India Railways and roads

country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is a constitutional republic consisting of 28 states, each with a substantial degree of control over its own affairs; 6 less fully empowered union territories; and the Delhi national capital territory, which includes New Delhi, India’s capital. With roughly one-sixth of the world’s total population, India is the second most populous country, after China.

It is known from archaeological evidence that a highly sophisticated, urbanized culture—the Indus civilization—dominated the northwestern part of the subcontinent from about 2600 to 2000 bce. From that period on, India functioned as a virtually self-contained political and cultural arena, which gave rise to a distinctive tradition that was associated primarily with Hinduism, the roots of which can largely be traced to the Indus civilization. Other religions, notably Buddhism and Jainism, originated in India—though their presence there is now quite small—and throughout the centuries residents of the subcontinent developed a rich...

Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.

town, East Godāvari district, northeastern Andhra Pradesh state, southern India, on the Godāvari River Delta. Dowlaiswaram is located at the source of the great delta, and a dam 2 mi (3.2 km) long crosses the river at this point, supplying canals that irrigate 1,000,000 ac (400,000 ha). Rice fields, gardens, and villages are scattered over the deltaic region that surrounds the mainly agricultural town. Pop. (1981) 25,983.

city, south-central Bihār state, northeastern India. It lies along the Phalgu River, a tributary of the Ganges. With major rail, road, and air connections, Gayā is a major centre of commerce. The city lies near the junction of the Gangetic Plain and the Choṭa Nāgpur plateau and is notoriously hot in summer.

Gayā is a noted Hindu pilgrimage centre, visited by about 300,000 pilgrims annually. There are 45 sacred places between Pretsil hill (north) and Bodh Gayā (south), but most are in Gayā itself. The main shrine is the Vishnu temple built by the Marāṭhā princess Ahalyā Bāī in 1787. Others are the rocky, temple-covered hills of Ramsilla and Brahmajini, the latter identified with the Gayāśīrṣa hill on which the Buddha preached. The village of Bodh Gayā, 6 miles (10 km) south of Gayā, is famous as the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Gayā has several libraries and several colleges affiliated with Magadh University. It was constituted a municipality in 1865.

In the surrounding region, grains, oilseeds, and sugarcane are grown with the aid of irrigation from the Son, Pūnpūn, Morhar, and Phalgu rivers and the Patna Canal system. Building stone and mica deposits are worked in the region. Pop. (2001 prelim.) 383,197.

Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.

Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.