9 Awesome Facts About India Tourists Can't Believe
Long ago, when giant lizards roamed the Earth
and Netflix wasn’t around, the Asian continent
got crashed into by an unexpected visitor
that ended up being a life-long neighbor.
Uh, come again?
Hey, I’m talking about India and its fascinating
history since its days as a massive piece
of land floating in the ocean!
Counting down from…
9.
Advanced Surgery from Ancient Times
If you think plastic surgery is a modern convenience,
you’re up for a big surprise.
India had it covered more than 2,500 years
ago, way back in the 6th century B.C.E.!
Somewhere around that time, there lived an
outstanding doctor by the name of Sushruta.
He’s called one of the founding fathers
of surgery and for good reason: his Sushruta
Samhita is a real gem of a book.
It covers over 1,100 diseases, all kinds of
medicinal plants, and dozens of surgical procedures.
But what’s probably the most jaw-dropping
the thing about the book is that it also described
the surgical reconstruction of the nose!
So basically, if you lived in ancient India,
you could get yourself a nose job!
Ok, maybe it wasn’t the rhinoplasty we know
today (with anesthesia and all), but that’s
still impressive!
8.
The First Diamond Dealer
Up until the early 18th century, India was
the only source of diamonds in the world.
According to the Gemological Institute of
America, these precious stones were first
discovered and traded in the 4th-century B.C.E.
Of course, industrial mining and diamond processing
was out of the question back then, so India
only had a limited supply of them.
That was okay, though, because of the demand
was equally limited: only the wealthiest could
afford such a luxury.
Since then, countries like Russia, Botswana,
and the Democratic Republic of Congo have
taken the lead in diamond production.
But the fact is, a country is known for its love
of gold also had bragging rights for maintaining
a diamond monopoly for almost a thousand years.
Ooh, fancy!
7.
One of the Earliest Civilizations
Civilized urban life as we know it dates back
about 5,000 years in India.
Well, fine, they didn’t have central heating
or anything (not that they needed it), but
the Indus Valley Civilization was still among
the most advanced out there in the ancient
world.
The Ancient History Encyclopedia says that,
by 2600 B.C.E., dozens of towns and cities
belonged to that civilization.
And I must say, they had quite a comfy life
for their time!
Houses had bathrooms and wells, and every
the city had a drainage system.
Social conditions were also way better than
in other civilizations at the time.
On top of that, the ancient Indians had a
a seriously mysterious writing system that scientists
still can’t decipher to this day.
Who knows what wonders these ancient texts
hide?...
6.
A Civilization Ahead of Its Time
Speaking of better social conditions, during
the Vedic period, which lasted from about
1500 to 500 B.C.E., the Indian society was
probably the most equal in the known world
at that time.
Although it was still patriarchal, women got
a lot of respect could become sages and seers,
received an equal education with men, and
enjoyed all kinds of rights.
There was no such thing as arranged marriage
back then — that only appeared much later.
And political debates were rarely held without
women giving speeches, and men were wise to
listen to their words!
(Hear that, fellas?)
I guess you could call the Vedic period the
the golden age of India’s history!
5.
The Most Important Number
And what do you think that might be?
We’d be in big trouble without this most
important number!
Ok, enough riddles: I’m talking about zero!
The concept of “zero” and the rules of
its use was first invented in India at around
the 7th-century C.E.
Before that, the idea of “nothing” hadn’t
even been treated as a number.
It was no more than an empty space between
“real” numbers.
I suppose people just didn’t see the convenience
of it yet?
Like every time I look at my bank account
after I pay my bills.
Yeah, “convenience”…
4.
Clean Hair
Has the word “shampoo” ever struck you
as odd?
Say it out loud a few times, and you’ll
see what I mean.
Well, it might sound foreign to you because
it probably is.
Not unless you’re from India, and in that
case, thanks for the word!
Yes, “shampoo” is derived from the Hindi
the word “champ,” which means “to massage”
or “knead.”
And the first mention of this “head kneading”
was by Greek historian Strabo back in the
4th-century B.C.E.
At the time, shampooing was only common to
Indians: they massaged their heads with various
herbs and extracts and then washed them off
with water to keep their hair clean.
The practice of using shampoo didn’t come
to Europe until a thousand years later, in
the early 19th century.
It looks like it took long enough to catch up!
3.
Math and Astronomy Genius
In ancient India, mathematics, and astronomy
had been two major disciplines since 1500
B.C.E. or even earlier.
But arguably one of India’s greatest minds
lived in the 5th century C.E.
His name was Aryabhata, and he wrote a treatise
on astronomy that became a foundation for
many later studies.
Despite using a geocentric model of the solar
the system, which showed the sun and moon revolving
around the Earth, Aryabhata presented many
ideas that are still used today.
For example, he calculated the length of the
a year almost to the minute, found the value
of Pi, and explained that the moon and planets
shine because of sunlight reflecting off of
them.
Not bad for the 5th century!
2.
The Guru of Games
Do you play chess?
Even if you don’t, you know what it is.
But did you know that its ancestor was born
in India too?
The ancient game was called chaturanga, and
it appeared at around the 6th-century C.E.
Nobody knows the exact rules of the game,
but judging by its appearance, it’s safe
to assume it had a lot in common with chess
and similar games (like the Japanese “shogi,”
for instance).
Another classic board game is Snakes and Ladders.
It’s not really known where and when it
first appeared, but most say it comes from
the 13th-century Indian game called Mokshapat.
The idea was to teach kids about vice (in
the form of snakes) and virtue (the ladders).
Hey, you up for a game?
Oh, nevermind, I’ve got one more tidbit
to share it with you…
1.
Humble Island Beginnings
India wasn’t always a “subcontinent.”
In the era of dinosaurs, over 100 million
years ago, it was actually an island!
It had broken off from a supercontinent and
slowly but steadily traveled north, arriving
to its present-day location in just about
50 million years.
The dinosaurs had already gone extinct by
then, though, so they didn’t get to see
what happened next.
The giant Indian Island collided with Asia
in a colossal continental boom.
The impact was so hard, in fact, that the
The Himalayas were formed almost in an instant!
Yep, that’s how the youngest mountain chain
in the world appeared!
Actually, India, now a subcontinent, is still
slowly pressing northward, making Everest…
grow!
Basically, the highest peak on the planet
is now a few millimeters (or even centimeters)
taller than last year, which, come to think
of it, makes it harder and harder for alpinists
to get to the top!
Uh-oh, better cross that one off your bucket
list sooner than later!
Do you know any other shocking facts about
India’s history?
Let me know in the comments below!
Don’t forget to give this video a “like,”
Share it with your friends, and click “subscribe”
to stay on the Bright Side of life!
Post a Comment