India is one of the world's oldest civilizations, having a wide range of cultures and a rich cultural legacy. Ancient India was a culture that valued the quest for knowledge and the exploration of new worlds with a scientific bent of mind.
Through archaeological, historical, and other scientific approaches, numerous remarkable 'Ancient India Facts' have been proven and acknowledged. So there will be no myths, exaggeration, or theories, only facts.
1. Arabic Numbers originated in India
Don't be fooled by the name: Hindu-Arabic numerals, a set of ten symbols—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0—that represent decimal numbers, originated in India in the 6th or 7th century.
Later, around the 12th century, it was transmitted to Europe through the writings of Middle Eastern mathematicians, particularly al-Khwarizmi and al-Kindi. This is why they are referred to as Arabic numbers. They marked a significant departure from existing counting methods at the time, such as the abacus, and cleared the path for the development of algebra.
2. Ancient India established the oldest universities in the world
India created one of the world's first universities, which served as a regional intellectual and learning hub. Nalanda, in the Indian state of Bihar, is one of the most well-known of them.
Nalanda was a Buddhist learning centre from 427 to 1197 AD, and its library is thought to have been the largest in the ancient world at the time.
The University of Ancient Taxila, which was founded in the 10th century BCE (yes!) and was located in the city of Taxila, was a renowned ancient institute of higher learning. Taxila is mentioned for the first time in the Valmiki Ramayana.
3. Shampoo originated and was used in India during ancient times
Sapindus or soapberries were boiled with dried Indian gooseberry or Amla and the filtered extract was used to make the first known shampoo.
India, with its rich literal culture, was instrumental in coining the phrase "shampoo." During the colonial period, the word was introduced into the English language from the Indian subcontinent.
The word 'Champo' comes from the Hindi word 'Champo,' which comes from the Sanskrit word 'Chapayati,' which means 'to soothe.'
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4. Homosexuality was accepted and sexual freedom was not a taboo
Homosexuals and the "third gender" were not only present in Indian society at the time, but were also extensively accepted, according to Sanskrit documents from mediaeval and ancient India. On this front, we are still suffering in the twenty-first-century modern world.
In the "Purushayita" section of the Kama Sutra, a 2nd century ancient Indian Hindu literature, lesbians are referred to as "swarinis." These women frequently married and raised children with other women. They were also readily accepted both inside the ‘third gender’ subculture and regular society.
The book also mentioned gay males, or "Klibas," who, while they may relate to impotent men, usually represented men who were unable to have sexual relations with women owing to their "homosexual tendencies."
5. Women were far more empowered even during those times
Women in ancient India had a great deal of autonomy and freedom. They were not only allowed to discuss issues that are today deemed unacceptable but they were also given the opportunity to choose a husband from a group of eligible men.
Svayambara was an ancient Indian custom in which a girl of marriageable age chose a husband from a group of suitors. In this context, 'Svaya' means self and 'Vara' means 'groom' in Sanskrit.
A girl who wishes to marry would choose an auspicious time and location before announcing her intentions. Commoners just shared the news within their own communities, while kings despatched emissaries to distant places.
The girl garlanded the man of her choice on the appointed day, and a marriage ceremony was immediately held.
6. Navigation originated in India, don’t thank Google Maps yet
The art of navigation dates back to some 6,000 years ago in India when it was employed to navigate the Indus River. Even the word "navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Navigation."
"The magnet is supposed to have been employed by early Hindu astrologers in fixing the North and East, erecting foundations, and other holy activities."
The Hindu compass was an iron fish that swam in an oil-filled vessel and indicated north. The Sanskrit word Maccha Yantra, or fish machine, which Molesworth gives as a name for the mariner's compass, seems to prove the existence of this older Hindu compass.
7. Chess and Snakes & Ladders were played in ancient times
Chess and snakes and ladders are two games that originated in India. Chess was first played in the 6th century AD during the Gupta Period, whereas Snakes & Ladders, also known as Moksha Patam, is much older, dating back to the 2nd century BC.
8. Ancient Indians used very advanced toilet systems
Around 2,800 BC, the Indus Valley Civilization used the first known toilet systems. Each dwelling had running water and a private toilet connected to a sewage system, according to archaeological evidence of a sophisticated toilet system.
Each residence in Harappa (a city in the Indus Valley) had its own toilet with a connection to the outside covered sewers.
The architects of the Indus Valley Civilization were well-versed in sanitary engineering technology, which was lost after the Indus Valley Civilization, resulting in the practice of open defecation, which is still practised in modern India.
9. Among the largest empires in the world
India's Mauryan Empire (322–187 BC) spanned 5,000,000 square kilometres (1,930,510 square miles) and controlled over 50 to 60 million people, making it one of the world's greatest empires.
The Maurya Dynasty of rulers had its start when Chandragupta Maurya drove Alexander the Great’s administrators out of the Indus Valley.
10. Calculated the value of π (pi)
In his Sulbha sutras, Baudhayana (800 BC – 740 BC) is credited with being one of the first to identify the value of 'pi.' The approximate value of pi, according to his premise, is 3.3.
Several values appear in Baudhayana's Sulbasutra because Baudhayana utilised different approximations for generating circular shapes while offering distinct constructs.
Some of these values are quite close to what we now assume to be the value of pi, although this would not have influenced the altars' construction. In 499AD, another great Indian mathematician, Aryabhatta, calculated the exact value of 3.1416.
11. Earliest known school of medicine
Ayurveda is the oldest system of medicine known to modern humans. During ancient times, Ayurveda was primarily established by Charaka, a brilliant Indian physician. It is the only medical system that takes a comprehensive approach to treat a patient.
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12. Surgery in Ancient India
Ayurveda is the oldest system of medicine known to modern humans. During ancient times, Ayurveda was primarily established by Charaka, a brilliant Indian physician. It is the only medical system that takes a comprehensive approach to treat a patient.