide array of medical tools and equipment, including defibrillators, anesthetic equipment, microscope, multi-purpose monitors, and x-ray machines.
It also has a medical store, an operation theater, a dental unit, a laboratory, and a recovery room.
12. India’s Lonar Lake was Created by a Hypervelocity Meteorite Impact
What happens when a meteor hits the surface of the earth? Formed during the Pleistocene Epoch or Ice Age, Lonar Lake is a lake situated in the Buldhana district in the state of Maharashtra.
It came about after an asteroid collided with earth, traveling at a speed of about 18,000 meters per second, crashing into the Deccan Plateau. With a diameter of 1.2 kilometers and an average depth of 137 meters, the lake’s water consists of salts and sodas, and diverse flora and fauna.
A wide range of wildlife, such as grebes, black-winged stilts, shelducks, herons, parakeets, robins, swallows, larks, blue jays, monitor lizards, and gazelles, has turned it into their sanctuary. Shrubs and small trees thrive along the shores. Cultivated crops, such as papaya, okra, maize, and banana are also present.
The lake is surrounded by a number of temples too, including the Daitya Sudan, Kamalja Devi, Ram Gaya, and Gomukh.
In Conclusion
Do these 12 interesting facts about India blow your mind? Which one piqued your attention the most? On this list, you will have stories to tell everyone about, an experience that you will surely treasure for the rest of your life?
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