This article is about the Republic of India. For other uses, see India (disambiguation).

Republic of India Bharat Ganrajya

Flag

Emblem

Motto: "Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit)

"Truth Alone Triumphs"
[1]

Anthem: Jana Gana Mana

"Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People"
[2]

MENU 0:00 National song: Vande Mataram

"I Bow to Thee, Mother"
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Area controlled by India shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.

Capital

New Delhi
2836.8N 7712.5E

Largest city Official languages

Mumbai (population/area)

Hindi English
[show]

Recognised regional languages National language/s Demonym Government

8th Schedule[show] none[3] Indian Federal parliamentary constitutional republic[1]

- President - Vice President - Prime Minister - Speaker of the House - Chief Justice Legislature - Upper house - Lower house

Pranab Mukherjee Mohammad Hamid Ansari Manmohan Singh (INC) Meira Kumar (INC) Altamas Kabir[4] Parliament of India Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha

Independence from the United Kingdom - Dominion - Republic 15 August 1947 26 January 1950

Area - Total 3,287,263 km2[b] (7th) 1,269,219 sq mi - Water (%) 9.6 Population - 2011 census - Density 1,210,193,422[5] (2nd) 373.2/km2 (31st) 966.6/sq mi GDP (PPP) - Total - Per capita GDP (nominal) - Total - Per capita Gini (2004) 2012 estimate $4.711 trillion[6] (3rd) $3,851[6] (129th) 2012 estimate $1.947 trillion[7] (10th) $1,592[6] (140th) 36.8[8] medium 79th HDI (2012) 0.554[9][10] medium 136th (medium) Currency Time zone - Summer (DST) Date format Drives on the Calling code ISO 3166 code Internet TLD Indian rupee ( ) (INR) IST (UTC+05:30) not observed (UTC+05:30) dd-mm-yyyy (CE) left +91 IN .in other TLDs[show]

India ( i/ndi/), officially the Republic of India (Bharat Ganrajya) , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, thesecond-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to [d] the west; China,Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and theMaldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

[c]

Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long [11] history. Four world religionsHinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhismoriginated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered 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 [12] parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastestgrowing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, malnutrition, inadequate public healthcare, violence against women, and terrorism. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks seventh in military expenditure among nations. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 28 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and multi-ethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.
Contents
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1 Etymology 2 History

o o o o

2.1 Ancient India 2.2 Medieval India 2.3 Early modern India 2.4 Modern India

3 Geography 4 Biodiversity 5 Politics

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5.1 Government 5.2 Subdivisions

6 Foreign relations and military 7 Economy 8 Demographics 9 Culture

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9.1 Art and architecture 9.2 Literature

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9.3 Performing Arts 9.4 Motion Pictures 9.5 Society 9.6 Sport

10 See also 11 Notes 12 Citations 13 References 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 historical local appellation for the Indus [13] River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi (), which translates as "the people of the [14] Indus". The geographical term Bharat (pronounced a rt ( listen)), which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its [15] variations. The eponym of Bharat is Bharata, a theological figure that Hindu scriptures describe as a legendary emperor of ancient India. Hindustan ( n sta n ( listen)) was originally a Persian word that meant "Land of the Hindus"; prior to 1947, it referred to a region that encompassed northern India and [16][17] Pakistan. It is occasionally used to solely denote India in its entirety.

History
Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India

Ancient India
The earliest anatomically modern human remains found in South Asia date from approximately 30,000 [18] years ago. Nearly contemporaneousMesolithic rock art sites have been found in many parts of the [19] Indian subcontinent, including at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh. Around 7000 BCE, the first known Neolithic settlements appeared on the subcontinent in Mehrgarh and other sites in western [20] [21] Pakistan. These gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation, the first urban culture in [22] [23] South Asia; it flourished during 25001900 BCE in Pakistan and western India. Centred around cities such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Dholavira, and Kalibangan, and relying on varied forms of subsistence, [22] the civilization engaged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade. During the period 2000500 BCE, in terms of culture, many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from [24] [25] the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age. TheVedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed during [26] this period, and historians have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the [24] upper Gangetic Plain. Most historians also consider this period to have encompassed several waves [27][25][28] of Indo-Aryan migration into the subcontinent from the north-west. The caste system, which created a hierarchy of priests, warriors, and free peasants, but which excluded indigenous peoples by

labelling their occupations impure, arose during this period. On the Deccan Plateau, archaeological [24] evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation. In southern India, a progression to sedentary life is indicated by the large number of megalithic monuments [30] dating from this period, as well as by nearby traces of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and craft [30] traditions.

[29]

Paintings at the Ajanta Cavesin Aurangabad, Maharashtra, 6th century

In the late Vedic period, around the 5th century BCE, the small chiefdoms of the Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as [31][32] themahajanapadas. The emerging urbanisation and the orthodoxies of this age also created the [33] religious reform movements of Buddhism and Jainism, both of which became independent [34] religions. Buddhism, based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha attracted followers from all social classes excepting the middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central to the beginnings of [33][35][36] recorded history in India. Jainism came into prominence around the same time during the life of its [37] exemplar, Mahavira. In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up renunciation as an [38] [31] ideal, and both established long-lasting monasteries. Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the [31] kingdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states to emerge as the Mauryan Empire. The empire was once thought to have controlled most of the subcontinent excepting the far south, but its core [39][40] regions are now thought to have been separated by large autonomous areas. The Mauryan kings are known as much for their empire-building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka's [41][42] renunciation of militarism and far-flung advocacy of the Buddhist dhamma. The Sangam literature of the Tamil language reveals that, between 200 BCE and 200 CE, the southern peninsula was being ruled by the Cheras, the Cholas, and the Pandyas, dynasties that traded extensively [43][44] with the Roman Empire and with West and South-East Asia. In North India, Hinduism asserted [45][31] patriarchal control within the family, leading to increased subordination of women. By the 4th and 5th centuries, the Gupta Empire had created in the greater Ganges Plain a complex system of administration [46][47] and taxation that became a model for later Indian kingdoms. Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism [48] based on devotion rather than the management of ritual began to assert itself. The renewal was reflected in a flowering of sculpture and architecture, which found patrons among an urban [47] elite. Classical Sanskrit literatureflowered as well, and Indian science, astronomy, medicine, [47] and mathematics made significant advances.

Medieval India

The granite tower ofBrihadeeswarar Temple inThanjavur was completed in 1010 CE by Raja Raja Chola I.

The Indian early medieval age, 600 CE to 1200 CE, is defined by regional kingdoms and cultural [49] diversity. When Harsha of Kannauj, who ruled much of the Indo-Gangetic Plain from 606 to 647 CE, [50] attempted to expand southwards, he was defeated by the Chalukya ruler of the Deccan. When his [50] successor attempted to expand eastwards, he was defeated by the Pala king of Bengal. When the Chalukyas attempted to expand southwards, they were defeated by the Pallavas from farther south, who [50] in turn were opposed by the Pandyas and the Cholas from still farther south. No ruler of this period was [49] able to create an empire and consistently control lands much beyond his core region. During this time, pastoral peoples whose land had been cleared to make way for the growing agricultural economy were [51] accommodated within caste society, as were new non-traditional ruling classes. The caste system [51] consequently began to show regional differences. In the 6th and 7th centuries, the first devotional hymns were created in the Tamil language. They were imitated all over India and led to both the resurgence of Hinduism and the development of all modern [52] languages of the subcontinent. Indian royalty, big and small, and the temples they patronised, drew [53] citizens in great numbers to the capital cities, which became economic hubs as well. Temple towns of [53] various sizes began to appear everywhere as India underwent another urbanisation. By the 8th and 9th centuries, the effects were felt in South-East Asia, as South Indian culture and political systems were exported to lands that became part of modern[54] day Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Java. Indian merchants, scholars, and sometimes armies were involved in this transmission; South-East Asians took the initiative as well, with many sojourning in Indian seminaries and translating Buddhist and Hindu texts into their [54] languages.
[52]