India General Info

Religion: In the 6th century BC, reaction to the extreme rituals of Brahmanism, as Hinduism is referred to during the Vedic period, witnessed the rise of two heterodox sects of Jainism and Buddhismin India. Buddhism spread rapidly during the 3rd century BC when the famous Mauryan emperor Ashoka the great (268-231 B.C.) embraced the religion. However, Buddhism lost its relevance in the land ofits origin, though it remains the dominant religion in the countries of Southeast Asia and some other countries. So powerful was the assimilating potential of Hinduism that Buddha was later absorbedinto the Hindu pantheon as one of the nine incarnations of Vishnu, the Preserver in the Hindu Trinity of Gods.
Independence: On August 15, 1947, India became independent. But even the happines ofindependence became pain. India was partitioned and Pakistan became a new nation.
Constitution: The constitution of Independent India came into being on 26th January 1950, thereby making it a republic.Geography: One-third the area of the United States, the Republic of India occupies most of the subcontinent of India in southern Asia. It borders on China in the northeast. Other neighbors are Pakistanon the west, Nepal and Bhutan on the north, and Burma and Bangladesh on the east.
Geography Regions: Geographic regions: the Himalayan region in the north, which contains some of the highestmountains in the world, the Gangetic Plain, and the plateau region in the south and central part. Its three great river systems—the Ganges, the Indus, and the Brahmaputra—have extensive deltas and all risein the Himalayas.
Government: Federal Republic
Important People: Mahatma Gandhi, his philosophy of civil disobedience called for nonviolent noncooperation against British authority. He soon becamethe leading spirit of the Indian National Congress Party, which was the spearhead of revolt. In 1919, the British gave added responsibility to Indian officials, and in 1935, India was given a federal...