Portal:India

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The Republic of India is a country that occupies a greater part of South Asia. It borders Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan in the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east. India's coastline stretches for over seven thousand kilometres. Its neighbours in the Indian Ocean are the island nations of the Maldives in the southwest, Sri Lanka in the south, and Indonesia in the southeast. India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of over one billion and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. It is a constitutional republic consisting of twenty eight states and six union territories. The word India derives from the Old Persian cognate for the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the Indus river. The Constitution of India also recognises Bhārat listen (help·info) as an official name with equal status.

A centre of important historic trade routes, India is the home to some of the most ancient civilisations. India is the birthplace to four major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism and has the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan. India was a former colony of the British Empire under the British Raj before gaining independence on 15 August 1947. The country has witnessed significant economic and military growth after the liberalisation of the Indian economy.

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Greco-Buddhism is the cultural syncretism between the culture of Classical Greece and Buddhism, which developed over a period of close to 800 years in Central Asia in the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan, between the 4th century BCE and the 5th century CE. Greco-Buddhism influenced the artistic (and, possibly, conceptual) development of Buddhism, and in particular Mahayana Buddhism, before it was adopted by Central and Northeastern Asia from the 1st century CE, ultimately spreading to China, Korea and Japan. Numerous Greco-Buddhist works of art display the intermixing of Greek and Buddhist influences, around such creation centers as Gandhara. The subject matter of Gandharan art was definitely Buddhist, while most motifs were of Western Asiatic or Hellenistic origin. The interaction between Hellenistic Greece and Buddhism started when Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor and Central Asia in 334 BCE, going as far as the Indus, thus establishing direct contact with India, the birthplace of Buddhism. (more...)

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Goa is India's smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population. It is located on the west coast of India, in the region known as the Konkan. The state is divided into two districts: North Goa (purple shades) and South Goa (orange shades) and the districts are further divided into eleven talukas. Panaji is the state's capital, and Vasco-da-Gama (Vasco) its largest town. Photo credit: Nichalp

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• ... that India's USD 650–750 million aid for Afghanistan has bolstered bilateral relations and made it the largest regional provider of aid since overthrow of the Taliban?
• ... that Indian actor Sikandar Kher was still in high school when he assisted director Sanjay Leela Bhansali in making the 2002 film Devdas?
• ... that after being sentenced, beaten and left for dead for refusing to recite Muslim scriptures, Vaishnava convert Haridasa Thakur's (pictured) instant recovery convinced many he was a pir?
• ... that the 2008 Indian film Woodstock Villa marked the debut of veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher's son, Sikandar Kher?
• ... that improving Indo-Taiwanese relations have led to bilateral trade rising to USD 2.26 billion by 2005, even though India has not accorded diplomatic recognition to Taiwan?
• ... that T. V. Sundaram Iyengar laid the foundation for the motor transport industry in South India, when he started a bus service in Madurai, Madras Presidency in 1912?
• ... that Indian coracles, which probably existed since the prehistoric times, have recently been used for giving tourists rides on the Kaveri River?
• ... that India's "Look East" policy aims to establish extensive relations with Asian countries to project its influence as a counterweight to that of the People's Republic of China?
• ... that on December 12, 1996, India and Bangladesh signed a 30-year treaty resolving the long-standing dispute over the sharing of Ganges Waters?
• ... that India has developed close bilateral relations with Burma with the aim of countering China's growing influence and to elevate itself as a regional power?
• ... that at least 37 people have died in the ongoing caste violence in Rajasthan, India?
• ... that a free trade agreement made effective in 2000 strengthened Indo-Sri Lankan relations and quadrupled bilateral trade, which grew to US$2.6 billion by 2006?
• ... that although the Ishvara temple (pictured) in Karnataka, India, seems modest in construction, it is in fact the most complicated Hoysala monument?
• ... that Hindus worship the Krishna often as a small child Bala Krishna crawling on his hands and knees with a lump of butter in his hands?
• ... that the original images of Lord Swaminarayan at the Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Karachi, Pakistan were removed and taken to India during the turbulent times of its partition?
  India Quiz | Archive

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• June 04: Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K. Chandrashekar Rao resigned as party chief owning moral responsibility for the bypoll debacle. (Times of India)
• June 03: India's corporate sector has lost some $1.25 billion since May 23 due to the ongoing Gujjar stir, apart from cancellations of at least 75 trains by the railways, as per estimates by official agencies and industry chambers. (Economic Times)
• May 30: The Union ministry of human resources development has given the nod to another three IITs, taking the count to six, to begin functioning from 2008-09. (Howrah News Service)
• May 29: BS Yeddyurappa of the Bharatiya Janata Party and his group of ministers will be sworn in on Friday afternoon in Bangalore. (The Statesman)
• May 28: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the class X results, which registered a pass percentage of 87.08 per cent. (NDTV.com)
• May 28: By-elections in Andhra Pradesh are being held for four Lok Sabha and 18 Assembly seats. (andhracafe.com)

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