These lesser known interesting facts about India will blow your mind!

Did you know that The Taj Mahal is taller than The Qutub Minar? And that Rabindranath Tagore wrote the national Anthem for both India and Bangladesh? Find out more such interesting facts about India right here.

#1 Tirupati Balaji Temple and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple both, receive more visitors than the Vatican City and Mecca combined.

Tirupati Balaji Temple

#2 About 40 miles from Vadodara, in the small town of Kavi Kamboi of Gujarat, is the Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple. This temple of Lord Shiva mostly remains submerged in water during high tide and can only be visited during the low tide hours.

#3 Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore has written the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh – Jana Gana Mana (India) and Amar Sonar Bangla (Bangladesh).

#4 Old Monk is the largest-selling dark rum in the world.

Owned by Mohan Meakins Ltd., Old Monk has also been the biggest Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brand for many years. Produced in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, it is available in all parts of India and the world, including places like Russia, the USA, the UK, Japan, the UAE, Estonia, Finland, New Zealand and Canada.

#5 The Taj Mahal is taller than The Qutub Minar

The Taj Mahal looks shorter because it’s a minaret, but it’s actually taller; The Taj Mahal stands at 243.5 ft. while the Qutab Minar is 239 ft tall.

#6 In a certain region in West Bengal, cows need photo IDs

Another one of the interesting facts about India is that to prevent Indian cattle being smuggled along India’s border into Bangladesh, authorities have come up with a solution to issue photo ID cards for cattle.

#7 Today, India has the world’s largest school in terms of student count, the City Montessori School in Lucknow. It has more than 45 thousand students.

#8 Chris Hemsworth (Thor) had already named his daughter India Rose in 2012, much before Jonty Rhodes has named his daughter India Jeanne Rhodes.

Chris Hemsworth with his daughter India Rose

#9 Science Day in Switzerland is dedicated to the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

The father of India’s missile programme had visited Switzerland back in 2006. Upon his arrival, Switzerland declared May 26th as Science Day.

#10 The first rocket in India was transported on a cycle

The first rocket was so light and small that it was transported on a bicycle to the Thumba Launching Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

#11 Kumbh Mela gathering of 2011 was visible from space.

The 2011 Kumbh Mela was the largest gathering of people with over 75 million pilgrims from across the world. The gathering was so huge that the crowd was visible from space.

#12 India has an Ice Hockey team which is also a member of The International Ice Hockey Federation. India also has a national baseball team.

#13 A conman in India repeatedly “sold” the Taj Mahal, the Indian Parliament and various other heritage sites. He was sentenced to 113 years in prison but managed to escape nine times. The last time, he was 84 years old. His name is, was and will be Natwarlal.

#14 In India, there is a vigilante group called the Love Commandos. They offer protection from harassment to couples who are from different castes.

#15 There is a Zero Rupee Note in India to fight corruption

If a corrupt official asks for a bribe to get something done, she/he can be handed over the Zero Rupee note. On the back of the note are the goals, contact details and the website address of the 5th Pillar, an organisation which documents corruption stories, provides information on laws relating to corruption and citizen rights to information.