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Synopsis The growing importance of India as an emerging superpower and an economic power-house has emphasized the need for a compact and authentic information, on and about India, for easy processing and decision-making, by countrymen and foreigners alike. This work compiles the vast and varied literature, and is the biggest, most comprehensive, and an ambitious first attempt, the need for which was long felt. The subject matter of this Encyclopaedia is not only India but the whole of the Indian Sub-continent and includes articles & entries on almost all the subject areas in Art, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Pure & Applied Sciences. It presents, in the 46,000 odd entries, the information acquired from contributors and scholars, in a condensed form. Organised alphabetically, the work guides the user, quickly, to the required information and related knowledge through an extensive system of cross-references. Though, focussing generally on India, the coverage of the Indian Encyclopaedia is wide, ranging from Russia Caucuses and Central Asia to Arabia, Persia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and of course Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. It is an authentic treasure-house of names, titles, dates, articles, and discoveries, which authors and inquirers have been amassing and communicating for a long time. The subjects covered include: Agriculture; Agricultural, Industrial and Scientific Research; Aryuveda; Anthropology; Architecture; Archaeology; Archaeological sites; Astrology; Astronomy; Armed Forces; Atomic Theory; Arts; Alchemy; Biological and Chemical Sciences; Botany; Banking; Business and Finance; Business Associations, Business Leaders and Tycoons; Buddhism; Ceremonies and Customs; Cultural Heritage; Chemistry; Civil Government; Commerce and Industry; Commercial Products; Dance and Performing Arts; Domestic Science; Drugs and Medicine; Economics; Economic Policies; Education; Ethics; Ethnography; Flora and Fauna; Forestry; Folk Arts; Folk Lore; Folk Music an d Folk Dance; Fine Arts; Freedom Movement; Foreign Relations; Games and Sports; Geography; Geology; Habits and Traditions; History and Culture; Horticulture; Homeopathy; Hinduism; Islam; Indian States (former); Kings and Monarchs; Language and Literature; Linguistics; Law and Judiciary; Local Governance; Logic; Landmarks and Monuments; Major Events; Modern India; Military and War; Marine Archaeology; Mathematics; Music; Mythology; Moral and Spiritual Practice; Mountains; Mineral and other Natural Resources; Natural History; Natural Sciences; Nuclear Research; National Institutions; Pantheon; Personalities; Philosophy; Philosophical Systems; Physical Culture; Physics; Plant Sciences; Pharmacy and Pharmacology; Politics and Diplomacy; Planning Process; Political, Social and Religious Leaders; Psychology; Psychiatry; Places of Interest; Pilgrimage; Religions; Rulers and Princes; Sacred and Religious Literature; Sacred Cities; Sacred Rivers; Schools of Thought; Sages, Seers and Thinkers; Sikhism; Social Traditions; Society; Sociology; Scientists; Sciences; Sculpture; Sanitation; Taxation; Tourism; Transportation and Communication; Theology; Traditions and Customs; Tribal Culture; Tribes and Castes; Tantric Literature and its mysterious practices; Weapons, Missile Systems and Nuclear Assets; Zoology; and many more. Specifically, the Encyclopaedia contains entries on every Ethical, Political and Religious Movement; each Philosophical, Spiritual and Social Ideas ever propounded; Vedic Literature, the Puranas, the Epic Literature, the Upanisads and the philosophy they contemplate; popular and tradition-bound Festivals, Vows and Practices; all important Personages, Deities and Places whether famous or in famous; all major Political and Social Events, including the Players who made these events possible; Ethnic, Linguistic and Regional Divisions along with almost all the important Races, Peoples, Tribes and Castes, Scheduled Castes, etc.; the Wedding Practices, Wedding Songs, unique Rituals and Customs observed by Individual Communities, including mundane but significant Practices and Beliefs like Grah Puja, Nazar Uttarna and Graha Pravesh; Forbidden Foods and the Role of Spirits, Spirit Worship, Ancestor Worship, Serpent and Tree Worship, Food for the Dead and Burial Rites; the Dynasties which ruled India and its regions, from the ancient times to the modern period, including Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Foreign Rulers and their Kingdoms, along with genealogies and chronologies; Hindu Pantheon, Sikh Gurus and their places of Pilgrimage, Muslim and Sufi Saints; various Wars, its Heroes and those Events which changed the course of wars; the Stock Exchanges, its dynamic and progressive Industrial Scenario; the role and position of NRI's (Non-Resident Indians); Important Ministries, related Departments and Autonomous Bodies; Medical Sciences including articles on Anatomy, Blood, Bo ne-setting, Medicine, Vedic-Reiki.