Related Terms

• Adam's Bridge is a narrow chain of shoals connecting Mannar Island and Pannam Island between the coasts of Sri Lanka and India. It is approximately 30 miles long and separates the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. It is also referred to as Rama Setu, and according to legend, it was manmade.
• Adi Granth is the sacred scripture of the Sikhism religion of India. It was compiled in the early 17th century by the guru, Guru Arjan. It consists of over 6,000 hymns from religious leaders before Guru Arjan and it is used in Sikh temples called gurdwaras.
• Adivasis is a Sanskrit term used to describe the indigenous tribal groups in India. It is not used by the government and is instead replaced with Scheduled Tribes in political matters. The term was coined in the 1930s and means original inhabitants.
• Adwaita was a male Aldabra giant tortoise from Kolkata, India. He was believed to be the longest-living animal in the world. Robert Clive, the first British governor of Bengal Presidency, was given Adwaita after the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Adwaita died in 2006 in the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata.
• Ahimsa is the religious doctrine of not causing harm to other living things or even not thinking negative thoughts. It is followed in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism and was preached by Gandhi.
• The Amritsar Massacre happened on April 13, 1919 when British troops fired on unarmed Indians in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. Following the end of WWI, the Indian government passed the Rowlatt Acts which led to protests and discontent. On April 10, the British military fired on a violent protest and increased measures to calm the unrest such as banning public meetings. Then on April 13, soldiers fired on a peaceful open meeting, killing an estimated 380 people, including children, and wounding over 1,200. Following the massacre, the region was put under martial law.
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. It is an Indian territory consisting of 572 islands. The capital city is Port Blair and its nickname is "Man Island". The islands joined the Republic of India in 1956.
• Annapurna is a mountain in northern Nepal in the Gandaki province. It is the 10th highest mountain in the world at 26,545 feet above sea level. It was first climbed by French mountaineers in 1950. Today, it is protected by the largest conservation area in Nepal and has the highest fatality rate.
• Arunachal Pradesh is the largest of the Seven Sister States in Northeastern India. It's capital is Itanagar. It borders Bhutan, Myanmar, and China. Portions of the state (north of the McMahon Line) are claimed by China. The state is ethnically diverse with many different tribal groups.
• Assam is a northeastern state in India bordering Bhutan and Bangladesh. The state is known for its wildlife, flora, tea, and silk. It has the Brahmaputra and Barak Rivers that provide rainfall for the lush environment.
• The Awami League is a political party that has ruled Bangladesh since 2009. The party was founded in 1949 by Bengali nationalists led by Mujibur, and it's central-left party has four principles of democracy, socialism, secularism, and nationalism.
• Balochistan is a historical region divided today by Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan; the largest portion is in Pakistan. It is believed to have been inhabited as early as 7,000 BCE. The culture is centered around the Baloch people with a pastoral nomadic lifestyle. Residents have sought autonomy.
• Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka in India. It is a highly populated urban area. Today, it is known as the nation's leading software exporter and the most productive metro area in India. It was renamed Bengaluru in 2014.
• The Battle of Plassey was a turning point battle for control of the subcontinent between the British East India Company and the Bengal Subah on June 23, 1757 in Plassey, Bengal Subah. The British were led by Robert Clive to take control of Bengal. The Bengal Subar had the alliance of the French East India Company and were led by Siraj-ud-Daulah.
• The Bay of Bengal is in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the Malay Peninsula. Several rivers flow into the bay which occupies over 1,000,000 square miles. It includes islands and archipelagos of India and Myanmar.
• The Bengal Famine of 1943 killed approximately three million people. During WWII, cyclones and wartime damage led to a shortage of rice crops which was followed by British troops exporting goods to troops in the Middle East.
• The Bhagavad Gita is a holy book of the Hindu religion. It includes 700 verses of scripture. It is dated back to the 2nd century BCE. It describes a discussion on the ethics of war and connects with further ideas of ethical dilemmas.
• Bharata is a legendary king from the ancient Indian epic, Ramayana. He is represented by the symbol of dharma which means "one to be maintained" in Sanskrit. There are a few temples around India to worship him and he is often depicted in Indian epic dramas. His name is the root of the term often used for India, Bharat.
• The Bharatiya Janata Party is the leading political party in India since 2014. It is a right-wing group with policies linked to Hindu nationalist ideology. BJP is one of the two dominant political parties in India and was first formed in 1965.
• The Bhola Cyclone (1970) was a tropical cyclone that formed in the Bay of Bengal and struck Eastern Pakistan and West Bengal on November 12, 1970. It was rated a Category 4 cyclone and is known as the deadliest disaster with over 300,000 deaths.
• Bihar is an eastern state in India and borders Nepal. It's capital city is Patna. The name is Sanskrit for 'monastery' and historically had many Buddhist temples and was the center of learning in the Videha kingdom. In 2000, the state split, and the southern portion became Jharkhand.
• Black July happened in July of 1983 when a violent riot against Tamils took place throughout Sri Lanka. It started after the LTTE killed Sri Lankan Army soldiers. Estimates of the death toll range from 400 to 3,000 while many homes and stores were destroyed. This month is often seen as the beginning of the Sri Lankan Civil War that lasted until 2009.
• Bollywood is the film industry in India that is based out of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). It produces money and television shows in Hindi, English, and Urdu. The industry is one of the largest centers of film production in the world.
• The Brahmaputra River travels through China, India, Bangladesh, and Tibet before merging with the Ganges River and emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The river is known by different names in each country and is used for irrigation and transportation.
• Buddhism is a religion or philosophical thinking based on the teachings of Buddha; originated in northern India in the 5th century BCE. The teachings aim for the liberation of attachment by following the Noble Eightfold Path. Today, it is the fourth-largest religion in the world.
• Caste is a system of social stratification that was utilized in the Indian subcontinent that began over 3,000 years ago. It is often based on hereditary and socioeconomic status.
• Cellular Jail was a British colonial jail used for political prisoners during British rule but today is a national monument. The jail is on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and was shut down in 1939 after protests led by Gandhi and Tagore.
• Champaran Satyagraha (1917) was the first non-violent movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in the Champaran district during British colonial rule. The movement was to protest forced indigo cultivation; Gandhi was arrested for creating unrest which led to protests, strikes, and eventual change by the British government.
• A charkha is a spinning wheel that can spin cotton into cloth. It can be on the floor or tabletop and it uses a wheel and spindle; it is usually spun by hand. It was the symbol for India's independence movement and it influenced the dharma chakra's inclusion on India's national flag.
• The Chauri Chaura Incident happened on February 4, 1922, during the non-cooperation movement. Police fired on protestors, killing three and wounding several. The police retreated to the station which was set on fire by the protestors and killed all 22 policemen inside. In the aftermath, Chauri Chaura was put under martial law and many were arrested. By February 12, Gandhi had convinced the INC to end the non-cooperation movement.
• Chennai (Madras) is the capital city of Tamil Nadu in India. It is located along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It is the oldest city corporation in India and was renamed Chennai from Madras in 1996. It was one of the first prominent bases of the EIC.
• Chittagong is the second-largest city in Bangladesh with a natural harbor and port off the Bay of Bengal. The city is also known as Chattogram. The city has a history of trade and commerce going back to the Greeks, Romans, and Silk Road.
• Civil disobedience is a peaceful protest or resistance utilized in civil rights and freedom movements. It is refusing to obey a law while remaining peaceful. The roots of the idea come from philosophical thinkers such as Cicero, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, and Henry David Thoreau.
• The Colombo 1996 Central Bank bombing occurred on January 31. The LTTE bombed the Central Bank of Colombo, killing 91 people and injuring over 1,400, and was the deadliest bombing during the Sri Lankan Civil War.
• The Commonwealth of Nations is a political association of former territories of the British Empire including India, Australia, and Canada. Each country has its own soverignty but shares a connection through their language and history. Citizenship to the UK and other benefits are felt amongst the people. The organizaton leader is King Charles III.
• The Concert for Bangladesh is a concert series held on August 1, 1971, in Madison Square Garden, New York City. The benefit concert raised awareness and money for the refugees and victims of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The artists who organized and performed for the concert were George Harrison, formerly of the Beatles, and Ravi Shankar, an Indian sitar player, along with other prominent artists and musicians.
• The Constitution of India (1950) is the supreme law of India and was enacted in 1950, replacing the Government of India Act of 1935. The constitution declared India sovereign while creating a democratic republic. It is the longest-written constitution in the world and describes the duties and rights of citizens and government.
• Cricket is a popular sport in India with domestic tournaments and national teams that compete worldwide. The sport uses a bat and ball and is played on a field with eleven players on each team. Its popularity spread to India in the mid-16th century and has today spread around the world. As of July 2023, Texas has a major league cricket stadium.
• Dahala Khagrabari is along the border of Bangladesh and India. It is a small enclave that was a piece of India inside a piece of Bangladesh inside India inside Bangladesh. It was ceded to Bangladesh in 2015 in the Land Boundary Agreement which exchanged 162 enclaves between the two countries.

  
• Dalits are the lowest stratum of the castes in the traditional Indian caste system. They are often known as untouchables. They were not a part of the four traditional varnas but instead in the fifth varna called Panchama. They often performed sanitation work or hide tanning.