Spiritual Leaders Of India

Gauthama Buddha(563BC-483BC)



The greatest son of India popularly know as Light of Asia.Siddhartha was born as a prince of Shakya at Lumbini,now in Nepal in 563BC.After leaving all worldly belongings,he meditated under the Bodhi tree and became enlightened at Buddhagaya in Bihar.Preached his first sermon at Saranath in UP.'Desire is the cause of sorrow'.'Understanding four Noble Truths leads a person to ultimate liberation'.Buddha breathed his last at Kushninagar in Uttar Pradesh.Buddhism spread South and Central Asia from Afghanistan to Japan 400 million people follow Buddhism.

Mahavira(540BC-468BC)


Vardhamana Mahavira is the founder of Jainism.He was born at Kundalagrama in Vaisali of Bihar.Attained enlightenment at Jrimbhigrama.Ahimsa is the core of Jainism.Self denial and penance are the means to purify human nature.Right faith,Right knowledge and Right conduct are known as the three jewels of Jainism.Mahavira attained Nirvana at Pavapuri in 468BC

Guru Nanak(1469-1539)


Founder of Sikhism.Born at Rai Bhoi di Talvandi near Lahore in a merchant family.Worked as a store keeper before getting spiritual insight.Spent a wandering life for 20 years as a saint.Then settled at Karatarpur in Punjab and became the first Guru of Sikhism.Both Hindu and Muslim ideologies influenced Sikhism.No external aid of idols or mosques needed to worship God.Guru Nanak died in 1539.

Swami Vivekananda(1863-1902)




Great Indian monk and social reformer.Born on January 12,1863 near Calcutta.His name was Narendranath Datta.Received English education and became the disciple of Sree Ramakrishna.Addressed World Religious Conference of 1893 at Chicago.Founded Ramakrishna Mission in 1897.Stood aganist social injustice and casteism of Hindu religion.

Dayananda Saraswathy(1824-1883)



Social reformer and religious leader.He was born at Morve in Gujarat.Founded Arya Samaj for the Hindu reformation in 1875.'Go back to Vedas'was his slogan.He succeeded in mobilising Hindu mainstream people against injustice prevailing in the region.His ideologies influenced Gandhiji a lot.Dayananda Saraswathi also participated in the first war of independence.

Sree Sankara(788-820)


Sree Sankara,popularly known as Sankaracharya was born at Kalady in Kerala.His interpretation of Vedas and Hindu spirituality based on 'Adwaida' gave a new orientation to the diminishing Hindu religion.Then he traveled all over India by foot and lit the lamp of awakening in society.He founded religious centers called mut at different parts of India.This great saint breathed his last at the age of 32.

The Constitution Of India

• The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution of the world.
• Dr. B.R.Ambedkar is known as the Architect of India Constitution.He was the Chairman of the drafting committee of Indian Constitution.
• Dr.Rajendra Prasad was the chairman of the Constituent Assembly.
• Jawaharlal Nehru put forward the Preamble to Indian Constitution.
• The Constitution of India came into force on January 26,1950.
• The Constitution had 395 Articles and 8 Schedules and 22 parts.
• Articles 12 to 35 of the Indian Constitution in Part III comprise Fundamental Rights.Soul of the Constitution.
• Fundanmental Duties,described in Part IV A was inserted by the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976.This Constitutional Amendment during the period of Indria Gandhi as Prime Minister made notable changes in Indian Constitution including the Preamble.
• Articles 356 authorizes Central Government to dismiss State Government and impose President's rule there.
• Article 352 deals with the provision regarding proclamation of national emergency.
• Article 370 defines special States of Jammu & Kashmir.
  

DOLPHIN-National Aquarian Animal

The Centre has declared Ganga dolphin, a national aquarian animal, in order to save the rare freshwater species from becoming extinct.
"Like we have tiger as a national animal and peacock as a national bird, we have declared dolphins as a national aquatic animal as it represents the health of the rivers, particularly Ganga in the country," Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh told media persons.
He said the decision was taken at the first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to streamline steps to rejuvenate the river Ganga.The meeting was attended by Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Ramesh Pokhriyal, his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and representatives of West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh at the PM's residence. Union Minister Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh and deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia were also present. The proposal to this effect was made in the meeting by the Bihar Chief Minister (CM) Nitish Kumar. It was pointed out by him that by declaring dolphins as a national aquatic animal, the government was not only ensuring the survival of the species which are endemic to river Ganga but also seeking cleansing of the river.
"Since the river dolphin is at the apex of the aquatic food chain, its presence in adequate numbers symbolizes greater bio diversity in the river system," Jairam Ramesh told reporters. "We will soon work out details for the Project Dolphins and steps to be taken under it to protect the species," he added.
Facing grave threats due to excessive pollution in Ganga and poaching, there are less than 2,000 dolphins left in the country, prompting the International Conservation Union (IUCN), a forum of conservationists, NGOs and government agencies, to categorize it as an endangered species.
The Ganges River Dolphin is an endemic species of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna river systems, extending from the foot of the Himalayas to the tidal zone in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
It has been included in the Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act.

Man Made Wonders of India

1.TajMahal


One of the seven wonders of the world.Built in 1648,TajMahal is known as Poetry of Marble.Emperor Shajahan of Mughal dynasty built it in memory of his wife and her tomb is at the center of the structure.Agra became world famous because of this love memorial on the bank of River Yamuna.TajMahal is designated as a World Heritage site.It is in Utter Pradesh.

2.Golden Temple

Most important pilgrim center of Sikhs.Guru Ramdas started construction in 1588 and it took 36 years to complete the temple.Marble walls and Golden roof make the temple a magnificent one.The temple was destroyed in the foreign invasion in 1760s and was rebuilt.Main shrine called Akal Takhat is at the center of a lake called Amrit Sarovar.Without any caste or creed discrimination.Golden Temple attracts thousands of pilgrims every day.It is in Amritsar of Punjab.

3.Indira Gandhi Canal


One of the biggest canals ever made by man,this canal irrigates dry areas of western Rajastan.650km long canal irrigates 6,77,000 htrs dry agricultural areas of Jaisalemer alone.Canal start from river Sutlej of Harike Barrage in Punjab and flows through Punjab,Haryana and Rajasthan.

4.Qutab Minar



One of the oldest towers built in India.73 meters high Minar is made up of sandstone and resisted natural calamities for the last 811 years.It was the first major architecture in Islamic style in India.Minar is a part of a Mosque here.It was built by Qutab-ub-din Aibak of Slave dynasty at Delhi as a victory monument.

5.Gomateswara Statue



One of the biggest statues carved out of a single stone.It was built in 9th century.The statue of Prince Bahubali is visible from a 20km distance.The statue is carved out of a granite block and the idol is in a meditative mood.The statue is located at the main Jain pilgrim center Sravanbelagola of Karnataka.

6.Kailashnath Temple.



Kailashnath Temple of Ellora is one of the excellent examples of the rich architectural style of ancient India.Temple is carved out of a single stone of 50m x 30m x 30m in size.There are 34 cave temples in Ellora and Kailasnath temple is the most attractive one.It is in Maharashtra.

7.Meenakshi Temple of Madurai




Considered as one of the wonders of the world.It is in TamilNadu.It was constructed in 1623-55 period.985 pillars in the temple is a wonder of architecture.Plinth area of this granite poetry is 850 feet long and 730 feet wide.

India-National Song

Vande Mataram,the National Song of India is composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterji.It is taken from the novel Anantha Math.It was published in 1882.With in a short while this song became the symbol of Indian dream of freedom and thousands of freedom fighters spell it while shedding their last drop of blood for the freedom of the country.It was first sung at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in 1896.The National Song is sung at special functions.

India - National Bird

Peacock is the National Bird of India.There are three species of Peacocks in Phasianidae family.The blue peacock is called Indian Peacock and is our National Bird.The main attraction of the peacock is its tail with eye link markings.It is a common wold bird in the open forest of North India.As per Hindu mythology peacock is a holy bird.So the conservation of this most beautiful bird is not a task for us.Considering all these facts,Constituent Assembly of India approved the peacock is our National Bird.

India - National Emblem

The National Emblem of India is an adaptation from the Saranath Lion Capital of Ashoka,the great emperor of ancient India.He erected around 30 stone pillars at different parts of North India for the proclamation of Buddhist ideologies.Sarnath Pillar,constructed in 250 BC was the most magnificent one.Four lion heads looking in four directions form the emblem.Dharma Chakra of Buddha,a horse,a lion,an elephant and an ox are also carved on an abacus.First sermon of Buddha after enlightenment was at Saranath.His message to the world was non violence and ultimate victory of truth.Hence the selection of the lion head of Saranath our National Symbol is the message about our vision and cultural richness of the great country,India.

India - National Anthem.

Jana-Gana-Mana,the National Anthem of India ,is written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911.He wrote it to sing at the 28th annual meeting of Indian National Congress at Calcutta.Out of the five stanzas of the song we sing only the first stanza in 2 seconds.It was approved as the National Anthem by the Consituent Assembly of free India on 24th January 1950.Long before that it was a song of inspiration for millions of Indians who fought aganist the British rule.It was the song that echoed in the Parliament House at midnight on August 14,1947 when India became independent.

India-National Animal

Tiger(Bengal Tiger)is our National Animal.It is the heaviest and most magnificant animal of the cat family.India was very famous for Bengal tigers but these are highly endangered species now.Most populous tiger reserve of India is Sunderban of Bengal.The tiger is a solitary animal living in its own territory.Unlike other animals tigres are seen in differnt places like dense forest,mangrove forest,snow covered mountains and plain lands.We have introduced Project Tiger Programme for the conservation of Indian tigers.The charm and peculiarity of our National Animals is unparallelled.

India-National Flower

Lotus is our National Flower.It is an aquatic plant and its name is Nelumbo nucifera.For Greeks,Lotus is a shrub and for the Egyptians it is white lilly.We accepted pink Lotus as our National Flower.Our National Flower is a sacred flower of the Hindus and it has also medicinal values.It represents the ultimate enlightenment of man which is narrated in Yoga.As it blossoms with the rise of sun,it also represents light and knowledge.

India - General Information

About the Name

India got its name from the river Indus(Sindhu).From time immemorial India was an attraction to the people of West Asia and Europe.They had to cross river Indus to reach this wonderland.So they considered this great countryas the gift of Indus and called it India.
River Indus is one of the longest rives of the world with 2900 km length and carries water twice of the river Nile.It was the cradle of one of the ancient civilizations of the world called Indus Valley Civilization.Hence the name of this country,derived from the name of a great river,is most suitable.
Another name of India is Bharat.This word means 'Pleasing every creature'.As per mythology India is the land of Bharata,a great ruler of ancient times who mentioned in the epics.South Asians and the Hindus call India by the name Hindustan,meaning the land of Hindus.

Capital City : New Delhi
Area : 32,87,263 sq.km
Government : Republic
Matural Resources : Iron,Copper,Manganese,Bauxite,Gold,Mica and Coal.
Agricultural Products : Rice,Wheat,Cotton,Sugarcane,Coconut,Spice,Jute,Tea,Coffee and Rubber.
Exports : Textiles and Clothing,Iron ore ,Tea,Fish and Farm produce.
Unit of Money : Rupee
Official Languages :Hindi,English
Religion : Secular
Father of Nation : Mahatma Gandhi.
Supreme Commander : The President of India.