3rd Class General Knowledge Our Country India and World / हमारा देश भारत और विश्व Notes - Our Country

Our Country

 

STATES AND CAPITALS

 

There are 29 states and 7 union territories in India.

Following table shows the states with their capitals and famous festivals.

 

S. No.	States	Capital	Festival
1	Andhra Pradesh	Hyderabad	Brahmotsavam
2	Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	Losar
3	Assam	Dispur	Bohag Bihu
4	Bihar	Patna	Chhath puja
5	Goa	Panaji	Carnival
6	Gujarat	Gandhinagar	Janmasthmi
7	Haryana	Chandigarh	Baisakhi
8	Himachal Pradesh	Shimla	Mahashivratri
9	Jammu & Kashmir	Srinagar	Eid-ulifitr
10	Karnataka	Bangaluru	Ugadi
11	Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram	Onam
12	Madh ya Pradesh	Bhopal	Diwali
13	Maharashtra	Mumbai	Ganesh Chaturthi
14	Manipur	Imphal	Yaoshang
15	Meghalaya	Shillong	Nongkrem
16	Mizoram	Aizawl	Chapcharkut
17	Nagaland	Kohima	Hornbill
18	Orissa	Bhubaneswar	Raja praba
19	Punjab	Chandigarh	Lohri
20	Rajasthan	Jaipur	Gangaur
21	Sikkim	Gangtok	Saga Dawa
22	Tamil Nadu	Chennai	Pongal
23	Tripura	Agatala	Kharchipura
24	Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow	Navratri
25	West bengal	Kolkata	Durga puja
26	Chhatisgarh	Raipur	Bastar dussehra
27	Uttarakhand	Dehradun	Ganga Dusshera
28	Jharkhand	Ranchi	Holi
29	Telangana	Hyderabad	Bonalu

 

Do you know?

•         Rakesh Sharma said India looks ?Saare jahan se Achcha? from space. 

 

UNION TERRITORIES

 

1.	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Port Blair
2.	Chandigarh	Chandigarh
3.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli	Silvassa
4.	Daman and Diu	Daman
5.	Lakshwadeep	Kavaratti
6.	National Capital Territory	New Delhi
7.	Puducherry	Pondicherry

 

SOME FAMOUS CLOTHES OF INDIA

 

Assam

There is a range of different ethnic clothes worn in Assam. Most of these are variations of the mekhela, worn by women and dhoti, worn by men. Silks such as Paat, Eri and Golden Muga are used to make sarees and mekhelas.

 

Kolkata

The women of Bengal wear sarees of various materials such as silk, taant cotton, chiffon, etc. White saree with red border is worn during many religious festivals and are made of cotton. The men of Kolkata wear panjabi with Pajama or Dhoti. They are usually made of silk or cotton.

 

Uttar Pradesh

The most common of the traditional clothing of Uttar Pradesh is salwar-kameez worn by the women. They also wear sarees with various embellishments. The men of Uttar Pradesh wear kurta and pajama along with headgear such as topi and pagri. Sherwani sare worn by men during festivals and special occasions.

 

Gujarat

Women in 6ujarat traditionally wear chaniya and choli, wears embellished and embroidered ghagra-choli and lehenga-choli for religious festivals such as Navratri. Dupattas are worn as veils and are called odhni. The men wear churidar pajamas and kurta, paired with vibrant turbans for formal as well as casual occasions.

 

Punjab

Salwar kameez-churidar, are worn by the women of Punjab. Patiala salwar originated from this state. The women of the state also wear ghagra while the men wear kurta pajamas that are churidar in style as well. They also wear headgear such as pagri.

 

Maharashtra

Sarees, paired with Choli, are the ethnic clothing of women in Maharashtra. The men of the state wear dhoti, paired with Pheta. Their headdresses are made of cotton, silk or wool and are called pagadi.

 

Jammu and Kashmir

Women in Jammu and Kashmir wear pherans, which have different variations for Hindu and Muslim women. Hindu women pair these with a headdress called taranga while Muslim women wear abaya. The men wear pherans meant for them with Turbans. The traditional clothing of Jammu and Kashmir is known for bright contrasting colour combinations.

 

Karnataka

The traditional clothing of the women of Karnataka is saree. Karnataka, being the most popular supplier of silk in the country, produces sarees made of Kanchipuram and Kanjivaram silk. The men of the state wear lungi paired with angavastram.

 

Kerala

The most well-known of Keralas ethnic wear is the mundu. Worn mostly by men, the mundu is the states version of a lungi. Sarees are worn by women in this state and are often made of Kanchipuram silk or Banarasi silk and embellished in a similar way.

 

Delhi

Ethnic clothing for women in Delhi mostly consists of salwar kameez in its different variants and fashion style. The men wear pajama with kurta or sherwani. Due to the metropolitan nature of Delhi, ethnic clothing from all parts of the country is seen here.

 

FAMOUS MONUMENTS OF INDIA

 

1. Taj Mahal, Agra  

The Taj Mahal, a beautiful white marble monument located in the city of Agra on the banks of the holy river Yamuna is in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the eight wonders of the world and the jewel of muslim art in India.

 

2. Mysore Palace, Mysore

The Palace of Mysore is the most famous historical monument, located in the city of Mysore in Karnataka and one of the most visited monuments in India.

 

3. Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar  

The Golden Temple also known as 'Harmandir Sahib' is a Sikh gurdwara located in the Amritsar, Punjab. Shri Darbar Sahib is the holiest shrine and most famous pilgrimage place for Sikhs.

 

4. Brihadishwara Temple, Thanjavur  

Brihadishwara Temple also called 'Periya Koyil' or 'Big Temple' is one of the India's largest temple located in the Thanjavur at the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

 

5. Bahai Temple, Delhi

The Lotus Temple of Delhi is called 'Bahai Temple' situated near kalkaji. Lotus Temple is a house of worship for every religion and best place for meditation and peace.

 

6. Hawa mahal, Jaipur

The great monuments of the royal Rajputs of Rajasthan, Hawa Mahal also called "Palace of Winds' is situated in the heart of pink city and the capital of Rajasthan. Jaipur. Hawa Mahal is one of the major tourist attractions of Jaipur as well as in the royal state of Rajasthan.

 

FAMOUS INDIA PERSONALITIES

 

1.            Amitabh Bachchan - One of Bollywood's biggest names and the dominant figure in films from the 1970s and 1980s; still a large force in Indian cinema.\

 

2.            Jawaharlal Nehru - First prime minister of India and the dominant voice in Indian politics from Independence till his death in 1964 and beyond.

 

3.            Manmohan Singh - Prime Minister of India from 2004-2014 with the congress party. Well-known for his role in liberalizing the Indian economy in the 1990s.

 

4.            Mahatma Gandhi - Mahatma Gandhi was the primary leader of India's independence movement and was known as 'Father of the Nation'.

 

5.            Mukesh Ambani - Chairman of Reliance Industries, son of bhirubhai Ambani; The richest man in India.

 

6.            Narendra Modi - Prime Minister of India starting in 2014, former Chief Minister of Gujarat. He comes from the BJP party.

 

7.            Ratan Tata - Chairman emeritus of the Tata Group. He led the Tata Group from 1991-2012.

 

8.            Sachin Tendulkar - The most popular and decorated Indian cricketer ever; known as the Little Master.

 

SOME GREAT WOMAN

1.            Mother Teresa- Mother Teresa, an idol women, born for a cause and died for that cause and the cause was 'serving humanity.

 

2.            Sarojini Naidu- Her ability to sing charmingly fetched her the title 'Nightingale of India. Sarojini worked as an active politician and freedom fighter ever since 1917. She was a woman with multiple talents- a great poet, writer, orator, leader, fighter, activist, liberator, administrator, mother, daughter, friend, but most importantly a true Indian.

 

3.            Rani Lakshmibai- The great heroine of the first war of Indian freedom. Jhansi, of which she was the queen, was in the grip of the cunning, cruel Britishers. She was the embodiment of patriotism, self-respect and heroism. She was the queen of a small state, but the empress of a limitless empire of glory.

 

4.            Indira Gandhi

She dedicated her life to progress in her country despite the overwhelming problems and challenges she encountered. She was a brilliant political strategist and thinker.

 

5.            Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Pandit Vijaya Lakshmi, one of India's most famous women was distinguished for her work in government and for her interest in the women's movement. She served as the first woman president of the United Nations General Assembly.

 

6.            Kiran Bedi

Honoured with the Magsaysay Award, she was the first woman to join the Indian Police Service in 1972

           

NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES

India shares its border with many countries. India's neighbouring countries are:

1.    Pakistan in the north west portion.

2.    China in the north region.

3.    Nepal is just above the central region.

4.    Bhutan in the north east region.

5.    Bangladesh near the eastern side.

6.    Myanmar (Burma) in the far eastern side.

7.    Afghanistan in the northeast region sharing a small boundary with India.

8.    Sri Lanka in the southern region.

           

Do you know?

•           Our national anthem ?Jana Gana Mana? was written by Rabindranath Tagore
•           Rabindranath Tagore also wrote the national anthem for Bangladesh. 

 

NATIONAL SYSBOLS

1.    National Bird - Peacock

2.    National Animal - Tiger

3.    National Anthem - Jana Gana Mana

4.    National Flower - Lotus

5.    National Fruit - Mango

6.    National Song - Vande Mataram

7.    National Flag - Tiranga

8.    National Tree - Banyan tree

9.    National Emblem - The Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath

10.  National River - Ganga

11.  National Heritage Animal - Elephant