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There are several interesting facts about India which cannot be classified into a particular category. For example, which is the largest library in India, which is the largest auditorium in India or which is the largest museum in India. We have collected together such interesting information and categorized them under the miscellaneous category. Find information on several such interesting facts on India.
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Largest Auditorium in India
Sri Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai is the largest auditorium in India. The hall has an interesting history. In 1943, a few music oriented minds of Mumbai such as Dr. Iyengar, Rao Saheb, Anantha Iyer, P R Sundaraja Iyengar, Srinivasa Iyer, S Seshadri and others joined hands to form a cultural organization called Krishna Gana Sabha. The Sabha used to organize regular music and dance festivals in Mumbai. In 1951, the late prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru while addressing one such gathering at Metro theatre, lamented at the lack of a large hall in Mumbai. In response to Panditji's call, a number of prominent music lovers came together and their efforts culminated in the birth of Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha in September 1952 at the Podar College Hall. In 1964 when the gigantic Shanmukhananda hall came up in Kings' Circle (Matunga), Pandit Nehru acclaimed the hall as the biggest in the east of Suez.
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Largest Botanical Garden of India
Indian Botanical Garden situated in Shibpur, Howrah near Kolkata is the largest botanical garden of India. The gardens exhibit a wide variety of rare plants and have a collection of over 12,000 specimens spread over 109 hectares. The garden is renowned for The Great Banyan an enormous banyan tree (Ficus bengalhensis) that is considered to be the largest tree in the world. It has a circumference of more than 330 metres. The gardens are also famous for their rich collection of orchids, bamboos, palms, and plants of the screw pine genus. Indian Botanical Gardens were previously known as Royal Botanic Gardens and were founded in 1786 by the British East India Company. |
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Largest Library in India
The National Library in Kolkata is the largest library in India. It is an institution of National importance under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India. National Library is situated on a scenic 30 acres Belvedere Estate, in Kolkata. The library is designated to collect, disseminate and preserve the printed material produced in the country.
The origins of the National Library can be traced back to 1836 when the Calcutta Public Library was established. The then Governor General, Lord Metcalf transferred 4,675 volumes from the library of the College of Fort William to the Calcutta Public Library. In 1891, the Imperial Library was formed by combining a number of Secretariat libraries. Lord Curzon, the then Governor General of India, conceived the idea of opening a library for the use of the public. He amalgamated Calcutta Public Library with the Imperial Library. The library was formally opened to the public on 30th January 1903 at Metcalf Hall, Kolkata. After independence, the library was renamed as the National Library. |
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Largest Museum in India
Indian Museum in Kolkata is the largest museum in India. It is the ninth oldest regular museum of the world and oldest institution of its kind in Asia Pacific region. Indian Museum is a multipurpose and multi disciplinary institution of national importance. The museum was established at the Asiatic Society, the earliest learned body in the country on 2nd February 1814. Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist, was the founder curator of the museum. Indian Museum was transferred to the present building in 1878 with two galleries. Today, the museum has over sixty galleries of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Botany sections, spreading over ten thousand square feet area. Many rare specimens of both Indian and Trans-Indian origin relating to Humanities and Natural Science are preserved and displayed in museum.
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Largest Planetarium in India
The M. P. Birla Planetarium in Kolkata is the largest planetarium in India. The planetarium started functioning from September 29, 1962 as an educational, scientific and research institution and was formally inaugurated on July 2, 1963 by the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. M. P. Birla Planetarium is established on an acre of land leased by the West Bengal Government.
Since its inception, M. P. Birla Planetarium has designed and presented more than 350 astronomical projects dealing with many facets of astronomy, astro-physics, Celestial Mechanics, Space Science, History of astronomy, Centenaries of famous astronomers as well as mythology concerning stars and planets. The Planetarium owns an astronomical observatory equipped with a Celestron C-14 Telescope with accessories such as ST6 CCD Camera, Solar Filter etc.
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Largest Prison in India
Tihar Jail Complex in New Delhi is the largest prison complex in India. It comprises of nine prisons in the Tihar Complex with a sanction capacity of 4800 prisoners and one District Jail at Rohini with a sanction capacity of 1050 prisoners. Before 1958, the Jail was located at Delhi Gate area of Delhi. In 1958, the prison was transferred from Delhi Gate to its present site in Tihar Village in western part of New Delhi. In the beginning, only one Central Jail was commissioned with the lodging capacity of 1267 prisoners. Till 1966, the administrative control of the Jail was with the Government of Punjab. In 1966, the control of Tihar Jail was transferred to the Delhi Administration, Delhi in 1966. |
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Largest Zoo in India
The Zoological Garden in Kolkata is the largest Zoo in India. It is spread over an area of about 100 acres. The Zoo is located on Belvedre road in Kolkata and was established in 1876. The zoo is home to a rich variety of birds, animals, and reptiles.
The origins of the Zoo can be traced back to 1873, when, the then Governor Sir Richard Temple proposed the formation of a zoo in Calcutta. Sir C.L. Lendal corroborated it. Finally, the Government allotted land for this purpose responding to the joint petition of the Asiatic Society and Agri-Horticultural Society. The zoo was inaugurated on the January 1, 1876 by King Edward VII.
Zoological Garden, Kolkata is credited with bringing back the rare Manipur Brow Antlered Deer from near extinction. The zoo was first to have bred Giraffes and has produced Tigions, and Litigons as a cross breeding experiment. The artificial lake of the zoo attracts a large number of migratory birds every year.
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