India: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}

| native_name            = <!--Do NOT remove this from the infobox as infobox translations and transliterations do not fall under [[BP:Manual of Style/India-related articles#Indic scripts in leads and infoboxes]].--> {{transliteration|hi|ISO|Bhārat Gaṇarājya}}<br />{{smaller|(see [[Names of India in its official languages|other regional names]])}}

| population_estimate    = {{increaseNeutral}} 1,425,775,850<ref name="UK-Guardian-2023-04-24">{{Cite news |last1=Ellis-Petersen |first1=Hannah |last2=correspondent |first2=Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia |date=2023-04-24 |title=India overtakes China to become world's most populous country |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/24/india-overtakes-china-to-become-worlds-most-populous-country |access-date=2023-04-25 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

'''India'''<!--Do not add pronunciation as per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section]].-->, officially the '''Republic of India''' ([[ISO 15919|ISO]]: {{transliteration|hi|ISO|'''Bhārat Gaṇarājya'''}}<!--Do not add pronunciation as per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section]].-->),<ref>–{{citation|title=The Essential Desk Reference |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yjcOAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA76|year=2002|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-512873-4|page=76}} "Official name: Republic of India.";<br />–{{citation|author=John Da Graça|title=Heads of State and Government|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M0YfDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA421 |year=2017|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-349-65771-1|page=421}} "Official name: Republic of India; Bharat Ganarajya (Hindi)";<br />–{{citation|author=Graham Rhind |title=Global Sourcebook of Address Data Management: A Guide to Address Formats and Data in 194 Countries |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iGdQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA302|year=2017|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-351-93326-1|page=302}} "Official name: Republic of India; Bharat.";<br />–{{citation|last=Bradnock|first=Robert W.|title=The Routledge Atlas of South Asian Affairs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zzjbCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA108|year=2015|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1-317-40511-5|page=108}} "Official name: English: Republic of India; Hindi:Bharat Ganarajya";<br />–{{citation|title=Penguin Compact Atlas of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLw-ReHIgvQC&pg=PA140|year=2012|publisher=[[Penguin Group|Penguin]] |isbn=978-0-7566-9859-1|page=140}} "Official name: Republic of India";<br />–{{citation|title=Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Co_VIPIJerIC&pg=PA515|year=1997|isbn=978-0-87779-546-9 |edition=3rd |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]]|pages=515–516}} "Officially, Republic of India";<br />–{{citation|title=Complete Atlas of the World: The Definitive View of the Earth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O5moCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA54-IA10 |edition=3rd|year=2016|publisher=[[DK Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4654-5528-4|page=54}} "Official name: Republic of India";<br />–{{citation|title=Worldwide Government Directory with Intergovernmental Organizations 2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CQWhAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA726|year= 2013|publisher=[[CQ Press]]|isbn=978-1-4522-9937-2|page=726}} "India (Republic of India; Bharat Ganarajya)"</ref> is a country in [[South Asia]]. It is the [[List of countries and dependencies by area|seventh-largest country]] by area, the most populous country in the world, and the most populous democracy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65322706|title=Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic?|date=2023-05-01|accessdate=2023-05-03|website=[[BBC News]]|publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]]|first=Soutik|last=Biswas}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf |title=World Population Prospects 2022: Summary of Results |publisher=United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs |year=2022 |location=New York |pages=i}}</ref> Bounded by the [[Indian Ocean]] on the south, the [[Arabian Sea]] on the southwest, and the [[Bay of Bengal]] on the southeast, it shares land borders with [[Pakistan]] to the west;{{efn|1 = The [[Government of India]] also regards [[Afghanistan]] as a bordering country, as it considers all of [[Kashmir]] to be part of India. However, this is [[Kashmir conflict|disputed]], and the region bordering Afghanistan is administered by Pakistan. Source: {{cite web |title=Ministry of Home Affairs (Department of Border Management) |url=https://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/BMIntro-1011.pdf|access-date=1 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317182910/https://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/BMIntro-1011.pdf|archive-date=17 March 2015|url-status=dead}} }} [[China]], [[Nepal]], and [[Bhutan]] to the north; and [[Bangladesh]] and [[Myanmar]] to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of [[Sri Lanka]] and the [[Maldives]]; its [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] share a maritime border with [[Thailand]], Myanmar, and [[Indonesia]].

Their long occupation, initially in varying forms of isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse, second only to Africa in human [[genetic diversity]].<ref name="Dyson2018-28a">{{harvnb|Dyson|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 28]}}</ref> [[Neolithic|Settled life]] emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the [[Indus River|Indus]] [[river basin]] 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into the [[Indus Valley Civilisation]] of the third millennium BCE.<ref name="Combined-2">(a) {{harvnb|Dyson|2018|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 4–5]}};<br />(b) {{harvnb|Fisher|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=kZVuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 33]}}</ref>

<br />(d) {{harvnb|Dyson|2018|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA14 14–15]}}, "Although the collapse of the Indus valley civilization is no longer believed to have been due to an 'Aryan invasion' it is widely thought that, at roughly the same time, or perhaps a few centuries later, new Indo-Aryan-speaking people and influences began to enter the subcontinent from the north-west. Detailed evidence is lacking. Nevertheless, a predecessor of the language that would eventually be called Sanskrit was probably introduced into the north-west sometime between 3,900 and 3,000 years ago. This language was related to one then spoken in eastern Iran; and both of these languages belonged to the Indo-European language family. ... It seems likely that various small-scale migrations were involved in the gradual introduction of the predecessor language and associated cultural characteristics. However, there may not have been a tight relationship between movements of people on the one hand, and changes in language and culture on the other. Moreover, the process whereby a dynamic new force gradually arose—a people with a distinct ideology who eventually seem to have referred to themselves as 'Arya'—was certainly two-way. That is, it involved a blending of new features which came from outside with other features—probably including some surviving Harappan influences—that were already present. Anyhow, it would be quite a few centuries before Sanskrit was written down. And the hymns and stories of the Arya people—especially the Vedas and the later Mahabharata and Ramayana epics—are poor guides as to historical events. Of course, the emerging Arya were to have a huge impact on the history of the subcontinent. Nevertheless, little is known about their early presence."; <br /> (e) {{harvnb|Robb|2011|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GQ-2VH1LO_EC&pg=PA46 46–]}}, "The expansion of Aryan culture is supposed to have begun around 1500 BCE. It should not be thought that this Aryan emergence (though it implies some migration) necessarily meant either a sudden invasion of new peoples, or a complete break with earlier traditions. It comprises a set of cultural ideas and practices, upheld by a Sanskrit-speaking elite, or Aryans. The features of this society are recorded in the Vedas."</ref> Its evidence today is found in the hymns of the ''[[Rigveda]]''. Preserved by a resolutely vigilant [[oral tradition]], the ''Rigveda'' records the dawning of [[Hinduism]] in India.<ref name="Combined-3">(a) {{citation|last1=Jamison|first1=Stephanie|author-link1=Stephanie W. Jamison|last2=Brereton|first2=Joel |title=The Rigveda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1LTRDwAAQBAJ|year=2020|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-063339-4|pages=2, 4|quote=The RgVeda is one of the four Vedas, which together constitute the oldest texts in Sanskrit and the earliest evidence for what will become Hinduism. (p. 2)  Although Vedic religion is very different in many regards from what is known as Classical Hinduism, the seeds are there. Gods like Visnu and Siva (under the name Rudra), who will become so dominant later, are already present in the Rgveda, though in roles both lesser than and different from those they will later play, and the principal Rgvedic gods like Indra remain in later Hinduism, though in diminished capacity (p. 4).}};<br />(b) {{citation|last=Flood|first=Gavin|author-link=Gavin Flood|editor=Gavin Flood|title=The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Practice: Hindu Practice|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4yT3DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4|year= 2020|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-105322-1|pages=4–|chapter=Introduction|quote=I take the term 'Hinduism to meaningfully denote a range and history of practice characterized by a number of features, particularly reference to Vedic textual and sacrificial origins, belonging to endogamous social units (jati/varna), participating in practices that involve making an offering to a deity and receiving a blessing (puja), and a first-level cultural polytheism (although many Hindus adhere to a second-level monotheism in which many gods are regarded as emanations or manifestations of the one, supreme being).}};<br />(c) {{cite book|last=Michaels|first=Axel|author-link=Axel Michaels|editor=Patrick Olivelle, Donald R. Davis|title=The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Law: A New History of Dharmaśāstra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QAJCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA86|year=2017|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-100709-5|pages=86–97|quote=Almost all traditional Hindu families observe until today at least three ''samskaras'' (initiation, marriage, and death ritual).  Most other rituals have lost their popularity, are combined with other rites of passage, or are drastically shortened.  Although ''samskaras'' vary from region to region, from class (''varna'') to class, and from caste to caste, their core elements remain the same owing to the common source, the Veda, and a common priestly tradition preserved by the ''Brahmin'' priests. (p 86)}}<br />(d) {{cite book|last=Flood|first=Gavin D.|title=An Introduction to Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KpIWhKnYmF0C&pg=PA35|year=1996|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=978-0-521-43878-0|page=35|quote=It is this Sansrit, vedic, tradition which has maintained a continuity into modern times and which has provided the most important resource and inspiration for Hindu traditions and individuals.  The Veda is the foundation for most later developments in what is known as Hinduism.}}</ref> The [[Dravidian languages]] of India were supplanted in the northern and western regions.<ref name="Combined-4">{{harvnb|Dyson|2018|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA16 16], [https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 25]}}</ref>

During the same time, its nominal [[per capita income]] increased from US$64 annually to US$1,498, and its literacy rate from 16.6% to 74%. From being a comparatively destitute country in 1951,<ref name="Fisher2018-8">{{harvnb|Fisher|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=kZVuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 8]}}</ref>

India has become a [[List of countries by real GDP growth rate|fast-growing]] [[G20|major economy]] and a hub for [[Information technology in India|information technology services]], with an expanding middle class.<ref name="MetcalfMetcalf2012-265">{{harvnb|Metcalf|Metcalf|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=mjIfqyY7jlsC&pg=PA265 265–266]}}</ref> It has [[Indian Space Research Organisation|a space programme]] which includes several planned or completed [[List of Solar System probes|extraterrestrial missions]]. Indian movies, music, and spiritual teachings play an increasing role in global culture.<ref name="MetcalfMetcalf2012-266">{{harvnb|Metcalf|Metcalf|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=mjIfqyY7jlsC&pg=PA266 266]}}</ref>

India has substantially reduced its rate of poverty, though at the cost of increasing economic inequality.<ref name="Dyson2018-216-a">{{harvnb|Dyson|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA216 216]}}</ref>

India is a [[List of states with nuclear weapons|nuclear-weapon state]], which ranks high in [[List of countries by military expenditures|military expenditure]]. It has disputes over [[Kashmir]] with its neighbours, Pakistan and China, unresolved since the mid-20th century.<ref name="kashmir-disputes">(a) {{citation |title=Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent |access-date=15 August 2019 |url-access=subscription |quote=Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent{{nbsp}}... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813203817/https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent |archive-date=13 August 2019 |url-status=live}};<br />(b) {{citation |last1=Pletcher |first1=Kenneth |title=Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aksai-Chin |access-date=16 August 2019 |url-access=subscription |quote=Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, ... constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402090308/https://www.britannica.com/place/Aksai-Chin |archive-date=2 April 2019}};<br />(c) {{cite encyclopedia|title=Kashmir|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Americana]]: Jefferson to Latin |publisher=[[Scholastic Library Publishing]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_cWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA328 |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7172-0139-6 |page=328 |first=C. E |last=Bosworth |quote=KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partly by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947}}</ref>

Among the socio-economic challenges India faces are [[Gender inequality in India|gender inequality]], [[Malnutrition in India|child malnutrition]],<ref name="NarayanJohn2018-lead">{{cite journal|last1=Narayan |first1=Jitendra |last2=John|first2=Denny|last3=Ramadas|first3=Nirupama|title=Malnutrition in India: status and government initiatives|journal=[[Journal of Public Health Policy]]|volume=40|issue=1|year=2018 |pages=126–141|issn=0197-5897 |doi=10.1057/s41271-018-0149-5|pmid=30353132|s2cid=53032234}}</ref>

and rising levels of [[Air pollution in India|air pollution]].<ref name="BalakrishnanDey2019-lead">{{cite journal|last1=Balakrishnan|first1=Kalpana|last2=Dey|first2=Sagnik|title=The impact of air pollution on deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy across the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017|journal=[[The Lancet Planetary Health]]|volume=3|issue=1|year=2019|pages=e26–e39|display-authors=etal |issn=2542-5196 |doi=10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30261-4|pmid=30528905|pmc=6358127}}</ref>

India's land is [[megadiverse country|megadiverse]], with four [[biodiversity hotspots]].<ref name=IUCN-India>{{citation|title=India|publisher=[[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN)|url=https://www.iucn.org/asia/countries/india|year=2019|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-date=1 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101033802/https://www.iucn.org/asia/countries/india|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its forest cover comprises 21.7% of its area.<ref name="ISFR" /> [[Wildlife of India|India's wildlife]], which has traditionally been viewed with tolerance in [[Culture of India|India's culture]],{{sfn|Karanth|Gopal|2005|p=374}} is supported among these forests, and elsewhere, in [[Protected areas of India|protected habitats]].

''[[Hindustan]]'' ({{IPA-hns|ɦɪndʊˈstaːn||Hindustan.ogg}}) is a [[Middle Persian]] name for India, introduced during the [[Mughal Empire]] and used widely since. Its meaning has varied, referring to a region encompassing present-day northern India and [[Pakistan]] or to India in its near entirety.{{sfn|Clémentin-Ojha|2014}}{{sfn|Barrow|2003}}<ref>{{citation|title=Hindustan|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266465/Hindustan|access-date=17 July 2011}}</ref>

[[File:Battle at Lanka, Ramayana, Udaipur, 1649-53.jpg|thumb|An illustration from an early-modern manuscript of the Sanskrit epic [[Ramayana]], composed in story-telling fashion {{circa|{{BCE|400}}|{{CE|300}}}}<ref name="Lowe2017-epic">{{cite book|last=Lowe|first=John J.|title=Transitive Nouns and Adjectives: Evidence from Early Indo-Aryan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nSgmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA58|year=2017|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-879357-1|page=58 |quote=The term 'Epic Sanskrit' refers to the language of the two great Sanskrit epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa. ...  It is likely, therefore, that the epic-like elements found in Vedic sources and the two epics that we have are not directly related, but that both drew on the same source, an oral tradition of storytelling that existed before, throughout, and after the Vedic period.}}</ref>|right]]

By the early 18th century, with the lines between commercial and political dominance being increasingly blurred, a number of European trading companies, including the [[East India Company|English East India Company]], had established coastal outposts.{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 286}}{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 44–49}} The East India Company's control of the seas, greater resources, and more advanced military training and technology led it to increasingly assert its military strength and caused it to become attractive to a portion of the Indian elite; these factors were crucial in allowing the company to gain control over the [[Bengal]] region by 1765 and sideline the other European companies.{{sfn|Robb|2001|pp = 98–100}}{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 286}}{{sfn|Ludden|2002|pp = 128–132}}{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 51–55}} Its further access to the riches of Bengal and the subsequent increased strength and size of its army enabled it to annexe or subdue most of India by the 1820s.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 68–71}} India was then no longer exporting manufactured goods as it long had, but was instead supplying the [[British Empire]] with raw materials. Many historians consider this to be the onset of India's colonial period.{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 286}} By this time, with its economic power severely curtailed by the British parliament and having effectively been made an arm of British administration, the East India Company began more consciously to enter non-economic arenas, including education, social reform, and culture.{{sfn|Asher|Talbot|2008|p = 289}}

Vital to India's self-image as an independent nation was its constitution, completed in 1950, which put in place a secular and democratic republic.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 231}} Per the [[London Declaration]], India retained its membership of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]], becoming the first republic within it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=London Declaration, 1949 |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/london-declaration-1949 |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=Commonwealth |language=en}}</ref> Economic liberalisation, which began in the 1990s, has created a large urban middle class, transformed India into [[List of countries by GDP (real) growth rate|one of the world's fastest-growing economies]],<ref>{{citation|year=2009 |title=Briefing Rooms: India |work=[[Economic Research Service]] |publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]] |url=https://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/India/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520002800/https://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/India/ |archive-date=20 May 2011 }}</ref> and increased its geopolitical clout. Indian films, music, and spiritual teachings play an increasing role in global culture.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 265–266}} Yet, India is also shaped by seemingly unyielding poverty, both rural and urban;{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006 |pp=265–266}} by [[Religious violence in India|religious]] and [[Caste-related violence in India|caste-related violence]];{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 266–270}} by [[Naxalite|Maoist-inspired Naxalite insurgencies]];{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 253}} and by [[Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir|separatism in Jammu and Kashmir]] and [[insurgency in Northeast India|in Northeast India]].{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 274}} It has unresolved territorial disputes with [[China–India relations#1960s|China]]{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 247–248}} and with [[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts|Pakistan]].{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|pp = 247–248}} India's sustained democratic freedoms are unique among the world's newer nations; however, in spite of its recent economic successes, freedom from want for its disadvantaged population remains a goal yet to be achieved.{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006|p = 304}}

[[File:Axis axis (Nagarhole, 2010).jpg|thumb|A [[Chital]] (''Axis axis'') stag attempts to browse in the [[Nagarhole National Park]] in a region covered by a ''moderately dense''{{efn|A forest cover is ''moderately dense'' if between 40% and 70% of its area is covered by its tree canopy.}} forest.|right]]

India contains 172 [[World Conservation Union|IUCN]]-designated [[List of endangered animals in India|threatened animal species]], or 2.9% of endangered forms.{{sfn|Mace|1994|p = 4}} These include the endangered [[Bengal tiger]] and the [[South Asian river dolphin|Ganges river dolphin]]. [[Critically endangered]] species include: the [[gharial]], a [[crocodilian]]; the [[great Indian bustard]]; and the [[Indian white-rumped vulture]], which has become nearly extinct by having ingested the carrion of [[diclofenac]]-treated cattle.<ref name="LovetteFitzpatrick2016">{{citation|last1=Lovette|first1=Irby J.|last2=Fitzpatrick|first2=John W.|title=Handbook of Bird Biology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGyQDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA599|year=2016|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=978-1-118-29105-4|page=599}}</ref> Before they were extensively utilized for agriculture and cleared for human settlement, the thorn forests of Punjab were mingled at intervals with open grasslands that were grazed by large herds of blackbuck preyed on by the [[Asiatic cheetah]]; the blackbuck, no longer extant in Punjab, is now severely endangered in India, and the cheetah is extinct.{{sfn|Tritsch|2001|p=15|ps=Before it was so heavily settled and intensively exploited, the Punjab was dominated by thorn forest interspersed by rolling grasslands which were grazed on by millions of Blackbuck, accompanied by their dominant predator, the Cheetah. Always keen hunters, the Moghul princes kept tame cheetahs which were used to chase and bring down the Blackbuck. Today the Cheetah is extinct in India and the severely endangered Blackbuck no longer exists in the Punjab.}} The pervasive and ecologically devastating human encroachment of recent decades has critically endangered Indian wildlife. In response, the system of [[National parks of India|national parks]] and [[protected areas of India|protected areas]], first established in 1935, was expanded substantially. In 1972, India enacted the [[Wildlife Protection Act of 1972|Wildlife Protection Act]]{{sfn|Ministry of Environment and Forests 1972}} and [[Project Tiger]] to safeguard crucial wilderness; the Forest Conservation Act was enacted in 1980 and amendments added in 1988.{{sfn|Department of Environment and Forests|1988}} India hosts [[Wildlife sanctuaries of India|more than five hundred wildlife sanctuaries]] and [[Biosphere reserves of India|thirteen{{Nbsp}}biosphere reserves]],{{sfn|Ministry of Environment and Forests}} four of which are part of the [[World Network of Biosphere Reserves]]; [[List of Ramsar sites in India|twenty-five wetlands]] are registered under the [[Ramsar Convention]].{{sfn|Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands}}

India is a [[federation]] with a [[parliamentary system]] governed under the Constitution of India—the country's supreme legal document. It is a constitutional republic. Its democratic functioning has come into question in recent years, with some stating that it has become a [[Mixed government|mixed regime]] or [[electoral autocracy]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Shweta |date=2021-03-11 |title=India 'no longer a democracy', claims damning research report |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/india-democracy-report-modi-swedish-institute-b1815802.html |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

* [[Judiciary]]: India has a three-tier{{Nbsp}}unitary [[Judicial independence|independent judiciary]]{{sfn|Neuborne|2003|p = 478}} comprising the [[Supreme Court of India|supreme court]], headed by the [[Chief Justice of India]], 25{{Nbsp}}[[High courts of India|high courts]], and a large number of trial courts.{{sfn|Neuborne|2003|p = 478}} The supreme court has [[original jurisdiction]] over cases involving [[Fundamental rights in India|fundamental rights]] and over disputes between states and the centre and has [[appellate jurisdiction]] over the high courts.{{sfn|Sharma|2007|pp = 238, 255}} It has the power to both strike down union or state laws which contravene the constitution,{{sfn|Sripati|1998|pp = 423–424}} and invalidate any government action it deems unconstitutional.{{sfn|Pylee|2003b|p = 314}}

# [[Odisha]]<!--Do not change this per [[BP:COMMONNAME]].-->

In the 1950s, India strongly supported [[decolonisation]] in [[Africa]] and [[Asia]] and [[India and the Non-Aligned Movement|played a leading role]] in the [[Non-Aligned Movement]].{{sfn|Rothermund|2000|pp = 48, 227}} After initially cordial relations with neighbouring China, India went to [[Sino-Indian War|war with China in 1962]], and was widely thought to have been humiliated.<ref name=62-humiliation>(a) {{citation|last=Guyot-Rechard|first=Berenice |title=Shadow States: India, China and the Himalayas, 1910–1962|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=235|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbktDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA235|year=2017|isbn=978-1-107-17679-9|quote= By invading NEFA, the PRC did not just aim to force a humiliated India to recognise its possession of the Aksai Chin.  It also hoped to get, once and for all, the upper hand in their shadowing competition. }}

According to the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF), the Indian economy in 2022 was nominally worth $3.46&nbsp;trillion; it was the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|fifth-largest economy]] by market exchange rates, and is around $11.6&nbsp;trillion, the [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|third-largest]] by [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP).<ref name="GDP IMF">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/October/weo-report?c=512,914,612,171,614,311,213,911,314,193,122,912,313,419,513,316,913,124,339,638,514,218,963,616,223,516,918,748,618,624,522,622,156,626,628,228,924,233,632,636,634,238,662,960,423,935,128,611,321,243,248,469,253,642,643,939,734,644,819,172,132,646,648,915,134,652,174,328,258,656,654,336,263,268,532,944,176,534,536,429,433,178,436,136,343,158,439,916,664,826,542,967,443,917,544,941,446,666,668,672,946,137,546,674,676,548,556,678,181,867,682,684,273,868,921,948,943,686,688,518,728,836,558,138,196,278,692,694,962,142,449,564,565,283,853,288,293,566,964,182,359,453,968,922,714,862,135,716,456,722,942,718,724,576,936,961,813,726,199,733,184,524,361,362,364,732,366,144,146,463,528,923,738,578,537,742,866,369,744,186,925,869,746,926,466,112,111,298,927,846,299,582,487,474,754,698,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,&sy=2018&ey=2023&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1|title=World Economic Outlook Database |date=October 2022 |website=IMF.org |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]|access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref> With its average annual GDP growth rate of 5.8% over the past two decades, and reaching 6.1% during 2011–2012,{{sfn|International Monetary Fund 2011a|p = 2}} India is one of the [[List of countries by real GDP growth rate|world's fastest-growing economies]].{{sfn|Nayak|Goldar|Agrawal|2010|p = xxv}} However, the country ranks 139th in the world in [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|nominal GDP per capita]] and 118th in [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP per capita at PPP]].{{sfn|International Monetary Fund}} Until 1991, all Indian governments followed [[protectionism|protectionist]] policies that were influenced by socialist economics. Widespread [[Licence Raj|state intervention and regulation]] largely walled the economy off from the outside world. An acute [[1991 India economic crisis|balance of payments crisis in 1991]] forced the nation to [[Economic liberalisation in India|liberalise its economy]];{{sfn|Wolpert|2003|p = xiv}} since then it has moved slowly towards a free-market system{{sfn|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2007}}{{sfn|Gargan|1992}} by emphasising both foreign trade and direct investment inflows.{{sfn|Alamgir|2008|pp = 23, 97}} India has been a member of [[World Trade Organization]] since 1 January 1995.{{sfn|World Trade Organization 1995}}

Averaging an economic growth rate of 7.5% for several years prior to 2007,{{sfn|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2007}} India has more than doubled its hourly wage rates during the first decade of the 21st century.{{sfn|Bonner|2010}} Some 431 million Indians have left poverty since 1985; India's middle classes are projected to number around 580&nbsp;million by 2030.{{sfn|Farrell|Beinhocker|2007}} Though ranking 68th in [[Global Competitiveness Report|global competitiveness]],<ref name="rank 2019">{{Cite web |title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2019 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2019.pdf |accessdate=18 February 2022}}</ref> {{As of|2010|lc=y}}, India ranks 17th in financial market sophistication, 24th in the banking sector, 44th in business sophistication, and 39th in innovation, ahead of several advanced economies.{{sfn|Schwab|2010}} With seven of the world's top 15 information technology outsourcing companies based in India, {{As of|2009|lc=y}}, the country is viewed as the second-most favourable outsourcing destination after the United States.{{sfn|Sheth|2009}} India is ranked 40th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII 2022 results The GII reveals the most innovative economies in the world, ranking the innovation performance of 132 economies. |url=https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo-pub-2000-2022-section3-en-gii-2022-results-global-innovation-index-2022-15th-edition.pdf|work=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]]|publisher=[[United Nations]]|access-date=2022-09-29 |language=en|page=10}}</ref> India's consumer market, the world's [[List of largest consumer markets|eleventh-largest]], is expected to become fifth-largest by 2030.{{sfn|Farrell|Beinhocker|2007}}

The [[Automotive industry in India|Indian automotive industry]], the world's second-fastest growing, increased domestic sales by 26% during 2009–2010,{{sfn|Business Line 2010}} and exports by 36% during 2008–2009.{{sfn|Express India 2009}} In 2022, India became the world's third-largest vehicle market after China and the United States, surpassing Japan.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-01-10 |title=India beats Japan to become world's third-largest vehicle market |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/auto/news/india-beats-japan-to-become-worlds-third-largest-vehicle-market/articleshow/96874402.cms |access-date=2023-06-07 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> At the end of 2011, the [[Information technology in India|Indian IT industry]] employed 2.8&nbsp;million professionals, generated revenues close to US$100&nbsp;billion equalling 7.5% of Indian GDP, and contributed 26% of India's merchandise exports.{{sfn|Nasscom 2011–2012}}

A 2018 [[Walk Free Foundation]] report estimated that nearly 8&nbsp;million people in India were living in different forms of [[modern slavery]], such as [[bonded labour]], [[child labour]], human trafficking, and forced begging, among others.<ref name="Pandit 2018">{{cite web | last=Pandit | first=Ambika | title=modern slavery in india: 8 million people live in 'modern slavery' in India, says report; govt junks claim – India News | website=The Times of India | date=2018-07-20 | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/8-million-people-live-in-modern-slavery-in-india-says-report-govt-junks-claim/articleshow/65060986.cms | access-date=2022-05-28}}</ref> According to the 2011 census, there were 10.1&nbsp;million child labourers in the country, a decline of 2.6&nbsp;million from 12.6&nbsp;million in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-new_delhi/documents/publication/wcms_557089.pdf|title=Child labour in India|publisher=[[International Labour Organization]]|access-date=21 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030715/https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-new_delhi/documents/publication/wcms_557089.pdf|archive-date=1 December 2017}}</ref>

Most of the earliest large sculpture is Buddhist, either excavated from Buddhist [[stupa]]s such as [[Sanchi]], [[Sarnath]] and [[Amaravati Stupa|Amaravati]],{{Sfn|Harle|1994|pp=32–38}} or is rock-cut [[relief]]s at sites such as [[Ajanta Caves|Ajanta]], [[Karla Caves|Karla]] and [[Ellora]]. Hindu and Jain sites appear rather later.{{Sfn|Harle|1994|pp=43–55}}{{Sfn|Rowland|1970|pp=113–119}} In spite of this complex mixture of religious traditions, generally, the prevailing artistic style at any time and place has been shared by the major religious groups, and sculptors probably usually served all communities.{{Sfn|Blurton|1993|pp=10–11}} [[Gupta art]], at its peak {{circa|{{CE|300}}|{{CE|500}}}}, is often regarded as a classical period whose influence lingered for many centuries after; it saw a new dominance of Hindu sculpture, as at the [[Elephanta Caves]].{{Sfn|Craven|1997|pp=111–121}}{{Sfn|Michell|2000|pp=44–70}} Across the north, this became rather stiff and formulaic after {{circa|{{CE|800}}}}, though rich with finely carved detail in the surrounds of statues.{{Sfn|Harle|1994|pp=212–216}} But in the South, under the [[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]] and [[Chola dynasty|Chola dynasties]], sculpture in both stone and bronze had a [[Chola art and architecture#Sculpture and bronzes|sustained period of great achievement]]; the large bronzes with Shiva as [[Nataraja]] have become an iconic symbol of India.{{Sfn|Craven|1997|pp=152–160}}{{Sfn|Blurton|1993|pp=225–227}}

File:Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja).jpg|[[Chola art and architecture#Sculpture and bronzes|Chola bronze]] of [[Shiva]] as [[Nataraja]] ("Lord of Dance"), [[Tamil Nadu]], 10th or 11th century.

Much of [[Architecture of India|Indian architecture]], including the [[Taj Mahal]], other works of [[Mughal architecture|Indo-Islamic Mughal architecture]], and [[Dravidian architecture|South Indian architecture]], blends ancient local traditions with imported styles.{{sfn|Kuiper|2010|pp = 296–329}} [[Indian vernacular architecture|Vernacular architecture]] is also regional in its flavours. ''[[Vastu shastra]]'', literally "science of construction" or "architecture" and ascribed to [[Mamuni Mayan]],{{sfn|Silverman|2007|p = 20}} explores how the laws of nature affect human dwellings;{{sfn|Kumar|2000|p=5}} it employs precise geometry and directional alignments to reflect perceived cosmic constructs.{{sfn|Roberts|2004|p=73}} As applied in [[Hindu temple architecture]], it is influenced by the ''[[Shilpa Shastras]]'', a series of foundational texts whose basic mythological form is the ''Vastu-Purusha mandala'', a square that embodied the "[[Absolute (philosophy)|absolute]]".{{sfn|Lang|Moleski|2010|pp = 151–152}} The Taj Mahal, built in [[Agra]] between 1631 and 1648 by orders of [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] [[Shah Jahan]] in memory of his wife, has been described in the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".{{sfn|United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation}} [[Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture]], developed by the British in the late 19th century, drew on [[Indo-Islamic architecture]].{{sfn|Chopra|2011|p = 46}}

[[Music of India|Indian music]] ranges over various traditions and regional styles. [[Indian classical music|Classical music]] encompasses two genres and their various folk offshoots: the northern [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani]] and the southern [[Carnatic music|Carnatic]] schools.{{sfn|Massey|Massey|1998}} Regionalised popular forms include [[filmi]] and [[Indian folk music|folk music]]; the [[Syncretism|syncretic]] tradition of the ''[[baul]]s'' is a well-known form of the latter. [[Dance in India|Indian dance]] also features diverse folk and classical forms. Among the better-known [[List of Indian folk dances|folk dances]] are: the ''[[Bhangra (dance)|bhangra]]'' of Punjab, the ''[[bihu dance|bihu]]'' of Assam, the ''[[Jhumair]]'' and ''[[Chhau dance|chhau]]'' of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, ''[[Garba (dance)|garba]]'' and ''[[Dandiya Raas|dandiya]]'' of Gujarat, ''[[ghoomar]]'' of Rajasthan, and the ''[[lavani]]'' of Maharashtra. Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded [[Classical Indian dance|classical dance status]] by India's [[Sangeet Natak Akademi|National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama]]. These are: ''[[Bharata Natyam|bharatanatyam]]'' of the state of Tamil Nadu, ''[[kathak]]'' of Uttar Pradesh, ''[[kathakali]]'' and ''[[mohiniyattam]]'' of Kerala, ''[[kuchipudi]]'' of Andhra Pradesh, ''[[Manipuri dance|manipuri]]'' of Manipur, ''[[odissi]]'' of Odisha<!--Do not change this per [[BP:COMMONNAME]].-->, and the ''[[sattriya]]'' of Assam.<ref>{{citation|title=South Asian Arts: Indian Dance|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/556016/South-Asian-arts/65246/Indian-dance |access-date=17 July 2011}}</ref>

The use of stitched clothes became widespread after Muslim rule was established at first by the [[Delhi sultanate]] (ca 1300 CE) and then continued by the [[Mughal Empire]] (ca 1525 CE).<ref name="Rahman-Alkazi2002">{{citation |last=Alkazi |first=Roshen |editor=Rahman, Abdur |title=India's Interaction with China, Central and West Asia |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NZvpAAAAMAAJ |year=2002 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-565789-0 |pages=464–484 |chapter=Evolution of Indian Costume as a result of the links between Central Asia and India in ancient and medieval times}}</ref> Among the garments introduced during this time and still commonly worn are: the [[shalwar]]s and [[pyjama]]s, both styles of trousers, and the tunics [[kurta]] and [[kameez]].<ref name="Rahman-Alkazi2002" /> In southern India, the traditional draped garments were to see much longer continuous use.<ref name="Rahman-Alkazi2002" />

India has won two [[One Day International|ODI]] [[Cricket World Cup|Cricket world cups]], the [[1983 Cricket World Cup|1983 edition]] and the [[2011 Cricket World Cup|2011 edition]], as well as becoming the inaugural [[Twenty20 International]] Cricket Champions in [[2007 ICC World Twenty20|2007]] and has eight field hockey gold medals in the [[Field hockey at the Summer Olympics|summer olympics]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/sports/other-sports/story/independence-day-india-at-70-cricket-football-hockey-kabaddi-1029624-2017-08-14|title=What India was crazy about: Hockey first, Cricket later, Football, Kabaddi now?|website=India Today}}</ref>

India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events: the 1951 and [[1982 Asian Games]]; the [[1987 Cricket World Cup|1987]], [[1996 Cricket World Cup|1996]], and [[2011 Cricket World Cup]] tournaments; the [[2003 Afro-Asian Games]]; the [[2006 ICC Champions Trophy]]; the [[2009 BWF World Championships|2009 World Badminton Championships]]; the [[2010 Men's Hockey World Cup|2010 Hockey World Cup]]; the [[2010 Commonwealth Games]]; and the [[2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup]]. Major international sporting events held annually in India include the [[Maharashtra Open]], the [[Mumbai Marathon]], the [[Delhi Half Marathon]], and the [[Indian Masters]]. The first [[Formula One|Formula 1]] [[Indian Grand Prix]] featured in late 2011 but has been discontinued from the F1 season calendar since 2014.{{sfn|Dehejia|2011}} India has traditionally been the dominant country at the [[South Asian Games]]. An example of this dominance is the [[Basketball at the South Asian Games|basketball competition]] where the [[India national basketball team|Indian team]] won three out of four tournaments to date.<ref>{{cite news |title=Basketball team named for 11th South Asian Games |url=https://nation.com.pk/02-Jan-2010/basketball-team-named-for-11th-south-asian-games |access-date=23 November 2019 |work=[[The Nation (Pakistan)|The Nation]] |publisher=Nawaiwaqt Group |date=2 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202035448/https://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/lahore/02-Jan-2010/Basketball-team-named-for-11th-South-Asian-Games |archive-date=2 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

* {{citation|date=2008-04-08|title=EU-India Strategic Partnership|work=Europa: Summaries of EU Legislation|url=https://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/external_relations/relations_with_third_countries/asia/r14100_en.htm|access-date=14 January 2011|publisher=[[European Union]]|ref={{sfnRef|European Union 2008}}|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503194700/https://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/external_relations/relations_with_third_countries/asia/r14100_en.htm|archive-date=2011-05-03|url-status=dead}}

* {{citation|last=Pandit|first=Rajat|date=8 January 2015|title=Make-in-India: Plan to develop 5th-generation fighter aircraft|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Make-in-India-Plan-to-develop-5th-generation-fighter-aircraft/articleshow/45802270.cms|access-date=17 October 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311162056/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Make-in-India-Plan-to-develop-5th-generation-fighter-aircraft/articleshow/45802270.cms|archive-date=2015-03-11}}

Bharatpedia is not a collection of links and should not be used for advertising.

See [[Bharatpedia:External links]] and [[Bharatpedia:Spam]] for details.