Facts about India Independence Day

Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy and the first Governor General of India, chose 15 August as Indian Independence Day as it also commemorated the second anniversary of Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces. India Independence Day Facts

Pakistan's Independence Day should be on the same day, but lord Mountbatten being the last Viceroy of undivided British India had to be present at both the ceremonies in Delhi and Karachi. Hence, Pakistan's independence day was celebrated on 14 August. India Independence Day Facts

The name India comes from the River Indus. The valleys around the river became the location of the first inhabitants of India India Independence Day Facts

At the time of independence, India had no official National Anthem. While Jana Gana Mana was written in 1911, it was officially adopted as the Indian national anthem on 24 January 1950. India Independence Day Facts

The Indian national flag is based on the Swaraj flag, a flag of the Indian National Congress. It was designed by Pingali Venkayya, a freedom fighter and an agriculturist from Machilipatnam. India Independence Day Facts

Mahatma Gandhi, was not part of the Independence Day celebrations. He was fasting at the time as part of a protest against Hindu-Muslim riots that were taking place in Bengal India Independence Day Facts

India has the largest democracy in the world. India Independence Day Facts

India has a population of almost 1.3 billion. That’s more than the entire Western Hemisphere of Earth. India Independence Day Facts

Children’s Day is celebrated on November 14th. It is exactly nine months after Valentine’s Day. India Independence Day Facts

The Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest festival, containing 100 million people. India Independence Day Facts

Chess was invented in Eastern India between 280-550 AD. The pieces were made up of infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots. India Independence Day Facts

70% of all of the world’s spices come from India. India Independence Day Facts

There are more mobile phones in India than toilets. India Independence Day Facts

India has the lowest meat consumption per person in the world. India Independence Day Facts

There is no such thing as curry in India - the Southern Indian word kari simply means 'fried' or 'sauce. India Independence Day Facts

Indian housewives hold 11% of all of the world’s gold. That is more than the reserves of Switzerland, Germany, the IMF, and the US combined. India Independence Day Facts