“Did You Know?” Blog Series – Facts About the Indian Culture

  • January 9, 2014
  • |
  • Blog

Mumbai Skyline; Photograph via Flickr

In honor of the Makar Sankranti Harvest Festival (which is celebrated on the 14th of January across much of India and Nepal), this week’s “Did You Know?” blog series focuses on the Indian culture. Did you know that India is the world’s largest tea producer? Or that there are 1,652 dialects and languages spoken in India? Please continue reading below for more fun facts about the Indian culture!

Did You Know?

  • India has the largest movie industry in the world. Most Indian movies come from Bollywood, but there are many studios around the country who contribute as well.
  • The world’s largest Montessori school is in India. It has over 26,000 students.
  • In India, red is the color of good luck. It is usually worn for weddings and other celebrations and festivals.
  • India has the largest amount of vegetarians in the world.
  • Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
  • With 150,000 post offices, India has the largest postal network in the world. However, it is not unusual for a letter to take two weeks to travel just 30 miles.
  • Mumbai (Bombay) is India’s largest city, with a population of 15 million. In 1661, British engineers built a causeway uniting all seven original islands of Bombay into a single landmass.
  • Marigold flowers are used as decoration for Hindu marriages and are a symbol of good fortune and happiness.
  • Introduced by the British, cricket is India’s most popular sport. Hockey is considered the national sport, and the Indian field hockey team proudly won Olympic gold in 1928.
  • India has the world’s third largest road network at 1.9 million miles. It also has the world’s second largest rail network, which is the world’s largest civilian employer with 16 million workers.
  • All of India is under a single time zone.
  • India experiences six seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer monsoon and winter monsoon.
  • The name “India” comes from the Indus River, which is where earliest settlers made their homes. The Indus valley is one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations.

What fun facts about the Indian culture would you add to this list? We encourage you to post your comments below!