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Aprl2012 Volume:6 No:7
States 0fIndia
When a united, independent I ndia
was born, it was not without pains. Be
fore the British left, our great country
was divided into a large number of
provinces, many of them under the
rule of local princes. The Himalayan
task ofjoi ni ng al l the diverse regions of
I ndia to form a strong united nation fel l
upon Sardar Val l abhai Patel, who was
known as the 'iron man of I ndia'. He
was assisted by V.P. Menon, secretary
of the Ministry of States. Theirs was in
deed a task ridden with chal lenges,
because diferent provincial kingdoms
reacted differently to the appeal .
Though Cochi njoined the union easily,
in Hyderabad, the I ndian Army had to
tackle the Nizam's army before receiv
ing a 'yes'.
Later, the nation was divided into a
number of states based on their lan
guages. Through all these birth pangs,
a great nation was being born, ready to
make its presence felt in the modern
world and create hi story. This issue of
Tell Me Why tel l s about our states.
The sketches of places given in this issue are not drawn
to scale, and not maps drawn according to cartographic
norms. The boundaries are not to scale, and may not be
accurate.
|80HhIh00SI0FHkGICP0,HkN08kHkYIk80Wk,kNIhk,hIwIIkkN0hIHkIkYk|kHkN08kHk0k|IY
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Wh 00we Sathat n0 a
Saun 0n0fStateS
You know that I ndia i s a
uni on of twenty-ei ght states
and seven union territories,
but do you know why, and
when they were formed? I n
di a won I ndependence from
the British on August 1 5
th
1 947, and the British system
of provinces and pri ncel y
states was abol ished i n 1 956.
New states were then created
on the basis of ethni city and
l anguage.
Si nce some of the states
that were formed i n 1 956 were
very bi g, they were spl i t i nto
smal l er states later. Bombay
State was divided i nto the
states of Gujarat and Mahar
ashtra in 1 960. In 1 962, the
former Poruguese and French
col oni es were i ncorporated
i nto the I ndian Republ i c as
the Union Territories of Pon
di cherry, Dadra and Nagar
Haveli, and Daman and Di u.
Nagal and became a state i n
1 963 whi le Punjab was spl i t
up, and the new Hi ndi speak-
Tell Me Why
i ng state of Haryana was
formedi n 1 966.
The year 1 971 saw Hi machal
Pradesh become a state, while
Mani pur, Meghal aya, and
Tripura became states the next
year. The Ki ngdom of Si kki m
joi ned the I ndia Uni on in 1 975,
while Arunachal Pradesh and
Mizoram became states i n
1 987, fol l owed by Goa.
The year 2000 saw the crea
tion of three new states -
Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal, and
Jharkhand.
Oh, you are
from United States of
Ameri ca? I am from
Uni ted States of
India!
States of India
Wh S the hSt0f
0f n0hfa Ffa0eSh
faSCnat ng
Over the centuries,
Andhra Pradesh has
been rul ed by several
greatdynasties, i ncl ud
i ng the Satavahanas,
Sakas, I kshvakus, East
ern Chal ukyas and the
Kakatiyas. After the
end of the Kakatiya dy
nasty, a few l ocal ki ng
doms rose to power i n
diferent parts of the
ki ngdom. Among
these, the Vijaynagar
ki ngdom was the most
powerful one. In the
16th century, the state
saw the emergence of
the Qutb Shah i dynasty

Capital : H0efaba0
Districts : Z5
Principal Languages : Teuguan0Uf0u
State Bird : n0an K0ef
State Animal : acKbucK
State Fl ower : WatefL
whi ch was defeated by the Mughal s. I n
1707, Hyderabad came under the rul e of
the Nizams.
After i ndependence, Andhra Pradesh
became the first state to be formed on
the basis of l anguage. The Tel ugu speak
ing peopl e were given twenty-one di s
tricts, out of whi ch ni ne were in the Ni
zam' s domi ni ons, and the rest i n the
Madras Presidency. However fol l owi ng
Lepakshi Nandi -A Huge Statue
in Andhra Pradesh
WhSthege0gfa-
ph 0f n0hfa
Ffa0eSh mp0Hant
Andhra Pradesh is
l ocated i n South I n
dia, bounded by
Tami l Nadu i n the
south, Maharashtra i n
the north and north
west, Madhya
Pradesh and Orissa i n
the northeast, Karna
taka in the west, and
by the Bay of Bengal
i n the east. I t i s situat
ed on the Deccan pla
teau, and i s one of the
an agitation i n 1953,
eleven di stricts of the
Madras state were taken
to form a new Andhra
state wi th Kurnool as its
capital . Ni ne di stricts
under the Nizam were
later added to form the
enl arged state of And
hra Pradesh i n 1956.
States of India
Visakhapatnam - Seaport
ol dest geol ogi cal formati ons of the
country. The Godavari and Kri shna
rivers cut through the state, formi ng
l arge del tas before joi ni ng the Bay of
Bengal .
The state can be divided i nto three
i mportant regi ons based on its ge
ography - the coastal regi on, the i n
terior region, known as Rayalseema,
and the Tel engana region, and ni ne
adjoi ni ng di stricts. Andhra Pradesh
has a wi de variety of wi l dl ife and
has natural beauty. The state i s home
to I ndi a' s l argest tiger reserve, i n the
Nal l amal a forest.
He/s a
Hi tech man worki ng
in HITECH ci ty!
Wh S Kuch pu0 c0nS0efe0
n0hfa Ffa0eSh'S g ft t0 the
w0f0
Kuchi pudi i s a cl assi cal dance
form from Andhra Pradesh. It i s
known for its graceful movements,
strong narrative, and dramatic
character. The credit for the exist
i ng dance form of Kuchi pudi goes
to Si ddhendra Yogi . The style i s a
bl end offol k and cl assi cal dance.
Kuchi pudi dance drama has a
perfect bl end of rhythm, mi me, and
pure dance. Thi s art form has some
very compl i cated items of origi nal
footwork such as traci ng out an
outl i ne of a l i on or an el ephant with
the feet on the floor, or danci ng
wi th the feet on the edges of a ci r
cul ar brass tray, or with a water pot,

HlTbLA Y
HTbLStan0Sf0f H0efa-
ba0 nf0fmat0nTechn00-
g bngneefng L0nSutan-
cLt.t StheafgeSt n-
f0fmat0ntechn00gpafK
n ln0a, an0 0HefS w0f0
caSS,State-0f-the-aHTn-
ffaStfuctufe un0ef 0ne
f00f. lt SSpfea0 0vef 1 1
del icately and precari ousl y
bal anced on the head.
Kuchi pudi fl ouri shed as a
dramatic form of dance for
Kuchipudi
=
HITECCit
acfeS 0fan0 n the SubufbS
0fH0efaba0.ThStechn0-
0gt0wnShphaSma0eH-
0efaba0 an0 n0hfa
Ffa0eSh0ne0fthem0Stm-
p0Hant centfeS f0f the n-
f0fmat0n techn00g n-
0uStfnthew0f0.
hundreds of years. It was hel d i n
hi gh esteem by the rul ers of the
Deccan, and i s today consi d
ered to be Andhra Pradesh's gi ft
to the wo of arts.
Wow! This Gui nness
book is dedi cated to
Andhra Pradesh!
Wh S n0hfa Ffa0eSh
cae0 the State 0f u nneSS
fec0f0S
Andhra Pradesh has won
Gui nness records i n many fiel ds.
It has I ndia's l argest and Asia's
second l argest road cum railway
bridge at Rajahmundry, and the
state owned Road Transport
Corporation is the l argest bus
operator i n the worl d. I n ci nema,
it holds the record for the largest
fi l m production faci l ity in the
world, whi l e Dr. Brahmanandam
hol ds the record for acting i n the
most number of Tel ugu fi l ms i n
the role of a comedi an.
D. Ramanai du i s l i sted as the
most prol ific producer, whi l e
2800 kuchi pudi dancers per
formed kuchi pudi to create an
otherGui nness record. Recently,
a huge S,S70kg 'Iaddu' prepared
for the recent Ganesh festival i n
Andhra Pradesh al so entered
the Gui nness world records!
9
Wh S funacha
Ffa0eSh ca e0 the
'an0 0f H maaan
m0unta nS
Arunachal Pradesh
means 'l and of the
dawn-l it mountains,'
i n Sanskrit. Much of
Arunachal Pradesh i s
covered by the Hi ma
layas. However, parts
of Lohit, Chang l ang
and Tirap are covered
by the Patkai hi l l s.
Kangto, Nyegi Kang
sang, the mai n
Capital : tanagaf
Districts : 1
Official Language : bngSh
State Bird : featH0fnb
State Ani mal : aa[Mthun)
State Fl ower : r0xtaOfch0
Gori chen peak, and the Eastern Gori chen
peak are some of the hi ghest peaks i n
thi s regi on of the Hi malayas.
At the lowest el evations, you wi l l fi nd
semi-evergreen forests. Much of the
state consi sts of Eastern Hi mal ayan
broadl eaf forests. Towards the northern
borderwi th Chi na, with i ncreasi ng el eva
tion, comes a mixture of Eastern and
Northeastern Hi mal ayan sub-al pi ne
conifer forests, fol l owed by Eastern
Hi mal ayan al pi ne shrub and meadows.
Fi nal ly, there i s just rock and ice on the
hi ghest peaks.
Arunachal Pradesh
The Lndscape
Itanagar, Capital of
Arunachal Pradesh
h S the h St0f 0f Pfu~
naCha Ffa0eShSa0t00efu 0f
mthSan0egen0S
The hi story of Arunachal
Pradesh i s ri ch i n myths and l eg
ends. The l and i s menti oned i n the
l iterature of Kal i ka Purana and
Mahabharata. Thi s place i s the
Prabhu Mountai ns of Puranas. I t
was herethatthesage Parashuram
atoned for hi s si ns, and the sage
Vyasa meditated. Thi s was the
l and where Ki ng Bhi smaka found
ed hi s ki ngdom, and Lord Kri shna
married hi s consort Rukmi ni .
The recorded hi story of Aru
nachal Pradesh i s avai l abl e onl y
from the sixteenth century on
wards. I ts mO, dern hi story begi ns
wi th the i mposi ti on of the Bri ti sh
rul e i n Assam i n
Tawang Monaster in
Arunachal Pradesh
constituti onal l y a part of As
sam. The Mi ni stry of External
Affai rs admi nistered it unti l
1965, and subsequently, the
Mi ni stry of Home Afai rs,
through the Governor of As
sam. In 1972, it was consti
tuted as a Union Territory,
and renamed Arunachal
Pradesh. On 20th February i n
1987, i t became the 24th state
ofthe I ndi an Uni on.
Sage Vyasa
medi tated here.
1826. Before 1962,
Arunachal was pop-
ul arl y cal l ed the; J!
North Eastern F
ti er Agency and was
States of India 1 1
Wh S the Cutufe 0f fu-
aC Ff 0eShunQue
Arunachal Pradesh has a
great cul tural background, and
i ts peopl e cel ebrate numerous
festival s round the year, to
gether wi th thei r own set of ritu
al s, musi c and dance. The state
has 20 major tribes, and numer
ous sub-tribes l ivi ng in the vil
l ages across the state. Different
tribal groups have thei r own set
of bel iefs and notions about
thei r rel i gi on. The peopl e of
Arunachal Pradesh form three
cultural groups, and each group
practices its own rel i gion. The
people of the first group are
usual l y Buddhists, whi l e people
of the second group practice
Donyi Pol oi sm or worshi p of
12
the Sun and Moon Gods. Chris
ti anity and Hi ndui sm. The thi rd
group practices Chri sti anity
and Hi nduism.
The people of Arunachal
make beautiful masks, and peri
odi cal ly stage pantomi mes and
masked dances. They speci al ize
in carvi ng semi -rel i gi ous motifs
on wood, and make exqui site
carpets, pai nted wooden ves
sels, and si lver articles. They are
expert workers in cane and
bamboo, and weave arti cl es
that they commonly use i n thei r
dai l y l i ves l i ke shawl s, jackets,
shoul der bags, and coats. Spe
cific tri bes have crafs excl usive
to thei r area of expertise.
A Statue of Buddha in Tawang,
Arunachal Pradesh
Tell Me Why
H0w S SSam 0-
v0e0 ge0gfaphCa-

Assam i s located at
the gateway of North
east I ndi a. It is sur
rounded by states l i ke
Arunachal Pradesh i n
the North, Nagal and
i n the east, Mizoram
and Tri pura in the
south, and West Ben
gal i n the west. Assam
can be broadl y divid
ed i nto three di sti nct
physical units, the
Brahmaputra Val l ey i n
the north, the Barak
Val l ey i n the narrow
protrudi ng , south, and
the state's hi l l y region
separati ng the two
val l eys. Assam has
stunni ng scenic gran
deur, with dense
tracts of tropi cal for-
States of India
Capital : USpuf
Districts : Z7
Principal Languages : SSameSe, 000,Kaf
State Bird : Whte-wnge0W000 UucK
State Ani mal : One-h0fne0Khn0
State Fl ower : r0xtaOfch0
River Brahmaputra
ests, i nterspersed with emeral d patch
work qui l ts of paddy, and l ush tea gar
dens enriched by the flow of the Brah
maputra River. The al l uvial pl ai ns of the
Assam val l ey enjoy an abundance of nat
ural ri ches. The state is the l argest pro
ducer of ti mber and tea i n the country,
and it has the ol dest oi l refi nery in I ndi a.
Di d you know that Assam is the onl y re
gi on in the worl d that has its own variety
of tea, cal l ed Camel l i a Assami ca?
1 3
When waS
SSamf0fme0
The ancient land of Assam
SSam
Tea
S S a m
haS a tea name0 aftef t- the
Lamea SSamca. ThS tea S
Kn0wnf0fafu-b00e0fav0uf
an0 Stf0ng bfght c00uf. The
tea eaveS 0fgnate ff0m
buSheS nthe SSam Vae n
n0a, whefethefahmaputfa
fvef f0wS. The fvef haS 0e-
p0Ste0 a fch 0am 0vef the
vae,an0theafeaexpefenc-
eS b0th h0t m0nS00n SeaS0nS
an0 c00, 0f w ntefS, whch
afe0eac0n0t0nSf0ftheS-
SamteabuSh.SSamteaSvef
p0puaf Sa' bfeaKfaSttea.
was known as 'Kamarupa' or'Pragjyo-
ti sh' in the epi cs. The early hi story of As
sam i s bel ieved to be of the Varman dynasty.
The rei gn of thi s dynasty extended from 400 AD to
the 13th century. By the 15th century, the ki ngdoms of
Ahom and Koch were establ i shed. I n the later part of the
18th century, the Ahom Ki ngdom was weakened due to i n
ternal strife. The Burmese seized power, whi ch prompted
the Bri ti sh to i ntervene. The Briti sh subdued the Burmese, and
set out to organize the admi ni stration, as wel l as to i mprove
transport and communication.
After I ndi an I ndependence, Assam witnessed several separa
ti ons of territories. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagal and, Meghal aya, and
Mizoram were al l carved out of Assam, and became separate states
over the years.
14 Tell Me Why
b hu
The bhuS afe the na-
t0nafeStvaS0fSSam,
an0 thefe afethfeeSuch
feStvaS.bach bhu c0n-
c0eS wth a 0Stnctve
phaSe nthefafmngca-
en0af. The b0haag bhu
mafKS the New Yeaf at
the a0vent 0f See0ng
tme, the Kaat bhu
mafKS thec0mpet0n 0f
the S0wng an0 tfanS-
pantng 0f pa00eS, an0
the Maagh bhu mafKS
theen00fthehafveStng
pef00. SSameSe
pe0pe, ffeSpectve 0f
caSte, cfee0, feg0n,
fathan0beef,ceebfate
the bhu feStvaS wth
gfeat funan0j0.
States of India
Wh SSSam Sa0t00efch n
cutufe
Assam i s the meeti ng ground of
diferent cul tures. The state has a
l arge number of tri bes, each
uni que i n i ts tradition, cul ture,
dress, and exotic way of l i fe. From
ti me i mmemori al , the peopl e of
Assam have traditi onal l y been
crafsmen. Artists, scul ptors, ma
sons, weavers, spi nners, potters,
gol dsmi ths, and workers of ivory,
wood, bamboo, cane and hi de
have fl ouri shed i n Assam from an
ci entti mes. Weaving i sa tradi ti onal
craft that every Assamese woman
takes pri de i n. The Assamese
women produce si l k, and cotton
cl oth of exqui site desi gns in thei r
l ooms. Assam i s renowned for its
exqui site si l ks i ncl udi ng the worl d
famous Muga si l k.
To sum up, Assamese cul ture is a
ri ch bl end of ethnic practices and
ancient bel i efs.
I have no more
teeth to gi ve you for
your ornaments!
15
Mahabodhi
Temple
Capital : Fatna
Districts : 57
Principal Languages : Hn0,Uf0u
State Bi rd : n0anK0ef
State Ani mal : Oauf
State Fl ower : WhteOfch0-tfee
Wh00weSathatb hafhaSa magnfCent
hSt0f
Bi har has seen the bi rth of ancient ci vi l i zati ons
and modern I ndi an hi story. Hi ndu, Buddhist,
Jai n, Musl i m and Si kh shri nes abound in thi s an
cient l and, where I ndia's first major empi re rose
and fel l . Bi har is the l and of not onl y great rel i
gi ous preachers, but al so of mi ghty emperors
and val i ant warriors. Anci ent Bi har was known as
Magadha, and was the centre of power, l earni ng,
and cul ture i n I ndi a for 1000 years. I ndi a's first
empi re, the Mauryan Empi re, as wel l as one of
the world's great rel i gi ons, Buddhi sm, arose
in what i s now Bi har. One of the first known
republ ics i n the world, Licchavi existed i n
the regi on. The cl assi cal Gupta dynasty of
Bi har was known to have been a
period of great cul ture and
l earni ng, and is, i n fact, cal l ed
the Gol den Age of I ndia.
Duri ng the medi eval period,
except for the brief period of
Sher Shah's rei gn, the provi nce
of Bi har never enjoyed the sta
tus of an i ndependent state.
Tel l Me Why
H0w can we 0eScf0e the
ge0gfaph0fb haf
Bi har is located in the eastern
part of the country. It l ies mi d
way between West Bengal i n
the east, and Uttar Pradesh i n
the west. I t i s bounded by Nepal
i n the north, and by J harkhand
i n the south. The Bi har pl ai n i s
divi ded i nto two unequal
Patna,
Capital of Bihar
In 1652, the British started
busi ness from Patna, and
soon they took over Bi har. The
Bri ti sh rul ed Bi har from 1765
to 1947.
When I ndia became i nde
pendent, Bi harbecamea state
under the Uni on of I ndia. I n
2000, the state of Jharkhand
was carved out of Bi har.
States of India
halves by the riverGanga, whi ch
flows through the mi ddle, from
West to East.
Bi har i s mai nly a vast stretch
of very fertile flat l and. I t can be
grouped i nto three regi ons.
They are the northern moun
tai nous region, the I ndo
Gangetic Pl ai n and the South
ern Pl ai n. Many rivers l i ke the
Ganga, Kosi , Kaml a, Burhi Gan
dak, Saryu and others flow
through the state. The Bapabar
Hi l l s, Mandargi ri Hi l ls are some
of the mountai ns i n the state.
You know,
once Bi har had a
Gol den Age.
17
Ruins afthe Ancient Cit afVaishali
WhafefeStvaS n bhafa fefec-
t0n0fthecutufe an0tfa0t0nS0f
thepe0pe
Bi har i s steeped i n hi story, and has a
rich traditi on of festival s. The most fa
mous festival is Chhatth Puja, whi ch is
cel ebrated twice a year. Sama-Chakeva
is another festival cel ebrated in Bi har,
MahatmaOan0hbetu
The Mahatma Oan0h betu
[bf0ge) 0vef the fvef Oanga n
Fatna S n0a'S 0ngeSt fvef
bf0ge. The bf0ge SpanS 0vef
.7 Km ff0m Hajpuf at the
n0Hhen0,t0 FatnaattheS0uth
en0. bef0fe the bf0gewaS c0n-
Stfucte0, pe0pewh0wante0 t0
g0 t0 the n0fth 0f bhaf, ha0 t0
cf0SS the fvef uSng b0atS 0f
Sma ShpS, SteamefS 0f taKe a
0ngeffaf0ute.Thebf0gewaS
naugufate0 n Ma 1 9Z bthe
then Ffme MnStef, MfS. n0fa
Oan0h.
especi al l y i n Mi thi l a. Na
varathri i s a ten day fes
tival where the peopl e
of Bi har worshi p God
dess Durga for ni ne
days. On the tenth day,
the i dol of the goddess
i s taken to the river and
cast i nto it. Maker Sank
ranti marks the end of
wi nter, and the begi n
ni ng of the summer sea
son. Mahavir Jayanti,
whi ch i s cel ebrated wi th
great pomp, and Deo
Diwal i whi ch marks the
fi nal l i beration of Lord
Mahavi ra, are i mportant
Jai n festival s in Bi har.
Ramnavami , Nagpan
chami , Bi hul a are some
of the other festival s
cel ebrated i n Bi har.
Capital : Kapuf
Districts : T
Principal Languages: Hn0,LhhattSgafh
State Bi rd : HMna
State Ani mal : W0buHa0
WhSLhhattSgafhanewState
wthanancenthSt0f
In ancient ti mes, Chhatti sgarh
was cal led Dakshi n Kosala. Accord
ing to mythology, Ram stayed i n
Dakshi n Kosala duri ng hi s exi le. Lat
er, Chhatti sgarh remai ned part of
every em pi re that ruled the country,
ri ght from the days of the great
Magadha Empi re. The Engl i sh rec
ognized the mi neral wealth of the
l and, and establ ished a vast network
of mi nes and rai l way track through
out the area. Thi s marked the begi n
ni ng of a new phase i n the regi on's
Chitrakot Waterfalls,
Chhattisgarh
Don' t waste
any soi l . Al l the mi nerals
are to be shi pped to
London!
hi story. I n recent times, the state of
Chhatti sgarh has been carved out
of Madhya Pradesh to become the
26th state of the I ndi an Uni on on
November 1 5t 2000.
States of India 19
Vivekananda Sarovar
WhSLhhattSgafhcae0a' an0
0f0pp0ftunt'
Chhatti sgarh has been cal l ed a l and
of opportunity because the state has
i mmense mi neral and forest resourc
es. Substanti al deposits of l i mestone,
i ron-ore, copper-ore, rock phosphate,
manganese-ore, bauxite, coal , asbes
tos and mi ca exist in the newly formed
state. Whi l e the avai l abi l ity of coal has
hel ped the state to become a major
producer of power, an abundance of
i ron-ore deposits have hel ped the set
ti ng up of a l arge number of i ron and
steel i ndustries. Another bi g source of
i ncome for the state is forest revenue,
for 12% of I ndia's forests are in Chhat
tisgarh. Agri cul tural ly, it i s a very ferti l e
area. The soi l and cl i mate here are
suitabl e for rice, whi ch is grown here
i n l arge quantities. Chhattisgarh sup
pl ies food grai n to al most 600 rice
mi l l s. Did you know that Chhatti sgarh
i s the ri chest state i n terms of mi neral
weal th? Twenty-Ei ght varieties of ma
jor mi neral s i ncl udi ng diamonds, are
found here.
20
Wh00weSathat
LhhattSgafh haS a
c00uffucutufe
Chhattisgarh boasts
of a cultural heritage
rich with vi brant danc
es, mel odi ous music,
magnificent arts and
crafts, and col ourful
fai rs and festival s. The
majority of the state's
popul ation bel ong to
tri bal communiti es.
The tri bal peopl e love
to adorn themselves
with ornaments made
from cowries, beads,
shel l s, bones and
feathers. Apart from
the tri bal s, many peo
ple of Chhatti sgarh ac
tual l y bel ong to the
nei ghbouri ng states.
Chhattisgarh is und
oubtedly a reservoi r of
tal ent. Si nce ages,
dance and performi ng
arts have been prac
ticed here. Whi l e Raut
Nacha i s the fol k dance
A Museum in Chhattisgarh
of cowherds, Panthi 'Karma' and
Soowa dance forms are popul ar al l
over the state. Musi c forms an i n
separabl e part of the state's cul
ture. The ri ch tradi ti onal fol k songs
that are famous i ncl ude sohar, bi
hav, and pathoni . The arts and
crafts of Chhattisgarh are trul y
amazi ng. Wood carvings, bamboo
work and furniture, bell metal
handi crafts, figures of terracotta,
tri bal jewel ry, pai nti ngs, and cl ay
pieces are some of the
special ties from the
state.
Purkhauti Muktangan
A Museum in
Chhattisgarh
LhItfaK0tra S
TheLhtfaK0traS
Sawateffa0cate0
nthe baStaf0Stfct
0fLhhattSgafh
0nthen0favatKvef.
tSab0utZ9metfeS
hgh. Thebfea0th
vafeS,aSthewatef
eve nthefvefg0eS
00wn0ufngSummef.
M0St0ftheafeathat
Suff0un0thefaSS
f0feSt.
Wow,
what a col ourful
butterfly!
2 1
Wh S the hSt0f
0fO0aS0Speca
The history of Goa
goes back to the 3,d
century BC It was
the part of Mauryan
Empi re. Goa has an
endless l i st of rul ers
who have rul ed thi s
state through the ages.
The 1 4
t
h century saw
Goa gradual l y becom
ing a tradi ng centre
with mostly horses be
ing traded with the
Mi ddl e East. I t was at
thi s ti me that powerful
Capital : Fanaj
Districts : Z
Principal Lan
g
uages : K0nKanan0

Mafath
State Bird : bacK-cfeSte0 bubu
State Ani mal : n0anbS0n
Panaji Circle, Goa
empi res took Goa under thei r rul e. How
ever, thi ngs started to change in 1510
AD, when the Portuguese arrived in Goa.
Owi ng to its natural harbours, coupl ed
with wi de rivers, Goa served as a perfect
base for the Portuguese to take control
of the spi ce trade from Mi ddl e East. Dur-
Dona Paula Beach, Goa
i ng theti meofthe
spi ce trade, Goa
reached its gol d
en Age, and Ol d
goa became the
bi ggest ci ty i n
East. Though I n
di a earned her i n
dependencefrom
Bri ti sh rul e in the
year 1 947, Goa
had remai ned a
Portuguese colo
ny. In the year
1 961 , the former
Pri me Mi nister,
Jawaharl al Nehru,
sent armed forces
to Goa.The I ndi an
army took over
Goa in just two
days. Goa beca me
one of the Union
Territories of I n
dia, along with
Daman and Di u.
I n 1 987, Goa be
came a separate
state, whi l e
Daman and Di u
were made a sep
arate Union Terri
tory.
WhSt0ufSm mp0ftantt00a
Touri sm caught the i magi nation of the
peopl e i n the worl d i n the 1 980's and Goa,
with its natural beauty, coupl ed with its
charmi ng Portuguese i nfl uence and cul
ture, became a favorite desti nati on for
hordes of touri sts from al l over the worl d.
Today, Goa i s one of the most i mportant
touri sm desti nati ons i n I ndia. The sun
kissed beaches, the beautiful l y adorned
churches, the historic forts and uni que
cul ture, as wel l as the unendi ng carnival s
and parties al l make Goa i rresistible, both
to the I ndi an and wel l as the i nternational
tourist.
The pl easant weather of the state
throughout the year is one of the major
contri butors that promote touri sm i n
Goa Coastline
A Goan Portuguese Villa
How cln wt describe Goa's geog
raphy?
Goa is located on the western coast
of I ndia, in the Konkan coastal belt. The
state is separated from Maharashtra
by the Terekhol River i n the north, Kar
nataka in the south, the Western Ghats
i n the east, and the Arabian Sea in the
West. Goa as a region can be divided
i nto four divisions. They arethe Eastern
Hi l l region comprising areas i n the
Western Ghats, the Central Valley
m0fmuga0
Thect0fM0fmuga0 n
O0aStateSStuate00nthe
weSt c0aSt 0f n0a. M0f-
muga0Hafb0ufSvefpc-
tufeSque,an0 S0ne0fthe
feg0n'S m0St mpfeSSve
natufa p0ftS. The F0H 0f
M0fmuga0 waS an mp0f-
tanttfa0ng centfef0fthe
bftSh.twaSaS0thecap-
ta 0f the F0ftugueSe bm-
pfenn0a.
24
Lands, the Flood Pl ai ns
compri si ng the coastal
pl ai ns and rol l i ng upl ands,
and the Coastal Pl ai ns.
The Sahyadri Ranges
are spread over an area of
about 600 sq km., with an
average elevation of 800
metres. The Central re
gi on of Goa has pl ateaus
rangi ng between alti
tudes of 30 m to 100 m.
The rivers of Mandovi and
Zuari drai n the major por
tions of the pl ai ns. Goa's
coastl i ne i s a sceni c com
bi nation of bays and
headl ands broken by
l arge estuaries of the
Mandovi and Zuari Rivers,
coupled with mi nor
streams.
Capital : Oan0hnagaf
Di stricts : Z
Principal Language : Oujafat
State Bi rd : Ofeateframng0
State Ani mal : SatcL0n
State Flower : Mafg00
Why Is Gujarat's history an
illustrious one?
The hi story of Gujarat goes
back to the I ndus Val l ey civi l iza
tion. The Dravi di an tribes were
the ori gi nal i nhabitants of the
region. Gujarat saw an Aryan
i nvasi on, fol lowed by a bri ef
period of Greek rul e. Later,
there was a succession of Hi ndu
ki ngdoms, i ncl udi ng the era of
the Guptas. This era ended i n
the rei gn of the Sol anki s. The
9th
century witnessed the emer
gence of the Musl i ms in the po-
States of India
Sabarmati Ashram
l iti cal arena of the state. The
rul e of the Mughal s l asted for
two centuri es before the Mar
athas ended it i n the 18th centu
ry.
The Bri ti sh Raj came to Gu
jarat i n 1803. After i ndepend
ence, Gujarat was i ncl uded un
der the ol d Bombay state.
Bombaywasfi nal l ydivi ded i nto
two separate states- Gujarat
and Maharashtra.
25
Oujafat an0
therfee00m
M0vement
O
ujafatpae0aea0-
ng f0en n0a'SStfug-
ge 0f n0epen0ence. t
waS the bHhpace 0f
man ffee00m fghtefS
Ke the egen0af Ma-
hatma Oan0h, baf0af
Vaabhbha Fate, an0
0thefS. b0me 0f the
m0St p0puaf fev0tS
aganStbftSh fue, Ke
thebatbatagfaha,aS0
0fgnate0nOujafat.
What00weKn0wab0utthege0g-
faph0fOujafat
Gujarat is situated on the west coast
of I ndia. The state i s bound by the Ara
bi an Sea on the west, Paki stan and Ra
jasthan in the north and northeast,
Madhya Pradesh in the southeast, and
Maharashtra i n the south. I t has a very
long coastl i ne, extendi ng to morethan
1290 kms. Gujarat i s made up of three
geographical regions. The peni nsul

,
traditional l y known as Saurashtra, |5
essenti al l y a hi l ly tract spri nkl ed with
low mountai ns. Kutch, on the north
east i s barren and rocky, and i ncl udes
the famous Rann Desert. The thi rd re
gion extends from the Rann of K

tch
and the Araval l i Hi l l s to the River
Damanganga. l t i s on the whol e, a level
pl arn of al l uvi al soi l . The forest cover i n
Vadodara
lM, Ahmedabad
Gujarat i s relatively little, wi th
onl y 9.61 % area covered with for
est. However, it sti l l supports
more than 40 species of ani mal s
i ncl udi ng the rare Asiatic l i on,
wi l d ass, and bl ackbuck. The
rivers of the state are
mostly seasonal
We are
devel opi ng our economy
with an Agri cul tural In
dustrial Revol ution!
Wh S OujafatS
gf0wth mpfeSSve
streams, and the
hi ghest point i n
Gujarat i s i n
the Gi rnar
Hi l l s.
Gujarat is one of the most pros
perous states of I ndi a owi ng to its agri
cul tural productivity and i ndustri al devel
opment. The state l eads the country in various
i ndustri al sectors namely, texti les, automobi l es,
engi neering, chemi cal s, petrochemi cal s, drugs and
pharmaceuticals, dai ry, cement, ceramics, gems and
jewel l ery. Major agri cul tural products i ncl ude cotton,
groundnuts, dates, sugar cane, mi l k and mi l k products.
The world's l argest grass root refi nery is the oil refi nery in
Jamnagar. The world's largest shi p breaki ng yard i s i n Gujarat,
and Gujarat i s the onl y state in I ndia to have a statewi de gas
gri d of 2,200kms. Gujarat ranks first i n the nation i n gas based
thermal electricity generation. Duri ng the past few years from
1 994 to 201 1 , Gujarat's has had an average growth rate of 1 2.4 %
per annum, whi ch is a very i mpressive growth rate i ndeed.
States of India 27
Wh wBS uBfBt a0e t0 0e-
c0meBn n0uStfBp0wef
Gujarat has rich natural resourc
es, a vast reservoi r of ski l led man
power, and one of the most devel
oped i ndustri al i nfrastructures i n
the country. Its rank among the
states has steadi l y ri sen from 8
t
h i n
1960, and it i s now vyi ng for the
top slot.
From its traditional texti l e base,
Gujarat has diversified i nto fiel ds
l i ke chemi cal s, petrochemi cal s,
engi neeri ng, pharmaceutical s,
dyes & dye i ntermedi ates, food
processi ng, agro-based i ndustries,
Bf0BBn0bBn0 n
OujafatSfam0uSf0ftS
gafba0ance,an0ban0n
w0fK.OafbaSap0puaf
f0K0ancethatSaSS0cate0
wthL0f0KfShna.
ban0 n SanancentaH
thatnv0veStngan0
0engpeceS0fc0tt0n0f
SK,wthnatufac00ufS.
Garba Dance
28
Ahmedabad
dai ry, edi bl e oi l s, and a host
of other sectors. The pol i cies
pursued by the state have
resulted in i ncreasi ng em
ployment opportunities,
promoti ng entrepreneurs
belongi ng to weaker sec
tions, and al so in i mprovi ng
the export performance of
the state. The state has been
able to attract substanti al
flow of i nvestment to the i n
dustri al sector duri ng l ast
couple of decades.
Wh00eSHafana
haVe a unQue pace
n n0 anh St0f
Haryana has been a
cradl e of I ndi an cul
ture and ci vi l ization. I t
was here, 5,000 long
years ago that Lord
Wel come to
the cradl e of wars.
Sorry, cradl e of
Indian ci vi l ization.
Capital : Lhan0gafh
Districts : Z0
Principal Language : Hn0
State Bird : bacKrfanc0n
State Animal : bacK0ucK
State Flower : L0tuS
Kri shna preached the gospel of duty to
Arj una. The region has been the scene of
many a war because of its bei ng 'a gate
way to North I ndia'.
As years rol l ed by, successive streams
of the Huns, the Turks and the Tughl aqs
i nvaded I ndi a and decisive battles were
fought on thi s l and. At the end of the 1 4
t
h
century, Ti mur led an army through thi s
areato Del hi . Later, theMughal s defeated
the Lodhi s in the hi storic battle of Pani
pat i n the year 1 526.Towards the middl e
of the 1 8th century, the Marathas had es
tabl i shed thei r sway over Haryana. The
area was ceded to the British in 1 803. I n
1 832, it was transferred to the then
Farms of Harana
Maruti Manufacturing Plant at Gurgaon
North-Western Provinces and in 1858,
Haryana became a part of Punjab, re
mai ni ng as such after the partition of I n
di a i n 1947.
The demand for Haryana as a separate
state, however, was raised even before
I ndi a's i ndependence in 1947, and Hary
ana became I ndi a's 17th state on 1 st No
vember 1966. Haryana was carved out of
the mostly Hi ndi-speaki ng eastern por
tion of Punjab, whi l e the mostly Punjabi
speaki ng western portion remai ned as
current day Punjab. The city of Chandi
garh, was made a union territory to serve
as capi tal of both these states.
The Toll Gate at National Highway 8
in Gurgaon- The largest in Asia
What afe the
h gh ghtS 0f Haf-
anaS ge0gfa-
ph
Haryana i s smal l
state, bounded by
Uttar Pradesh i n
the east, Punj ab i n
the west, Hi machal
Pradesh i n the
north, and Rajas
than in the south.
Most of Haryana i s
i n the pl ai ns, with
the Araval l i moun
tai n range starti ng
its westward jour
ney from here. I n
addition to the
Shi val i k Hi l l s, the
dry i rregul ar Arav
al i i Hi l l s and the
Gaggar Yamuna
Pl ai n, parts of Hary-
Lan00fbatteS
HafanahaSbeentheSet-
tngf0fmangfeat batteS,
begnnng wth the epc
batte 0f the Mahabhaf-
atha. The feg0n haS wt-
neSSe0 maj0f 0ecSve
batteS Ke the thfee
batteS 0f Fanpat
that change0 the
hSt0f 0f n-
0a.
.l!
ana are made up of a semi
desert sandy pl ai n that borders
Rajasthan.
The Yamuna is the onl y major
river that passes through thi s
smal l state, whi ch i s one of the
greenest i n the country. The
ancient ri ver Saraswati was
thought to have flows through
Manuscript Illustration of the
Battle of Kurukshetra
Haryana, but it has now di sap
peared. The River Ghaggar i s its
mai n seasonal river. It rises up
i n the outer Hi malayas between
the Yamuna and the Sutlej, and
then enters Haryana.
River Yamuna
Capital : bhma
Districts : TZ
Principal Languages : Hn0,Fahaf
State Bi rd : WeStefnTfag0pan
State Ani mal : bn0wLe0paf0
State Flower : beKh0000en0f0n
Wh S H macha Ffa0eShS
h St0f Sa0 t0 0e Steepe0 n
antQut
Hi machal Pradesh has been
i nhabited by human bei ngs
si nce the dawn of civil ization.
About 2 mi l l ion years ago, the
foothi l l s of Hi machal Pradesh
were i nhabited by peopl e from
the I ndus valley civilization,
whi ch flouri shed between 2250
and 1 750 Be. The peopl e of the
I ndus valley civilization pushed
out the ori gi nal i nhabitants,
who came and settled i n what i s
now Hi machal Pradesh.
Rashtrapati Niwas
Building at Shimla
Accordi ng to the Mahabhar
atha, the present day state was
made up of number of small re
publ ics. Later, the region came
under the rul e ofthe Gupta Em
pi re, and afer i ts col l apse, the
Mughal s rul ed here. I n fact, the
chi efs of the regi on, and the
Mughal rulers had made some
joi nt settl ements. Ranji t Si ngh
conquered some parts of the
area during the ni neteenth
century. The Gorkhas were i n
power for a whi l e unti l the Brit
i sh subjugated the Gorkha
tribe, and conquered some
parts of the region. Afer i nde
pendence, Hi machal Pradesh
came i nto bei ng as a Union Ter
ritory when more than
30 pri ncely states were
i ntegrated in 1 948. Later,
in 1 966, the hi lly areas of

Punj ab were merged


with the state, i ncreas
i ng its size. Hi machal
Pradesh became the
1 8th state of I ndia on
25th January, 1 97 1 .
I have a
5000 year
ol d kni fe!
Wh Sthege0gfB-
ph 0f H mBchB
FfB0eSh vef ntef-
eSt ng
The state of Hi mach
al Pradesh has bound
aries wi th Jammu and
Kashmi r i n the North,
Uttar Pradesh i n the
Southeast, Chi na i n
the east, Haryana i n
the south, and Punjab
i n the west. The geog
raphy of Hi machal
Pradesh i s very i nter
esting as the state is
States of India
Dal Lake, Himachal Pradesh
composed al most entirel y of mountai ns
that range from 350 metres to 6,975 me
tres above sea level. It i s a part of the In
di an Hi malayas, and has wide val leys,
i mposi ng snow capped mountai ns, l i m
pi d lakes, rivers, and gushi ng streams.
The state can be divided i nto three
zones. They are the outer Hi malayas or
the Shival i ks, the i nner or the mi ddl e
Hi mal ayas, and the greater Hi mal ayas or
the Al pi nes. More than hal f of the state is
under thi ck forest cover. There are around
1 200 species of bi rds and 359 species of
ani mal s i n Hi machal Pradesh. There are
several major rivers runni ng through the
state, i ncl udi ng the Beas River, whi ch flows
through the Kul l u Val l ey, the Chenab
River i n Lahaul , and the Spiti River, whi ch
joi ns the Sutlej River i n Ki nnaur.
Wh S bh mBBp0puBft0ufSt0eS-
tnBt0n
Shi ml a, thecapital of Hi machal Pradesh
i s a beautiful hi l l stati on. I t deri ves i ts
name from 'Goddess Shyamla', who i s
supposed to be an avatar of Goddess
Shimla, Capital o/Himachal Pradesh
The Kalka-Shimla Railway
Kal i . Shi ml a was the summer capi tal of
I ndi a under the Briti sh rule, and is today
a popul ar tourist destination for visitors
from other states and abroad.
Shi ml a i s referred to as 'the queen of
the hi l ls'. It is draped in forests of pi ne,
rhododendron, and oak, and is sur
rounded by snowcapped peaks. Withi n
the town are a host of spl endi d col oni al
edi fices, quai nt cottages, and charmi ng
wal ks. Among the attracti ons are the
stately Viceregal Lodge, charmi ng i ron
l amp posts, and Anglo-Saxon names.
The Mal l , packed with shops and eater
ies, i s the centre of attracti on of the
town, and Scandal Poi nt offers a vi ew of
di stant snow cl ad peaks. The snowfal l
duri ng the winters attracts many tour-
g
Ka Bwa
The KaKa-bhma
KawawaS but t0
c0nneO bh ma, the
Summef capta 0f
n0a 0ufng the pe-
f00 0f the bftSh
Kaj, wth the n0an
fawa SStem. The
9.4K0metfene,
but 0n a Z feet Sx
ncheS gauge, waS
0pene0f0ftfaffc0n
N0vembef 9

, 1 905.
bpectacuaf Scenef
a0ng the wh0e
f0ute, an0 the maf-
veS 0f tS c0nStfuc-
t0n, KeepS thetfav-
eef0nthSneSpe
b0un0. t funS
thf0ugh10ZtunneS,
an0haS4bf0geS.
ists, and Shi ml a then
becomes home to wi n
ter-sports, and an ice
skating carni val . Now,
don't you feel l i ke visit
i ng Shi ml a too?
Tel l Me Why
Capital : bfnagaf(Summer), Jammu(Winter)
Districts : ZZ
Principal Languages: Uf0u,KaShmf,U0gf
State Bi rd : bacK-necKe0Lfane
State Ani mal : KaShmfStag
State Flower : L0tuS
H0wwaSJammuan0KaSh-
m ff0fme0
In the history of Jammu and
Kashmi r, the Maurya dynasty
took control of the regi on
around the 3rd Be. Ki ng Ashoka
rul ed the l andfor a considerabl e
period of ti me, and Buddhi sm
was wi del y practiced. Duri ng
the ti me of the Mughal s, I sl am
was wi del y practiced, and Akbar
had a strong i nfluence i n the re
gi on for many years.
Later, the control of the Kashmi r
valley was passed to the conquer
ing Si kh armies. Gul ab Singh was
made the Raja of Jammu in 1820.
States of India
Dal Lke, Srinagar
In 1846, Jammu and Kashmi r
came i nto existence as a united
state. After i ndependence, Ma
haraja Hari Si ngh, the rul er of
Jammu and Kashmi r was given
the freedom to opt to become a
part of either I ndi a or Paki stan.
I n October 1947 the Pasthuns
from Pakistan i nvaded the
Kashmi r val l ey, and the Raja
sought assistance from I ndia. I n
return for I ndia's hel p, the Raja
si gned the I nstrument of Acces
sion, maki ng Jammu and Kash
mi r a part of l ndi a.
35
36
Tu pFBfK
The n0 fBOBn-
0hTupFBfKn
bf nBgBfSthe
BfgeSt0ftS
Kn0nSB. The
tupSc0vefBn
BfeB0f0vef1 Z
BcfeS,Bn0the
gBf0enfemBnS
nfu000mf0f
Bm0nth.K0w
up0nf0w0ftu-
p0e0S,0me-
tfeS0ngBn0Z.
mw0e,Stfetch
fBfnt0theh0f-
z0n.FnK,e-
0w,Bn0fe0tu-
pSBfef00we0
0000mSnB
c00ufSmBgnB-
0e- even0BcK
t S tfuB
0feBthtBKng
Sght.
WhBt 00 we Kn0w B00ut JBmmuBn0
KBShm f
Jammu and Kashmi r is the northernmost
state of the I ndi an uni on. It i s bounded by
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Chi na. The state
can be divided i nto three regi ons- Jammu,
the Kashmi r Val l ey, and Ladakh. It has two
capital s- Jammu, the winter capital , and
Sri nagar, the summer capital .
Jammu and Kashmi r i s famous for i ts nat
ural beauty, and has been descri bed as
' heaven on earth'. Touri sm i s a very i mpor
tant i ndustry here, and some major attrac
Is i t wi nter
or summer ... ? I
want to go to
Kashmi r.
ti ons are Gul marg,
Pahal gam, Leh, Pat
nitop, and Ladakh.
The city of Jammu i s
known as the city of
temples, whi l e Sri
nagar i s famous for
its l akes and house
boats, and Kashmi r
is known for its
magnificent scen-

ery. I n fact, the --- -
Tel l Me Why
Poonch
Kashmi r Val l ey is sur
rounded by some of the
highest mountai n ranges
i n theworl d. Thetwo most
i mportant pi lgrimage
centers are the Amarnath
Caves, and the Vai shn
odevi Shri ne.
Agricul ture i s the most
i mportant occupation of
the people here. Even
those engaged in other
i ndustri es depend on ag
ricul ture for raw materi al .
Most of the people fol l ow
I sl am, Hi ndui sm and Bud
dhi sm.
>tates of India
Kargil
What afe the ge0gfaphca fea-
tufeS0fJammuan0KaShm f
The state of Jammu and Kashmi r is
mai nl y hi l ly and mountai nous, wi th
val l eys and stretches of pl ai ns. The
area i s ful l of natural beauty with thick
forests, fast flowing rivers and wi nd
i ng streams. The mai n rivers are Jhe
l um, Neel um, and Poonch. The state
can be divided into four major regions.
They are the sub-mountai nous and
semi -mountai nous pl ai n known as
kandi or dry belt, the Shi val i k ranges,
the high mountai nous zone, and the
mi ddl e run of the I ndus River.
In Jammu, the flora ranges from the
thorny bushes type of the ari d pl ai n
to the temperate and al pi ne flora of
the hi gher al titudes. Kashmi r i s al so
respl endent wi th forests. The most
magnificent of the Kashmi r trees i s
the chi nar. The mountai n ranges i n
the val l ey have dense deodar, pi ne,
and fir. The highest elevations have
no vegetation-just snow and ice.
37
Capital : Kanch
Districts : ZZ
Principal Language : Hn0
State Bi rd : SanK0e
State Animal : n0anbephant
State Fl ower : Faff0tTfee
WhwaSJhafKhan0f0fme0
aSaSepafateState
The state of Jharkhand exist
ed, and was di sti nct in its i den
tity from ancient ti mes. Raja Jai
Si ngh Deo of Orissa was ac
cepted as the rul erof Jharkhand
by i ts peopl e i n the 1 3th century.
The l ocal tri bal heads had de
veloped i nto barbaric di ctators,
and so, the people of thi s state
approached the more powerful
rulers of the neighbouri ng state
hopi ng to be ruled more justly.
This became the turni ng point
in the hi story of the regi on.
Duri ng the Mughal period,
the Jharkhand area was known
as Kukara. Afer the year 1765, it
came under the control of the
British Empi re, and became for
mal l y known under its present
title, 'Jharkhand' - the land of
j ungles and jharis or bushes.
Tatanagar Railway Station
b0Kaf0bteeFant
The b0Kaf0 btee Fant n
JhafKhan0, S the afgeSt
SteemnSa.tSpaft0f
b0Kaf0bteeLt,0ne0fthe
m0St mp0ftant n0uStfa
cteSnn0a.ThectSwe
panne0, an0fam0uSf0ftS
exceente0ucat0nSStem.
Tel l Me Why
However, the adivasis of
Jharkhand began what
woul d become a series of
repeated revolts agai nst
Bri ti sh col oni al rule. When
I ndia became i ndepend
ent, Jharkhand was a part
of Bi har.
The Jharkhand Mukti
Morcha started a move
ment for a separate state,
whi ch caught the i nterest
of a l arge section of the
peopl e of thi s area, and
eventual ly emerged i nto a
pol i ti cal agitation. In Au-
A Coal mine in Dhanbad
gust 2000, the Parl i ament
of I ndi a passed the Bi har
Reorganization Bi l l, whi ch
carved 1 8 di stricts out of
Bi har to form Jharkhand
state. On 1 5
th November
2000, Jharkhand became
the 28
th state of I ndi a.
States of India
Wh SJhafKhan0 Cae0 'The
an00ff0feStS
Al most onethi rd of Jharkhand i s
covered by forests. Most of the
forests of Jharkhand were pri
vately owned unti l the zami ndari
system was abol i shed under the
Bi har Land Reforms Act, 1 950.
These evergreen forests abound
with wi l dl ife sanctuaries, l akes, and
waterfal l s. They are al so a source of
many forest products that are of
great economic val ue to the state.
Jharkhand i s al so blessed with
natural resources such as copper,
coal , i ron, manganese, mi ca, chr
omite, and bauxite. Al though
J harkhand i s endowed wi th vast
and rich natural resources, mai nl y
mi neral s and forests, 80 per cent
of its population depends mai nl y
on agricul -
ture and al
lied activities
for a l iving.
Come with me.
r am goi ng to my
own j ungl e!
39
Sita Fails, Ranchi
The Ganges, the Damodar,
the Mayurakshi , the Barakar,
the Koel, the Sankh, the
Sone, the Auranga, the
Kharkai, the Swarnarekha,
the Gumani and the Batane
are the rivers that nouri sh
thi s l and. Most of the
Jharkhand region is part of
the Chota Nagpur plateau
and Parasnath Hi l l , at a
hei ght of , 365.5 metres, i s
the highest peakofthe state.
I t is a major Jai n pil gri mage
centre.
Birla Institute of
Technology
Why Is th cultur of
Jh rkh ndatrl umphofth
tribal spirit?
The cul ture of Jharkhand
has been shaped by the tri bal
communities that abound i n
thi s region. The ol dest cave
pai nti ngs in I ndi a are be
l i eved to have been the work
of a Jharkhand tri be cal l ed
the Shabars. When the tribes
of Jharkhand gather to cele
brate a speci al occasion, the
musi c and dance are a reflec
tion of the rhythm of thei r
l ives. Many types of percus
sion i nstrumentsare popul ar,
especi al l y the nagara. Dance
forms echo the warri or l i ke
movements of battles fought
l ong ago. Some of the most
famous dances of the regi on
are the Pai ka and the Chhau
The different crafs of
Jharkhand, whi ch form an
i mportant part of the peo
ple's l ives, cul ture and festi
val s i ncl ude wood crafs,
bamboo crafs, Pai tkar pai nt
i ngs and metal works.
How wes Kernete
ka formed1
We know that the
Mauryas rul ed over
the major part of what
i s now Karnataka in
the thi rd century Be.
Afer the Mauryas, the
Satavahanas ruled
Karnataka for nearly
300 years. They were
fol l owed by a series of
dynasties incl uding the
Kadambas, theGangas
and the Pal l avas.
Oh! But
I want to go to
Karnatala
state!
Capital : bengaufu
Districts : Z7
Principal Language : Kanna0a
State Bi rd : n0anK0ef
State Ani mal : n0an bephant
State Flower : L0tuS
Afer the 1 3th century, the Vijayanagar
Empi re flouri shed. Thi s was a period of
great wealth and prosperityforthe region.
However, the Vijayanagar Empi re started
to decl i ne by the end of the 1 6th century,
and the Mughul s then domi nated the
regi on unti l the Bri ti sh took control i n
1 799. When I ndi a became i ndependent,
Karnataka was known as Mysore State.
There was some reorganization of terri
tories in 1 953 and 1 956, and ultimately,
modern Karnataka came i nto existence
as a state of the I ndi an Uni on in 1 973.
Vidhana Soudha
State Legislative
Assembly
bengBufu
ntefnBt0nBfp0M
The new bengaufu ntefnat0na
fp0ftSaState0ftheaHfactthBt
Sthec0untfSffStgfeenfe0ntef-
Wh S KBfnBtBKB cBe0 B
Bn00fge0gfBphcB0VefS
t
Karnataka i s the ei ghth l arg
est state i n I ndi a. It i s si tuated
on the western edge of the Dec
can pl ateau, and i s surrounded
by Maharashtra and Goa on the
north, Andhra Pradesh on the
east, and Tami l Nadu and Kerala
on the south. On the west, i t
opens out on the Arabi an Sea.
Karnataka occupies three natu
ral regi ons l i ke the Coastal Stri p,
the Sahyadris, and the Deccan
Pl ateau. They are known in Kan
nada as Paschi ma Karaval i ,
Yakshagana
42
River Kaveri
Mal nad and Mai dan respec
tively.
Karnataka has chai ns of
mountai ns, the hi ghest bei ng
the Mul layyana Gi ri . The Sahy
adri is covered with evergreen
forests. They drop abruptl y to
wards the Arabi an Sea, thus
formi ng a natural barri er be
tween the plateau and the
coastal regi ons. The pl ateau re
gi on i s drai ned by the two pri n
ci pal rivers namel y the Kri shna,
and the Kaveri . The average el
evation of the pl ateau i s about
61 0 metres above sea-level.
Wi th mountai ns, plateaus, and
a l ush coastal regi on, Karnataka
Tel l Me Why
nat0naafp0H.Ofeenfe0a fp0HSafeth0Sethatafe0ut
ff0mScfatchnanew0cat0n.bengaufuntefnat0naf-
p0HSSuff0un0e00S0me0fthem0Stec0-ffen0Sette-
mentS, an0 n00eve0pmentw0ea0we00nthenatufa
fvefvaeSntheafea.
is i ndeed a l and of great geo
graphical diversity.
Wh afe benga ufu an0
MS0fe mp0ftant cteS n
KafnatBKa
Bengal uru ( Bangal ore) i s the
fifh l argest city i n I ndi a. I t i s l o
cated 1 000 metres above sea
l evel , and has a refreshi ng cl i
mate. Bengal uru i s a perfect
bl end of natural beauty, man
Indian Institute of Science
made marvels, and technology.
It is ofen cal led the Si l i con Val
leyof l ndia, becauseofthe l arge
number of software companies
that have set up shop and oper
ate out of state-of-the-art faci l i
ties. Bengal uru plays host to i n
ternati onal -cl ass conferences,
workshops and exhi bi ti ons de
voted to the software cause.
Mysore is often cal l ed the city
of pal aces. It was the capi tal of
the former rul ers of Mysore
State, and contai ns many archi
tectural gems. Mysore is the
second largest city i n the state
of Karnataka, and is famous for
the festivities that take place
duri ng the Dassera festival held
every year. Besides its numer
ous palaces and royal bui l di ngs,
Mysore City i s al so known for
proximity to several other pl ac
es of i nterest such as Sri rangap
atna, Kri shnaraja Sagar Dam
and Shivanasamudra Fal l s. I n
additi on to i ts many attracti ons,
Mysore City is al so known for
its sandalwood products.
43
Wh S KafnataKaacu-
tufatfeaSufeh0uSe
Karnataka has a di sti nct
cul ture that reflects its glo
rious past and vibrant
present. In dance, art, sculp
ture, l iterature and classical
music, Karnataka l eads the
way. I t has the ol dest l iter
ary traditi on among the
Dravi di an l anguages. Evi
dence of this i s found i n the
9th century treatise on po
etry cal led the 'Kavira
jamarga', where references
are made to earl i er writ
i ngs. The three 'gems of
Kannada l iterature' are the
poets Pampa, Ponna and
Ranna. They lived duri ng
the 1 Qth and 1 2th centuries.
Carnatic music is differ
ghatam and viol i ns usual l y accom
panya vocal musi c recital . Karnataka
has a parti cul arl y ri ch cul ture of fol k
theatre. The most famous forms are
Yakshagana, whi ch features a si ngl e
narrator, and Bayalata, whi ch has
mul ti pl e narrative voices. The l esser
known forms are the Dasarata and
San nata, and the Dodatta. A very fa
mous craft of Karnataka is bi driware.
Origi nal ly produced in the town of
Bi dar, thi s metal craf i s made by i n
l ayi ng si lver or gol d i n bl ackened
metal . I s it any wonder then that
Karnataka i s consi dered to be a cul
tural treasure house?
Sa .. ree e . . ga . . . ma . . .
ent from that of Hi ndustani
musi c. The stringed tanpu----=
ra, the mri dangam, the
4
Tel l Me Why
Capital : ThfuVananthapufam
Districts : 1 4
Principal Language : Maaaam
State Bi rd : OfeatH0fnb
State Animal : n0anbephant
State Fl ower : O00enbh0wefTfee
WD haS KefaaS g00gfaph ca
p0St0n gVen tan 0entt 0f tS
0wn
Kerala is a smal l state situated on
the south west coast of I ndi a. It i s onl y
around 550 kms long and 1 20 kms wide,
and is bordered by l and on three si des
and by the Arabi an Sea on the west.
Keral a shares its borders with Karna
taka i n the north and northeast, and
wi th Tami l Nadu i n the east and south.
I ts geographi cal position between the
Arabi an Sea and the Western Ghats
has protected it from i nvaders, and
given i t a di stinct identity of i ts own.
Boat Race in Kerala
mi dl ands, andthecoastal
areas. The highlands slope
down from the Western
Ghats. Thi s is the area of
Kerala is divided i nto three geo
graphical regions- the liighl ands, q
States of India
Kerala Legislative Assembly
major pl antations l i ke tea, coffee, rubber,
and vari ous spices. The mi dl ands lie be
tween the mountai ns and the l owl ands,
and are made up of undul ating hi l l s and
val l eys. Thi s i s an area of i ntensive culti
vation. Cashew, coconut, arecanut, tapi
oca, banana and vegetabl es of diferent
varieties are grown in thi s area. The
coastal area is made up of numerous
shal low lagoons, river deltas, backwa
ters, and the shores ofthe Arabi an Sea.
Even though Keral a i s a smal l state, 44
rivers water the land, of whi ch 41 are
west flowing, and 3 flow eastward. Kera
l a i s al so bestowed with a number of
l akes and backwater l agoons whi ch add
to the beauty ofthe l and.
Coconut Trees in Keral
Wh S the hSt0f
0f Kefaa S0 ntefeSt-
ng
The history of Kerala
goes back to anci ent
ti mes, and much of it i s
cloaked i n myths and
l egends. What i s
known though, i s that
trade fl ouri shed here
as earl y as 3000 Be. I n
fact, Muzi ri s, al so
known as Kodungal
loor or Cranganore,
was reputed to be the
ancient worl d's great
est tradi ng centre i n
the east. Around the
first century AD, Jew
ish i mmigrants arrived
here, and St. Thomas
the Apostle al so
brought Christi anityto
these shores around
that ti me. Later, I sl am
was brought to Kerala
by Arab traders, be
tween the 6th and 8th
centuries AD.
Ti l l around the 5t
h
century AD, Kerala was
controlled by the east
ern Pandya, Chol a, and
Chera dynasties. The
period between 800
AD and 1 1 00 AD is
Tel l Me Why
Kaaf paaIIu
Kaaf paaUu S an ancent maHa aH 0f
Kefaa. t S pefhapS the m0St ancent an0
m0StScentfc0famaHaaHSSStemS,an0
StaughtncenIfeSKn0wnaS'KaafS'thatafe
aS0paceS0ffeg0uSw0fShp.
known as the period of ' Second
Cherat Empi re. With the break
down of the Chera Empi re, the
next phase of Kerala hi story be
gan. Thi s was the period of the
provi nci al rul ers. These prov
i nces were once part of the
Chera Empi re. The provi nci al
rul ers were confined to smal l
areas, but they frequentl y
fought each other for domi na
ti on.
The Portuguese arrived i n
1 498, and domi nated trade i n
the regi on unti l the arrival of
the Dutch, in the 1 7th century.
King Marthanda Varma of the
ki ngdom of Travancore defeat
ed the Dutch and expanded the
boundaries of hi s kingdom.
However, by 1 806, both Tra
vancore and Cochi n became
Kovalam Beach
States of India
Where can
we meet God in
thi s God's own
country?
subject states under Bri ti sh
control . At the ti me of I ndi a's
i ndependence in 1 947, there
were three separate territories
in the regi on that i s now Keral a.
They were Mal abar, Cochi n,
andTravancore. l n 1 949, Cochi n
and Travancore merged, and
later, Mal abar was added, and
the new state of Kerala was
born on November 1 1 956.
K
athaKa, 0ne
0f the 00eSt
f0fmS 0f theatfe,
S a ben0 0f
0ance, muSc an0
actng. t 0fama-
tzeS St0feS,
whch afe m0St
a0apte0 ff0m the
n0an epcS. The
0ancef expfeSSeS
h mSef thf0ugh
han0 geStufeS
an0 faca expfeS-
S0nS. KathaKa
meanS'St0f-pa,an0thS 0ancef0fm,
fu0fvg0ufan0paSS0n,aS0Kn0wnaS
the'Kng0fthepeH0fmngaHS,nn0a.
Wh SKefaa ca e0 00S0wn c0un-
tf
Kerala i s known as 'God's own country'
for its stunni ng natural beauty, pleasant
cl i mate, uni que cul ture, and its streaml i ned
i nfrastructure. The phrase was coined i n
the 1 980's to l aunch a touri sm i nitiative
that was so successful that it transformed
the state from a relatively unknown tourist
desti nation i nto one of the most preferred
hol iday destinations in the worl d! From sun
kissed beaches to cl oud shrouded peaks,
from wi l d l ife sanctuaries to breath taking
festival s- Kerala has it all i n the blessed
abundance that makes it truly God's own
country.
48
Wh S KefaBS
cutufec0nS0efe0
ab en00fthebeSt
0f 0efent cu-
tufeS
Kerala takes pri de
i n its rich cul tural
heritage. I t has a pre
cious legacy handed
down by different
races, rel igi ons, and
communities, and i t
represents the col
lectiveachievement
of the people i n the
fi el ds of musi c and
dance, rel igi on and
phi l osophy, l an
guage and l iterature,
art, and architec
ture. Kathakal i is a
300 year ol d dance
form that combi nes
Great Hornbill
Tel l Me Why
the el ements of opera, bal
let, masque and pantomime.
Some of the other uni que
dance forms are Kri shnan
attom, Koodiyattom, Mo
hi niyattom,Thul l al ,Oppana
and Chavittunatakam.
The traditional music of
Keral a i s Sopanam, which i s
al so used as a background
score duri ng Kathakali per
formances. The i nfl uence
of Carnatic musi c started
from the 1 9th century, when
the Ki ng of Travancore,
Swathi Thi runal Rama Var
ma popul arized it. Other
than Sopanam, Melam i s
wi del y performed i n the
templ es across the state
duri ng the templ e festival s.
Keral a i s renowned for i ts
carvi ngs i n rosewood and
sandalwood. The state boasts
Mohiniyatam
of an aboundi ng tradi ti on of artists.
Who has not heard of the great
pai nter Raja Ravi Varma? The tradi
ti onal Kerala mural s di spl ay a dis
ti nct style and col our code domi
nated by ochres and greens.The
festi val s cel ebrated wi th dance,
music and passion are al so a si gn of
the cul ture. Onam is one of the ma
jor festival s of the state, and a ti me
for thanksgiving wi th sumptuous
feasts, boat races, and other sports.
Thrissur Pooram
Khajuraho
Capital : bh0pa
Districts : 0
Principal Language : Hn0
State Bi rd : SanFafa0Sercatchef
State Ani mal : bafaSngha
State Flower : Faff0tTfee
Whch StheSec0n0afgeStState n
n0 a
Madhya Pradesh, the second l argest
state in the nation, l i es in the centre of
I ndi a. It shares its borders with seven
nei ghbouri ng states. They are Rajasthan
and Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gu
jarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and
Jharkhand. Forests cover a major part of
Madhya Pradesh, and the cul tivated area
amounts to al most hal f of the total area.
The state covers a wide area ofthe I ndi an
pl ateau regi on. The Chambal, Sone, Bet
wa, and other rivers flow from the west
to the east. The basi ns of these rivers di
vi de thi s state i nto two parts. The north
ern part drai ns i nto the Ganges, whi l e
the southern part drai ns i nto the river
systems of the Mahanadi and the Goda
vari riyers.
Wh 00 we Sa that the h St0f 0f
Ma0ha Ffa0eSh S 0ne 0fK ng00mS
an0emp feS
Madhya Pradesh has been home to
many empi res and these i ncl ude the
Mauryan Empi re, the Mughal s and later,
Tel l Me Why
Vidhan Sabha, Madhya Pradesh
by the Bri ti sh. This is a l and of empi res
and ki ngdoms, of great warriors and
bui l ders, poets and musi ci ans, sai nts and
phi l osophers. Hi ndui sm, I sl am, Bud
dhi sm and Jai ni sm were al l nurtured and
flouri shed here. Dynasties l i ke that of
Sungas, Andhras, Satavahanas, Ksaptra
pas, Nagas and the Guptas rul ed over thi s
l and. Duri ng, and afer the 1 Qlh century,
different regi ons of the state were ruled
by different dynasties.
When the British took over, the state
was decl ared as the Central Province. Af
ter I ndi a gai ned her i ndependence,
Madhya Pradesh was given the status of
a ful l-fledged state with effect from 1 '1
November 1 956 . .
Hey!
What ki nd of
cul ture is this?
States of India
Sanchi Stu paS
T
he bmpef0f
S0Ka but man
StupaSnh0n0uf0f
L0f0 bu00ha. btu-
paS afe t0wefng
St0ne StfuctufeS n
whch the fecS 0f
bu00ha wefe
pace0. The StupaS
at banch, a Sma
vage n Ma0ha
Ffa0eSh, afe fe-
Sanchi Stupa
mafKabe n that
the tface the 0e-
ve0pment 0f bu0-
0hSt afchtectufe
an0 Scuptufeff0m
the 5'" centuf t0
theTZ'

centuf.
51
Wh S thecutufe0fMa0-
haFfa0eShcae0a metng
p0t0f0ffefentcutufeS
Madhya Pradesh has been
home to Hi ndus, Jai ns, Bud
dhists, Musl i ms, and vari ous
tri bes, and al l of them have l ef
an i ndel i bl e mark i n the form of
temples, stupas, palaces and
Bansagar Dam
other architectural l and marks.
Thi s is why the state is cal l ed a
mel ti ng pot of different cul
tures.
Madhya Pradesh has a ri ch
hi story i n music. Thi s l and saw
the bi rth of two great si ngers of
hi story- Tansen and Baij u
Bawra. Baij u Bawra created a
ni che for hi msel f in Persi an, and
sung i n the Mughal ki ng Huma
yun' s court, whi l e Tansen who
succeeded hi m, became a
52
si nger i n Akbar's court. The re
gi on saw the rise of two major
gharanas of musi c that were
born and nurtured here. Just
l i ke the musi c of the regi on, the
dance of thi s state i s equal ly
uni que and vari ed. Domi nated
by the tribal popul ace, the fol k
dance of the state i s tri bal i n na-
Forest in Madhya Pradesh
ture. Madhya Pradesh is host to
the world famous Khaj uraho
Dance Festival. Masters of di f
ferent dances l i ke Kuchi pudi,
Bharatnatyam, Odi ssi , Kathak
and many other cl assi cal dances
perform herewith the backdrop
of floodl it Khaj uraho temples.
Besi des these dances, a fol k
theatreca l i ed Macch showcases
the legends of ki ngs and warri
ors through traditi onal songs
and dances.
Tel l Me Why
Wh 00 we Sa that fvefS
pa an mp0Hant f0e n
ma0haFfa0eSh
Madhya Pradesh l ies at the
heart of I ndia, and boasts of ten
river basi ns. The Narmada and
Tapti Rivers, and thei r basi ns di
vi de the state i n two. The north
ern part drai ns into the Ganga
basi n, and the southern part in
to the Godavari and Mahanadi
systems. The Chambal , Sone,
Betwa, Mahanadi and I ndravati
rivers flow from the western
si de of the state to the east,
whi l e Narmada and Tapti flows
from the eastern si de to the
west. A major tributary of the
Ganga, the Son, is born i n thi s
state, as are the Narmada and
Mahanadi Rivers.
Godavari
Bhil Tribal Girls
The Narmada, Chambal , Bet
wa, Shi pra, Sone, Mahanadi , I n
drawati and Tapti are al l rivers
have pl ayed a consi derabl e role
in maki ng Madhya Pradesh
what it is today. In fact, the Nar
mada is al so referred to as the
l ifel i ne of Madhya Pradesh.
Originating i n Amarkantak, the
highest peak of the Vi ndhya
Range, it flows westward
through Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat before fi nal l y endi ng its
journey in the Gulf of Khambat.
Capital : Mumba
Districts : 5
Principal Language : Mafath
State Bi rd : Ofeen mpefaFge0n
State Animal : n0anOantbquffe
State Fl ower : Jafu
What00weKn0wab0utthe
b fth0fMahafaShtfa
The name Maharashtra first
appeared in a Jlh century i nscrip
tion and may have origi nated
from the word rathi, meani ng
'chariot driver'. It probably refers
to the bui l ders and drivers of
chariots who formed the ma
harathi s, or a 'fighting force'. The
word ' Maharashtra' al so means .
'great nation'. The region was
first ruled by the hi ndus, and
later by musl i ms.
Shivaji Bhosle, founder of the
Maratha Empi re, was born in
1 627. At the age of 1 6, he took
54
Pune
an oath to make the l and free of
the Mughal s. This was the start
of hi s l ifelong struggle against
the Mughals and other Musl i m
powers. By 1 673, he had control
over most of western Maharash
tra, and was ceremoni ousl y
crowned as a sovereign king i n
1 673. At the time of i ndepend
ence i n 1 947, the state of Bom
bay was born. I n 1 960, Bombay
state was divided i nto two states
on the basis of language, with
Gujarat in the north, and Mahar
ashtra in the south.
Tel l Me Why
Hey . . . I am
maki ng a map of
Maharashtra.
Wh Sthe5aha0f Kn0wnaS
the0acK00ne0fMahafaShtfa
Maharashtra i s the thi rd largest
state in the country. The Sahyadri
Range forms the backbone of the
state. This range has an average
height of 1 OOOm, and fal l s in steep
cl ifs, to the Konkan on the west.
Eastwards, the hi l l country fal l s i n
steps through a transitional area
to the plateau level. The Konkan,
l yi ng between the Arabi an Sea
and the Sahyadri Range, is a nar
row coastal lowland. The Satpu
das, hi l l s al ong the northern bor
der, and the Bhamragad-Chi rol i
Gai khuri Ranges on the eastern
border, form physical barriers pre
venting easy movement, but also
serve as natural l i mits to the state.
reStVa Sof mahafaShtfa
MahafaShtfa S a State
whefeafeg0nSc0-exSt
n peacefu hafm0n, an0
S0, a the man feStvaS
KeH0,LhfStmaS,Uwa
an0b0afecee0fate0j0-
0uS. Thefe afe aS0 Sev-
efa feg0na feStvaS Ke
the Fune reStva, OaneSh
Lhatufth, the bephanta
reStva, an0 b0fa reSt-
va. H0wevef, the 0ggeSt
feStva 0f MahafaShtfa S
un00u0te0 OaneSh
Lhatufth. t S cee0fate0
0etween uguSt an0 bep-
tem0ef, an0 aStS f0f t0
1 0 0aS. 00S 0f L0f0
OaneSh afe w0fShppe0,
an0 the en0 S mafKe0 0
theSpectacuafpf0ceSS0n
thatcum nateSatthefa-
0an bea, whefe the 00S
afemmefSe0nthewatef.
Nariman Point
Ajanta Caves
Wh afe the janta
an0b 0facaveSatf0ute
t0 ancent n0anaft
Located near the city of
Aurangabad in Maharash
tra, the Ajanta and El l ora
caves are world famous
for the cave shrines that
are cut out of rock, al l by
hand. There are 34 caves
at El l ora, and 29 caves at
Ajanta, and al l are out
standing specimens of I n
di an architectural excel
lence. They were bui l t us
i ng si mpl e tools, and con
tain some of the most di
vinescul pturesandi mages
of Buddha's preaching.
The Ajanta caves l i e deep
in the semi-arid Sahayadri
hi l ls, above the Waghora
River. About 30 kms north
west of Aurangabad, the
34 El l ora caves are carved
i nto the sides of a hi l l .
56
KvefS0f
ahafaShtfa
The man
fvefS 0f MahafaShtfa afe the
O00avaf, the KfShna, an0 the
Tapt.TheO00avafan0KfShna
f0w eaStwaf0S nt0 the ba0f
benga, ffgatng m0St 0f cen-
tfa an0 eaStefn MahafaShtfa.
T0then0fth,thefvefSTapan0
Nafma0a f0w nt0 the fa0an
bea.T0theeaSt,afemaj0ffvefS
KeWangangathatf0wt0the
S0uth.
Tel l Me Why
F0wefh0uSe
hafaShtfa S the
n0uStfa p0wef-
h0uSe0fn0a,wthac0ntfbut0n
0f1 5%t0waf0Sthenat0naec0n-
0m.Lhemcaan0ae0pf00uctS,
eectfca an0 n0n-eectfca ma-
chnef, texteS, petf0eum an0
ae0pf00uctSafethemann0uS-
tfeSnMahafaShtfa.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport
Wh S Mumba 0ne 0f the m0St
l mp0ftantcteS n n0 a
The present day dynami c and vi
brant city of Mumbai was origi nal ly
an archi pel ago of seven smal l i sl ands.
I n the 3,d century Be, these i sl ands
came under Maurya Empi re rul ed by
Emperor Asoka.
After i ndependence, Mumbai has
been one of the most progressive cit
ies. I t is recognized as the seat of do
mestic and i nternati onal trade. The
States of India
city is the home to I ndia's
two l argest stock markets,
the Bombay Stock Ex
change, and the Nati onal
Stock Exchange. It i s the
fi nanci al heart of I ndia,
one of the worl d's top 1 0
commerci al centres, and
the entertai nment capital
of the nati on. Peopl eflock
to the city in droves, for
Mumbai is trul y the city of
golden opportunities.
57
WhBt 00 we Kn0w
0fMBn pufShSt0f
The hi story of the re
gi on of Mani pur goes
back to the 1 5t century
AD. I t was a kingdom
formed by the unifica
tion of ten cl ans. Its
modern historystarted
in 1 81 9 AD, when King
Marjeet ruled over
Mani pur. The Burmese
defeated hi m, and
Chahi-Taret Khuntak
pa became the king. I n
1 825, Gambi r Si ngh
l ed the Mani puris i n an
Capital : mpha
Di stricts : 9
Principal Language : Manpuf
State Bi rd : MfS.Hume'SFheaSant
State Animal : banga
State Flower : bf0L
attack over the Burmese, and decl ared
hi msel f as the rul er. The Bri ti sh con
quered Mani pur on 27th Apri l , 1 891 AD.
Maharaja Churachand Si ngh was named
as raja and the admi ni stration was con
ducted under British supervi si on for
some years. Afer I ndi a became i nde
pendent on August 1 5th, 1 947, the Ma
ni pur Constitution Act establ i shed a
democratic form of government, with
the Maharaja as the executive head, and
a legi sl ature constituted by el ecti on on
adult franchise. I n 1 949,
Mani pur merged with i n
dependent I ndi a and on
2 1 't January 1 972, Mani pur
was granted statehood.
F00
U00u Kn0wthat ManpurSthe bHhpace0fthe
game0fp00F00canbebeSt0eScrbe0aSh0cKe
pae00n h0rSebacK twaSh0wever,thebrt-
Sh wh0 p0puarze0 t w0r0w0e. The
tranSf0rme0 the Manpur game0f
'puu' nt0 the nternat0na
Wh S MBn puf cBe0 the
' Bn0of eweS'
Mani pur boasts of an exotic l andscape
with gentl y undul ati ng hi l l s, emerald
green val leys, bl ue l akes, and dense for
ests. Mani pur means the l and of jewels,
and it i s wel l named because Mother
Nature has been extra generous i n her
beauty i n thi s l and. Nagal and, Mizoram,
Assam and Burma geographi cal l y bor
der the present state of Mani pur. About
90% of the l and i s mountai nous, and its
major river is known as I mphal , afer
whi ch the capital city was named. Ma
ni pur i s famous for its orchi ds and al so
for i ts rare and beautiful , and exqui site
handicrafs. Its culture i s a fine bl end of
col ourful festivals, rich hi story, vi brant
customs, wonderful architecture, en-
Sp0rt0fp00.
r am
from the land
of jewels.
chanti ng music, and
exciting dance forms.
The favourite sport of
the peopl e of Mani pur
i s archery.
Ras Lila
WhafefeStvaSan mp0ftantpaft
0ffenManpuf
Festivals form an i mportant part of
Mani puri l ife- in fact, hardl y a month
passes by wi thout a festival of some ki nd
bei ng celebrated. These festival s project
the cul tural , soci al and rel igi ous aspi ra
ti ons of the people. There i s the festival
of Lai haraboa that represents the wor
shi p of traditi onal dei ti es and ancestors.
Yaoshang is the most i mportant Hi ndu
festival i n Mani pur. I t i s a five-day l ong
festival whi ch begi ns on a ful l moon day
in the month of Phal gun, that is, Febru
ary and March. Kut i s an autumn festival
of Kuki-Chi n-Mizo group of Mani puri
tri bes. Thi s festival cel ebrates the boun-
Hiyang Tanaba
tiful food stock, and i s
a thanksgi vi ng cere
mony.
Other festival s in
clude Ni ngol Chakou
ba, whi ch i s one of the
major festival s in Ma
ni pur. lt i s a social festi
val where the women
are i nvited to a feast at
thei r parental house.
Hol i i s another major
festival of Mani pur,
and is cel ebrated for
five days starting from
the ful l moon of Phal
guna. Gang Ngai i s a
festival of the Kabui
Nagas. I t begi ns with
an oath taking cere
mony and lasts for five
days. Chei raoba cele
brates the Mani puri
New Year. Duri ng thi s
ti me of the year, the
people cl ean thei r
houses, decorate
them, and start every
thi ng afresh. The cele
bration of thi s festival
i ncl udes cl i mbi ng the
nearest hi l l in with the
belief that such an act
woul d hel p a person to
conquer new heights
i n real l ife.
Tel l Me Why
L0ngeStbpan
Lantevef
bf0ge
TheJa0uKata
bf0geSthe
0ngeStSpan
cantevef
bf0genn0a.
Thebf0gehaSa
centfaSpan0f
T40metfeS,an0
StfetcheSacf0SS
theJa0uataKv-
ef,ab0utT50
KmSawaff0m
bh0ng,the
capta0fMeg-
haaa. tf0fmS
avtanK0nan
mp0Hantf0a0
nthS b0f0ef _
State.
)tates of I ndi a
Capital : bh 0ng
Districts : 7
Principal Languages : KhaS,Oaf0,bngSh
State Bi rd : HMna
State Animal : L0u0e0Le0paf0
State Flower : La0'SbppefOfch0
A Lke in Meghalaya
H0wwaSMeghaaaf0fme0
Meghal aya was once rul ed by the ancient
tribes known as the Khasis, Jai ntias and
Garos. Each had its
own kingdom. I n the
1 9th century, these
kingdoms came
under the admi ni s
tration ofthe British
and duri ng the Brit
i sh Raj, Meghal aya
was annexed under
the Bri ti sh Empi re.
Further in 1 935,
Meghal aya became
a part of Assam.
However, Megha-
61
MBwSnfBm
The cave 0f Maw-
Snfam nMeghaaa
S a p0puaf t0ufSt
0eStnat0nacf0SSn-
0a aS we aS the en-
tfew0f0.tSfam0uS
f0f the ggantc f0f-
mat0n 0f a Staag-
mte, whch feSem-
beS the Shape 0f a
'bhva nga.Theafea
aS0 h00Sthe fec0f0
f0f beng the wetteSt
pace0nbaHhwthan
annua fanfa 0f
1 1 ,75m metfeS.
laya enjoyed a semi -i nde
pendent status due to the
treaty that was signed be
tween Meghalaya and the
British Crown. When I ndia
became i ndependent, the
regi on was i ncl uded i n the
state of Assam for admi nis
trative reasons. Thi s l ed to
an agitation by the l ocal
popul ati on. The regi on was
accorded ful l statehood on
January 2 1 '1, 1 972.
Wh S MeghBBB cBe0 the
Bn00fc0u0S
Carved out of the former state of
Assam, Meghalaya is one of the
seven sister states of the North
Eastern regi on, bordered by As
sam i n the north, and Bangl adesh
i n the south. It i s geographical l y
known as the 'Meghalaya Pl a
teau,' or the ' Shi l l ong Plateau'.
The area is made of the ol dest
rock-formati ons. Meghal aya
consi sts of the Garo, Khasi , and
Jai ntia Hi l l s, al ong wi th the As
sam ranges. The Meghalaya
Plateau's el evation varies be
tween 1 50 metres to 1 961
metres above sea level . The
Plateau i s hi ghl y di ssected,
and has an i rregul ar terrain
i n the western and northern
side.
A Gol Course
Rivers form an i m
portant part of the
geography of Meg
hal aya. In the Garo
Hi l ls, the major riv
ers are the Ringgi,
Kal u, Ajagar, Sanda,
Dari ng, and Si msan.
I n the eastern and
central parts of the
Meghalaya Plateau,
the major rivers are
the Di garu, Umkhri,
Kynchi ang and
Myntdu. The word
Meghal aya means
the ' l and of cl ouds'
in Sanskrit, and the
name is most ap
propriate for thi s
l and of hi l l s and pl a
teaus that seem to
touch the cl ouds.
A Water Fall
T0ufSm n
MeghBlBB
M
eghaaa
S a t0ufStS
pafa0Se an0
S h0me t0
S0me 0f the
m0St pfStne
f0feStS n n-
0a. Wth tS
man nat0n-
apafKS,0eep
vaeS,afchngwateffaS,an0
chafmngv ageS, t Sa gfeat
getawa 0eStnat0n n0ee0.
The Sec0n0 wetteSt pace 0n
baHh,Lheffapunjee,SnMeg-
haaa.tgetS0vefT 1 ,450m-
metfeS0ffan evef eaf, n-
un0atng vHua the entfe
afea f0f m0nthS at a tme an0
t0ufStSf0cKhefef0ftheexpe-
fence.
6"
Wh waS the M20
Nat0narf0ntf0m%
Not much of Mizo
ram's early hi story is
recorded. I t is bel ieved
that the Mizos mi grat
ed to thi s region hun
dreds of years ago. The
earl i est Mizos who mi -
64
Look at My
Mi zo orchids!
Capital : zaw
Districts :
Principal Languages : M20, bngSh
State Bi rd : MfS.Hume'S FheaSant
State Animal : H000cKObb0n
State Fl ower : Ke0Van0a
Aizawl, Mizoram
grated to I ndia were known as Kukis.
Duri ng the period 1 750-1 850, mi gra
ti ons led to settlements i n the hi l l s. The
tri bal groups were governed under a
hereditary chi eftai nshi p. Mizoram be
came a part of the territory of Bri ti sh I n
di a in 1 891 , though the admi nistration
of the vi l l ages was lef to the local chief
tai ns. Afer I ndi a became i ndependent,
Mizoram continued to be part of Assam.
I n 1 961 , the Mi zo Nati onal Front was
formed with the goal of achievi ng i nde
pendence for Greater Mizoram. As a re
sult, the di strict was carved out of Assam,
and raised to the status of a uni on terri
tory on January 21 , 1 972. In 1 987, Mizo
ram became the 23rdful l -fledged state of
the country.
Tel l Me Why
ZBw 0uK
n the pfe-bftSh 0BS,
Mz00uthS0veftheBge0f
1 hB0 t0StB n 0Bche0fS
00fmt0feS, Kn0wn BS ZB-
w0uKwhefe the feceve0
tfBnng n tf0B wefBfe
wfeStng, huntng, Bn0 v-
Bgeg0vefnment.The00S
wh0 went t0 the ZBw0uK emefge0 BS
c0mplete men. The tfBnng wBS nten-
SveBn0Stfenu0uS,Bn0Stfct0Scpne
wBSmB ntBne0ntheSe00fmt0feS.
WhSMz0fBmc0nS0efe0
t00eB0eButfuStBte
Mizoram, a state situated on
the extreme south of North
Eastern I ndia, i s a land of unend
i ng natural beauty. It is a l and of
hi l ls, the hi ghest bei ng Bl ue
Mountai n at 2 1 65 metres. The
hi l l s here are covered wi th
bamboo and banana trees,
al ong with a wonderful array of
pi ne trees. The forests in thi s re
gi on al so house some of the
rarest varieties of orchi ds,
A Landscape
Mizoram
found onl y in thi s regi on of the
country. The presence of some
major rivers l i ke Tl au, Tl awng,
Tui ri ni, Serl ui and Mat and some
picturesque l akes i s also a hi gh
point of Mizoram's beauty.
WhBt Bfe the tfB0t0nB
0BnceS0fMz0fBm
The dances of Mizoram get
thei r i nspi ration from the natu
ral beauty of the hi l l y terrai ns.
The Khual l am dance of Mizo
ram i s known as the dance of
the guests. Mal es weari ng a tra
diti onal costume cal l ed Puan
dum perform i t. Both males and
femal es perform the Cheraw
B
a
mboo D
a
nce
dance. The use of bamboo staves is a
uni que trait of thi s dance. Sarl amkai ,
i s an ancient dance that was per
formed by the warriors of yore. Boys
and gi rl s perform Chhei hl am dance
usi ng bamboo tubes and drums.
Zangtal am i s another fasci nati ng
dance that i s accompanied by deft
drummers. Did you know that when
a wife dies, the husband performs
the dance of Chawngl aizawn?
66
This i s
a speci al dance
item . . .
ampa Tgef
KeSefve
TheampaTgefKe-
Sefve,thebggeStw0-
feSanctuafnMz0-
fam,SStuate0nthe
weStefnpaH0fMz0-
famState0nthentef-
nat0nab0f0efwth
banga0eSh.thaSava-
fet0ffafean0en0an-
gefe0anmaSnabun-
0ance,ncu0ng0f
c0ufSe,tgefSHefe,ev-
efgfeenan00ec0u0uS
f0feStSafef0un0,
a0ngwthSteeppfe-
cpt0uShS,0eepva-
eS,jungeStfeamS,
fppngfvuetSan0
natufaSatS cKS.
Tel l Me Why
WhwBSNBgBB00
f0fme0
We know very l ittle
a bout the ea rl y hi story
of Nagal and. Duri ng
the earl y 1 9th century,
present day Nagal and
was under the control
of Myanmar. When
the Bri ti sh East I ndi a
Company took over
Assam, Nagal and be
came a part of Briti sh
I ndi a.
Afer I ndi a got her
i ndependence i n
1 947, the area under
Nagal and and Assam
were combi ned to
form a si ngl e state,
known as Assam. But
as demand for a sepa
rate pol itical entity
from the Naga tribes
i ntensified, the Gov-
Capital : K0hma Districts :
Principal Languages: English,Angami, Ao, Chang,
Konyak, Lotha, Sangtam, Sema and Chakhesang
State Bird : Blyh's Tfag0pan
State Ani mal : Mthun
State Fl ower: Kh0000en0f0n
ernment of I ndi a deci ded to make Naga
l and a si ngl e admi nistrative unit. I t be
came a uni on territory in 1 957, and was
governed di rectly by the centre. How-
Mithun
ever, thi s di d not satisf the Naga tri bes.
They wanted their own state.
Fi nal ly, on 1 5t December 1 963, Naga
l and became the 1 6t
h
state of I ndi a.
What00we Kn0wab0utthe
ge0gfaph0fNaga an0
Nagal and i s located on the
extreme north east, just below
Arunachal Pradesh. The terrai n
i s hi l l y, rugged, and mountai n
ous. The hi ghest peak i s Sara
mati in the Twensang di strict,
whi ch is 3840 metres above sea
level. The average hei ght of the
peaks i s between 900 and 1 200
metres. The hi l l sides are cov
ered with green forests. In fact,
20 percent of the total l and area
of the state is covered with
wooded forest, rich i n flora and
fauna. The onl y well known l ake
is Lacham.
The state of Nagal and i s
drai ned by four chief rivers of
Doyang, Jhanji, Dhansi ri and
Di khu. The rivers are the tri bu
tari es of the mi ghty Brahmapu
tra River, wi th thei r sources i n
the mountai n ranges of the
state.
Blyth's Tragopan
68
Wh00we Sa that Na-
gaan0 hBS B fch cutufB
heftage
The peopl e of Nagal and
are di vi ded i nto several
tribes. The social structure of
each and every Naga tri be is
different from the other. The
Naga tri bes sti l l perform
their war dances, that are re
spl endent with col ourful
and tradi ti onal headdresses,
costumes, war pai nt, and
weapons l i ke spears. Weav
i ng is a tradi ti onal craft
passed down the genera-
Tel l Me Why
nHBfm0nwththe
bnVf0nment
r0f centufeS, the Naga tfbeS
have Ve0 n hafm0n wth thef
enVf0nment. The have awaS
been Sef Suffcent, pf00ucng
thef 0wn f000, c0thng, an0
Shetef. Thef cutufe an0
feSte Sh0w thef 0eep
feSpectf0fNatufe.
Aravind Bhat
Terrace Cultivation in Nagaland
States of India
Don' t be
afrai d! He is a
dancer!
tions. Al most every rural
home has a l oom. Naga
shawl s have thei r own
clan motifs and are
bri ghtl y col oured. The
tribal men make decora
tive spears and bamboo
shiel ds. They are excel
lent woodcarvers. Bas
ket maki ng i s another
craf at which the Nagas
are ski l l ed. The tradi
ti onal ornaments of Na
gal and al so reflect the
ri ch cul tural heritage of
the peopl e.
69
Capital : bhubaneShwaf
Districts : 50
Principal Languages : Ofa
State Bi rd : Maen0anFeaf0w
State Ani mal : n0anbephant
State Fl ower : L0tuS
Konark Sun Temple Chariot Wheel
Wh 00 the Kanga waf have a
gfeat mpact0n thehSt0f0fO0S-
ha
In anci ent ti mes, Odi sha was known
as Utkala, Kal i nga and Odra Desa at di f
ferent poi nts in its hi story. For many
centuries, Kal i nga was a very powerful
ki ngdom. The famous war that the Em
peror Asoka waged agai nst Kal i nga
proved to be a turni ng poi nt in hi s l i fe.
70
The bl oodshed and ki l l
i ng of war si ckened hi m,
and l ed hi m to renounce
vi ol ence, and turn to
Buddhi sm.
Thi s war had a great
i mpact on the hi story of
thi s regi on too, for under
Asoka's benevolent
guidance, l iterature,
l anguage, musi c, and
dance flouri shed here
duri ng anci ent ti mes. I n
1 568, the last Hi ndu rul er
was over-thrown by a
Musl i m general , and fi
nal ly, Odi sha was an
nexed by Akbar i n 1 592.
The Mughal s ruled ti l l
1 803, when Odi sha came
i nto British possessi on.
Fol l owi ng I ndi a's i nde
pendence, the 26 princely
states in the regi on were
merged i nto modern
state of Odi sha.
Tel l Me Why
What00weKn0wab0utthe
ge0gfaph0fO0Sha
Odi sha l i es on the eastern
coast of I ndia. It i s bounded by
West Bengal i n northeast,
J harkhand in the north, Madhya
Pradesh in the west, Andhra
Pradesh in the south, and the
Bay of Bengal i n the east. Orissa
can be divided i nto three broad
regi ons - the coastal pl ai ns, the
mi ddle mountai nous country
and the plateaus. The regi on of
the coastal pl ai ns is a combi na
ti on of several deltas formed by
the major rivers of Odi sha, such
as the Subarnarekha, the Bud
habal anga, the Baitarani , the
Brahmani, the Mahanadi , and
the Rushi kul ya. The middle
mountai nous regi on covers
O0Sha S fam0uS
f0f the aH 0f San0
ScuptufeS. cc0f0-
ng t0 beef, a fa-
about three-fourths of the en
ti re state and comprises the hi l l s
and mountai ns of the Eastern
Ghats. The plateaus are mostly
eroded tabl el ands, formi ng the
western sl opes of the Eastern
Ghats.
To sum up, the state ofers di
verse habitats from l ush green
and hi l l y terrai n, to coastal
pl ai ns and rol l i ng river val l eys,
cri ss-crossed by rivers that i n
cl ude the Brahmani, the Mah-
.
nadl and the Bansadhara.
It is better to
use some cement
to fi x thi s.
m0uSp0etbaafamUaSwante0t0
c mb L0f0 Jagannath'S chaf0t

0ufngtheKathYatfa,butwaS n0t


a 0we0. ba00ene0, he then went ft
t0thebeach,an0cafve0hemageS , ; , . '. -
0fL0f0Jagannath, Uevt bubha0fa _

4
an0 L0f0baabha0fa0ntheg00en -

, , : 5"
San0an0pfae0t0theSemageS.
States of India 71
Wh Bfe the BftS Bn0 cfBftS 0f
O0ShBSpecB
Due to the reigns of many different
rul ers, the culture, arts and crafs of
Odisha underwent many changes,
from time to time. Yet, the artistic skil l
of the Oriya artists remains unparal
leled. From traditional times, Odisha
has been considered a state blessed
with talent for arts. Right from pal m
leaves writing, to appl i que work, the
crafsmen of Odisha have perected it
al l . Several art forms that have died out
over time in many parts of the country
are sti l l practiced in parts ofOdisha.
The craftsmen create breath taking
works in si lver fi l i gree, wood craf, ap
pl ique work, brass, and bel l metal work.
They also excel in horn work, papier
mache creations, terra cotta figures,
and tie and dye textiles. In fact, ever
since the Mauryans set textile work
shops here, Odisha has been an i mpor
tant hu b for the craf of weavi ng . There
are now numerous weavi ng communi
ties, which have more than 3 lakh
weavers. When it comes to music and
dance, Odissi music is charmi ng, col
ourul, and multi-splendoured. l n addi
tion to the world renowned Odissi and
Chhau dance forms, Odisha boasts of a
number offolk dances too.
Konark Sun Temple
K0nBfKBnce leStVB
TheK0nBfKbunTem-
penO0ShawaSbut
ntheT5'"centuf.t
waSc0nceve0aSag-
gantcS0afchaf0t
wthtwevepafS0fex-
quSte-0fnamente0
wheeS0fagge0b
Sevenfeafngh0fSeS.
TheexquSte'natama-
n0f'0f the'0ancng
ha'0fthSShfneSan
afchtectufaw0n0ef.
TheK0nafKUancereS-
tvaShe0nUecem-
befevefeBf,aganSt
thebeautfubacK0f0p
0fthStempe.
h0St0fceebfate0
caSSca0ancefSff0m
a0vefthec0untf
peff0fmnthe0pen-af
au0t0fum.ThefeSt-
vapf0v0eSapatf0fm
f0fb0ththepeff0fm-
ngBftSteSan0the
0ancec0nn0SSeufSt0
BppfecBtetheeSSence
0fvaf0uScaSSca
0ancef0fmS0fthe
c0untf.
Capital : Lhan0gafh
Districts : ZZ
Principal Language : Funjab
State Bird : baStefnO0ShawK
State Animal : bacKbucK
00en
Tempe
The h0eSt Shfne0fthe
bKhSStheO00enTempe
atmftSaf.The0cat0n0f
the O00en Tempe waS
0fgnaa Sma aKe n a
0eepf0feSt.thaS0ngbeen
fec0gnze0 aS a pace 0f
Spftua Sgnfcance. t S
Sa0 that bu00ha Spent
S0metmethefe,an0atef,
the ffSt bKh Oufu me0-
tate0attheaKe.Theafch-
teOufe0ftheO00en tem-
pe fepfeSentS a unque
hafm0n beween MuSm
an0 Hn0uSteS.
States of India
Golden Temple
Amritsar
Wh hBS FunjB0SeenmBn
0VS0nS ntShSt0f
Punjab, 'the l and of five riv
ers', was one of the centres of
the prehi storic I ndus val l ey Ci vi
l ization. After 1 500 Be, it was
the site ofthe earl i est Aryan set
tl ements. In the past, Punjab
was occupied by Alexander the
Great, and then by the Mauryan
Empi re. Musl i ms occupied West
Punjab by the 8
t
h century, and
ushered i n I sl am. Not unti l the
late 1 2
th
century, did they con
quer East Punjab, whi ch even
73
Punjabi Universit
afterward, remai ned predomi
nantl y Hi ndu. In the late 1 8th
century, the Si khs rose to domi
nance. They came i nto conflict
with the British duri ng the earl y
1 9th century. I n 1 849, the British
annexed most of the Punjab,
and made it a province, though
some of the pri ncely states
were retai ned.
With the creation of Pakistan
in 1 947, Punjab was partitioned
accordi ng to the prevalence of
Musl i m and the Hi ndu popul a
tions. The western portion be
came part of Pakistan. The east
ern part stayed with I ndia. The
I ndi an Punjab was divided into
three different states on a l i n
guistic basi s on November 1 5t
1 966 . The Hi ndi speaking areas
formed the new state ofHaryana,
whi l ethe Northern most di stricts
were transferred to Hi machal
Pradesh. The remai ni ng regi ons
form present day Punjab.
74
WhBt Bfe Fu0BDS geD
gfBphcBfeBtufeS
Punjab i s bounded on the
west by Pakistan, on the north
by Jammu and Kashmi r, on the
northeast by Hi machal Pradesh,
and on the south by Haryana
and Rajasthan. Due to the pres
ence of a l arge number of rivers,
most of the l and of Punjab is
ferti l e pl ai n.
However, the south-east re
gi on is semi-ari d, and Punjab's
ari d southern border edges the
Thar Desert. A belt of swel l i ng
hi l l s extends al ong the north
east at the foot of the Hi mal a
yas, and the Shi val i k Range rises
sharpl y i n the north of the state.
Seari ng summers, torrential
monsoons, and cool wi nters are
the cl i matic condi ti ons of thi s
l and.
Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala
National institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research
Wh S FunB0 Kn0wn BS The
'Bn00ffvefvef
S
The name 'Punjab' means ' l and
of five rivers,' and i s derived from
the Persi an words 'panj,' meani ng
five, and 'aab,' meani ng water. The
five rivers of Punjab are the Beas,
Chenab, Jhel um, Ravi, and Sutlej.
These rivers begi n as vari ous smal l
lakes i n Hi malayas. The Beas
merges i nto the Sutl ej at Hari ke
near Ferozepur in Punjab j ust be
fore crossing the border i nto west
Punjab or Pakistan, where it even
tual l y merges i nto the river I ndus.
The l and between the Beas and
the Sutl ej i s cal led the Doaba.
Many i mportant ci ti es are located
here. The region between the Beas
and Chenab i s the heart of Punj ab,
and i s cal led Majha. The area be
yond the Chenab River and around
the River Jhel um i s Pothohar.
Rachna Doab is the name given to
the l and between the Ravi and
Chenab rivers, whi l e east of the
river Beas i s the area known as
Mal wa. Thi s region gets i ts name
from a cl an cal led Mol oi s or Ma
l awi s that once rul ed thi s area.
States of India
bhBKfB Bm
T
hebhBKfBUBm S n-
0BSbggeSth0f0eec-
tfcpf0ect.tSl0cBte0
neBfthe00f0ef0fFun-
BbwthHmBchB
FfB0eSh.The0BmhBS
0eenc0nStfucte0Bcf0SS
thepefennBfvefbut-
e,whchf0wS00wnthe
bhvBKfBngeSthBtSuf-
f0un0Sthefeg0n,Bn0S
BnengneefngmBfve.t
S0ne0fthehgheSt
gfBvt0BmSnthe
w0f0,Bn0thBScfeBte0
BhugefeSefv0 fKn0wn
BSthe00n0bBgBffeS-
efv0f.ThS0BmSvHu-
BthecentfBnefv0uS
SStem0fn0Hhefn n0B,
BStSuppeSelectfct
t0theentfefeg0n.
NinuDixit
Capital : Japuf
Districts : 55
Principal Languages : H n0,KajaSthan
State Bi rd : Ofeatn0anbuStaf0
State Animal : LhnKafa
State Fl ower : K0h0a
Wh S KaaSth&n c& e0 0
thSname
TheancienthistoryofRajasthan
dates back to 1 200 AD, when it
was a part of diferent dynasties
i ncl udi ng the glorious Mauryan
Empi re. It wasn't until the mid
sixth century that the brave Ra
jputs, warriors par excel lence,
came to dominate the region.
Rajasthan was divided i nto
ki ngdoms, and the val i ant Ra
j puts kept themselves busy
wi th ski rmi shes amongst the
nei ghbouri ng ki ngdoms, or
el se they faced the Turks, the
mi ghty Sultans of Del hi 's l a
st Sultanate, and later, the Great
Mughal s. It was around thi s
ti me that Rajasthan came to be
cal led as Rajputana. Rana Uday
Si ngh, his son Rana Pratap,
Bhappa Rawal, Rana Kumbha,
and Prithvi raj Chauhan were
Mehrangarh Fort
some of the most famous Ra
jput warriors ofthi s ti me.
Later, most of the regi ons
came under Mughal rul e, fol
l owed by the Marathas. How
ever, between 1 81 7 and 1 81 8,
al most al l the pri ncel y states i n
the region entered i nto al l ianc
es with the Bri ti sh. On Novem
ber 1 st 1 956, the state of present
day Rajasthan came i nto exist
ence.
Jaipur
l0K nStfumentS
KajaSthanhaSagfeattfa0t0n0ff0Kmu-
Sc,an0thefnStfumentScanbe0v0e0nt0
pefcuSS0n nStfumentS, wn0 nStfumentS,
an0StfngnStfumentS.The0h0,0h0aK,an0nagafaafep0puaf
pefcuSS0n nStfumentS, whe the c0mm0n wn0 nStfumentS
afetheShehnaan0fute,thep00ng,theag0za,an0theSatafa.
btfng nStfumentS ncu0e a Kn0 0f Safang, whe the tha,
whchSametapattef,San0thefp0puaff0KnStfument.
Hawa Mahal Palace
WhSthege0gfaph0fa-
jaSthanc0nS0efe0un Que
Rajasthan is located in north
west I ndi a. It borders Punjab i n
the north, Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh i n the northeast, Mad
hya Pradesh i n the east, and
Gujarat i n the south. Hugeareas
of the state of Rajasthan consi st
of the bi ggest I ndi an desert-
the Thar Desert. The ari d Thar
al so boasts of Mount Abu, fa
mous for its flora and fauna.
Whi l e the Araval i Hi l l s provide
the much-needed relief to thi s
ari d l and, the wi de spread sand
dunes of the desert and ari d re
gion make it one of the tough
est terrai ns i n the worl d.
The ol dest chai n of fol d
mountai ns- the Araval l i Range
spl its the state i nto two geo
graphi cal zones- the desert
on one side, and the forest bel t
on the other. The rocky range of
Amber, hi l l y range of Mewar,
the river basi n of Bharatpur and
ferti l e Araval l i range al l com
bine to make the geography of
Rajasthan truly unique.
Hills around Jaipur


eSeftNBt0nBFBfK
TheUeSeftNBt0nBFBfKnKajBSthBnSBpf0teO-
e0 SBnctuBf. The pafK S c0nS0efe0 n0t 0nthe
afgeSt nthe StBte 0 KajaSthBn, but S Bm0ng the
afgeStn n0B.tSma0eup0extnctSBtBKeSBn0
th0fn ScfubS, Bn0 a c0nS0efBbe afea c0nSStS 0
SBn00uneS.The0eSeftSBhafShpBcet0SuStBne,
an0 thuS, m0St 0 the auna an0 0fB ve 0n the
e0ge.NeveftheeSS,thSpaceattfactSBfge0cKS0
mgfat0fbf0S.
Wh 00 we SB thBt n0uS-
tfeS hBve pBe0 B vtB f0e
nKBjBSthBn'Sgf0wth
Deposits of zinc, copper and
other mi neral s have hel ped the
growth of i ndustry i n Rajasthan.
The Khetri Copper Compl ex i s
the bi ggest copper pl ant i n I n
di a. Mi ni ng i s a very i mportant
i ndustry, and there are about 42
major, and 28 mi nor mi nes that
provide employment to around
I
deposi ted here . .
10 Kg copper!
78
2 mi l l i on peopl e. Some agri cul
tural products al so hel p i ndus
tri al growth.
I n general, i ndustry i n Rajas
than i s made up of heavy, medi
um, and smal l scale i ndustries,
as well as cottage i ndustries and
the service i ndustry. The heavy
i ndustries i ncl ude the produc
tion of bal l bearings and cement,
as well as the National Thermal
Power Pl ant i n Kota. Smal l scale
i ndustries i ncl ude ceramics,
texti l es, bl ock pri nting, woollen
and carpet i ndustry, marbl e and
granite, gems and jewel l ery. I n
short, though agri culture is the
main occupation of the people,
the i ndustrial sector i s al so very
i mportant, as it accounts for
about 32.5 per cent of the total
share of the state's economy.
Tel l Me Why
Statue oJ
Guru
Rinpoche
TS0mg0 LaKe
TS0mg0 LaKe S
Stuate0atanat-
tu0e 0f 57 me-
tfeSn bKKm.The
aKe Sab0utT m
0ng,0vanShap,
1 mMfeS 0eep,
an0 S c0nS0efe0
Sacfe0 bthe0a
ppe.
States of India
Capital : Oangt0K
Districts : 4
Principal Languages : Lepcha, Bhutia, Limbu, Nepali
State Bi rd : b000FheaSant
State Ani mal : Ke0Fan0a
State Fl ower : N0beOfch0
Wh S bKKmS hSt0f 0ffefent
ff0mthat0f0thefStateS
Sikkim was i nhabited in pre-hi storic times
by three tribes. They were absorbed by a
people known as the Lepcha, who entered
Si kkim sometime later. The credit fororgan
izing them into some sort of a society goes
to a person called Turve Pa no. Buddhism,
the major religion i n the state, arrived from
Tibet i n the 1 3t century. It took its distinc
tive Si kkimese form four centuries later,
when three Tibetan monks went to Gang
tok looking for a certai n person whom they
79
Kanchenjunga
crowned as the first Cho
gyal or 'Righteous King' of
Denzong in 1 642. Being
the secular and religious
head, he was soon recog
nized byTibet, and brought
sweeping reforms.
Afer I ndia's i ndepend
ence, Si kki m became a
protectorate of I ndi a.
The rol e of I ndi a became
i ncreasi ngl y crucial , wi th
the Chi nese mi l itary
bui l d-up along the
northern borders that
cul mi nated i n an actual
i nvasi on early i n the
1 960's. The king, Pal den
Thondup Namgyal then
gave i n to the demands
of hi s people, and Si kki m
became the 22nd state of
I ndi a in 1 975.
80
KBnchenungB
Kanchenjunga n the eaStefn
HmaaaS, SStuate0 0nthe b0f-
0ef between bKKm an0 eaStefn
Nepa .ItSthethf0hgheStm0un-
tan n the w0f0, an0 S0afS t0 a
heght0f metfeS. ItS nameS
0efve0ff0mf0ufw0f0S0fTbetan
0fgn,thatcan betfanSate0 nt0
thebKKm anguageaS'fvetfeaS-
ufeS0fthegfeatSn0w'.
WhBtBfethemB nfeBtufeS0fbK-
KmSge0gfaph
The state of Si kki m has boundaries
with Ti bet, Nepal , Bhutan, and West
Bengal . It is a l and of rich and varied
sceni c beauty, magnificent mountains,
eternal snows, dark forests, green fer
ti l e val l eys, ragi ng torrents and cal m,
pl aci d l akes. Two pri nci pal mountai n
ranges i n Si kki m are the Si ngi l ela and
Chol a. Between these ranges are the
mai n rivers, the Rangit and the Teesta,
that are fed by the monsoon rai ns as
wel l as by mel ting glaci ers.
~ ^
Tel l Me Why
No Madras
patanam, onl y
Madras PresI
dency.
Wh00weS tht
the hSt0f 0f Tm
N0u g0eS 0CK t0
0Ce0ttmeS
By 300 BC, Tami l
Nadu was ruled by
three major dynas
ties-the Chol as, the
Pandya and the
Cheras. Thi s was the
cl assi cal period of
Tami l l iterature- the
States of India
Capital : Lhenna
Districts : 3Z
Principal Language : Tam
State Bird : bmefa0U0ve
State Animal : NgfTahf
State Fl ower : O0f
Sangam Age - that conti nued unti l
around AD 300.
The Pal l ava dynasty rose to power in
the 7th and 8th centuries. In the 1 3th cen
tury, with threats of Musl i m i nvasions
from the north, the southern Hi ndu dy
nasties came together to form the em
pi re of Vijayanagar, which covered al l of
South I ndi a. However, by the 1 7t
h
centu
ry, the Vijayanagar Empi re broke up. I n
1 640, the British negotiated the use of
Madraspatnam -now known as Chennai
as a tradi ng post. After i ndependence,
the Madras Presidency was di sbanded,
and Tami l Nadu was establ i shed as an
autonomous state i n 1 956.
Fort St. George
M&h&0& puf&m
M&h&0&puf&m S & h&f-
00uft0wnf0un0e0 n the
7

centuf0 the F&&v&S


n the K&ncheepuf&m 0S-
tfct. The h&f00uf 0f M&-
h&0&puf&m tf&0e0 wth
the 0St&nt Kng00mS 0f
b0uth-b&St S&. t S f&-
m0uS t00& f0f tS f0cK
ScuptufeS &n0 tempeS,
whch wefe c0nStfucte0
0etween50 &n0 7Z &n0
S&w0f0heft&geSte.
WhST&mN&0uc&e0&n
&gfcutuf&St&te
Tami l Nadu was hi storical l y
known for i ts agri culture from
ancient times. In modern ti mes,
it has al l al ong been one of the
states with a creditable per
formance in agricultural pro
duction. One reason for thi s i s
that, the farmers are relatively
more responsive, and receptive
to changi ng technologies and
market forces. Seventy percent
WhchBfeIhem& nfeSIv&S0f1Bm NB0u
Tami l Nadu cel ebrates both regi onal , and rel igious
festival s. Most of the festival s are agrari an i n nature,
whi l e others have mythol ogi cal si gnificance. Pongal , a
harvest festival, is the most i mportant of al l festival s.
The Pongal Festival i s cel ebrated for four consecutive
days in January. People offer prayers in honour of the
Sun God, Ai r, Water, and Earth. They pray for a good
crop and prosperity, and cook a meal cal l ed 'Pongal',
made of rice, mi l k and jaggery. The Natyanjal i
Dance festival i s dedi cated to Lord Shiva i n the
form of Nataraja, 'the
cosmic dancer'. The fes
tival fal l s in the month
Bharat Natam
Z
ofthepeopl ei nTami i Naduareengaged
in agriculture. Both food crops and cash
crops are grown in the state. The major
food crops are rice, jowar, ragi, bajra,
maize and pul ses. The cash crops grown
i ncl ude cotton, sugar cane, coconut, tea
and coffee. Other horticul tural products
l i ke bananas and mangoes are al so cul
tivated. The Department of Agriculture
has taken up the chal lenge to achi eve a
hi gher growh rate in agricul ture by i m
plementing several development
schemes.
of February i n the temple city of
Chi dambaram.TheKarthi gai Deepam
festival i s the festival of l i ghts.
The Jal l i katu Bul l festival i s cele
brated on the 4th day of Pongal , i n
Ti ruchi rapal l i . Navarathi ri and Deep
aval i are celebrated with great en
thusi asm and zeal . The Chithi rai fes
tival is hel d in the famous Madurai
Temples. There i s al so a famous Mu
si c and Dance festival hel d i n Chen
nai i n December.
Silk Saree Weaving at
Kancheepuram
blKLt
K
ancheepufamS
l0cate00ntheFaaf
Kvef nTamlNa0u.
tSalS0cae0the
'ct0fa th0uSan0
templeS.
KancheepufamS
fam0uSf0ftSSlKS
t00.TheSlKweaverS
0fKancheepufam
Sette0hefem0fe
than400eafSag0,
an0SlKweavng
c0ntnueSt0bethe
man0ccupat0n0f
thepe0plevng
hefe. nfaO,
theSKS0f
Kancheevafam
afefepute0t0bethe
c0untf'SfneSt.
83
fB0gefeStvB
T
heJmpuHSafe
thehgheSth
fange0fTfpufa,
Bn00fangeSafe
gf0wnnpent
hefe.bvefeaf,
theunque
fangean0
T0ufSmreStva
thatShe0n
N0vembef,cee-
bfateStheb0unt
0fM0thefNatufe.
Hari Rathod
Capital : gafthaa
Districts : 4
Principal Languages : bengB,K0Kb0f0K
State Ani mal : FhafeSLBnguf
State Bi rd : Ofeen I mpefBFge0n
State Flower : NageShwaf
WhBt Bfe the phScB feBtufeS 0f
Tf pufB
Tri pura is one of the seven states i n the
north eastern part of I ndi a. It has Bangl a
desh as i ts border on i ts north, west and
south. Assam and Mizoram border the
eastern part of the state. Tri pura i s a l and
of hi gh hi l l s, that are i nterspersed with
river val leys. In the north, it has four val
leys, that have been separated by hi l l s
wi th hei ghts of about 1 ,000 metres. I n
the south, there i s open forestl and cov
eri ng a l arge area. A wi de variety of pl ant
Landscape- Tripura
and orchi d species
are found i n the for
ests of Tri pura. Sal i s
an i mportant prod
uct of the forests
here. The state is
watered by sever
al rivers and thei r
r am reading
the history of
Tripura
tri butaries. The
Khowati, the
Manu, the Hao
rah, the Muhuri
and the Gomati
are some im
portant rivers
of Tri pura. The
Gomati is the
l argest river
in the state.
States of India
Tf pufBBn0TBg0fe
The N0be aufeate Kabn0fanath
Tag0fe ha0 c0Se feat0nShp wth
SucceSSve Tfpufa KngS. When
Tag0fe waS n hS Z0S, Mahafaja
bfchan0fa ManKa baha0uf, a
pantef,ph0t0gfaphefan0c0mp0S-
ef,0entfe0hmaSagenuS.Tag0fe
vSte0TfpufaSevent meS,an0waS
c0Set0f0ufSucceSSveKngS.
SnehaRao
H0w wBS
Tf pufBf0fme0
The history of Tri pura goes back to
ancient ti mes, and it is even men
ti oned i n the epi c Mahabharata. The
earl iest trace of the hi story of Tri pura
can be found in the Ashokan pi l l ar i n
scripti ons. Tri pura was rul ed by the
Mani kya dynasty from the 1 4th centu-
ry. This dynasty had an I ndo- Mon
gol i an origin, and rul ed Tri pura
for around 3000 years. With the
comi ng of the col oni al era, the
Bri ti shers extended thei r control
over Tri pura, but granted some i n-
dependence to the Mani kya ki ngs.
Afer the i ndependence of I ndia,
Tri pura merged with the I ndi an Un
i on. I t became a union
territory of the country
from November 1 s
t
, 1 956.
On January 2Pt, 1 972,
Tri pura became an i nde
pendent state of the I n
di an Union.
85
Wh &fe the f0K 0&nceS 0f
Tfpuf& S0 ntefeSt ng
Tri pura has over 1 9 diferent
tri bal communities, as wel l as
Bengal i and Mani puri communi
ties. Each community has its own
dance forms, whi ch are famous
throughout the country.
The Garia dance i s performed
afer sowing seeds i n the month
of Apri l . I t i s a ti me when Tri puri s
ofer prayers to the deity 'Garia'
for a bumper harvest. Once the
Gari a festival ends, the Tri puri s
Tripura- A Landscape
start wai ti ng for the monsoon.
Duri ng thi s period, numerous col
ourful i nsects cal led ' I ebang'
swarm the hi l l sl opes i n search of
seeds. These i nsects a re welcomed
by Tri puri s with the Lebang
Boomani Dance.
The people of the Chakma com
munity perform the Bizy dance to
wel come the New Year. The dance
i s accompanied by the sound of
flutes known as 'Khenggarang'
86
and ' Dhukuk'. The Hai Hak
dance i s performed at the
end of the harvesti ng sea
son by the Hal am commu
nity of Tri pura. The peopl e
si ng and dance the Wagal a
Dance after a good harvest.
Womenfol k dance, and the
theme i s ' rehearsal for war'.
The Hozagi ri dance is a
dance in whi ch bal anci ng
pl ays a key rol e, and i t i s very
different from other tri bal
dances.
Tri pura has contri buted a
lot to I ndi an cul ture in terms
of fol k music. Different types
of musi cal i nstruments such
as the kham, made of wood
and ani mal ski n, the sumai
whi ch i s a fl ute made of bam
boo, sari nda, chongpreng,
dangdu and cymbal s are
used. The state i s al so wel l
known for i ts cane and bam
boo handi crafs.
Tel l Me Why
Capital : Uehfa0un
Districts : 1 5
Principal Languages: Hnd,Oafhwa,Kumaon
State Bi rd : HmaaanM0na
State Animal : H maaanMuSK0eef
State Flower : bfahmaKamal
WhSthehSt0f0fUttafa-
Khan0 nKe0 t0 that 0f
afhwaan0Kuma0n
The hi story of Uttarakhand i s
actual ly the hi story of two re
gi ons, Garhwal and Kumaon.
Garhwal was once a part of the
Mauryan Empi re. I n the 1 5th cen
tury, King Ajai Pal merged the 52
pri nci pal ities of the Garhwal re
gi on to form a new ki ngdom.
Garhwal remained a consol i dat
ed kingdom for about 300 years.
The early medieval hi story of
Kumaon started with the Katyuri
dynasty that rul ed from 7th to
the 1 1 th century. I n 1 791 , the
Gurkhas took control of Ku
maon, and i n 1 803, Garhwal al so
fel l to the Gurkhas.
I n the 1 9th century, the British
annexed the Gurkha Empi re,
and al ong with it, the area that
now forms Uttarakhand. Utta
rakhand was a part of Uttar
Pradesh, and on 9th November
2000, it became the 2]lh state of
I ndi an uni on.
.
.
. .
. . . P . . . . . .
. .
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

"
*
&
. '
,
Vae0ffl0wefS
TheVae0ff0wefSSaNat0na
FafKocate0ntheLhamo0Stfct0fUtta-
faKhan0. bpfea00vefanafeaof7.SQ KmS,the
Vae0ff0wefS0ffefSthevSt0fthemem0fabeSght
0f 0vef 00 SpeceS 0f w0 f0wefS b00mng n a thef
g0f. ThS unuSua vae S fanKe0 n ethef S0e b oft
peaKS that femanSn0w-cappe0f0un0 the eaf.rf0m N0vem-
beft0Ma,thevaefemanSun0efthcKaefS0fSnow.
Bhagirathi River at Gangotri
Wh&t &fe the ge0gf&phC& fe&-
tufeS0fUtt&f&Kh&n0
The state of Uttarakhand is sur
rounded by Hi machal Pradesh in the
north-west, and Uttar Pradesh i n the
south. I t shares i ts i nternati onal bor
ders with Nepal and Chi na. The north
ern part of the state of Uttarakhand i s
shrouded by Hi mal ayan ranges and
gl aci ers, whereas the l ower parts of
the state are thi ckly forested.
Si tuated at the hei ght of 7,81 6 m
above sea level, Nanda Devi in the
di strict of Chamol i is the hi ghest poi nt
i n the state. Two of I ndia's bi ggest
rivers, the Ganga and the Yamuna
ori gi nate i n the gl aci ers of Uttara
khand. ThegeographyofUttarakhand
i s such that i t is usual l y divided i nto
two parts, the western half known as
Garhwal, and the eastern regi on as
Kumaon. Di d you know that the word
Uttarakhand is the Sanskrit term for
' north country'?
88
Mindrolling Monaster
That is North
Khand . . and this i s
South Khand.
Tel l Me Why
Nan0aevNat0naFafK
The Nan0a Uev Nat0na FafKS0ne0fthe
m0StSpectacuafw0efneSSafeaSntheHma-
aaS. t S 00mnate0 b the peaK 0f Nan0a
ev.tSthehabtat0fSevefa en0angefe0 mammaS,eSpeca
theSn0we0paf0,HmaaanmuSK0eef,an0thebhafa.ThepafK
enc0mpaSSeStheNan0aUevSanctuaf,agacabaSnSuff0un0e0
bafng0fpeaKS.TheSpectacuafvewS,Svanenvf0nment,an0
fchneSS0ftheb0SphefemaKetqute0ffefentff0m0thefpafKS.
ThepafKhaSbeen0ecafe0aw0f0heftageStebUNbbLO.
Wh 00 t0ufStS f0cK t0
UttafaKhan0
Uttarakhand i s ofen cal l ed
the 'abode of the gods' and i t
i s a popul ar tourist desti na
ti on. I t is the hol iest of al l Hi n
du pi l gri mage centres as the
l and i s home tofour great rel i
gi ous sites - Gangotri, Yamu
notri, Badrinath, and Kedar
nath. Thi s apart, Uttarakhand
boasts of pristi ne natural
beauty, stately mountai ns,
awe i nspi ri ng gl aci ers and
gurgl i ng hi l l brooks, rare wi l d
l ife, and opportunities gal ore
for adventure sports.
Nainital Lke
Nai nital , located in the Kumaon
foothi l l s, i s one of I ndia's most
picturesque hi l l stati ons sur
rounded by mountai ns on three
sides. Mussoorie is located in the
Garhwal hi l l s. Dehradun i s widely
known as an i mportant base for
trekki ng and adventure activities.
Gangotri i s a must for every visitor,
as it is located at the source of the
holy river Ganges. Uttarakhand al
so has several gl aciers and wi l dl ife
sanctuaries whi ch are very fa
mous, l i ke the Ji m Corbett Na
tional Park, Rajaj i Nati onal Park,
Maktol i Glacier, Nanda Devi Group
of Glaciers, and Pi ndari Gl acier.
89
Whafeagfcut0te
an0 n0uStf mp0f-
tant t0 the ec0n0m
0fUttafFfa0eSh
Uttar Pradesh has the
second largest econo
my in I ndi a. Agriculture
and i ndustry are where
the real assets of the
state lie. The ferti l e soi l
of the state, i ncreased
use of ferti l izers, better
i rrigation faci l ities, and
usage of diferent vari
eties of hi gh yieldi ng
seeds make it one of
the major producers of
food grai ns. The major
agri cul tural cultiva
ti ons are wheat, rice,
pul ses, oi l seeds, sugar
cane, and fruits l i ke
mangoes and apples.
The major i ndustries
are based on mi nerals,
cement manufactur-
U
Capital : LucKn0w
Districts : 74
Principal Languages : Hn0, Uf0u
State Bi rd : bafuSLfane
State Ani mal : bwampeef
State Flower : FaaSh
Second Yamuna Bridge, Allahabad
i ng, and smal l scale units. The region has
a large reserve of mi neral s. There are al u
mi num units i n Banda and Sonbhadra ar
ea, copper plants in Pi thor garh, Al mora
Chamol i and Tehri Garhwal, coal reserves
in the Si ngraul i , and l i mestone deposits
in Mi rzapur area of the state. Smal l scale
i ndustries al so play a major role i n the
economy of the state.
Varanasi
Wh S the h St0f 0f UM&f
Ff&0eShvef0Spf0g
Uttar Pradesh is the l and of the ep
ics- the Mahabharatha and Ramaya
na. The empi re of Chandra Gupta
Maurya extended nearly over the
whol e of Uttar Pradesh. Duri ng the
Gupta period, the cul ture and archi
tecture of Uttar Pradesh reached its
peak. The decl i ne of the Guptas coi n
ci ded with the ri se of the Huns from
Central Asia. The 7th century wit
nessed the taking over of Kannauj by
Harshavardhana.
Kathak
I n 1 526, Babur l ai d the foundation
of the Mughal dynasty. The hi ghl i ght
of the Mughal rul e came when Em
peror Akbar chose the ci ti es of Agra
and Fatehpur Si kri as hi s capital cities.
The Mughal rei gn saw the construc
tion of some ofthe most magnificent
Allahabad Universit
monuments in Uttar
Pradesh. With the emer
gence of the East I ndi a
Company, the whol e re
gion was captured by the
Briti sh. Modern-day Uttar
Pradesh saw the rise of
i mportant freedom fight
ers on the nati onal sce
nario. Lal Bahadur Shastri,
Jawaharl al Nehru, Smt.
I ndi ra Gandhi, and Charan
Si ngh are only a few of the
i mportant names who
played a si gnificant role i n
I ndia's freedom move
ment. Duri ng the days of
the Briti sh Empi re, the
state was named United
Provi nces in 1 935. Thi s
was l ater changed to Uttar
Pradesh in 1 950, after I n
di a became i ndependent.
TB MBhB
eTaj Maha,
0ne 0f the m0St
,

'
V

f
U
"'l
beautfu m0nu-
mentS n the
w0f0, S Stuate0 at gfa n Uttaf
Ffa0eSh. It waS but b the bmpef0f
bhah Jahan n mem0f 0f hS be0ve0
wfeMumtazMaha.TheTamahahaS
been 0eSgnate0 aS UNbbLO W0f0
heftageSte.
H0ww0u0 we 0eScf0e the ge-
0gfBph0fUttBfa0eSh
Uttar Pradesh i s the fourth l argest
state of I ndi a. It i s bounded by Nepal ,
Hi machal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajas
than, Madhya Pradesh and Bi har. The
Gangetic Pl ai n occupies three quar
ters of the state. The enti re al l uvial
pl ai n can be divided i nto three sub
regi ons- the eastern, central and
western tracts. The Gangetic pl ai n i s
watered by the Jamuna, the Ganga,
and i ts major tri butaries. The Vi ndhya
Hi l l s and plateau in the southern part
consi sts of hard rock strata, with a
varied l andscape of hi l ls, pl ai ns, val
leys and pl ateau. Uttar Pradesh can
l ay cl aim to be the ol dest seat of In
dia's culture and ci vi l izati on. The
fi ndi ngs of the archaeol ogical exca-
F athehpur Sikri
Al l these
books are about
Uttar Pradesh . .
vations from various plac
es of the state l i nk Uttar
Pradesh to the earl y Stone
Age and Harappan era.
The cl assi cal dance
Kathak, fol k arts l i ke Braj
Rasl i l a, Raml i l a and
Charkul a are very famous
art forms of Uttar
Pradesh.
Capital : K0Kata
Districts : T9
Principal Language : enga
State Bi rd .Whte-Thf0ate0 KngShef
State Ani mal : K0aengaTgef
State Fl ower : Nght-0wefngJaSmne
Kolkata High Court
Wh&t 00 we K00w &00ut
thehSt0Q0f WeStbe0g&
I n the Vedic Age, Bengal was
cal led Vanga'. Duri ng the Ma
habharatha period, this area was
divided into smal l ki ngdoms
and principal ities ruled by chi ef
tai ns. Around the 3rdcentury, the
Mauryan and the Guptas estab
l ished their rule. The Pal as estab
l i shed thei r strong rul e from
about800ADti l i the 1 1 th
century,
afer which the Senas rul ed. I n
the begi nni ng of the 1 3
t
h centu
ry, Bengal became a part of the
Delhi Sultanate and later the
Mughal Empi re.
States of India
The nearness to the sea al so
saw many forei gners reachi ng
these shores- the Portuguese,
the Dutch, the French, the Dan
i sh, and the Bri ti sh. The British
ulti mately captured power i n
Bengal . I n 1 905, they parti
tioned Bengal on the basis of
rel i gi on. Kolkata remai ned the
capi tal ti l l 1 91 1 . In 1 947 when
I ndia became i ndependent,
Bengal was partitioned be
tween I ndi a and Pakistan. I n
di a's share came to be known
as West Bengal , and Pakistan's
share was cal l ed East Pakistan.
93
Wh S benga pf0u0 0f tS
fchcutufaheftage
West Bengal's cul ture i s di s
ti ngui shed by its festival s, mu
si c, ci nema, drama and l itera
ture. Being the l and of Banki m
Chandra, Rabi ndranath and
Aurobi ndo, West Bengal i s sai d
to be the bi rth pl ace of modern
I ndi an l iterature.
The theatre i n Bengal dates
back to 1 8th century. Theatre
gai ned prominence duri ng the
freedom struggl e of I ndia, when
it was used as a tool of expres
si on. Gi ri shchandra Ghosh, Rabi
All India Radio, Kolkata
Eden Gardens Stadium
Roy, Si si r Bhaduri, Badal Si rcar,
Shobha Sen and Soumitra Chat
terjeearesomeofthepromi nent
names in Bengal i theatre. When
it comes to contemporary cine
ma, the i mmense contribution
of the great Bengal i di rector
Satyajit Ray cannot be ignored.
Music and dances are al so i nte
gral parts of the Bengal i cul ture.
The people of Bengal are closely
associated with Rabi ndra San
geet, Rabi ndra Nritya Natya,
which consists of songs and
song-dance sequences com
posed by Tagore, and Nazrul
Geeti, or songs by Kazi Nazrul l s
l am. Fol k dances and songs are
al so popul ar. Bankura's famed
handmade pottery, especially
the decorated horse, i s a tradi
tional craft. The biggest festival
i n the state is Durga Puja.
Tel l Me Why
Wh S the ge0gfaph 0f WeSt
bengaavafe00ne
West Bengal stretches from the
Hi malayas to the Bay of Bengal . The
state i s surrounded by the three in
ternati onal frontiers i n the north,
namely, Bhutan, Nepal , and Bangla
desh. On its northeast, l i es the green
val l ey of Assam. On the east l ies
Bangl adesh. Bi har l ies on the western
si de. To the southwest, l ies Orissa,
and the Bay of Bengal l ies to the
south of West Bengal .
West Bengal , therefore, offers a va
riety of geographi cal features. The
State has the al l uvi al pl ai ns known as
the Dooars i n the south, and the
mountai nous Hi mal ayan regi on i n
the north. The dense wooded regi ons
i n the Dooars have ri ch and varied
flora and fauna. The Mai da region, i r
rigated by the river Mahananda con
stitutes the ferti l e mi d section.
The al l uvi al pl ai ns i n the south are
the basi n of the River Damodar, al so
Howrh Bridge
No more
'Pondi'. Only
Puducherry!
known as the 'river of Ben
gal 's sorrow'. The name
was coined afer a number
of floods i n the region
were attributed to the riv
er. The other mai n rivers
are the Ganga and Hoogly.
The di strict of 24 Parganas
has pri sti ne forests known
as the Sundarbans.
N0Xt55U0
M0vementS0fNewbtBteS
The mai n movements today for sepa
rate statehood are the Tel angana
movement, and the movement for the
separate state of Gorkhal and. The Tel
angana Movement refers to a move
ment to support the creation of a new
state of Tel angana from the existing
state of Andhra Pradesh. For more than
400 years, Tel angana was part of Hy
derabad state. Tel angana became a
part of Andhra Pradesh in 1 956.
Gorkhal and is the name given to the
area around Darjeel i ng and the Dooars
in north West Bengal . Duri ng the 1 980s,
Subash Ghi si ngh raised the demand for
the creation of the country cal led
96
Gorkha. In 2008, a new
party cal l ed Gorkha
Janmukti Morcha has
raised the demand for
Gorkhal and once agai n.
Lakshadweep
doesn't have a
akh of Island
Tel l Me Why
Chandigarh
The Un0n Tefft0f 0f
Lhan0gafh S the 1 ''
panne0 m00efn ct 0f
n0a.
Lhan0gafh SefveS aS
the j0nt capta 0f b0th
Funjaban0Hafana.
Del hi
Ueh S 0ffefent ff0m
0thef un0n tefft0feS,
thattwaScfeate0bthe
Nat0naLaptaTefft0f
ct0f1 99T,whchmaKeS
ta Nat0naLaptateff-
t0f0f NLT. Ueh haS a-
waSbeena hSt0fc ct,
n ancent, me0eva an0
m00efntmeS.
UnIonTerrItorIes
1 . Andaman and Nicobar Islands
2. Chandigarh
3. Dadra and Nagar Haveli
4
. Daman and Diu
5. Lakshadweep
6. Puducherry
7. Delhi ( National Capital Territory)
States of India
LARIFTCAIONS &

RRECTIONS
It is our policy to correct errors,
and present dif ering views and
clarications about the contents
in previous issues. Please send in
your feedback, mentioning the
title and page number.
Anjana Trivedi, a teacher
from Mumbai, has poi nted
out an error i n our February
issue, 'Evolution'.
She writes that on Page 26,
it is given that, 'the duck bi l l ed
platypus is a strange looking
bird' which i s not correct.
The duck bi l led platypus is
considered as a mammal that
lays eggs.
She al so provides an add
on i nformation- an interna
tional consorti um of scien
tists, has decoded the ge
nome of the duck bi l led platy
pus. Thi s gene map proves
that platypus is part bi rd,
mammal and reptile.
An analysis of the genome,
publ ished i n the journal 'Na
ture', can help scienti sts piece
together a more complete
picture of the evol ution of al l
mammals, i ncl udi ng humans.
Thank you Anjana, for your
valuable feedback.
- Editor
97
|
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c
-

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w

?
TheQueSt0n

0fthem0nth
A|!!|0l|!!l!|g!00 \w00|0000!,00!0|0!K0ww00!0
!K!500!00|q0!!|0!,0ww|ll g|\00!!||!|g|!0!0|0!
|C|0|0l0!!||!0l|.
Wh00eS00 ngm K0vef-
f0w, 0ut 00 ng w&tef 00eS
n0t
Probabl y due to the fat mol
ecules in mi l k. The fat separates
from the thi nner, watery l i qui d
and as the water i n the mi l k
boi l s, the steam rises, and thi s
mi l kfat layer moves up. You can
prevent the boi l i ng over prob
lem by lowering the heat. When
mi l k i s boi l ed, a membrane-l i ke
fi l m contai ni ng cream and ca
sein i s formed. When mi l k be
gi ns to boi l , the heat energy is
used forthe conversion ofwater
i nto steam. As a result, the pres
sure below the fi l m i ncreases
suddenl y and the ri si ng bub
bl es of steam makes the mi l k
overflow.
The major component of mi l k
i s water (83%). Its other constit
uents are protei n (5%), sugar
(5%), and fat (7%). When heat

ed, fat bei ng l i ghter than water,
floats as a creamy layer on the
top, and water vapour, i n the
form of steam bubbles, i s
trapped under it. Further heat
ing results in the formation of
more number of bubbles. These
bubbl es expand, and l if the
creamy layer, causi ng it to over
flow. In the case of water, the
steam bubbl es break as they
reach the surface. So boi l i ng
water does not overflow.
K.P. Sukumar
It's our
l uck, mi l k i s
overfl owi ng!
MANORAMA TELL MWRY" STATES OF INDIA
Editor: Amu Mathew Editor-in-Charge: N. M. Mohanan*
Printed and Published by N. Sajeev George, on behalf ofM. M. Publications Ltd,
P.B. No. ZZD,Kottayam " DD UU at M.M. Publications Ltd, P.B. No. ZZD,Kottayam " DD UUl
and Malayala Manorama Press, Kottayam " DD U3Vand published fom
M. M. Publications Ltd, P.B. No. ZZD,Kottayam " DD UU! .
* Responsible for selection of news under. the PRB Act
Tilles published s, 't,
1 . Solar System 23. Computer 45. World Cup Football
2. Birds 24. Egyptian Civilizations 46. Ancient Greece
3. Inventions 25. 1 00 Great Scientists 47. Story of Firsts
4. Oceans 26. Continents 48. Natural Wonders
5. Ancient World 27. Revolutions 49. Endangered Animals
6. Cricket 28. 1Great Medical Discoveries 50. 100 Great Writers
7. Animals 29. The Moon 51 . Roman Civilization
8. Plants 30. Great Disasters 52. Polar Regions
9. Transportation 31 . I nsects 53. 1 00 Great Painters
1 0. 100 Great Events 32. Metals 54. World Wars
1 1 . The Earth 33. Money 55. Mammals
1 2. Communication 34. Mythology 56. Parliaments
13. Indian History 35. The Mughals 57. Reptiles
1 4. Festivals 36. Mountains 58. Great Women
1 5. Wonders of the World 37. Universe 59. Lost Civilizations
1 6. Great Explorers 38. Mysteries 60. Ancient World's Commanders
1 7. 1 00 Great lives 39. Spors 61. Amphibians
18. Weather
40. Diseases 62. Volcanoes
19. International Organizations 41 . Animal Behaviour 63. Countries ofthe World
20. Deserts
42. Water
. Historic Lasts
21. Weapons
43. Wars
65. Evolution
22. Olympics
44. Prehistoric Creatures 66. Books that Shaped the World
AprI?0I? MANORAMA 1ME WHY lSSN0975 04J6
KERENG/2006/18236 Registered Reg. No. KLIKTM656/201012 KLlCRlKTMPP 11 201012
Licensed to post without prepayment
Your chi l d i s growi ng
up i n the mouse age.
Bri ng your
chi l d to the
wonder world
of MAGIC POT
An age in whi ch even pl ay is a del i berate act of
growing up. An age in which the mouse plays
supreme. Yet, there are things which the electroni c
mouse is not capabl e of.
It cannot enjoy a story read al oud for the nth time;
run about, with a j ust-learnt rhyme on the lips;
get excited over a puzzle solved;
splash colours and yell with joy.
Where fantasy merges
with real-time enjoyment
& learning.
And growing up
becomes a
funtime activity.
gl Pal
M. M. Publications ltd" P.B. No. 22,
Kottayam 600,Kerala, India.
Ph: 048-256372J-22-23,Fax: ++91481-2564393.
E-Mail : EditoriaI Division: childrensdivision@mmp.in
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