Raghav Sachar

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Biography

India (), officially the Republic of India ( ), is a country in South Asia . It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area|seventh-largest country by geographical area, the List of countries by population|second-most populous country with Demographics of India|over 1.2 billion people , and the most populous Democracy|democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China , Nepal , and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives ; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia .

Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions— Hinduism in India|Hinduism , History of Buddhism in India|Buddhism , Statistics of Jainism|Jainism , and Sikhism in India|Sikhism —originated here, whereas Parsi|Zoroastrianism , Christianity in India|Christianity , and Islam in India|Islam arrived in the 1st millennium Common Era|CE and also helped shape the region's Indian culture|diverse culture . Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the Company rule in India|British East India Company from the early 18th century and British Raj|administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a Indian independence movement|struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi .

The Economy of India|Indian economy is the world's eleventh-largest by List of countries by GDP (nominal)|nominal GDP and third-largest by List of countries by GDP (PPP)|purchasing power parity (PPP). Following Economic liberalisation in India|market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the List of countries by real GDP growth rate (latest year)|fastest-growing major economies ; it is considered a newly industrialized country|newly industrialised country . However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty in India|poverty , Literacy in India|illiteracy , Corruption in India|corruption , and Healthcare in India|inadequate public healthcare . A nuclear weapons state and a regional power , it has the List of countries by number of troops|third-largest standing army in the world and ranks List of countries by military expenditures|ninth in military expenditure among nations. India is a Federalism|federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of States and territories of India|28 states and 7 union territories . India is a pluralistic, Languages of India|multilingual , and Culture of India|multiethnic society . It is also home to a diversity of Wildlife of India|wildlife in a variety of Protected areas of India|protected habitats .

Etymology

The name India is derived from Indus , which originates from the Old Persian language|Old Persian word Hindu . The latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu , which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River . The Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi (??d??), which translates as "the people of the Indus". The geographical term Bharat (), which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by Names of the Republic of India in its official languages|many Indian languages in various subtle guises. The eponym of Bharat is Bharata (emperor)|Bharata , a mythological figure that Hindu scriptures describe as a legendary emperor of ancient India. Hindustan () was originally a Persian language|Persian word that meant "Land of the Hindus"; prior to 1947, it referred to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan. It is occasionally used to solely denote India in its entirety.

History

Ancient India

The earliest Anatomically modern humans|anatomically modern human remains found in South Asia date from approximately 30,000 years ago. Nearly contemporaneous Mesolithic rock art sites have been found in many parts of the Indian subcontinent, including at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh . Around 7000 BCE, the first known Neolithic settlements appeared on the subcontinent in Mehrgarh and other sites in western Pakistan. These gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilization|Indus Valley Civilisation , the first urban culture in South Asia; it flourished during 2500–1900& nbsp;BCE in Pakistan and western India. Centred around cities such as Mohenjo-daro , Harappa , Dholavira , and Kalibangan , and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilisation engaged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade.

During the period 2000–500 BCE, in terms of culture, many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age . The Vedas , the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed during this period, and historians have analysed these to posit a Vedic period|Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upper Indo-Gangetic Plain|Gangetic Plain . Most historians also consider this period to have encompassed several waves of Indo-Aryan migration into the subcontinent from the north-west. The caste system , which created a hierarchy of priests, warriors, and free peasants, but which excluded indigenous peoples by labeling their occupations impure, arose during this period. On the Deccan Plateau , archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation. In southern India, a progression to sedentary life is indicated by the large number of megalith ic monuments dating from this period, as well as by nearby traces of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and craft traditions.
In the late Vedic period , around the 5th century BCE, the small chiefdoms of the Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as the mahajanapada s . The emerging urbanisation and the orthodoxies of this age also created the religious reform movements of Buddhism and Jainism , both of which became independent religions. Buddhism, based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha attracted followers from all social classes excepting the middle; Jainism came into prominence around the same time during the life of its exemplar, Mahavira . In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up Nekkhamma|renunciation as an ideal, and both established long-lasting monasteries. Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the kingdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states to emerge as the Maurya Empire|Mauryan Empire . The empire was once thought to have controlled most of the subcontinent excepting the far south, but its core regions are now thought to have been separated by large autonomous areas. The Mauryan kings are known as much for their empire-building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka 's renunciation of militarism and far-flung advocacy of the Buddhist Dharma (Buddhism)|dhamma .
The Sangam literature of the Tamil language reveals that, between 200 BCE and 200 CE, the southern peninsula was being ruled by the Chera Dynasty|Cheras , the Chola dynasty|Cholas , and the Pandyan Dynasty|Pandyas , dynasties that traded extensively with the Roman Empire and with Western Asia|West and Southeast Asia|South-East Asia . In North India, Hinduism asserted patriarchal control within the family, leading to increased subordination of women. By the 4th and 5th centuries, the Gupta Empire had created in the greater Ganges Plain a complex system of administration and taxation that became a model for later Indian kingdoms. Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism based on devotion rather than the management of ritual began to assert itself. The renewal was reflected in a flowering of Sculpture in the Indian subcontinent|sculpture and Architecture of India|architecture , which found patrons among an urban elite. Sanskrit literature#Classical Sanskrit literature|Classical Sanskrit literature flowered as well, and History of science and technology in the Indian subcontinent|Indian science , Indian astronomy|astronomy , Ayurveda|medicine , and Indian mathematics|mathematics made significant advances.

Medieval India

The Indian early medieval age, 600 CE to 1200 CE, is defined by regional kingdoms and cultural diversity. When Harsha of Kannauj , who ruled much of the Indo-Gangetic Plain from 606 to 647 CE, attempted to expand southwards, he was defeated by the Chalukya dynasty|Chalukya ruler of the Deccan. When his successor attempted to expand eastwards, he was defeated by the Pala Empire|Pala king of Bengal . When the Chalukyas attempted to expand southwards, they were defeated by the Pallava s from farther south, who in turn were opposed by the Pandyan Dynasty|Pandyas and the Chola dynasty|Cholas from still farther south. No ruler of this period was able to create an empire and consistently control lands much beyond his core region. During this time, pastoral peoples whose land had been cleared to make way for the growing agricultural economy were accommodated within caste society, as were new non-traditional ruling classes. The caste system consequently began to show regional differences.
In the 6th and 7th centuries, the first Bhakti|devotional hymns were created in the Tamil language . They were imitated all over India and led to both the resurgence of Hinduism and the development of all Languages of India|modern languages of the subcontinent . Indian royalty, Maharaja|big and Samanta|small , and the temples they patronised, drew citizens in great numbers to the capital cities, which became economic hubs as well. Temple towns of various sizes began to appear everywhere as India underwent another urbanisation. By the 8th and 9th centuries, the effects were felt in South-East Asia, as South Indian culture and political systems were exported to lands that became part of modern-day Thailand , Laos , Cambodia , Vietnam , Malaysia , and Java . Indian merchants, scholars, and sometimes armies were involved in this transmission; South-East Asians took the initiative as well, with many sojourning in Indian seminaries and translating Buddhist and Hindu texts into their languages.
After the 10th century, Muslim Central Asian nomadic clans, using courser (horse)|swift-horse cavalry and raising vast armies united by ethnicity and religion, repeatedly overran South Asia's north-western plains, leading eventually to the establishment of the Islamic Delhi Sultanate in 1206. The sultanate was to control much of North India, and to make many forays into South India. Although at first disruptive for the Indian elites, the sultanate largely left its vast non-Muslim subject population to its own laws and customs. By repeatedly repulsing Mongol Empire|Mongol raiders in the 13th century, the sultanate saved India from the devastation visited on West and Central Asia, setting the scene for centuries of migration of fleeing soldiers, learned men, mystics, traders, artists, and artisans from that region into the subcontinent, thereby creating a syncretic Indo-Islamic culture in the north. The sultanate's raiding and weakening of the regional kingdoms of South India paved the way for the indigenous Vijayanagara Empire . Embracing a strong Shaivism|Shaivite tradition and building upon the military technology of the sultanate, the empire came to control much of peninsular India, and was to influence South Indian society for long afterwards.

Early modern India

In the early 16th century, northern India, being then under mainly Muslim rulers, fell again to the superior mobility and firepower of a new generation of Central Asian warriors. The resulting Mughal Empire did not stamp out the local societies it came to rule, but rather balanced and pacified them through new administrative practices and diverse and inclusive ruling elites, leading to more systematic, centralised, and uniform rule. Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic identity, especially under Akbar , the Mughals united their far-flung realms through loyalty, expressed through a Persianised culture, to an emperor who had near-divine status. The Mughal state's economic policies, deriving most revenues from agriculture and mandating that taxes be paid in the well-regulated silver currency, caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets. The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of the 17th century was a factor in India's economic expansion, resulting in greater patronage of Mughal painting|painting , literary forms, textiles, and Mughal architecture|architecture . Newly coherent social groups in northern and western India, such as the Maratha Empire|Marathas , the Rajputs , and the Sikh empire|Sikhs , gained military and governing ambitions during Mughal rule, which, through collaboration or adversity, gave them both recognition and military experience. Expanding commerce during Mughal rule gave rise to new Indian commercial and political elites along the coasts of southern and eastern India. As the empire disintegrated, many among these elites were able to seek and control their own affairs.
By the early 18th century, with the lines between commercial and political dominance being increasingly blurred, a number of European trading companies, including the English East India Company , had established coastal outposts. The East India Company's control of the seas, greater resources, and more advanced military training and technology led it to increasingly flex its military muscle and caused it to become attractive to a portion of the Indian elite; both these factors were crucial in allowing the Company to gain control over the Bengal region by 1765 and sideline the other European companies. Its further access to the riches of Bengal and the subsequent increased strength and size of its army enabled it to annex or subdue most of India by the 1820s. India was now no longer exporting manufactured goods as it long had, but was instead supplying the British empire with raw materials, and many historians consider this to be the onset of India's colonial period. By this time, with its economic power severely curtailed by the British parliament and itself effectively made an arm of British administration, the Company began to more consciously enter non-economic arenas such as education, social reform, and culture.

Modern India

Historians consider India's modern age to have begun sometime between 1848 and 1885. The appointment in 1848 of Lord Dalhousie as Governor General of the Company rule in India|East India Company rule in India set the stage for changes essential to a modern state. These included the consolidation and demarcation of sovereignty, the surveillance of the population, and the English Education Act 1835|education of citizens. Technological changes—among them, railways, canals, and the telegraph—were introduced not long after their introduction in Europe. However, disaffection with the Company also grew during this time, and set off the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . Fed by diverse resentments and perceptions, including invasive British-style social reforms, harsh land taxes, and summary treatment of some rich landowners and princes, the rebellion rocked many regions of northern and central India and shook the foundations of Company rule. Although the rebellion was suppressed by 1858, it led to the dissolution of the East India Company and to the British Raj|direct administration of India by the British government. Proclaiming a unitary state and a gradual but limited British-style parliamentary system, the new rulers also protected princes and landed gentry as a feudal safeguard against future unrest. In the decades following, public life gradually emerged all over India, leading eventually to the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885.

The rush of technology and the commercialisation of agriculture in the second half of the 19th century was marked by economic setbacks—many small farmers became dependent on the whims of far-away markets. There was an increase in the number of large-scale Famine in India|famines , and, despite the risks of infrastructure development borne by Indian taxpayers, little industrial employment was generated for Indians. There were also salutary effects: commercial cropping, especially in the newly canalled Punjab, led to increased food production for internal consumption. The railway network provided critical famine relief, notably reduced the cost of moving goods, and helped nascent Indian-owned industry. After World War I, in which Indian Army during World War I|some one million Indians served , a new period began. It was marked by British reforms but also repressive legislation, by more strident Indian calls for self-rule, and by the beginnings of a non-violent movement of non-cooperation, of which Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi would become the leader and enduring symbol. During the 1930s, slow legislative reform was enacted by the British; the Indian National Congress won victories in the resulting elections. The next decade was beset with crises: India in World War II|Indian participation in World War II , the Congress's final push for non-cooperation, and an upsurge of Muslim nationalism. All were capped by the advent of independence in 1947, but tempered by the Partition of India|bloody partition of the subcontinent into two states: India and Pakistan.
Vital to India's self-image as an independent nation was its constitution, completed in 1950, which put in place a sovereign, secular, and democratic republic. In the 60 years since, India has had a mixed bag of successes and failures. It has remained a democracy with civil liberties, an activist Supreme Court, and a largely independent press. Economic liberalisation, which was begun in the 1990s, has created a large urban middle class, transformed India into List of countries by GDP (real) growth rate|one of the world's fastest-growing economies , and increased its geopolitical clout. Indian movies, music, and spiritual teachings play an increasing role in global culture. Yet, India has also been weighed down by seemingly unyielding poverty, both rural and urban; by Religious violence in India|religious and Caste-related violence in India|caste-related violence ; by Naxalite|Maoist-inspired Naxalite insurgencies ; and by Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir|separatism in Jammu and Kashmir . It has unresolved territorial disputes with China, which escalated into the Sino-Indian War of 1962; and with Pakistan, which flared into wars fought in Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|1947 , Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|1965 , Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 , and Kargil War|1999 . The India–Pakistan nuclear rivalry came to a head in 1998. India's sustained democratic freedoms are unique among the world's new nations; however, in spite of its recent economic successes, freedom from want for its disadvantaged population remains a goal yet to be achieved.

Geography

India comprises the bulk of the Indian subcontinent and lies atop the minor Indian Plate|Indian tectonic plate , which in turn belongs to the Indo-Australian Plate . India's defining geological processes commenced 75 million years ago when the Indian subcontinent, then part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana , began a north-eastward Plate tectonics|drift across the then-unformed Indian Ocean that lasted fifty million years. The subcontinent's subsequent collision with, and subduction under, the Eurasian Plate bore aloft the planet's highest mountains, the Himalayas . They abut India in the North India|north and the Northeast India|north-east . In the former seabed immediately south of the emerging Himalayas, plate movement created a vast trough (geology)|trough that has gradually filled with river-borne sediment; it now forms the Indo-Gangetic Plain . To the west lies the Thar Desert , which is cut off by the Aravalli Range .
The original Indian plate survives as peninsular India, which is the oldest and geologically most stable part of India; it extends as far north as the Satpura Range|Satpura and Vindhya Range|Vindhya ranges in central India. These parallel chains run from the Arabian Sea coast in Gujarat in the west to the coal-rich Chota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand in the east. To the south, the remaining peninsular landmass, the Deccan Plateau , is flanked on the west and east by coastal ranges known as the Western Ghats|Western and Eastern Ghats ; the plateau contains the nation's oldest rock formations, some of them over one billion years old. Constituted in such fashion, India lies to the north of the equator between 6° 44' and 35° 30' north latitude and 68° 7' and 97° 25' east longitude.

India's coastline measures in length; of this distance, belong to peninsular India and to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep island chains. According to the Indian naval hydrographic charts, the mainland coastline consists of the following: 43% sandy beaches; 11% rocky shores, including cliffs; and 46% mudflat s or marshy shores.
Major Himalayan-origin rivers that substantially flow through India include the Ganges and the Brahmaputra River|Brahmaputra , both of which drain into the Bay of Bengal . Important tributaries of the Ganges include the Yamuna and the Kosi River|Kosi ; the latter's extremely low gradient often leads to severe floods and course changes. Major peninsular rivers, whose steeper gradients prevent their waters from flooding, include the Godavari River|Godavari , the Mahanadi River|Mahanadi , the Kaveri River|Kaveri , and the Krishna River|Krishna , which also drain into the Bay of Bengal; and the Narmada River|Narmada and the Tapti River|Tapti , which drain into the Arabian Sea . Coastal features include the marshy Rann of Kutch of western India and the alluvial Sundarbans delta of eastern India; the latter is shared with Bangladesh. India has two archipelagos: the Lakshadweep , coral atolls off India's south-western coast; and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands , a volcanic chain in the Andaman Sea .
The Climate of India|Indian climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, both of which drive the economically and culturally pivotal summer and winter monsoon s. The Himalayas prevent cold Central Asian katabatic wind s from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes. The Thar Desert plays a crucial role in attracting the moisture-laden south-west summer monsoon winds that, between June and October, provide the majority of India's rainfall. Four major climatic groupings predominate in India: Climate of India#Tropical wet|tropical wet , Climate of India#Tropical dry|tropical dry , Climate of India#Subtropical humid|subtropical humid , and Climate of India#Montane|montane .

Biodiversity

India lies within the Indomalaya ecozone and contains three biodiversity hotspot s. One of 17 megadiverse countries , it hosts 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of all avian, 6.2% of all reptilian, 4.4% of all amphibian, 11.7% of all piscine, and 6.0% of all flowering plant species. Endemism is high among plants, 33%, and among List of ecoregions in India|ecoregions such as the shola South Western Ghats montane rain forests|forests . Habitat ranges from the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical rainforest of the Andaman Islands , Western Ghats , and Northeast India|North-East India to the temperate coniferous forest|coniferous forest of the Himalaya. Between these extremes lie the moist deciduous Shorea robusta|sal forest of eastern India; the dry deciduous teak forest of central and southern India; and the Acacia nilotica|babul -dominated deserts and xeric shrublands|thorn forest of the central Deccan and western Gangetic plain. Under 12% of India's landmass bears thick jungle. The medicinal neem , widely used in rural Indian herbal remedies, is a key Indian tree. The luxuriant sacred fig|pipal fig tree, shown on the seals of Mohenjo-daro , shaded Gautama Buddha as he sought enlightenment.

Many Indian species descend from taxon|taxa originating in Gondwana, from which the Indian plate separated more than 105 million years Before Present|before present . Indian Plate|Peninsular India's subsequent plate tectonics|movement towards and collision with the Laurasia n landmass set off a mass exchange of species. Deccan Traps|Epochal volcanism and climatic changes 20 million years ago forced a mass extinction. Mammals then entered India from Asia through two Zoogeography|zoogeographical passes flanking the rising Himalaya. Thus, while 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians are endemic, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are. Among them are the Nilgiri Langur|Nilgiri leaf monkey and Bufo beddomii|Beddome's toad of the Western Ghats. India contains 172 World Conservation Union|IUCN -designated List of endangered species in India|threatened species , or 2.9% of endangered forms. These include the Asiatic Lion|Asiatic lion , the Bengal tiger , and the Indian White-rumped Vulture|Indian white-rumped vulture , which, by ingesting the carrion of diclofenac -laced cattle, nearly went extinct.

The pervasive and ecologically devastating human encroachment of recent decades has critically endangered Indian wildlife. In response the system of National parks of India|national parks and protected areas of India|protected areas , first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972|Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial wilderness; the Forest Conservation Act was enacted in 1980 and amendments added in 1988. India hosts Wildlife sanctuaries of India|more than five hundred wildlife sanctuaries and Biosphere reserves of India|thirteen biosphere reserves , four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves ; List of Ramsar Sites in India|twenty-five wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention .

Politics

India is the world's most populous democracy. A parliamentary republic with a multi-party system , it has six Election Commission of India|recognised List of recognised political parties in India#National|national parties , including the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and more than 40 List of recognised political parties in India#State|regional parties . The Congress is considered centre-left or "liberal" in Indian political culture , and the BJP centre-right or "conservative". For most of the period between 1950—when India first became a republic—and the late 1980s, the Congress held a majority in the parliament. Since then, however, it has increasingly shared the political stage with the BJP, as well as with powerful regional parties which have often forced the creation of multi-party coalition government|coalitions at the centre.
In the Republic of India's first three general elections, in 1951, 1957, and 1962, the Jawaharlal Nehru -led Congress won easy victories. On Nehru's death in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri briefly became prime minister; he was succeeded, after his own unexpected death in 1966, by Indira Gandhi , who went on to lead the Congress to election victories in 1967 and 1971. Following public discontent with the The Emergency (India)|state of emergency she declared in 1975, the Congress was voted out of power in 1977; the then-new Janata Party , which had opposed the emergency, was voted in. Its government lasted just over three years. Voted back into power in 1980, the Congress saw a change in leadership in 1984, when Indira Gandhi was assassinated; she was succeeded by her son Rajiv Gandhi , who won an easy victory in the general elections later that year. The Congress was voted out again in 1989 when a National Front (India)|National Front coalition, led by the newly formed Janata Dal in alliance with the Left Front , won the elections; that government too proved relatively short-lived: it lasted just under two years. Elections were held again in 1991; no party won an absolute majority. But the Congress, as the largest single party, was able to form a minority government led by P. V. Narasimha Rao .
A two-year period of political turmoil followed the general election of 1996. Several short-lived alliances shared power at the centre. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996; it was followed by two comparatively long-lasting United Front (India)|United Front coalitions, which depended on external support. In 1998, the BJP was able to form a successful coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance , or NDA. Led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee , the NDA became the first non-Congress government to complete a five-year term. In the Indian general election, 2004|2004 Indian general elections , again no party won an absolute majority, but the Congress emerged as the largest single party, forming another successful coalition: the United Progressive Alliance , or UPA. It had the support of left-leaning parties and MPs who opposed the BJP. The UPA returned to power in the Indian general election, 2009|2009 general election with increased numbers, and it no longer required external support from Socialism in India|India's communist parties . That year, Manmohan Singh became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in Indian general election, 1957|1957 and Indian general election, 1962|1962 to be re-elected to a consecutive five-year term.

Government

India is a federation with a parliamentary system governed under the Constitution of India , which serves as the country's supreme legal document. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy , in which " majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by Law of India|law ". Federalism#India|Federalism in India defines the power distribution between the federal government and the States and territories of India|states . The government abides by constitutional separation of powers|checks and balances . The Constitution of India, which came into effect on 26 January 1950, states in its preamble to the Constitution of India|preamble that India is a sovereignty|sovereign , socialism|socialist , secularism|secular , liberal democracy|democratic republic . India's form of government, traditionally described as "quasi-federal" with a strong centre and weak states, has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic, and social changes.

The federal government comprises three branches:

Executive (government)|Executive : The President of India is the head of state and is elected indirectly by a national electoral college for a five-year term. The Prime Minister of India is the head of government and exercises most executive (government)|executive power . Appointed by the president, the prime minister is by convention supported by the political party|party or political alliance holding the majority of seats in the lower house of parliament. The executive branch of the Indian government consists of the president, the vice-president, and the Council of Ministers of Republic of India|Council of Ministers —the Cabinet (government)|cabinet being its executive committee—headed by the prime minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of one of the houses of parliament. In the Indian parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature; the prime minister and his council directly responsible to the lower house of the parliament.

Legislature|Legislative : The legislature of India is the bicameralism|bicameral Parliament of India|parliament . It operates under a Westminster system|Westminster-style parliamentary system and comprises the upper house called the Rajya Sabha ("Council of States") and the lower called the Lok Sabha ("House of the People"). The Rajya Sabha is a permanent body that has 245 members who serve in staggered six-year terms. Most are elected indirectly by the States and territories of India|state and territorial legislatures in numbers proportional to their state's share of the national population. All but two of the Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote; they represent individual constituency|constituencies via five-year terms. The remaining two members are nominated by the president from among the Anglo-Indian community, in case the president decides that they are not adequately represented.

Judiciary|Judicial : India has a unitary three-tier judiciary that comprises the Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court , headed by the Chief Justice of India , 21 High Courts of India|High Courts , and a large number of trial courts. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving Fundamental Rights in India|fundamental rights and over disputes between states and the centre; it has appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts. It is Judicial independence|judicially independent and has the power both to declare the law and to strike down union or state laws which contravene the constitution. The Supreme Court is also the ultimate interpreter of the constitution.

Subdivisions

India is a federation composed of 28 states and 7 Union Territory|union territories . All states, as well as the union territories of Pondicherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi , have elected legislatures and governments, both patterned on the Westminster model. The remaining five union territories are directly ruled by the centre through appointed administrators. In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act , states were reorganised on a linguistic basis. Since then, their structure has remained largely unchanged. Each state or union territory is further divided into administrative Districts of India|districts . The districts in turn are further divided into tehsil s and ultimately into villages.

States

# Andhra Pradesh # Arunachal Pradesh # Assam # Bihar # Chhattisgarh # Goa # Gujarat

Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh

Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Orissa
Punjab (Indian state)|Punjab

Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal

Union territories

Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Chandigarh
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Daman and Diu
Lakshadweep
Delhi|National Capital Territory of Delhi
Pondicherry

Foreign relations and military

Since its independence in 1947, India has maintained cordial relations with most nations. In the 1950s, it strongly supported decolonisation in Africa and Asia and India and the Non-Aligned Movement|played a lead role in the Non-Aligned Movement . In the late 1980s, the Indian military twice intervened abroad at the invitation of neighbouring countries: a Indian Peace Keeping Force|peace-keeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990; and an armed intervention to prevent a 1988 Maldives coup d'état|coup d'état attempt in Maldives. India has Indo-Pakistani relations|tense relations with neighbouring Pakistan; the two nations Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts|have gone to war four times : in Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|1947 , Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|1965 , Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 , and Kargil War|1999 . Three of these wars were fought over the Kashmir conflict|disputed territory of Kashmir , while the fourth, the 1971 war, followed from India's support for the Bangladesh Liberation War|independence of Bangladesh . After waging the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the 1965 war with Pakistan, India pursued close military and economic India-Soviet Union relations)|ties with the Soviet Union ; by the late 1960s, the Soviet Union was its largest arms supplier.
Aside from ongoing strategic India–Russia relations|relations with Russia , India has wide-ranging India–Israel relations|defence relations with Israel and France–India relations|France . In recent years, it has played key roles in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the World Trade Organization|World Trade Organisation . The nation has provided 100,000 Indian Armed Forces|military and Law enforcement in India|police personnel to serve in 35 UN peacekeeping operations across four continents. It participates in the East Asia Summit , the G8+5 , and other multilateral forums. India has close economic ties with South America, Asia, and Africa; it pursues a Look East policy|"Look East" policy that seeks to strengthen partnerships with the ASEAN nations, India–Japan relations|Japan , and India–South Korea relations|South Korea that revolve around many issues, but especially those involving economic investment and regional security.

China's 596 (nuclear test)|nuclear test of 1964 , as well as its repeated threats to intervene in support of Pakistan in the 1965 war, convinced India to develop nuclear weapons. India conducted its Smiling Buddha|first nuclear weapons test in 1974 and carried out Pokhran-II|further underground testing in 1998. Despite criticism and military sanctions, India has signed neither the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty nor the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , considering both to be flawed and discriminatory. India maintains a " no first use " nuclear policy and is developing a nuclear triad capability as a part of its " Minimum Credible Deterrence|minimum credible deterrence " doctrine. It is developing a Indian Ballistic Missile Defense Program|ballistic missile defence shield and, in collaboration with Russia, a Sukhoi/HAL FGFA|fifth-generation fighter jet . Other indigenous military projects involve the design and implementation of Vikrant class aircraft carrier| Vikrant -class aircraft carriers and Arihant class submarine| Arihant -class nuclear submarines .
Since the end of the Cold War , India has increased its economic, strategic, and military cooperation with the India–United States relations|United States and the India–European Union relations|European Union . In 2008, a U.S.–India Civil Nuclear Agreement|civilian nuclear agreement was signed between India and the United States. Although India possessed nuclear weapons at the time and was not party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , it received waivers from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group , ending earlier restrictions on India's nuclear technology and commerce. As a consequence, India became the sixth de facto nuclear weapons state. India subsequently signed cooperation agreements involving Nuclear power in India|civilian nuclear energy with Russia, France, the India–United Kingdom relations|United Kingdom , and Canada–India relations|Canada .
The President of India is the supreme commander of the nation's armed forces; with 1.6 million active troops, they compose the List of countries by number of troops|world's third-largest military . It comprises the Indian Army , the Indian Navy , and the Indian Air Force ; auxiliary organisations include the Strategic Forces Command and three Paramilitary forces of India|paramilitary groups : the Assam Rifles , the Special Frontier Force , and the Indian Coast Guard . The official Indian List of countries by military expenditures|defence budget for 2011 was US$36.03 billion, or 1.83% of GDP. For the fiscal year spanning 2012–2013, US$40.44 billion was budgeted. According to a 2008 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute|SIPRI report, India's annual military expenditure in terms of purchasing power stood at US$72.7 billion, In 2011, the annual defence budget increased by 11.6%, although this does not include funds that reach the military through other branches of government. As of 2012, India is the world's largest arms importer; between 2007 and 2011, it accounted for 10% of funds spent on international arms purchases. Much of the military expenditure was focused on defence against Pakistan and countering growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean.

Economy

According to the International Monetary Fund, as of 2011, the Indian economy is nominally worth US$1.676 trillion; it is the tenth-largest economy by market exchange rates, and is, at US$4.457 trillion, the third-largest by purchasing power parity , or PPP. With its average annual GDP growth rate of 5.8% over the past two decades, and reaching 6.1% during 2011-12, India is one of the List of countries by real GDP growth rate (latest year)|world's fastest-growing economies . However, the country ranks 140th in the world in List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|nominal GDP per capita and 129th in List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP per capita at PPP . Until 1991, all Indian governments followed protectionism|protectionist policies that were influenced by socialist economics. Widespread Licence Raj|state intervention and regulation largely walled the economy off from the outside world. An acute 1991 India economic crisis|balance of payments crisis in 1991 forced the nation to Economic liberalisation in India|liberalise its economy ; since then it has slowly moved towards a free-market system by emphasizing both foreign trade and direct investment inflows. India's recent economic model is largely capitalist.
The 487.6-million worker Labour in India|Indian labour force is the List of countries by labour force|world's second-largest . The service sector makes up 55.6% of GDP, the industrial sector 26.3% and the Agriculture in India|agricultural sector 18.1%. Major agricultural products include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, and potatoes. Major industries include textiles, telecommunications, chemicals, food processing, steel, transport equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, and software. In 2006, the share of external trade in India's GDP stood at 24%, up from 6% in 1985. In 2008, India's share of world trade was 1.68%; In 2011, India was the world's List of countries by imports|tenth-largest importer and the List of countries by exports|nineteenth-largest exporter . Major exports include petroleum products, textile goods, jewelry, software, engineering goods, chemicals, and leather manufactures. Major imports include crude oil, machinery, gems, fertiliser, and chemicals. Between 2001 and 2011, the contribution of petrochemical and engineering goods to total exports grew from 14% to 42%.

Averaging an economic growth rate of 7.5% during the last few years, India has more than doubled its hourly wage rates during the last decade. Some 431 million Indians have left poverty since 1985; India's middle classes are projected to number around 580 million by 2030. Though ranking 51st in Global Competitiveness Report|global competitiveness , India ranks 17th in financial market sophistication, 24th in the banking sector, 44th in business sophistication, and 39th in innovation, ahead of several advanced economies. With 7 of the world's top 15 information technology outsourcing companies based in India, the country is viewed as the second-most favourable outsourcing destination after the United States. India's consumer market, currently the world's List of largest consumer markets|eleventh-largest , is expected to become fifth-largest by 2030. Its Communications in India|telecommunication industry , the world's fastest-growing, added 227 million subscribers during the period 2010–11. Its Automotive industry in India|automotive industry , the world's second fastest growing, increased domestic sales by 26% during 2009–10, and exports by 36% during 2008–09. Power capacity is 250 gigawatts, of which 8% is Renewable energy in India|renewable .
Despite impressive economic growth during recent decades, India continues to face socio-economic challenges. India contains the poverty in India|largest concentration of people living below the World Bank's international poverty line of US$1.25 per day, the proportion having decreased from 60% in 1981 to 42% in 2005. Half of the children in India are underweight, and 46% of children under the age of three suffer from Malnutrition in India|malnutrition . The Mid-Day Meal Scheme attempts to lower these rates. Since 1991, List of Indian states by GDP|economic inequality between India's states has consistently grown: the per-capita Net domestic product|net state domestic product of the richest states in 2007 was 3.2 times that of the poorest. Corruption in India is perceived to have increased significantly, with one report estimating the illegal capital flows since independence to be US$462 billion. Driven by growth, India's nominal GDP per capita has steadily increased from US$329 in 1991, when economic liberalisation began, to US$1,265 in 2010, and is estimated to increase to US$2,110 by 2016; however, it has always remained lower than those of other Asian developing countries such as Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and is expected to remain so in the near future.
According to a 2011 PricewaterhouseCoopers report, India's GDP at purchasing power parity could overtake that of the United States by 2045. During the next four decades, Indian GDP is expected to grow at an annualised average of 8%, making it potentially the world's fastest-growing major economy until 2050. The report highlights key growth factors: a young and rapidly growing working-age population; growth in the manufacturing sector due to rising education and engineering skill levels; and sustained growth of the consumer market driven by a rapidly growing middle class. The World Bank cautions that, for India to achieve its economic potential, it must continue to focus on public sector reform, Transport in India|transport infrastructure , agricultural and rural development, removal of labour regulations, Education in India|education , Energy policy of India|energy security , and Healthcare in India|public health and nutrition.

Demographics

With 1,210,193,422 residents reported in the 2011 provisional census, India is the world's second-most populous country. Its population grew at 1.76% per annum during 2001–2011, down from 2.13% per annum in the previous decade (1991–2001). The human sex ratio, according to the 2011 census, is 940 females per 1,000 males. The median age was 24.9 in the 2001 census. Medical advances made in the last 50 years as well as increased agricultural productivity brought about by the " Green Revolution in India|Green Revolution " have caused India's population to grow rapidly. India continues to face several public health-related challenges. According to the World Health Organisation, 900,000 Indians die each year from pollution in India|drinking contaminated water or breathing polluted air . There are around 50 physicians per 100,000 Indians. The number of Indians living in urban areas has grown by 31.2% between 1991 and 2001. Yet, in 2001, over 70% lived in rural areas. According to the 2001 census, there are 27 List of most populous cities in India|million-plus cities in India , with Mumbai, Delhi , Kolkata , and Chennai being the List of most populous metropolitan areas in India|largest . The literacy rate in 2011 was 74.04%: 65.46% among females and 82.14% among males. Kerala is the most literate state; Bihar the least.

India is home to Languages of India|two major language families : Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian languages|Dravidian (24%). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic languages|Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman languages|Tibeto-Burman language families. India has no national language. Hindi, with the largest number of speakers, is the official language of the government. English is used extensively in business and administration and has the status of a "subsidiary official language"; it is important in Education in India|education , especially as a medium of higher education. Each state and union territory has one or more official languages, and the constitution recognises in particular 21 "scheduled languages". The Constitution of India recognises 212 Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes|scheduled Adivasi|tribal groups which together constitute about 7.5% of the country's population. The 2001 census reported that Hinduism in India|Hinduism , with over 800 million adherents (80.5% of the population), was the largest religion in India ; it is followed by Islam in India|Islam (13.4%), Christianity in India|Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism in India|Sikhism (1.9%), History of Buddhism in India|Buddhism (0.8%), Statistics of Jainism|Jainism (0.4%), History of the Jews in India|Judaism , Parsi|Zoroastrianism , and the Bahá'í Faith in India|Bahá'í Faith . India has the world's largest Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Zoroastrian, and Bahá'í populations, and has the List of countries by Muslim population#List|third-largest Muslim population and the largest Muslim population for a non- List of Muslim-majority countries|Muslim majority country .

Culture

Indian cultural history spans more than 4,500 years. During the Vedic period (c. 1700–500 BCE), the foundations of Hindu philosophy , Hindu mythology|mythology , and Hindu texts|literature were laid, and many beliefs and practices which still exist today, such as Dharma|dhárma , Karma|kárma , yoga|yóga , and moksha|mok?a , were established. India is notable for its Indian religions|religious diversity , with Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, and Jainism among the nation's major religions. The predominant religion, Hinduism, has been shaped by various historical schools of thought, including those of the Upanishads , the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali|Yoga Sutras , the Bhakti| Bhakti movement , and by Buddhist philosophy .

Art and architecture

Much of Architecture of India|Indian architecture , including the Taj Mahal , other works of Mughal architecture , and Dravidian architecture|South Indian architecture , blends ancient local traditions with imported styles. Indian vernacular architecture|Vernacular architecture is also highly regional in it flavours. Vastu shastra , literally "science of construction" or "architecture" and ascribed to Mamuni Mayan , explores how the laws of nature affect human dwellings; it employs precise geometry and directional alignments to reflect perceived cosmic constructs. As applied in Hindu temple architecture , it is influenced by the Shilpa Shastras , a series of foundational texts whose basic mythological form is the Vastu-Purusha mandala , a square that embodied the " Absolute (philosophy)|absolute ". The Taj Mahal, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by orders of Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, has been described in the UNESCO World Heritage List as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture , developed by the British in the late 19th century, drew on Indo-Islamic architecture .

Literature

The earliest literary writings in India, composed between 1400 BCE and 1200 CE, were in the Sanskrit language. Prominent works of this Sanskrit literature include Indian epic poetry|epics such as the Mahabharata|Mahabharata and the Ramayana , the dramas of Kalidasa such as the Abhijñanasakuntalam ( The Recognition of Sakuntala ), and poetry such as the Sanskrit literature#Classical poetry|Mahakavya . Developed between 600 BCE and 300 CE in South India, the Sangam literature| Sangam literature , consisting of 2,381 poems, is regarded as a predecessor of Tamil literature . From the 14th to the 18th centuries, India's literary traditions went through a period of drastic change because of the emergence of Bhakti movement|devotional poets such as Kabir|Kabir , Tulsidas|Tulsidas , and Guru Nanak|Guru Nanak . This period was characterised by a varied and wide spectrum of thought and expression; as a consequence, medieval Indian literary works differed significantly from classical traditions. In the 19th century, Indian writers took a new interest in social questions and psychological descriptions. In the 20th century, Indian literature was influenced by the Works of Rabindranath Tagore|works of Bengali poet and novelist Rabindranath Tagore .

Performing arts

Music of India|Indian music ranges over various traditions and regional styles. Indian classical music|Classical music encompasses two genres and their various folk offshoots: the northern Hindustani classical music|Hindustani and southern Carnatic music|Carnatic schools. Regionalised popular forms include filmi and Indian folk music|folk music ; the syncretic tradition of the baul s is a well-known form of the latter. Dance in India|Indian dance also features diverse folk and classical forms. Among the better-known List of Indian folk dances|folk dances are the Bhangra (popular music)|bhangra of the Punjab, the bihu of Assam, the Chhau dance|chhau of West Bengal and Jharkhand, sambalpuri of Orissa, ghoomar of Rajasthan, and the lavani of Maharashtra. Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded Classical Indian dance|classical dance status by India's Sangeet Natak Akademi|National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama . These are: Bharata Natyam|bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Nadu, kathak of Uttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniyattam of Kerala, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, Manipuri dance|manipuri of Manipur, odissi of Orissa, and the sattriya of Assam.
Theatre in India melds music, dance, and improvised or written dialogue. Often based on Hindu mythology, but also borrowing from medieval romances or social and political events, Indian theatre includes the bhavai of Gujarat, the Jatra (Bengal)|jatra of West Bengal, the nautanki and ramlila of North India, tamasha of Maharashtra, burrakatha of Andhra Pradesh, terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and the yakshagana of Karnataka. The Cinema of India|Indian film industry produces the world's most-watched cinema. Established regional cinematic traditions exist in the Cinema of Assam|Assamese , Cinema of Bengal|Bengali , Bollywood|Hindi , Cinema of Karnataka|Kannada , Malayalam cinema|Malayalam , Marathi cinema|Marathi , Cinema of Orissa|Oriya , Tamil cinema|Tamil , and Cinema of Andhra Pradesh|Telugu languages. South Indian cinema attracts more than 75% of national film revenue.

Society

Traditional Indian society is defined by relatively strict social hierarchy. The Caste system in India|Indian caste system embodies much of the social stratification and many of the social restrictions found in the Indian subcontinent. Social classes are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups, often termed as jati s , or "castes". Most Dalit s ("Untouchables") and members of other Shudra|lower-caste communities continue to live in segregation and often face Caste-related violence in India|persecution and discrimination . Traditional Indian family values are highly valued, and multi-generational patriarchal joint families have been the norm in India, though nuclear families are becoming common in urban areas. An overwhelming majority of Indians, with their consent, have Arranged marriage in the Indian subcontinent|their marriages arranged by their parents or other family members. Marriage is thought to be for life, and the divorce rate is extremely low. Child marriages are common, especially in rural areas; more than half of women in India|Indian females wed before reaching 18, which is their legal marriageable age.
Many Public holidays in India|Indian festivals are religious in origin; among them are Diwali , Ganesh Chaturthi , Thai Pongal , Navaratri , Holi , Durga Puja , Eid ul-Fitr , Eid al-Adha|Bakr-Id , Christmas worldwide#India|Christmas , and Vaisakhi . India has Public holidays in India|three national holidays which are observed in all states and union territories: Republic Day (India)|Republic Day , Independence Day (India)|Independence Day , and Gandhi Jayanti . Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in individual states. Traditional Clothing in India|Indian dress varies in colour and style across regions and depends on various factors, including climate and faith. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as the sari for women and the dhoti or lungi for men. Stitched clothes, such as the shalwar kameez for women and kurta – Pajamas|pyjama combinations or European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. Use of delicate jewellery, modelled on real flowers worn in ancient India, is part of a tradition dating back some 5,000 years; gemstones are also worn in India as talismans.
Indian cuisine features an unsurpassed reliance on herbs and spices, with dishes often calling for the nuanced usage of a dozen or more condiments; it is also known for its tandoori preparations. The tandoor , a clay oven used in India for almost 5,000 years, grills meats to an "uncommon succulence" and produces the puffy flatbread known as naan . The staple foods are wheat (predominantly in the north), rice (especially in the south and the east), and lentils. List of Indian spices|Many spices that have worldwide appeal are native to the Indian subcontinent, while chili pepper , native to the Americas and introduced by the Portuguese India|Portuguese , is widely used by Indians. Ayurveda|Ayurveda , a system of traditional medicine, used six Rasa (aesthetics)|rasas and three gu?a s to help describe comestibles. Over time, as Vedic animal sacrifices were supplanted by the notion of Cattle in religion|sacred-cow inviolability, Vegetarianism by country#India|vegetarianism became associated with high religious status and grew increasingly popular, a trend aided by the rise of Buddhist vegetarianism|Buddhist , Jain vegetarianism|Jain , and bhakti Diet in Hinduism|Hindu norms. India has the world's highest concentration of vegetarians: a 2006 survey found that 31% of Indians were non- Ovo vegetarianism|ovo vegetarian. Common Etiquette of Indian dining|traditional eating customs include meals taken on or near the floor, caste- and gender-segregated dining, and a lack of cutlery in favour of the right hand or a piece of roti .

Sport

In India, several traditional indigenous sports remain fairly popular, among them kabaddi , kho kho , pehlwani and gilli-danda . Some of the earliest forms of Asian Indian martial arts|martial arts , such as kalarippayattu , musti yuddha , silambam , and marma adi , originated in India. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award are the highest forms of government recognition for athletic achievement; the Dronacharya Award is awarded for excellence in coaching. Chess , commonly held to have History of chess#India|originated in India as chaturanga|chatura?ga , is regaining widespread popularity with the rise in the number of Indian Grandmaster (chess)|grandmasters . Pachisi , from which parcheesi derives, was played on a giant marble court by Akbar. The improved results garnered by the India Davis Cup team|Indian Davis Cup team and other :Category:Indian tennis players|Indian tennis players in the early 2010s have made tennis increasingly popular in the country. India has a :Category:Indian sport shooters|comparatively strong presence in shooting sports, and has won several medals at the Olympics, the ISSF World Shooting Championships|World Shooting Championships , and the Commonwealth Games. Other sports in which Indians have succeeded internationally include badminton, boxing, and wrestling. Football in India|Football is popular in West Bengal, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the north-eastern states.
India's official national sport is Field hockey in India|field hockey ; it is administered by Hockey India . The India men's national field hockey team|Indian national hockey team won the 1975 Hockey World Cup and have, as of 2012, taken eight gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, making it the sport's most successful team. Cricket is by far the most popular sport; the India national cricket team|Indian national cricket team won the 1983 Cricket World Cup|1983 and 2011 Cricket World Cup events, the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 , and shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka. Cricket in India is administered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , or BCCI; the Ranji Trophy , the Duleep Trophy , the Deodhar Trophy , the Irani Trophy , and the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy are domestic competitions. The BCCI conducts a Twenty20 competition known as the Indian Premier League . India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events: the 1951 Asian Games|1951 and 1982 Asian Games ; the 1987 Cricket World Cup|1987 , 1996 Cricket World Cup|1996 , and 2011 Cricket World Cup|2011 Cricket World Cup tournaments; the 2003 Afro-Asian Games ; the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy ; the 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup|2010 Hockey World Cup ; and the 2010 Commonwealth Games . Major international sporting events held annually in India include the Chennai Open , the Mumbai Marathon , the Delhi Half Marathon , and the Indian Masters . The first Indian Grand Prix featured in late 2011. India has traditionally been the dominant country at the South Asian Games . An example of this dominance is the Basketball at the South Asian Games|basketball competition where India national basketball team|Team India won three out of four tournaments to date., gz2010.cn, accessed 25 March 2012.

Notes

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Etymology

History

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Raghav Sachar

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