Portal:India/Did you know 4

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This is a selection of articles on Wikipedia that appeared on the India Portal's Did you know section. (Archives are in sets of approximately 50 items each)

Current Archive: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Did you know...

...that there are significant breeding populations of 35 mammalian species in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India, out of which 15 are threatened mammals according to the IUCN Red List?
...that G. S. Shivarudrappa is only the third person to be named "poet of the nation" by the Government of Karnataka?
...that Kolkata West International City has one of the largest foreign direct investments in township projects in India?
...that the world's tallest statue of Hindu god Lord Shiva (pictured) is located in Murudeshwara, a coastal town in Karnataka, India?
...that the term Rashtrapati, the native word in India to refer the nation's President, was first suggested by the Kannada poet, scholar T. N. Srikantaiah?
...that Hakim Habibur Rahman, a Unani physician, collected all the Arabic, Persian and Urdu books written in Bengal for more than 40 years and published a catalog titled Sulasa Ghusala?
...that 1939's Indramalati, directed by the Assam poet Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, was the second ever Assamese language film?
...that a Vihara is an Indian Buddhist cave monastery that takes its name from the Sanskrit word for "a secluded place in which to walk"?
...that the 1935 film Joymoti, produced and directed by the noted Assam poet Jyotiprasad Agarwala, was the first-ever Assamese language film?
...that Indian copper plate inscriptions play an important role in the reconstruction of India's elusive history?
...that Ashoka's Major Rock Edict was the first and most impressive of Ashoka's edits, and is the only one remaining unaltered in its original location?
...that the pen-name of the Kannada poet, Karnataka Ratna and Jnanpith Award winner Kuvempu, was derived from his full name "Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa", Kuppali being his native place?
...that the Kalka–Shimla Railway track, a narrow-gauge rail track in Himachal Pradesh, has a length of 96 kilometres, passing through 102 tunnels and crossing 864 bridges?
...that unlike other Young Bengal members, Hara Chandra Ghosh refrained from involvement in religion and social reformation?
..that the Halmidi inscription, an Indian inscription, found near the tiny village of Halmidi, in Karnataka, India, is the oldest known inscription in the Kannada language?
...that Chavundaraya, the builder of the Gomateshwara monolith at Shravanabelagola, was an army commander, minister and a famous writer of Kannada and Sanskrit literature?
...that Satyendranath Tagore, the first Indian to join the elite Indian Civil Service, played a pioneering role in freeing women from being imprisoned in their homes?
...that one of the earliest known references to Karnataka, the name of an Indian state, is found in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata?
...that Gnanendramohan Tagore was the first Asian to be called to the bar in England in 1862?
...that the Chappell–Ganguly controversy in Indian cricket resulted in fiery street protests in Ganguly's home town of Calcutta and then raised debate in the Parliament of India?
...that the Siribhoovalaya, a unique work of multi-lingual literature composed by Jain monk Kumudendu Muni, is written entirely using Kannada numerals, without the use of any alphabets?
...that Mayurasharma was the founder of the Kadamba Kingdom of Banavasi, the earliest native Kingdom to rule over what is today modern Karnataka state, India?
...that in 1913, the Indian poet and philosopher Dwijendranath Tagore wrote the book Boxometry about the construction of boxes?
...that the Indian Institute in central Oxford, England was founded by Sir Monier-Williams in 1883 to provide training for the Indian Civil Service?
...that Siba Singha established Sakta Hinduism as the major religion in Assam in the early 18th century?
...that Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the second railway in the world that was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO?
...that Fort William College, set up for the training of British officials, fostered the development of Indian languages?
...that more than 500 varieties of mango are showcased in the International Mango Festival held in Delhi?
...that bridges carrying India's Grand Trunk Road over the Barakar River were washed away in 1913 and 1946?
...that Indian poet Gopalakrishna Adiga is known as the pioneer of Navya literature?
...that despite having won the Cricket World Cup only once (1983), Indian cricket team batsmen hold most Cricket World Cup batting records?
...that Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the Cricket World Cup award of Man of the Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup after he scored a record 673 runs?
...that Indian Test cricketer Murali Kartik was expelled from the first intake of the National Cricket Academy due to indiscipline?
...that Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University publishes the largest number of research papers among agricultural universities in India?
...that the tyranny and the perceived dread of Gobindram Mitter, a British deputy in Calcutta, earned him a place in a Bengali rhyme?
...that one person was killed and another injured when they entered a tiger's cage in Alipore Zoological Gardens, Calcutta, and tried to put a floral garland round his neck?
...that the Mayurakshi River in India wreaks havoc with its floods even after the construction of a dam?
...that the website of the rock magazine Rock Street Journal has a database of over a thousand South Asian rock bands?
...that Dwarkanath Vidyabhusan preferred to close down his weekly newspaper Somprakash rather than sign an undertaking for it?
...that the British Indian Association played a catalytic role in building up Indian political consciousness?
...that Charles Grant of the British East India Company wanted it to promote Christianity as well as trade in India?
...that the Indian football team withdrew from the 1950 FIFA World Cup because FIFA would not allow its team to play barefoot?
...that the lyrics of the debut song of Indian rock musician Rabbi Shergill were written by the 18th century Punjabi poet Bulleh Shah?
...that Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik learnt to play cricket in Kuwait?
...that after the Battle of Palashi in 1757, Nabakrishna Deb organised a Durga Puja where Lord Clive offered thanksgiving?
...that the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment, launched in 1975, was one of the first demonstrations that showed the potential of satellite technology as an effective mass communication media?
...that Brahmo social reformer Dwarkanath Ganguly served a girls' boarding school in Kolkata, India as headmaster, teacher, dietician, guard, and janitor?
...that the three universal Hindu icons are the Aum, the swastika, and the Sri Chakra Yantra?
...that Maratha Emperor Shivaji's mentor Dadoji Konddeo also built the "Lal Mahal" in Pune, the Royal palace before the capital moved to Raigad?
...that while most of India become independent in 1947, parts of Karnataka didn't until the Karnatakan Unification the following year?