John’s Blog

     Did you know that the amazing country of India worships the cow and treats it as a sacred animal? Being the birth place of Buddhism and Hinduism, India is the home of over 700 dialects and languages. Surprisingly, there is a city in India called Shiva and is named after the god of death! Can you believe that over 200 years ago the British ruled India and built thousands of amazing railroad systems which became there main way of transportation? These trains can get extremely crowded with people. There are four people to a compartment and the trains use fans as air conditioning. If you are riding on one of these trains you don’t have to worry about starving because they serve food on it. If your wondering what the Indian people eat, they make their own meals varrying from drinks and soups to delicious hand made salads. India has their very own sacred river called the Ganges. Some people may find some of these facts rather disturbing. The Ganges is know to be the most polluted river. It is also where people bathe and swim. Here’s a good fact: If we even went in the Ganges we would get sick immediately because we would not be used to such polluted water. As people and animals pass away they are ceremonially thrown into the Ganges river. Over 200 stairs lead down to the Ganges called the Ghats. India is also know for the largest palace in the world called the Taj Mahal. It was built by a Muslim emperor, Shah Jahan, to store his dead wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It took 22 years to build and was constructed in 1631. Krishna, a Hindu god has a birthday every year. This important holiday is commonly celebrated by the Hindu people. During this celebration and many more the streets come alive with many activities. Activities like music, food, face-painting, and much more. During Krishna’s birthday many people send prayer candles into the river to worship her.. India has many endangered species and one of them is the elephant. Elephants can be found at Corbett National park in India. There is one way to get on a elephant: Step 1- put one foot on elephants trunk. Step 2- grab on to ears of elephant and pull yourself up. Step 3- keep pulling while the elephant assists you by lifting it’s trunk. Here’s an amazing fact for all those people out there begging to learn about India. About 20 people are killed by tigers every year! India is a fascinating country, and I think everyone should know about it.