India

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This article is about the Republic of India. For other uses, see India (disambig
uation).
Republic of India
Bharat Ganarajya

Flag
Emblem
Motto: "Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit)
"Truth Alone Triumphs"[1]Anthem: Jana Gana Mana
"Thou art the rulers of the minds of all people"[2][3]

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National song:
Vande Mataram
"I Bow to Thee, Mother"[a][1][3]

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Area controlled by India shown in dark green;
claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.
Capital New Delhi
2836.8'N 7712.5'ELargest city MumbaiOfficial languages Hindi
English
[show]Recognised regional languages 8th Schedule[show]National language
None
Demonym
IndianGovernment
Federal parliamentary
constitutional republic[1] - President
Pranab Mukherjee - Vice President
Mohammad Hamid Ansari - Prime Minister
Narendra Modi (BJP) - Chief Justice
Rajendra Mal Lodha[6] - Speaker of the House
Sumitra Mahajan (BJP)Legislature Parliament of India - Upper house
Rajya Sabha - Lower house
Lok SabhaIndependence from the United Kingdom - Dominion
15 August 1947
- Republic
26 January 1950
Area - Total 3,287,590[7] km2[b] (7th)
1,269,346 sq mi
- Water (%) 9.6
Population - 2011 census 1,210,193,444[8] (2nd) - Density 379.5/km
2 (31st)
982.8/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2014 estimate
- Total $5.425 trillion[9] (3rd) - Per capita $4,307[9] (133rd
)GDP (nominal)
2014 estimate
- Total $1.996 trillion[9] (10th) - Per capita $1,584[9] (143rd
)Gini (2010)
33.9[10]
medium 79thHDI (2013)
0.586[11]
medium 135thCurrency Indian rupee ( ) (INR)Time zone IST (UTC+05:30) -
Summer (DST)
not observed (UTC+05:30)Date format dd-mm-yyyy (CE)
Drives on the leftCalling code
+91ISO 3166 code
INInternet TLD
.in
other TLDs[show]India ( i/'?ndi?/), officially the Republic of India (Bharat Gan
arajya),[12][c] is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by
area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the mo
st populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, th
e Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it sha
res land borders with Pakistan to the west;[d] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the n
orth-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is i
n the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and N
icobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade rou
tes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial
and cultural wealth for much of its long history.[13] Four world religionsHindui
sm, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhismoriginated here, whereas Judaism, Zoroastrianis
m, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shap
e the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the admin
istration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and admi
nistered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became
an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked
by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
The Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest
by purchasing power parity (PPP).[14] Following market-based economic reforms i
n 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considere
d a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges o
f poverty, corruption, malnutrition, inadequate public healthcare, and terrorism
. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standin
g army in the world and ranks ninth in military expenditure among nations. India
is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system cons
isting of 29 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingua
l, and a multi-ethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a v
ariety of protected habitats.
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
o 2.1 Ancient India
o 2.2 Medieval India
o 2.3 Early modern India
o 2.4 Modern India
3 Geography
4 Biodiversity
5 Politics
o 5.1 Government
o 5.2 Subdivisions
6 Foreign relations and military
7 Economy
8 Demographics
9 Culture
o 9.1 Art and architecture
o 9.2 Literature
o 9.3 Performing arts
o 9.4 Motion pictures
o 9.5 Society
o 9.6 Clothing
o 9.7 Sport
10 See also
11 Notes
12 References
13 Bibliography
14 External links
Etymology
Main article: Names of India
The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word
Hindu. The latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the histor
ical local appellation for the Indus River.[15] The ancient Greeks referred to t
he Indians as Indoi (??d??), which translates as "the people of the Indus".[16]
The geographical term Bharat (pronounced ['b?a?r?t?] ( listen)), which is recog
nised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used
by many Indian languages in its variations.[17] The eponym of Bharat is Bharata,
a theological figure that Hindu scriptures describe as a legendary emperor of a
ncient India. Hindustan ([??nd??'st?a?n] ( listen)) was originally a Persian wo
rd that meant "Land of the Hindus"; prior to 1947, it referred to a region that
encompassed northern India and Pakistan. It is occasionally used to solely denot
e India in its entirety.[18][19]
History
Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India
Ancient India
Anatomically modern humans are thought to have arrived in South Asia 7355,000 yea
rs back,[20] though the earliest authenticated human remains date to only about
30,000 years ago.[21] Nearly contemporaneous Mesolithic rock art sites have been
found in many parts of the Indian subcontinent, including at the Bhimbetka rock
shelters in Madhya Pradesh.[22] Around 7000 BCE, the first known Neolithic sett
lements appeared on the subcontinent in Mehrgarh and other sites in western Paki
stan.[23] These gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,[24] the
first urban culture in South Asia;[25] It flourished during 25001900 BCE in Pakis
tan and western India.[26] Centred around cities such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa,
Dholavira, and Kalibangan, and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civil
isation engaged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade.[25]
During the period 2000500 BCE, in terms of culture, many regions of the subcontin
ent transitioned from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age.[27] The Vedas, the oldes
t scriptures of Hinduism,[28] were composed during this period,[29] and historia
ns have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upp
er Gangetic Plain.[27] Most historians also consider this period to have encompa
ssed several waves of Indo-Aryan migration into the subcontinent from the north-
west.[30][28][31] The caste system, which created a hierarchy of priests, warrio
rs, and free peasants, but which excluded indigenous peoples by labelling their
occupations impure, arose during this period,[32] and small tribal units gradual
ly coalesced into monarchical, state-level polities.[33] On the Deccan Plateau,
archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom st
age of political organisation.[27] In southern India, a progression to sedentary
life is indicated by the large number of megalithic monuments dating from this
period,[34] as well as by nearby traces of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and cr
aft traditions.[34]

Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, 6th century
In the late Vedic period, around the 5th century BCE, the small states and chief
doms of the Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16
major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as the mahajanapadas.[35][36] T
he emerging urbanisation and the orthodoxies of this age also created heterodox
religious movements, two of which became independent religions. Buddhism, based
on the teachings of Gautama Buddha attracted followers from all social classes e
xcepting the middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central to the
beginnings of recorded history in India.[37][38][39] Jainism came into prominen
ce during the life of its exemplar, Mahavira.[40] In an age of increasing urban
wealth, both religions held up renunciation as an ideal,[41] and both establishe
d long-lasting monastic traditions. Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the kin
gdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states to emerge as the Mauryan Emp
ire.[35] The empire was once thought to have controlled most of the subcontinent
excepting the far south, but its core regions are now thought to have been sepa
rated by large autonomous areas.[42][43] The Mauryan kings are known as much for
their empire-building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka's
renunciation of militarism and far-flung advocacy of the Buddhist dhamma.[44][45
]
The Sangam literature of the Tamil language reveals that, between 200 BCE and 20
0 CE, the southern peninsula was being ruled by the Cheras, the Cholas, and the
Pandyas, dynasties that traded extensively with the Roman Empire and with West a
nd South-East Asia.[46][47] In North India, Hinduism asserted patriarchal contro
l within the family, leading to increased subordination of women.[48][35] By the
4th and 5th centuries, the Gupta Empire had created in the greater Ganges Plain
a complex system of administration and taxation that became a model for later I
ndian kingdoms.[49][50] Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism based on devotion r
ather than the management of ritual began to assert itself.[51] The renewal was
reflected in a flowering of sculpture and architecture, which found patrons amon
g an urban elite.[50] Classical Sanskrit literature flowered as well, and Indian
science, astronomy, medicine, and mathematics made significant advances.[50]
Medieval India

The granite tower of Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur was completed in 1010 CE
by Raja Raja Chola I.
The Indian early medieval age, 600 CE to 1200 CE, is defined by regional kingdom
s and cultural diversity.[52] When Harsha of Kannauj, who ruled much of the Indo
-Gangetic Plain from 606 to 647 CE, attempted to expand southwards, he was defea
ted by the Chalukya ruler of the Deccan.[53] When his successor attempted to exp
and eastwards, he was defeated by the Pala king of Bengal.[53] When the Chalukya
s attempted to expand southwards, they were defeated by the Pallavas from farthe
r south, who in turn were opposed by the Pandyas and the Cholas from still farth
er south.[53] No ruler of this period was able to create an empire and consisten
tly control lands much beyond his core region.[52] During this time, pastoral pe
oples whose land had been cleared to make way for the growing agricultural econo
my were accommodated within caste society, as were new non-traditional ruling cl
asses.[54] The caste system consequently began to show regional differences.[54]
In the 6th and 7th centuries, the first devotional hymns were created in the Tam
il language.[55] They were imitated all over India and led to both the resurgenc
e of Hinduism and the development of all modern languages of the subcontinent.[5
5] Indian royalty, big and small, and the temples they patronised, drew citizens
in great numbers to the capital cities, which became economic hubs as well.[56]
Temple towns of various sizes began to appear everywhere as India underwent ano
ther urbanisation.[56] By the 8th and 9th centuries, the effects were felt in So
uth-East Asia, as South Indian culture and political systems were exported to la
nds that became part of modern-day Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, P
hilippines, Malaysia, and Java.[57] Indian merchants, scholars, and sometimes ar
mies were involved in this transmission; South-East Asians took the initiative a
s well, with many sojourning in Indian seminaries and translating Buddhist and H
indu texts into their languages.[57]
After the 10th century, Muslim Central Asian nomadic clans, using swift-horse ca
valry and raising vast armies united by ethnicity and religion, repeatedly overr
an South Asia's north-western plains, leading eventually to the establishment of
the Islamic Delhi Sultanate in 1206.[58] The sultanate was to control much of N
orth India, and to make many forays into South India. Although at first disrupti
ve for the Indian elites, the sultanate largely left its vast non-Muslim subject
population to its own laws and customs.[59][60] By repeatedly repulsing Mongol
raiders in the 13th century, the sultanate saved India from the devastation visi
ted on West and Central Asia, setting the scene for centuries of migration of fl
eeing soldiers, learned men, mystics, traders, artists, and artisans from that r
egion into the subcontinent, thereby creating a syncretic Indo-Islamic culture i
n the north.[61][62] The sultanate's raiding and weakening of the regional kingd
oms of South India paved the way for the indigenous Vijayanagara Empire.[63] Emb
racing a strong Shaivite tradition and building upon the military technology of
the sultanate, the empire came to control much of peninsular India,[64] and was
to influence South Indian society for long afterwards.[63]
Early modern India

Writing the will and testament of the Mughal king court in Persian, 15901595
In the early 16th century, northern India, being then under mainly Muslim rulers
,[65] fell again to the superior mobility and firepower of a new generation of C
entral Asia