Portal:India/Did you know 7

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)

Did you know...

 * 1) ...that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board has made rainwater harvesting mandatory to address a critical water shortage?
 * 2) ...that Jatindramohan Tagore, a theatre enthusiast, music and art-lover, and philanthropist, was the first Indian to be a member of the Royal Photographic Society in 1898?
 * 3) ...that Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha, in the city of Hubli, is the only unit in India authorised to manufacture and supply the national flag?
 * 4) ...that the once flourishing Indian port of Saptagram faded out as a result of river silting?
 * 5) ...that the Kannada film Samskara, initially banned by the censor board, won the President's Gold Medal for the Best Indian Film of 1971?
 * 6) ...that the Bagbazar (Bagbazar Ghat pictured) neighbourhood in north Kolkata has long been a citadel of the Bengali aristocracy?
 * 7) ...that 'Syādvāda is a Jainism Doctrine of Postulation which provides the teaching or instruction from which a postulate or axiom is provided to determine the truth of the matter?
 * 8) ...that one of the stories of the Jain teacher Haribhadra relates how he ordered some Buddhist monks to leap into a vat of hot oil for killing his nephew?
 * 9) ...that the motorcycle racing couple of Jagat and Anita Nanjappa once completed a rally in which Anita sat on the bike's petrol tank to reduce the weight on the flat rear tyre?
 * 10) ...that the Sangam poems, an important source of ancient Tamil history, were composed by a total of 473 poets over a period of a few centuries?
 * 11) ...that the title of ‘Raja’ was bestowed on Subodh Chandra Mullick by the people after he donated Rs. 100,000 in 1906 for the National Council of Education which later became Jadavpur University?
 * 12) ...that some rocks at the Kupgal neolithic site, near Bellary, India, produce gong-like musical tones when struck with boulders?
 * 13) ...that Hutti Gold Mines Limited, located in the state of Karnataka, is the only company in India that produces gold by mining and extracting it from its ore?
 * 14) ...that Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, king of Mysore, set up a factory to manufacture Mysore Sandal Soap because World War I prevented any export of sandalwood?
 * 15) ...that the 1758 British construction of Fort William in the heart of populous Gobindapur incited the whole colony to migrate north of Calcutta?
 * 16) ...that Indian youth Meraj Khalid Noor was used for political campaigning in Muslim-dominated areas of Bihar as he resembled Osama bin Laden?
 * 17) ...that the proposed underground car park at the northern end of Lal Dighi will be the biggest in Kolkata and is located in a heritage zone?
 * 18) ...that the period of Colonial Assam began with the Treaty of Yandaboo?
 * 19) ...that the great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Leela Gandhi, is a senior lecturer at La Trobe University in the English program?
 * 20) ...that oleoresin extracted from Byadgi chilli is used in making nail polish and lipstick?
 * 21) ...that the Esplanade in Kolkata, which formed a favourite promenade for "elegant walking parties" in the eighteenth century, now sees some 200,000 to 300,000 vehicles pass through during rush hour?
 * 22) ...that Rani Abbakka, who fought the Portuguese in the 16th century is regarded as the 'first woman freedom fighter of India'?
 * 23) ...that construction of ‘Tagore Castle’ in Pathuriaghata, a Kolkata neighbourhood, was modelled on that of an English castle, a departure in the way of building residences in India?
 * 24) ...that Sarangapani Temple is named after Sarang, the bow of Rama?
 * 25) ...that Bhudev Mukhopadhyay taught at Hindu, Muslim and Christian schools?
 * 26) ...that the government of Korkai, an important industrial center of ancient Tamil country, employed convicts as pearl divers?
 * 27) ...that Kumortuli neighbourhood of Calcutta supplies images of Goddess Durga to Indian communities in about 90 countries?
 * 28) ...that Karnataka is home to the largest concentration of Siddis (a tribe of African descent) in India?
 * 29) ...that Sabarna Roy Choudhury sold to the British, for Rs. 1,300, the land rights of Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur, that ultimately merged to become Calcutta?
 * 30) ...that Shardha Ram Phillauri, a Punjabi, wrote the first Hindi novel?
 * 31) ...that the Dima Halam Daogah and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland broke ties because of competing separatist ideologies?
 * 32) ...that the unimportance and consequent emptiness of Kalikata afforded the British room to settle there and establish Calcutta?
 * 33) ...that the Roman merchants who traded with ancient Tamil country, used the monsoon winds to reduce the travel time between Egypt and India to forty days?
 * 34) ...that through hundreds of his creations Trailokyanath Sanyal developed devotional songs of Brahmo Samaj as an art form?
 * 35) ...that the Narasinganavar family residing in the Indian state of Karnataka is one of the largest undivided families in the world?
 * 36) ...that independent India's first postmark was the Jai Hind Post-mark and was used as a cancellation mark?
 * 37) ...that the Kallanai Dam, built by Karikala Chola to support agriculture in ancient Tamil country, is considered the oldest water-regulation structure still in use?
 * 38) ...that Observatory Hill, Darjeeling, the site of Darjeeling's oldest Buddhist monastery is now home to a Hindu temple?
 * 39) ...that Darjeeling's Rock Garden (pictured) was built to re-attract tourists following the damage to the industry caused by the actions of the Gorkha National Liberation Front?
 * 40) ...that Y. G. Parameshwara was the first blind Indian to qualify as a doctor?
 * 41) ...that Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh was the last king of the ancient city Benares?
 * 42) ...that Hindus in the ancient Tamil country worshipped different deities depending on the landscape of the region they lived in?
 * 43) ...that the Darjeeling Ropeway was stopped on 19 October 2003 after four tourists were killed in an accident?
 * 44) ...that the staff of the mayor of Mirik, West Bengal vowed to spend a month's salary in SMS voting for Indian Idol contestant Prashant Tamang, the first finalist of Nepalese descent?
 * 45) ...that the poet Dinakara Desai is known as Chutuka Brahma (creator of chutukas) because he invented a four-line limerick form of Kannada poetry known as chutuka?
 * 46) ...that the Kannada film Shanti is one of just a few narrative films with only a single actor?
 * 47) ...that the Bangalore Palace in India, which was built to resemble Windsor Castle in England, has hosted music concerts of bands like Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and Deep Purple?
 * 48) ...that women in the Early Pandyan Society dressed their hair differently according to their marital status?
 * 49) ...that although the first meeting of the Indian Independence League took place in Tokyo in March 1942, it was not formally proclaimed until June of that year in Bangkok?
 * 50) ...that the Adivasi Cobra Force was formed after ethnic conflict between Santhal people and Bodo people erupted in 1996?