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.

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.'

Some of the rock shelters were inhabited more than 100,000 years ago, making this one of India's oldest cave collections. The rock art at Bhimbetka is the oldest known in the Indian subcontinent, dating back more than 30,000 years.

Hinduism, or Hindu dharma as it is known in India, is not the official name of this religion. Santana Dharma, which means the Eternal Way of Salvation, is its full name. Hindu or Indu is derived from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which means a large body of water or a river. The Greeks referred to the people who lived along the Indus River as Hindus.

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.

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.

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.

St Thomas, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Palayur was founded in 52 AD by St Thomas, one of Jesus Christ's 12 apostles. The earliest mosque in India, Cheraman Juma Mosque, was built in 629 AD at Methala, Kodungallur, Kerala. Malik Deenar designed it. In terms of synagogues, the Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi, Kerala, is the oldest operational synagogue. It is one of seven synagogues built in 1567 by the Cochin Jewish community or the Yehudan Mapila people.

The names 'Andaman' and 'Nicobar' are derived from Malay. The name Andaman is thought to be derived from Hanuman, also known as Handyman by the Malays. The name Nicobar appears to be a corruption of the South Indian term 'Nakkavaram' (Land of the Naked), which is mentioned in the great Tanjore inscription of AD 1050.

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.

The Kohinoor Diamond was discovered in the royal jeweled Mughal Peacock Throne, where the emperor sat. The great jewel stolen from India is now kept in the Tower of London.

The Hindu deity Lord Jagannath inspired the English word Juggernaut, which means "huge or powerful." Every year, a cart festival known as The Holy Rath Yatra is held in Puri, Odisha. The carts used for Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balavadra, and his sister Goddess Suvadra are enormous, and devotees would crush themselves under the wheels of the carts in order to achieve salvation. That is where the term originated.

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.

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.

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 September 11, 1942, in Hamburg, the first-ever musical composition of 'Jana Gana Mana' was performed (not sung) (Germany). Following that, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose declared it the 'Free India' national anthem (though at that time, the song did not receive any formal status).

The previous King of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, entered the Guinness Book of World Records when he had two gigantic sterling silver containers, the biggest in the world, made to transport 'Ganga Jal on his journeys to England. 14,000 silver coins were melted to construct these massive jars. These "Gangajalis" are still on display at the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum and are a big draw for visitors.

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.

Nagpur was Madhya Pradesh's first capital city. Madhya Pradesh was formed after independence from the southern parts of today's Madhya Pradesh and the north-eastern parts of today's Maharashtra. Nagpur served as the state's capital.

The first bus service in India was established on July 15, 1926. The initial route connected Afghan Church and Crawford Market.

Somnath temple is located on the western coast of Gujarat and is one of the oldest and most respected temples in India. It is mentioned in the most ancient literature such as Shreemad Bhagavat, Skandpuran, Shivpuran, and Rig-Veda, indicating its significance as a Tirthdham.

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.

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.