Can you ace this India quiz?
India is famous for its monuments, but the more surprising stories are in its games, words, landscapes and kitchens. See how many of these six you can get right.
Did you know?
- Chess developed from chaturanga, a strategy game played in India around 1,500 years ago.
- In Meghalaya, people grow 'living root bridges' by guiding the roots of rubber fig trees across rivers.
- The digits 0–9 used around the world today developed in India and reached Europe through Arab scholars.
The stories hiding in these answers
India's influence reaches places most people never think about — from the games children play to the words used in bathrooms around the world.
Games and words that travelled
Snakes and Ladders and polo both left India with British travellers and came back as 'international' pastimes. English picked up Hindi words the same way, including shampoo, pajamas and bungalow.
A land of extremes
Within one country you can find some of the wettest hills on Earth, huge deserts and the high Himalaya. Meghalaya's rainfall is so intense that locals grow living bridges from tree roots to cross swollen rivers.
Why the chili question is a trap
Indian cuisine is so closely linked with chili that it feels ancient. In fact, chilies arrived only about 500 years ago — a reminder of how quickly foods can become part of a national identity.