One screen per section. These are durable facts (the kind that do not change between years), arranged for fast recall. Cover the right column and test yourself. For year-sensitive items (current office-holders, rates, ranks) treat the figures here as illustrative and verify the latest.
| Item |
Fact |
| Constitution adopted |
26 November 1949 |
| Constitution came into force |
26 January 1950 |
| Parts (original) |
22; Schedules: 8 originally, 12 now |
| Articles |
395 originally; now over 470 |
| Borrowed: Parliamentary system |
United Kingdom |
| Borrowed: Fundamental Rights |
United States |
| Borrowed: Directive Principles |
Ireland |
| Borrowed: Emergency provisions |
Germany (Weimar) |
| Borrowed: Concurrent List, federation |
Australia |
| Drafting Committee Chairman |
B R Ambedkar |
See last minute polity and making of the constitution.
| Symbol |
Fact |
| National emblem |
Lion Capital of Ashoka (Sarnath); motto Satyameva Jayate (from Mundaka Upanishad) |
| National anthem |
Jana Gana Mana (Tagore); adopted 24 January 1950; ~52 seconds |
| National song |
Vande Mataram (Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, from Anandamath) |
| National calendar |
Saka calendar; begins with month Chaitra |
| National animal |
Royal Bengal Tiger |
| National bird |
Indian Peacock |
| National flower |
Lotus |
| National tree |
Banyan |
| National river |
Ganga |
| National aquatic animal |
Gangetic Dolphin |
| National flag |
Designed by Pingali Venkayya; adopted 22 July 1947 |
| River |
Source / note |
| Ganga |
Gangotri (as Bhagirathi); Devprayag confluence |
| Yamuna |
Yamunotri; longest tributary of the Ganga |
| Brahmaputra |
Mansarovar region (as Tsangpo in Tibet) |
| Indus |
Near Mansarovar, Tibet |
| Narmada |
Amarkantak; flows west into Arabian Sea |
| Godavari |
Trimbak (Nashik); largest peninsular river ("Dakshina Ganga") |
| Krishna |
Mahabaleshwar |
| Kaveri |
Talakaveri (Brahmagiri hills) |
See indian drainage system and rivers.
| Superlative |
Answer |
| Highest peak (Indian territory) |
Kangchenjunga |
| Highest peak in undisputed India |
Kangchenjunga (8,586 m) |
| Longest river |
Ganga |
| Largest State (area) |
Rajasthan |
| Smallest State (area) |
Goa |
| Largest State (population) |
Uttar Pradesh |
| Longest land border (neighbour) |
Bangladesh |
| Longest coastline (State) |
Gujarat |
| Largest freshwater lake |
Wular (Jammu and Kashmir) |
| Largest saltwater lake |
Chilika (Odisha) |
Full set in superlatives and firsts of india.
| State |
Classical / folk form |
| Tamil Nadu |
Bharatanatyam |
| Kerala |
Kathakali, Mohiniyattam |
| Andhra / Telangana |
Kuchipudi |
| Odisha |
Odissi |
| Manipur |
Manipuri |
| Assam |
Sattriya, Bihu (folk) |
| North India |
Kathak |
| Punjab |
Bhangra, Giddha (folk) |
| Gujarat |
Garba, Dandiya (folk) |
| Item |
Fact |
| Eight classical dances |
Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Sattriya |
| Hindustani vs Carnatic |
North Indian vs South Indian classical music traditions |
| Tabla, Sitar |
Percussion and string instruments of Hindustani music |
| Mridangam, Veena |
Carnatic instruments |
| Item |
Fact |
| First tiger reserve era |
Project Tiger launched 1973 |
| Project Elephant |
Launched 1992 |
| First biosphere reserve |
Nilgiri (1986) |
| Kaziranga |
One-horned rhinoceros (Assam) |
| Gir |
Asiatic lion (Gujarat) |
| Sundarbans |
Royal Bengal Tiger; mangroves (West Bengal) |
| Crop |
Fact |
| Kharif crops |
Sown with monsoon (June-July), harvested autumn: rice, maize, cotton, bajra |
| Rabi crops |
Sown winter (Oct-Dec): wheat, gram, mustard, peas |
| Zaid crops |
Summer crops between rabi and kharif: watermelon, cucumber |
| Green Revolution crops |
Wheat and rice (HYV seeds, late 1960s) |
| White Revolution |
Milk (Operation Flood; Verghese Kurien) |
| Blue Revolution |
Fisheries |
See agriculture and rural economy.