India's earliest known civilization arose about 5,000 years ago on the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of two huge cities with brick houses, piped water, and sewer systems. Nobody knows why, but these cities, called Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, were abandoned in 1700 B.C.

The Aryan people were farmers from Central Asia who arrived in India around 1500 B.C. They spoke Sanskrit, one of the world's oldest known languages. The Vedic Scriptures, writings that form the basis of the Hindu religion, were written during the Aryan reign.

For thousands of years, since the Hindu religion first evolved, respect for animal life has been an important part of Indians' beliefs. Cows in particular are sacred and cannot be harmed. They are even allowed to wander through city streets, which often causes traffic jams!

India is part of the continent of Asia. Most of India forms a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides. The world's highest mountain range, the Himalaya, rises in the north. The southeast is bordered by the Bay of Bengal, and the southwest is bordered by the Arabian Sea.

Diwali, or Dipawali, is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (or deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects us from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.

One of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar.

Arjumand Bano was better known as Mumtaz Mahal (elect of the palace). Arjumand died while giving birth to her fourteenth child, and her heartbroken husband, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, refused food and drink and locked himself away. When he finally emerged, white haired, he had decided to build a tomb for Arjumand called the Taj Mahal.

Making the Taj Mahal was hard and detailed work, and it is no wonder that it took 20,000 workmen over twenty years after Arjumand’s death in 1631 to finish the Taj.

In India every region has its own dance form like Odissi, Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi etc.

A saree is the traditional dress of the women in India. A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine meters in length, that is draped over the body in various styles. For men, traditional clothes are the Sherwani, Lungi, Kurta and Dhoti or Pajama. Also, most recently Pant and shirt have also been accepted as traditional Indian dress by the Government of India.SherwaniLungiKurtaDhoti Pajama

 Official Name: Republic of India, Bharat  Form of Government: Federal republic  Capital: New Delhi  Population:1,095,351,995  Official Languages: Hindi, English, 21 others  Money: Rupee  Area: 1,269,345 sq mi (3,287,590 sq km)

 Major Mountain Range: Himalaya  Major Rivers: Ganges, Yamuna, Indus, Brahmaputra