![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/States_of_South_Asia.png/600px-States_of_South_Asia.png)
Categorized by regions, histories and people.
Introduction
edit- Indology - This is the study of India, basically.
- Greater India - Geologically, this is a continent. Don't treat it all as one country because you'll miss out on a lot.
- Emperor Bharata - The name of India comes from this demigod of a figure. Legend says he conquered all of India and went up in the Himalayas to put down his flag as the first person ever to conquer all of India. But he was humbled when he looked around and saw the flags of all the rulers who came before him....
Aryans
edit- Aryan - Don't pay attention to stuff that happened in the 19th century or later. That's when the "Aryan" term started losing its real meaning.
- Aryan race - This stuff's really controversial, not to mention dangerous.
- Swastika - It means everything good everywhere in the world except in German-speaking Europe.
- Proto-Indo-Europeans - They created culture as we know it.
- Sanskrit - The mother of all languages.
- Brahmic family of scripts - They look beautiful, don't they? Also, where else in the world are you going to find this much variety of writing systems?
- Hinduism - Get an overview. I know you can spend years researching this stuff and still not learn very much, but still. That's not your concern at this moment.
Roma
editWhy are the Gypsies treated like they don't belong anywhere in Europe? And why are they so hated?
- Romani people - Only one way to find out...
- History of the Romani people - Nobody really knows why
- Romani society and culture - They are very Indian. Feel free to click around in this article for more information.
WHAT!? THE GYPSIES ARE FROM INDIA!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Indus Valley
editOne of the oldest civilizations in the world. While the language hasn't been fully deciphered, there are a lot of clues that it is an ancestor to the Phoenician language. Either that or it's the foundation for the Proto-Dravidian language. After the monsoons moved east and the land dried up, the people took refuge in the Ganges and started a new civilization there.
- Indus River - This river was the foundation for a lot of civilizations, aside from the most obvious one in this section.
- Indus Valley Civilization - The civilization that started it all in what we now know as India.
- Harappa - Continuously inhabited city from the Bronze Age which has a similar population size today in surrounding areas. Don't you just love how that works?
- Mohenjo-daro - City in Sindh. Basically another Harappa.
- Lothal - Isn't it ironic that India has so many sanitation problems but the earliest civilizations had some form of sewer system?
- Kalibangan - Just look at the sheer complexity of the design of this place!
Afghanistan
editThe Pashtun people inhabit the land known as "Afghanistan." They're beautiful people, if you've ever seen them face to face. These people are about as close as you will get to pureblood Aryans. They have been living in the same land for more than 50,000 years, and have a long history of being conquered and decimated by every major foreign regime ever to reach their unmanageable terrain. By that standard, it's a wonder that they got the label of the "graveyard of empires." You can't help but admire their ability to survive against all obstacles. If anybody deserves a break from foreign meddling, it's the people of Afghanistan.
- Pashtun people - The people
- Pashtun culture - Be sure to look at the pictures.
- Pashtunwali - Their rules of culture
- Afghan cuisine - The food is as delicious as it is beautiful.
- Pashtun culture - Be sure to look at the pictures.
- Hindu Kush - Origin of the term Hindustan
- Khyber Pass - It doesn't look that special, but strategically it's one of the most important lands in all of India
- Afghanistan - The land where they live
- Kabul - Historically important major city of Afghanistan
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Administrative division of Pakistan
- Swat Valley - Beautiful landscape
- Peshawar - You hear about this city in the news all the time. What is it, and why is it important?
- Federally Administered Tribal Areas - Administrative division of Pakistan
- Waziristan - You hear about this in the news often. I wish somebody would expand this Wikipedia article. Considering how other India-related articles have grown since my first reading list two years ago, it could happen very soon.
Vedic age
editThis is the first era of India where we actually know what happened. It's a shame that information from before then was lost, and the mainstream just assumes everything was super primitive beforehand. That's obviously not true if we just look at the Indus Valley civilization.
- Vedic period - The time period
- Mahajanapada - The 16 great kingdoms of Vedic India
- Vedas - The earliest texts in Hinduism
- Vedic science - In some ways, these people were a lot smarter and more knowledgeable than we are today. Feel free to click on the links in this article to read more.
- Veda Vyasa - Blueblood author that wrote two of the most famous epic poems in the world.
- Mahabharata - The most epic poetry ever!
- Puranas - Vyasa wrote this one also.
- Ramayana - No one is quite sure when this is from, but it appears to be early Vedic so I'll put it here.
- Vedic Brahmanism - This is the original religion that Hinduism originated from.
Balochistan
editI guess there will be a lot more to read about this place if people decide to write about it.
- Baloch people - They are a nomadic people living in arid wastelands. They want their freedom, and they want to catch up to the development that is already present in the rest of the world. However, that's pretty much impossible now if you consider that Balochistan is situated on the borders of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. - Somebody needs to expand this article.
- Balochistan - By all counts is an extremely backwards place. This is rather ironic considering the historical and cultural importance of the land.
- Balochistan, Pakistan - The United States is giving a lot of weapons to Pakistan. Where are they going, you ask? Well, some of them end up destroying the native population here.
- Quetta - The only big city in the area, and not very big.
- Balochistan, Pakistan - The United States is giving a lot of weapons to Pakistan. Where are they going, you ask? Well, some of them end up destroying the native population here.
Golden Age of India
editI don't really understand the whole concept of a "Golden Age" because it usually involves some mythical time period when everything was perfect. Well, we all know that's impossible. However, this time period is commonly referred to at the Golden Age of India, so...
- Golden Age of India - This is a rather poorly written article. I wish there was more.
- Gupta Empire - One of the many great empires you will read about as a part of this reading list. Click around and read freely.
- Iron pillar of Delhi - Major architectural accomplishment
- History of Chess - In the modern Indian version of Chess, they sometimes use different piece names. The Rook is the Chariot, the Queen is the Prime Minister, and the Bishop is the Elephant.
- Kama Sutra - What else, from the Golden Age?
Mehran (Sindh)
editAt the delta of the Indus River lies one of the oldest civilizations ever to exist. Religion, language, and culture have changed a lot, but the people themselves have changed very little.
- Sindhi people - Like I said, these are the original people from the Indus Valley civilization. They haven't changed much. And why would they? Click around and read freely.
- Culture of Sindh - They're fine just the way they are. Read freely.
- Ralli quilt - Famous quilts from Sindh!
- Ajrak - Famous clothing design from Sindh!
- Sindhi cuisine - COLORS!
- Sindh - Province in Pakistan. The only major change to the landscape in the last 10,000 years or so is that the monsoons moved further east.
- Hyderabad, Sindh - Fertile city home to a lot of commerce and political tensions.
- Karachi - One of the most historically important port cities in the world.
Maurya Empire
edit- Indian campaign of Alexander the Great - No, really. It started here.
This period in Indian history always has a special place in everyone's heart.
- Magadha - Predecessor to the Maurya Empire
- Jarasandha - Legendary king of Magadha
- Maurya Empire - If you want to learn ANY Indian history, this is one of the most important parts of it all.
- Chandragupta Maurya - Legendary conqueror who became famous for choosing nonviolence later in his life.
- Arthashastra - Ancient treatise on political economy
- Ashoka the Great - Son of the man mentioned above, and another divine king by his own right.
- Pillars of Ashoka - Unique stone structures
- Kalinga War - This is what made Ashoka famous. Not because of the war, but because of what he did afterwards.
- Edicts of Ashoka - Written records of the war
- Mauryan art - It's an amazing achievement! Art went from things carved on wood to... THINGS CARVED ON STONE!!!
- Mahajanapada - "Great Realm" where it all happened.
- Licchavi (clan) - One of the first republics in the world.
- Vaiśālī - Famous city in the Mauryan Empire and the capital of Licchavi Republic.
If anybody wants to do research on the Maurya Empire and improve this section, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm doing this all by myself and I just don't have the time.
Zoroastrianism
edit- Zoroastrianism - The oldest religion still intact in its original form, IN INDIA!!!
- Zoroaster - The FOUNDER!!!
- Ahura Mazda - Why was their God not as omnipotent as his successors?
- Parsi - Major ethnic group of Zoroastrians in India and elsewhere.
If you want a really solid piece of evidence for Ancient astronauts, look at the Faravahar. It's a guy sitting in a rocket or plane. How more blatantly obvious can you get?
Sikhism
editMany spiritual people in the west will resonate strongly to the ideas of Sikhism.
- Sikhism - While it looks like a fusion of Hinduism and Islam, this religion was started by martial artists trying to fend off Muslim conquerors. They eventually formed the Sikh Empire.
- Guru Nanak Dev - Essentially a prophet for Sikhs, or an ascended master depending on how you want to look at him.
- Ik Onkar (Eckankar) - Words to live by...
- Harmandir Sahib - Golden Temple that combines the best of Indian and Persian architecture.
Punjab
editExtremely powerful and influential people and society in all of India. We'll get to how damaging the partition was later.
- Punjab region - The land of the five waters
- Punjabi people - Extremely powerful ethnic group that has a lot of influence in India and Pakistan
- Punjabi culture - Unique dress code adopted by many other cultures in India
- Punjabi cuisine - MORE COLORS!!!
- Khalistan movement - Secessionist movement in Punjab
- Sikh Empire - They are all considered empires and not kingdoms because India is a multinational state. It's as big as western Europe but with more people than China.
Now, the specific places...
- Punjab, India - This became a separate state after the partition of India, which eventually split up into two states I put into separate categories because they're that much different.
- Amritsar - Major city in eastern Punjab and historically and culturally extremely important
- Harmandir Sahib - Holy shrine of Sikhism that combines the best of Indian and Persian architecture
- Chandigarh - First planned city in India; extremely well-developed capital of eastern Punjab and Haryana
- Ludhiana - Modern city
- Jalandhar - Rainy city
- Amritsar - Major city in eastern Punjab and historically and culturally extremely important
- Punjab, Pakistan - Western Punjab, left mostly intact since partition
Bahá'í
edit- Bahá'í Faith - One of the many lesser known religions in India.
- God in the Bahá'í Faith - God!
- Bahá'í Faith and the unity of humanity - How all humanity is connected.
- Bahá'í Faith and the unity of religion - How all religions are connected.
- Lotus Temple - Big flower in Delhi.
Buddhism
editThis is meant to be an overview on Buddhism, not a study in itself. Same can be said about other Indian religions.
- Gautama Buddha - Probably the most famous Indian of all time...
- Buddhism - ...and the religion he started.
- Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism are the two main branches.
Haryana
editI don't know why it was originally part of East Punjab because the people here are NOT Punjabi. In fact, this area is just an extremely diverse economic and cultural hotspot, and you can't really categorize it with anything else.
I'm going to now list some unique things associated with the region...
- Jat people - I think "jat" literally means a defined group of people, like an ethnicity, in most North Indian languages. It definitely is the case in Bengali.
- Saini - Higher caste merchants...
- Ror - Probably the only thing notable about them is the fact that no one in their ranks ever converted to Islam.
Stuff I couldn't really put anywhere else...
editThis just HAD to get a separate category...
- Aravalli Range - Here's some more proof that Indian places need more creative names. This one's just a "line of peaks" that runs along the India-Pakistan border.
- Yadav - People that don't really have a specific native homeland but are scattered throughout the states.
Delhi
editGurjar
editAgain, they had to get their own category because they're that much different from everyone else. And there's 75 million of them! There's also about 75 million Marathi speakers, but I guess the Marathis are more recognized because they have their own state (Maharashtra) that has too high a population (100 million) for everyone to ignore. But why should I give free publicity to Marathis when this is not their section?
Rajput
editAnother very creative name ("Son of Kings")!
Kashmir
editI could care less about the political boundaries. During British rule, this entire area was a separate, somewhat autonomous kingdom. Why couldn't they have just partitioned it like that, as a separate country? That alone would have solved all territorial disputes. But I guess they all need a reason to go to war.
- Kashmir - Why can't the most beautiful places in the world just stay unspoiled?
- History of Kashmir - WHY isn't this a separate country again?
- K2 - The second highest mountain in the world!
- Srinagar - Capital city of the Kashmir region. I'd visit it if it weren't for all the crime and violence, and lack of religious diversity.
- Shalimar Bagh - Paradise on Earth.
- Jammu and Kashmir - Indian state.
- Ladakh - Aspirant state.
- Dal Lake - You know what Dal is, in Indian cuisine? Yeah, a kind of bean soup.
Kuru
editI don't know where to put this, so it'll just be a small category by itself.
- Kuru Kingdom - This is not a very well-written article but it does the job. Read whatever you feel like reading.
Ahmadiyya
editIndia, the land of many religious movements.
- Ahmadiyya - Highly controversial sect of Islam. I'm not sure how I feel about them, to be honest with you.
- Mirza Ghulam Ahmad - He had some good ideas, but the savior thing is off-putting.
- Death of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad - WTF?
- Mohammadi Begum - Even bigger WTF...
Hare Krishna
editThis movement started not that far from where I was born. People in Bangladesh know NOTHING about what really goes on in their backyard, let alone the rest of the world.
- Hare Krishna movement - I'm not sure how I feel about this one either.
Uttarakhand
editThis state broke away from Uttar Pradesh ("North Province") and became Uttaranchal ("Northern Section?"). Then it got renamed to Uttarakhand ("Northern Portion?"). Or something like that...
- Uttarakhand - A much nicer name for this state would be something that translates to "Land of the Gods." I mean, we already have a "Land of Kings" (Rajasthan), so why not a Devatasthan?
- Garhwal Kingdom
- Kumauni people
- Garhwali people
- Dehradun
- Chipko movement - Tree-hugging is a very Indian movement
Himalayas (Kirata)
editTibet
editI always thought of this as a separate category, but when I tried to do my first India reading list, I HAD to include Tibet.
As a whole
edit- Tibet - About the region as a whole
- Tibetan people - They're an historically oppressed people, but the Dalai Llama was the oppressive dictator. Look at how the tables have turned...
- Tibetan culture - Mix of China and India, combined with their own stuff
- Polyandry in Tibet - Few places in the world where polyandry was the norm
- Tibetan culture - Mix of China and India, combined with their own stuff
- Tibetan Buddhism - The dominant religion of the Tibetans
- Geography of Tibet - Mountains!
Specific places
edit- Tibet Autonomous Region - Province of China and the central part of the Tibet hysteria
- Aksai Chin - Part of Kashmir that's considered to be part of Tibet
- Himachal Pradesh - It's more Kashmir than Tibet, but whatever. Just look at the beautiful landscape!
- Sikkim - It usually gets lumped into that category. While it's not really Tibet, it's worth putting into this section.
- Arunachal Pradesh - State in India that's also part of Tibet (on the other side)
- Ladakh - These people are somewhat Tibetan, and they don't really go well with the rest of Kashmir. I thought it would be a good idea to stick them here.
Nepal
edit- Nepal -
Bhutan
editRajasthan
editCommon cuisine
editGujarat/Kathiawar
edit- Kathiawar - You can follow any of the links in the "See also" section for general information about this region.
- Gujarat - Semi-arid state of India with an extremely strong revolutionary background.
- Gujarati people - Just like how Punjabis are not all named Singh, Gujaratis are not all named Patel. How, then, do Patels colonize the United States better than other family names? I have no idea.
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - As I said, there are some very, VERY important people from this state.
- Muhammad Ali Jinnah - The founder of Pakistan is also from Gujarat. I love how that works!
- History of Gujarat - Going all the way back to Indus Valley...
- Major cities!!!
- Ahmedabad - Largest city and former capital. Very modern.
- Gandhinagar - As with the trend of new capital cities around the world, there is not much to look at or read about.
- Bharuch - Very important trade city.
- Gujarati cuisine - This is actually rather different from the other cuisine articles I've had on my reading list so far.
Maratha
editMaratha
edit- Maharashtra - It literally means "Great State" or "Big State" and is quite great for a lot of reasons.
- Marathi people -
- Mumbai -
- Pune -
- Ajanta Caves - No one is still quite sure how someone can take a rocky mountain and carve something like this inside of it.
- Maratha Empire - This was probably the only power that posed a serious threat to the Moghul Empire. That is, until the British set up shop in Kolkata.
- Chhratapati Shivaji Bhosale - What, you thought there weren't any more legendary rulers of India?
Vidarbha
edit- Vidarbha - Region of Maharashtra that has historically been a distinct and separate region. Today it wants statehood.
- Nagpur -
- Aurangabad -
- Farmers' suicides in India -
Feudalism
editKonkan, Goa and related places
edit- Konkan
- Konkani people
- Goa
- Daman and Diu - Why is this a union territory, anyway? It's better off a part of Gujarat.
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli - Woohoo! Another territory nobody has ever heard of!
Uttar Pradesh
edit- Uttar Pradesh - A huge monstrosity of a state if there ever was one, with 190 million people jammed into an area the size of Minnesota...
NOTE: There are a lot of cities including some that are very important historically but they don't have detailed articles on Wikipedia. They include (but are not limited to):
Uncategorized
editRivers!
editHere are some famous rivers.
Madhya Pradesh
edit- Madhya Pradesh - The name literally translates to "Central Province." Some of these places really need new names...
Chhattisgarh
edit- Chhattisgarh - Nothing special compared to what you've been reading already. How many non-Indians out there can pronounce this state's name correctly?
- Adivasi - Aboriginal people in India
Mughal Empire
editOrissa (Kalinga)
editBihar
edit- Bihar -
- Patna -
- Bihari people -
Jharkhand
editBengal
editOnce you start reading, you'll see why this is the biggest section in my entire list.
General
edit- Bengal - Densely populated fertile region separated by politics. If you want a reason not to divide homogeneous populations into different countries, look no further.
- History of Bengal - Conquered by anyone and everyone, and doesn't really have much independence now either
- Nawab of Bengal - Idiotic psychopath military dictators? Check.
- Partition of Bengal (1905) - Horrible mistake
- Partition of Bengal (1947) - Another mistake that's almost as horrible
- Bengali people - With heterogeneous origins but a homogeneous population, the Bengalis make up the second largest ethnic group in the world (after Han Chinese, before Germans and Russians)!
- Bengali cuisine - Mostly stuff borrowed from neighboring regions with a unique twist.
- Culture of Bengal - Bengal is a cultural powerhouse in India
- Bengal Renaissance - This is probably the only "Rennaissance" with a similar weight as the one in Europe
- Bengali calendar - Very few cultures have their own calendar, especially one like this
Western
edit- West Bengal -
- Kolkata -
- Ghotis -
Eastern
edit- Bangladesh -
- Dhaka -
North Bengal
editSundarbans
editOther places
editLegacy and contributions
editMen of legend
edit- Siraj ud-Daulah - You can't make this stuff up.
- Black Hole of Calcutta - The most WTF moment I've read about in Indian history so far, and that's really saying something
- Battle of Plassey -
- Mir Jafar - Not as ridiculous as his predecessor
Uncategorized
editThere is just too much out there.
- Bengali Language Movement
- Ziaur Rahman
- Dakshineswar Kali Temple
- Ramakrishna
- Islam in Bangladesh
- Pohela Boishakh
- Kabbadi
- Bengal tiger
- Bungalow
- Bengal Presidency
- Expeditions in Bengal
- Bangladesh Liberation War
- Ganges Delta
- Bengal Renaissance
- Bengali cuisine
- Paan
- Bengali literature
- Gopal Bhar
- Cinema of Bengal
- Architecture of Bengal
- Lalbagh Fort
- Border Guards Bangladesh
- Rohingya people
- Ram Mohan Roy
- Rabindranath Tagore
- Kazi Nazrul Islam
- Swami Vivekananda
- Jagadish Chandra Bose
- Satyendra Nath Bose
- Subhas Chandra Bose
Pala Empire
editThe Bengal category doesn't need to get any bigger than it already is.
Tripura
editDitto to above. This is a Bengali-speaking region, but the section was too big. And the people are different enough, even if the majority of them now are Bengali-speaking migrants from you know where.
Assam
editYes, another partially Bengali-speaking region.
Mizoram
edit- Mizoram - Mongoloid people, hill country, Christianity and alcohol prohibition? Only in India...
- Aizawl - Capital city
- Mizo people - Regional ethnic group
Nagaland
edit- Nagaland -
- Naga people -
Meghalaya
edit- Meghalaya - The rainiest place in the world!
- Khasi people - Tribal society
- Garo people - Another tribe
Manipur
edit- Manipur - State in Northeast India where the people look very similar to Bengalis. This area has been a sanctuary for decades, as no one attacking India or Burma seems to care. That just made it more of a treasure than anything else.
- Imphal - Capital city
- Singngat - City with a vision
- Keibul Lamjao National Park - Little-known wildlife preserve in Manipur
- Meitei people - Major ethnic group that is very similar to Bengalis, not just by their appearance.
- Kangla Palace - Historic palace
Communism in India
edit- Left Front - For more than 30 years, this coalition held the longest-running democratically-elected Communist government in the world, in the state of West Bengal. They're still in power in Tripura.
- Naxalite -
- Category:Communism in India
Dravidians
editAndhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema
editGeneral
edit- Andhra Pradesh
- Telugu people - The name "Reddy" is usually these people.
- Politics of Andhra Pradesh - Politics is a lot more important here than in other states, but the article doesn't have enough information.
- Telugu cuisine -
Telangana
edit- Telangana -
- Hyderabad State -
- Hyderabad -
- Telangana movement - People in the west are all crazy about FREE TIBET!!! Well, why not let other groups go free?
- Satavahana dynasty -
- Bhadrachalam -
- Karimnagar -
Rayalaseema
edit- Rayalaseema -
- Tirupati -
- Tirumala
- Belum Caves - Cave with a Buddha statue and a meditation chamber
Coastal Andhra
edit- Coastal Andhra -
- Koh-i-Noor - Famous priceless historic diamond that became part of Queen Vicky's Crown Jewels. It has a magic power where any man who wears it will have unlimited wealth, but a terrible life. Women who own this diamond are unaffected by either.
- Visakhapatnam -
- Vijayawada -
- Kuchipudi -
Karnataka
edit- Karnataka
- Tipu Sultan - For some weird reason, he's really popular among Bengalis. I'm not sure if he ever went to Bengal.
Tulu Nadu
editKeralam
edit- Kerala - If this were a separate country, you could compare human development to most European countries.
- Kerala model - How is it like a first world country?
- History of Kerala - A rather unique history.
- Geography of Kerala -
- Economy of Kerala -
- Demographics of Kerala - Unique blend of people
- Malayali - Malayalam-speaking locals
- Cochin Jews - This is one of the few places in the world where Jews and Muslims live side by side without ever antagonizing each other.
- Culture of Kerala -
- Cuisine of Kerala] -
- Kalaripayattu - Fucking epic martial art!
- Cities - They're not glamorous or as well-known as cities in other states, but they have their own charm.
- Thiruvananthapuram - I'm not even going to attempt to pronounce this one. The Malayalam language is known for having place names like this. Just say "Trivandrum."
- Kozhikode - Calicut is a city that has been conquered by every foreign entity (kinda like Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul) but in India.
- Kochi - Cochin is the largest city in Kerala.
French India
editTamil Nadu and Tamil Eelam
edit- Tamil Nadu
- Tamil Eelam
- Other
- Kerala Iyers - Tamil subgroup in Kerala
Ceylon/Sri Lanka
editTamil people are mentioned enough already in the previous section.
Sports and Martial Arts
editMaldives and Lakshadweep
edit- Maldives - Basically the entire country is in serious danger of flooding, because it's all right at sea level.
- Malé - Not Malè, or Malay.
- Maldivians - Dhiveli people
- Maldivian folklore - I feel like the myths are getting at something bigger, but the full story may be lost forever.
- Lakshadweep - I didn't know where else to stick this.
- Minicoy - Strange story much?
Bay of Bengal
editAndaman and Nicobar Islands
editNot every place in India has had ample contact with the outside world.
Oddities
editPeople
edit- Gakhars - Warrior clan in western Punjab
- People of the Konkan Division - Exotic blend much?
- Chin people
- Chakma people
Individuals
editPlaces
editCustoms
edit- Wagah - Village that was split in half during the partition of India
- Wagah border ceremony - When I saw this on video for the first time, it moved me to tears.