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The Republic of India is a country that occupies a greater part of Indian subcontinent. It borders Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan in the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east. India's coastline stretches for over seven thousand kilometres. Its neighbours in the Indian Ocean are the island nations of the Maldives in the southwest, Sri Lanka in the south, and Indonesia in the southeast. India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of over one billion and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. It is a constitutional republic consisting of twenty eight states and seven union territories. The word India derives from the Old Persian cognate for the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the Indus river. The Constitution of India also recognizes Bhārat listen (help·info) as an official name with equal status.

A centre of important historic trade routes, India is the home to some of the most ancient civilisations. India is the birthplace to four major world religions: Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism. It also has the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan. Hinduism is the major religion followed in India . India was a former colony of the British Empire under the British Raj before gaining independence on 15 August 1947. The country has witnessed significant economic and military growth after the liberalization of the Indian economy. India is also well-known for upholding the concept of peace, as was demonstrated by its peaceful method of freedom struggle.

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For thousands of years, crushing by elephant was a common method of execution for those condemned to death, mainly throughout south and southeast Asia, and particularly in India. Elephants employed in this manner were used to crush, dismember, or torture captives in public executions. The use of elephants to execute captives often attracted the horrified interest of European travellers, and was recorded in numerous contemporary journals and accounts of life in Asia. The practice was eventually suppressed by the European empires that colonised the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. (more...)

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The Palace of Mysore is a palace situated in the city of Mysore, Karnataka. It was the official residence of the former royal family of Mysore, and also housed the durbar (royal offices). Mysore has a number of historic palaces, and is commonly described as the City of Palaces. The actual name of the palace is Amba Vilas, which was commissioned in 1897, and its construction completed in 1912. Photo credit: Arul Prasad

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• 17 January: Veteran Communist leader Jyoti Basu died in Kolkata after a prolonged illness. (The First Reporter)
• 17 January: The Australian government should take "strict action" to prevent unabated attacks on Indians, which are hurting the image of that country, Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said today. (PTI)
• 14 January: Seven Hindu pilgrims were killed in a stampede at Kumbh Mela on the river Ganges in the state of West Bengal. (AFP)
• 14 January: BSP swept the biennial elections to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council winning 31 of the 36 seats for which polls were held and secured majority in the Upper House. (India Today)
• 11 January: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda said he regretted for using derogatory and un-parliamentary words against Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. (BreakingNewsOnline)
• 11 January: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe against former Haryana police chief SPS Rathore, convicted of molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra in 1990, for abetting her suicide and harassing her family members. (IBNLive.com)

Current events on Wikinews

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• ... that every household in the Dhaniakhali bloc of West Bengal has at least one loom, where handloom saris are made?
• ... that Lesser Whistling Ducks are the most prominent species among the migratory birds that visit the lake in the Santragachhi area of Howrah, India, during winter?
• ... that the non-payment of debts is the archetype for the seventeen other Hindu titles of law, including the sexual crimes against women?
• ... that during the history of Pulicat between 1621 and 1665, over 38,000 Indian slaves were obtained by Dutch slave traders and shipped from the Coromandel Coast, mostly to the East Indies?
• ... that from November to April every year Jammu is the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost Indian state, and that during the summer Srinagar is the capital?
  India Quiz | Archive

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