General Knowledge

Indian Geography River System of India

Himalayan Rivers

Brahmaputra system

·Passing through Countries: China, India, Bangladesh, Tibet

·Passing through States: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh

·Tributaries: Dibang River, Lohit River, Dhansiri River, Kameng River, Manas River, Raidak River,
Jaldhaka River, Teesta River

·Length 2,900 km

Brahmaputra is the third major antecedent river of India flowing from Himalayan region towards the
northern plains.

The 2900 Km Brahmaputra is longer than the Ganges. But only one third of the river passes through
India.

The average depth of the river is 124 feet (38 m) and maximum depth is 380 feet (120 m).

Most rivers on the Indian subcontinent have female names, this river has a rare male name.

The Brahmaputra river (also called as "Burlung-Buthur" by the Bodo people of Assam), called Yarlung
Tsangpo in Tibetan language.

Brahamputra originates from the manasarovar lake in western Tibet. If flows for a long distance parallel
to the Himalayan ranges in an easterly direction through Tibet. Here it is known as the Tsangpo.

It takes a southward turn and enters India in eastern Arunachal Pradesh under the name Dihang.

It gets the name Brahmaputra after the influence of the Luhit, the Dihang and Dibang.

The final stretch of the Brahmaputra lies in Bangladesh. Here it meets the Ganga and the combined
stream called Padma and further downstream it is named Meghna.
Ganga System
The Ganga and the Brahmaputra join in Bangladesh and form the extensive delta of sunderbans. It
derives the name from the Sundari tree that grows widely in this region.

Passing through Countries: India, BangladeshPassing through Countries States: Uttarakhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal

Tributaries: Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandaki, Burhi Gandak, Koshi, Mahananda, Yamuna,
Tamsa, Son, Punpun, Betwa, Chambal, Tons, Ken, Sindh, Hindon, Sharda

Length 2,525 km

It is the largest drainage system of India carrying the run off of about 25 percent of the total land area of
country.

The river ganga is longest river 2525 Km in India. Its source is at Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas.

Ganga the main stream is constituted major head stream, the alakananda and Bhagirathi. These two head
stream of the Ganga join at Devaprayg.

The source of the Alakananda is near the Tibetan border and that of the Bhagirathi near Gangotri.

The Ganga is joined by the Yamuna near Allahabad.

Yamuna rise at the Yamunotri glacier. It flows towards the south upto Agra and father down towards the
south-east direction till it joins the Ganga at Allahabad. Chambal, Sind , Betwa and the Ken are its
important tributaries.

The Chambal rises near Mhow in the vindhyan range and joins Yamuna river in the southern part of the
Etwah District.

The sind, the Berwa and the ken flows towards the north and form many ravines in the Ganga plain.

The son originating from Amarkantak Pleteu joins Ganga near Ramnagar.

The Ram Ganga rising in the Kumaon Himalyas runs for 690 km before joining Ganga near Kanauj.

The Gandok rising near the Nepal-China border enters Bihar in Cahmparan district and meets Ganga on
its left at sonapur.

Ganga is known by the name ‘Padma’ in Bangladesh.

Ganga had been declared as India’s National River in November 2008.

It has been considered the holiest of all rivers by Hindus.

Indus System
Passing through Countries : Pakistan, India,China
Length: 3,200 km
Tributaries : Zanskar River, Chenab River, Sutlej River, Soan River, Beas River, Ravi
River,Shyok River, Gilgit River, Kabul River, Kurram River, Gomal River, Jhelum River

 It is one of the largest river systems in the world. River Indus rises from Kailas range in the
Tibetan plateau region.
 The Indus is the western most of the Himalayan Rivers. After flowing through Pakistan, Indus falls
into Arabian sea.
 River Indus is an antecedent river as it is considered as older than the Himalayas.
 Sutlej is the most important amongst the tributaries of Indus.
 River Sutlej rises beyond the Himalayas and has cut a gorge through the central Himalayan
range. The total length of the Sutlej is about 1050 km in India.
 The Ravi is the smallest river of Punjab and it’s well known as the River of Lahore. It rises
near Rohtang pass in the Kulu hills of Himachal Pradesh. Its total length is 725 km.
 The Chenab is the largest of Indus tributaries. It has a total length of 1,800 km In India.
 The Jhelum, an important tributary of the Indus flowing through the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
 The Beas rise at Beaskund near the Rohtang pass in Himachal Pradesh.

Himalayas
 Mountain between the Indus and the Brahmaputra are called Himalayas. The
word Himalaya means “the abode of snow”.
 It is one of the youngest mountain systems in the world and comprises mainly sediment
rocks.
 The Indus valley in Kashmir and the Brahmaputra valley in Arunachal Pradesh are accepted
as the western and the eastern limits of the Himalayas in India.
 The Himalayan chain measures about 2500 km from west to east and width of this fold
system varies between 150 and 400km. it becomes narrower from west to east.
 Himalaya consists of three parallel ranges.
 The southernmost range is called the Siwalik or the outer Himalaya
 The range lying between north of Siwalik are known as the middle Himalaya or
the Himachal.
 The northernmost ranges of the Himalayas know as Great Himalayas or the Himadri,
 The Himadri contain some of world’s highest peak like Mount
Everest, Kanchenjunga, Nandadevi and Nanga parbat and Makalu and Dhaulagiri.
 Mount Everest (8848 meter) in Nepal is world’s highest peak.
 Mount Everest, also known in Nepal as Sagarmatha and in Tibet as Chomolungma, is the
Earth's highest mountain.
 In 1865, Everest was given its official English name by the Royal Geographical Society
upon a recommendation by Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India. Waugh
named the mountain after his predecessor in the post, Sir George Everest.
 Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first official ascent of Everest in 1953 .
 Kanchenjunga is Sikkim is the highest peak of the Himalayas in India. (8598 meter.
 Kangchenjunga Himal is located in Sikkim, India.
  Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world

British power in Kerala

 First Englishman who came to Kerala was Master Ralph Fitch.
 He was valuable consultant in British East India Company.
 He is known as Pioneer Englishman.
 The 1616 Caption Keeling arrived in Calicut with three ships which brought Sir Thomas roe to the
court of Jahangir. Sir Thomas Roe was an English diplomat.
 British merchants exported pepper to England for the first from Cochin in 1626.
 First English factory in Kerala was set up at Vizhinjam.
 In 1695 the English constructed the Anjengo fort with the permission of Attingal Rani. The
construction was started in 1684.
 The Attingal outbreak was on 15 April 1721. It was between the natives and the British
traders. 140 Englishmen were massacred by the natives. The event was occurred near Anjengo.
 Attingal Revolt was the first organized revolt against the English in Kerala.
 The April 1723 a formal treaty was concluded between the English East Indian Company and the
king of Travancore. It was the first treaty negotiated by the English east India Company with an
Indian state. This was a treaty of friendship.
 Tipu Sultan ceded Malabar District to the British in 1792, and South Kanara, which included
present-day Kasargod District, in 1799.
 Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja was the ruler of the Kingdom of Kottayam in Malabar, India between
1774 and 1805. He is popularly known as Kerala Simham (Lion of Kerala). He led the Rebellion
(Wynaad Insurrection) against the English East India Company.
 Kerala Simham is a historical novel written by Sardar K.M. Panicker about Pazahassi Raja.
 By 1800 Cochin came under the control of the English East India Company.
 The treaty concluded in 1795 Travancore accepted the supremacy of the company.
 Co. Macaulay was appointed as the first British resident in Travancore.
 The treaty of 1805 which was negotiated by velu thampi Dalawa resulted in the loss of political
freedom of Travancore.
 Kundara Proclamation made by Velu Thampi Dalawa in 11 January 1809.

MALABAR REBELLION
 The Malabar Rebellion was in 1921.
 The policed attempted arrest of Vadak keveetil Muhammed the Secretary of the Khilafat Committee
at Pukottur in Eranadu Taluk, led to a series of violent clashes between the police and the Mappilas in
the Eranadu and Valluvanadu Taluks.
 Variyankunnathu Kunjahammad Haji, Koya Tangal and Ali Musaliyar were the famous leaders of the
revolt.
 One of the tragic episodes of the rebellion was the Wagon Tragedy.
 The Wagon tragedy was the death of 67 Mapilas on 20 November 1921.
 The prisoners had been taken into custody following Mappila Rebellion against British Colonial rule and
landlords.
 On 10 November 1921 almost 90 detained Muslim rebels were despatched by train from Tanur to the
Central Prison in Podanur (near Coimbatore). They were bundled into a freight wagon and the train set
off. Pothanur jail was found to be full to maximum capacity, so orders were given to take the prisoners
back. During the return journey, 67 of the 90 rebels suffocated to death in the closed iron wagon.
 Historian Sumit Sarkar referred to it as the "Black Hole of Podanur".

Aikya Kerala Movement

The state people conference held at Ernakulum (1928) was the earliest resolution on the subject of united
Kerala. They payyannur Political conference held in May 1928 under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru
also supported the Aikya kerala movement. An Aikya kerala conference was held at Trichur in April 1947
under the president ship of K.Kelappan. The Cochin Maharaja Sri Kerala Varma proposed the idea
uniting Cochin and Travancore. On July 1, 1949 the state of Travancore –Cochin came in to existence.
The Maharaja of Travancore became the Rajapramukh of the new state. The popular ministry of
Travancore-cochin was headed by T.K. Narayana pillai, the chief minister of Travancore at the time
integration. Panampalli govinda menon was the last chief minister of the Travancore Cochin state. The
fall of his ministry was followed by the first spell of president’s rule in Kerala. The state of Kerala
formally came into existence or November 1, 1956. The first general election to the Kerala state
legislature was in held in February and March 1957. In the first general elections the communist party of
India and a few independent supported by it secured 65 of the 126 seats. The president rule came to an
end on April 15, 1957 and EMS Namboothiripad came to power. The agitation known as “vimochana
Samaram” or liberation struggle began on June 12, 1959 under the leadership of Mannathu Padmanabhan
to overthrow the communist ministry. The ministry collapsed and the president rule under the Article 356,
for the first time began on 31st July 1959.

Religion
Ancient religion in Kerala was Dravidian in Nature.

Jainism reached Kerala in 3rd century BC.

The famous Koodalmanikyam Temple at Irinjalikkuda dedicated to Bharata was a famous Jain temple.

It is assumed that Buddhism reached Kerala during the period of Asoka in the 3rd century BC.

The Sangham work Manimekhalai mentions about the spread to Buddhism in Kerala.

A large number of Buddha images have been found from kunnathur and karunagappally taluk of quilon
district.
 Famous Buddhist images Karumadikuttan has been discovered from karumadi near ambalappuzha.

Buddhism began to decline from the 8th century AD.

Christianity was introduced in Kerala in the first century AD (52 AD) by St. Thomas.

St. Thomas founded seven churches in Kerala, ie Malankara, Palayur, Kottakavu, Kokkamangalam,
Quilon, Niranam and Nilakkal.

St. Thomas Christians were called Syrian Christians.

The Jews came to kerala in 68 AD and first landed at kodungallur.

The white Jewish synagogue at mattancherri was built in 1567.

After the birth of Jewish state of Israel in May 1948 the Jews in Kerala migrated to Israel.

Islam was introduced to Kerala probably in 644 AD by Malik Ibn Dinar. He founded the cheraman
mosque at kodungallur.

One and only Muslim ruling dynasty in Kerala was the Arakkal Dynastry. It had its centre at Kannur.
The ruler of this dynasty is a male he is known as Ali Raja and a female is known as Arakkal Beevi.

Portuguese Period

Vasco Da Game was the first European navigator to reach India by sea route.

Gama reached at Kappad near Calicut on 20 May 1498. He was sent to India by Portuguese King Dom
Manuel.

Gama was received at Calicut by the Zamorin.

Gama left Calicut and reached Kanoore at the invitation of Kolathiri Raja.

Vasco-da-Gama reached Kerala in a ship called St. Gabriel.

Gama returned to Lisbon in 1499.

Gama second visit was in 1502.

Gama reached Kerala for the third time in 1524 and died here on 29 December 1524 and was cremated
at the St. Francis Church at fort Cochin. Later his mortal remains were brought back to Lisbon Portugal.

The second expedition of the Portuguese to Kerala was led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral. He reached
Cochin on 24 December 1500.

Franciso d’ Almeda was the first viceroy of the Portuguese in the East. He was appointed in 1505 AD.
 Albuquerque is regarded as the greatest of Portuguese statesman who came to east.

Kunjali Marakkar opposed the Portuguese.

Kunjali marakkar were the traditional navel commanders of Calicut Zamorin.

Kunjalis were four in number. Kutti ali was the first kunjali. The Policy of kunjali was “Hit and run”

Fourth and last Kunjali was Muhammed Kunjali. He adopted the title “King of the moor” and “Lord of
the Indian seas”.

In 1600 the Kunajli IV was captured by the Zamorin and he was executed by the Portuguese at Goa.

The bungalow type of building was introduced in Kerala by the Portuguese.

The Portuguese introduced in India a number of agricultural products such as the cashew nuts,
Tobacco, Custard apple, Guava, pineapple and Papaya.

The chavittunatakam, the Christian counterpart of the Hindu kathakali was introduced the Portuguese.

The synod of diamper (udaymperur) to reform Kerala church was conducted by the Portuguese (1599)

Indian history
Partition of Bengal (1905)

 Partition of Bengal was announced in July 1905 by the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon.
 The participation took effect in October 16, 1905 and separated the largely Muslim eastern areas
from the largely Hindu western areas,
 The government version was that the partition of Bengal was an administrative measure with three
main objectives
 Firstly it wanted to relieve the government of Bengal of a part of the administrative burden and to
ensure more efficient administration in the outlying districts.
 Secondly the government desired to promote the development of backward Assam by enlarging its
jurisdiction so as to provide it with an outlet to the sea.
 Thirdly the government felt the urgent necessity to unite the scattered sections of
the Oriyaspeaking population under single administration.
 Partition of Bengal led to staunch opposition.
 The Indian national congress viewed the partition as an attempt to divide and rule policy.
 Agitation against the partition manifested itself in the form of mass meetings, rural unrest
and swadeshi movement.
 They started mass movement declaring October 16 as the day of mourning in Calcutta.
 In 1906 Rabindranath Tagore wrote Amar sonar Bangla as the cry against the partition of Bengal.
 The ceremony of Raksha Bandhan was observed on October 16, 1905. Hindus and Muslims
tied rakhis on each other’s wrist showing solidarity.
 The final division of Bengal at the partitioning of the subcontinent in 1947, which split Bengal into
India in the west and East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) in the east, was accompanied by intense
violence.
  But due to extensive political protest against Bengal partition, the eastern and western parts of
Bengal were reunited in 1911.
 The final division of Bengal at the partitioning of the subcontinent in 1947, which split Bengal into
India in the west and East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) in the east, was accompanied by intense violence.

Non cooperation movement

 It was led by Mahatma Gandhi and was supported by the Indian National Congress.
 Non-cooperation was recommended by Gandhi to Babu Muhammad Ali and Babu Shaukat Ali for
the Khilafat Movement. After the failure of Khilafat Movement, the Congress decided that Non
Cooperation was the only way out for India.
 The movement was launched as per the resolution of Calcutta session and ratified
in Nagpursession in December 1920.
 It was the first mass based political movement under Gandhiji.
 The main emphasis of the movement was in renunciation of government titles, boycotting law
courts, government educational institutions. Foreign goods and advocacy of the use of Charkha.
 The government declared the activities of the congress ad khilafat volunteers as illegal.
 By the end of 1921, all prominent nationalist leaders, except Gandhiji were imprisoned.
 The government showed no signs of relenting as a result Gandhiji decided to intensity the
movement.
 However before the movement could be further intensified mass violence erupted at chaurichaura,
village in the Gorakhpur district. Congress volunteers burnt down a police station and about 22
English policemen. Gandhiji called off the non-co-operation movement. Gandhiji was arrested and
trialed at Ahmedabad on March 18, 1922 and he was imprisoned for six years for publishing
seditious materials.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre

 In protest to the Rowlatt Act, Amritsar observed Harthal peacefully both on 30 March and 6 April
1919.
 The government decided to meet the popular protest with the repression.
 On April 10, 1919 Dr. Satypal and Dr. Kitchlew two popular leaders of the province, were
deported from Amritsar.
 On 12 April 1919, a proclamation was issued by General Dyer that no meeting or gathering of the
people was to be held.
 However no steps were taken to see that the proclamation was brought to the notice of the people.
 The result was a public meeting was announced for 13 April 1919 in Jallianwala Bagh.
 The meeting started and there were about 6000 to 10000 people present in the meeting.
 Without giving any warning to the people to disperse
 General Dyer ordered the troops to fire. Many people were killed.
 On this occasion Tagore renounced his Knighthood in protest.
 Michael O Dyer Governor of the Punjab Province supported the incident.
 Gandhiji renounced the “ Kaiseer-Hind medal given to him for his work during the Boer war.
 Hunter committee was appointed to enquire in to the Jallianwala bagh Massacre (1920)
 Hunter commissions report was described by Gandhiji as White wash.
 Sardar Udham Singh who took the name Ram Muhammed Singh, Murdered Dyer in England as
revenge to Massacre.
  The English House of Lords presented a Jeweled Sword to General in which was inscribed
“Saviour of the Punjab”

Civil disobedience movement

 In 1930 Gandhiji launched Civil disobedience movement.

 In 1929, INC adopted poorna swaraj (complete independence) as its goal at the Lahore session of
the congress under the presidentship of Nehru. It also decided for launching a civil disobedience
campaign.
 At midnight on 31 December 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the newly adopted Tricolor Flag
of freedom on the bank of river Ravi.
 26 January 1930 was fixed as the first independent day.
 The Civil disobedience movement was started by Gandhiji with his famous Dandi March.
 He started his salt Satyagraha or the Dandi march on the morning of 12 March 1930 with a band
of 78 volunteers. It was 385 km (240mile) Journey from Sabarmati ashram at Ahmedabad to
Dandi on the west coast. On April 5 at 6 in morning Gandhiji and his volunteers picked up salt
lying on the sea shore.
 In Tamilnadu C. Rajagopalachari led a salt march from Tiruchirapalli to vedranyakam on the
Tanjore coast. He was arrested on 30 April 1930.
 In Malabar, K. kellapan the hero of the Guruvayoor Satyagraha, walked from Calicut to
payyannur to break the salt law. Gandhiji was arrested on May 5, 1930. After this arrest his place
was taken by Abbas Tyabji and after the arrest of Abbas leadership passed on to Sarojini Naidu.
 Lord Irwin the viceroy called decision of Gandhi as kinder garden stage of revolution.
 Irvin called Gandhi’s breaking of salt as storm in tea cup. “Salt suddenly became a mysterious
word, a word of power” These words were spoken by Nehru on the occasion of salt satyagraha.
 Darshana salt works Satyagraha on 21st May 1930 was led by Sarojini Naidu, Imam Sahib and
Manilal Gandhi.