Social media and digital consumption have grown so pervasive in most areas of the world that it's easy to forget that reading is still a major form of pleasure for some individuals. A 2017 survey found that the average Indian spends 10 hours and 42 minutes per week reading. In comparison, Americans work five hours and 42 minutes each week. Thailand, China, the Philippines, and Egypt round out the top five nations.

Malas, or prayer bead garlands, are made up of 108 beads strung together. Vedic mathematicians saw this number as a completeness of existence, connecting the Sun, Moon, and Earth. For Hindus, the number 108 has long been considered sacred.

Right now, India may not have such a name in the world of Polo, but it all began in our city. The British established the world's first Polo club in Calcutta in 1858. Since then, there have been numerous competitions and the arrival of Europeans to further popularise the sport. This sport was particularly popular among Bengal's royals and Nawabs.

Tamil Nadu has over 30,000 Hindu temples, many of which are centuries old. One of the most well-known is the vibrant Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. Visitors flock to temple towns such as Madurai and Kanchipuram all year.

Barren Island is the only active volcano in South Asia, not just India. This small 3-km-wide island, located approximately 135 km northeast of Port Blair, contains a 1.6-km-wide crater partially filled by a cinder cone that has been the source of eruptions since the first was recorded in 1787.

Every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu spiritual gathering, is held on the banks of the Holy River Ganga. Millions of people flock to the holy river to bathe. The crowds are so large that they can be seen from space, and on February 10, 2013, more than 30 million people gathered in a single day! UNESCO has also designated it as a cultural heritage site.

The song was officially declared the 'National Anthem of India' by the Constituent Assembly of India on January 24, 1950, in its Hindi version. Rabindranath Tagore, a Nobel Laureate, penned India's National Anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana.' On January 24, 1950, it was proclaimed the Indian National Anthem. It is one among India's national symbols.

These procedures were invented around 2500 years ago. The planting of sugar cane and the manufacturing of sugar are documented for the first time in Sanskrit literature from ancient India. It took occurred in India's Bengal area between 1500 and 500 BCE. Guda, which means "to form into a ball" in Sanskrit, was the term given to a poorly produced sugar product.

The Vedas are a collection of ancient Indian texts. They were written in Sanskrit between 1700 and 1100 BCE, making them the world's oldest religious texts. They wielded considerable power over Hinduism and Indians. Rig Ved, Sama Ved, Yajur Ved, and Atharva Ved are the four Vedas. Because knowledge of the Vedas was passed down orally from generation to generation thousands of years ago, they are also known as 'Sruti.'

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the best nesting beaches in India for three species of marine turtles: Hawksbill, Green turtle, and the world's largest sea turtle, the Leatherback (Dermochelys Coriacea). The nesting population of Leatherback turtles in Nicobar is one of the few in the Indo-Pacific that exceeds 1,000 individuals and is thus of global significance.

In the 1980s, when Bollywood was booming, our very own Big B took on the role of masked superhero Supremo in a comic book. Under Amitabh Bachchan's feet, a trapdoor opens. He falls into a hole, where walls with enormous metal spikes close in on him. With only seconds remaining, he karate chops a wooden door and utilizes one of its planks to pull himself cleanly out of danger. It astounds me that our Indian comics have such a long and intriguing history.

Yes, you read that correctly. Bacteriophage bacteria can be found in the holy river Ganga. It infects and kills other harmful bacteria that have infiltrated the river. That is why, even if stored for an extended period of time, river Ganga water does not spoil. According to D.S. Bhargava, an environmental engineer at the University of Roorkee, the Ganga is the only river in the world that decomposes organic wastes 15 to 20 times faster than any other river.

The Indian government has forbidden anybody from approaching North Sentinel Island, the Sentinelese people's home, within three miles. The anthropologist Madhumala Chattophadhyay had numerous calm meetings with the Sentinelese in 1991, but the inhabitants made it obvious (sometimes forcefully) that they did not want to be disturbed in later years. It is today regarded as one of the remaining areas on the planet that has remained undisturbed by the outside world.

The Statue of Unity is the world's largest statue, at 600 feet (182 metres). The statue honouring independence leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is placed in Gujarat, the western state where Patel was born. In contrast, this statue is nearly twice the height of the Statue of Liberty (305ft or 93m). It is comprised of almost 12,000 bronze panels and weighs around 67,000 tonnes.

In India, there are more vegetarian options and consumables influenced by Indian food on the McDonald's menu. The Veg Pizza McPuff, Maharaja Mac (select veg or chicken), McAloo Tikki (potato patty), McSpicy Paneer (cheese patty), and Masala Grill Veg are some of the distinctive Indian McDonald's options.

On opposite sides of the Taj Mahal, there is a mosque and a guest pavilion. Both of these buildings, which are red in colour, are supposed to be completely identical and symmetrical. The mosque is located to the west of the mausoleum, towards the holy site of Mecca, while the guest house is located to the east of the mausoleum. Because the mosque is an active place of worship, the Taj's entire mausoleum complex is closed to visitors on Fridays for prayer.

We all know that the Mahabharata was written by Lord Ganesha and compiled by Vedvyas. Vedvyas is a job granted to persons who have knowledge of the Vedas, not a name. Before Krishnadweepayan, there were 27 Vedvyas. And Krishnadweepayan was the 28th Vedvyas, so named because he had the same skin hue as Lord Krishna and was born on an island.

We all know that the Peepal tree produces a lot of oxygen during the day and a lot of carbon dioxide at night. So, while there is no truth to the belief that a peepal tree is inhabited by spirits and ghosts, the aforementioned reason is most likely why and how this superstition arose.

With the agility and power Lord Hanuman has, it is difficult to believe that the Lord was a Yogi. Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) was invented by him as a manner of welcoming his instructor, Surya Devta. And the Lord was the first to teach humans Pranayama.

Have you ever thought of a post office that is floating? But in this incredible world, we have it too. India has a floating post office in Srinagar. The post office is built on a houseboat and even houses a museum in it. Interesting, isn't it?

The rule book was handwritten in a flowing italics style by calligrapher Prem Behari Narain Raizada, rather than printed or typed. Jawaharlal Nehru asked Raizada, a calligrapher from a family of calligraphers, to write the first copy of the document. When asked how much he would charge, he only had one request: he wanted to sign every page and the final page with his grandfather.

Babur Introduced Gunpowder to India. After defeating Ibrahim Lodhi in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur established the Mughal empire. Historians believe he brought gunpowder to India and used it extensively during wars.

Yes, the tall, pleated white hat worn by cooks, known officially as a toque, has 100 folds for a purpose! According to Reclutant Gourmet, pleats were used to indicate a chef's level of experience, such as the number of ways he or she understood how to cook eggs.