THE GLORY LAND THAT
WAS INDIA
You should be proud that you’re born in a
country like India. Don’t forget the following facts about India:
Some of these facts may be known to you.
These facts were recently published in a German Magazine which deals with WORLD
HISTORY.
India never invaded any country in her last
10,000 years of history.
India invented the Number System. Zero was
invented by Aryabhatta.
The World’s first university was established
in Takshasila in 700 BC.
More than 10,500 students from all over the
world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th
century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field
of education.
Sanskrit is the mother of all the European
languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a
report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.
Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine
known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500
years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our
civilization.
Although modern images of India often show
poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until
the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus
was attracted by India’s wealth.
The art of Navigation was born in the river
Sindh 6000 years ago. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word
NAVGATH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit ‘Nou’.
Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by
the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time
taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.
The value of ‘Pi’ was first calculated by
Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean
Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European
mathematicians.
Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus came from
India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The
largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used
numbers as big as 1053 (10 to the power of 53) with specific names
as early as 5000 BC during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used
number is Tera 1012 (10 to the power of 12).
According to the Gemological Institute of
America, until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world.
USA based IEEE has proved what has been a
century-old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of
wireless communication was Prof. Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
The earliest reservoir and dam of irrigation
was built in Saurashtra.
According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE
a beautiful lake called ‘Sundarshana’ was constructed on the hills of Raivataka
during Chandragupta Maurya’s time.
Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented
in India.
Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years
ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like
ceasareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of
anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipments were
used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion,
metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.
When many cultures were only nomadic forest
dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu
Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)
The place value system, the decimal system
was developed in India in 100 B.C.
(a) Albert Einstein said: We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us
how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been
made.
(b) Mark Twain said: India is the cradle of the human race, the
birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend,
and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive
materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.
(c) French scholar Romain Rolland said: If there is one place on the
face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the
very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.
(d) Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA said: India conquered
and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a
single soldier across her border.
(e) Warren Hastings, the first British Governor-General of India said in his preface to the first English translation of BHAGAVADGITA “This poem will last long after British Empire ceases to exist”.