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India is a country with a rich history and culture. It is the second most populous country in the world, and one of the oldest civilizations. India is known for its diverse religions, languages, and customs. There is a wide range of India trivia questions that can be asked, whether you're a history buff or someone who is curious about the country.
Here are some examples of India trivia questions you might come across: What is the capital of India? Who is the first Prime Minister of India? When did India gain independence from British rule? What is the meaning of the word "India"? These questions cover a wide range of India's history, politics, and culture, including its major cities, historical figures, and important events.
In addition to the history and politics of India, there are also many fun and interesting facts to learn about the country. For example, did you know that India has the world's largest democracy, with over 900 million people eligible to vote? Or that the word "India" comes from the Indus River, which flows through the country's northwest region? These trivia questions will not only test your knowledge, but also give you a glimpse into the many fascinating aspects of India, its people, and its culture.
1. Despite its reputation as a manual on intercourse positions, it is in fact an ancient Indian Sanskrit text on the "art-of-living" including the nature of love, finding a partner, and more. What is the name of this old tome?
Answer: Kama Sutra
2. Ashtanga, Bikram, and Vinyasa are three of the more popular forms of what practice that originated in ancient India?
Answer: Yoga
3. As part of an effort to break into the Indian market, Nike released the Air Zoom Yorker to target players of what sport?
Answer: Cricket
4. Promoted to his current cabinet-level position in 2017, Dharmendra Pradhan is the Minister of Education in what country?
Answer: India
5. Punjab is a transnational region in South Asia encompassing eastern Pakistan and the northwest of which other country?
Answer: India
6. Practiced in the cultures of India, China, Persia, Sumeria and more for centuries but now roundly considered pseudoscience, the practice of chiromancy is the studying of the lines and features of what body part?
Answer: Palm
7. What is the four-letter word for a women's garment from India made of an unstitched drape up to nine meters in length that is typically wrapped around the waist with one end draped over the shoulder?
Answer: Sari
8. A large portion of what 2001 Yann Martel novel features the title character stranded on a lifeboat after a shipwreck with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker?
Answer: Life of Pi
9. Raj Ghat is a memorial in Delhi, India composed in part of a black marble platform. To what man is this memorial dedicated?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi
10. In 2018, Walmart acquired an 81% controlling stake in an Indian e-commerce company with an 8-letter name for $16 billion. What is this company, with a name sounding like it might occur during a temper tantrum in a Walmart parking lot?
Answer: Flipkart
11. Starring Ram Shankar Nikumbh as an unconventional art teacher who helps dyslexic student Ishaan discover his potential, "Like Stars on Earth" is a 2007 film made in what country?
Answer: India
12. With more than 500 million native speakers, what is the most commonly spoken language in India?
Answer: Hindi
13. Saag paneer is Indian cottage cheese cooked with any kind of green leafy vegetable; palak paneer means that the cheese has been cooked with what specific leafy green?
Answer: Spinach
14. As of the 2011 census, with 199 million people, what is the largest of India's 28 states?
Answer: Uttar Pradesh
15. Mehndi is a form of body art and temporary skin decoration that originated in ancient India and is still popular today in many countries on the Indian subcontinent. The practice uses a paste made from the leaves of what plant?
Answer: Henna
16. What country’s national cricket team is known as the "Men in Blue"?
Answer: India
17. What is the stonefruit that is the national fruit of India, Haiti, and the Philippines? Strangely enough, is also the summer national fruit of Pakistan. Using seasons to claim four different national fruits: brilliant.
Answer: Mango
18. Spread out about 200km north of Jodhpur, the massive Badhla Solar Park services what country?
Answer: India
19. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian independence activist that served as the first holder of what central role in Indian politics? Nehru served in this role from 1947 to 1964.
Answer: Prime Minister
20. In the 2014 Disney sports movie “Million Dollar Arm,” two Indian cricket players are recruited to play baseball by an agent portrayed by what American actor, best known for playing Don Draper on “Mad Men?”
Answer: Jon Hamm
21. The beginnings of yoga can be traced back 5,000 years to the Indus civilization of Northern India. In modern yoga exercises such as Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, "Ujjayi" refers to which core component of yoga practice?
Answer: Breath
22. The $600 million Zoji La tunnels project will connect the rest of India to its very militarized Himalayan border with what other superpower?
Answer: China
23. What country's bicameral legislature includes the Rajya Sabha, which represents the states, and a lower house, the Lok Sabha which represents the people of the country as a whole?
Answer: India
24. Indian author Vikas Swarup wrote a 2005 novel titled "Q & A" involving a game show that was (loosely) adapted into a 2008 British film that later won the Academy Award for Best Picture. What was the name of the adaptation?
Answer: Slumdog Millionaire
25. As has been tradition for many years, what color apparel is typically worn during test cricket?
Answer: White
26. Magnus Carlsen could tell you that the Sanskrit word chaturanga is the original word for what internationally famous board game which was invented in India?
Answer: Chess
27. At the top of Bleacher Report's top five cricket movies of all time is 2001's "Lagaan," which had the epic subtitle "Once Upon a Time in..." what country?
Answer: India
28. Otus bengalensis is the scientific name for a type of eagle-owl collected in the northern part of what giant Southwest Asian country?
Answer: India
29. What northernmost region of India was known by the Ancient Greeks as Kasperia and eventually became an important center of Hinduism and Buddhism? The area is also the title of a Led Zeppelin song that opens with the lyric "Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face."
Answer: Kashmir
30. At a towering 406 feet, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is the world’s tallest masonry dam built in 1969 in what heavily-populated Asian country?
Answer: India
31. Located at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an administrative division of which country?
Answer: India
32. Although researchers aren't quite 100% confident, rice is thought to be first grown in the southern portion of what modern-day country?
Answer: India
33. Deriving from the name of the village Naxalbari, a Naxalite is a member of a communist political organization in what country?
Answer: India
34. The leading run-scorer and century-maker in the history of first-class cricket was also an answer to a key question in the film "Slumdog Millionaire." Who is this answer to this meta-trivia question?
Answer: Jack Hobbs
35. In 1959, Dr. King traveled to Raj Ghat in Delhi, India, to lay a wreath in honor of what other nonviolent activist, a source of much inspiration to Dr. King?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi
36. What is the five-letter name of the cannabis-based drink, popular in India, which is traditionally served during holidays of Maha Shivaratri and Holi?
Answer: Bhang
37. What is the two word name for governmental program launched in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure their country’s online infrastructure can access government services?
Answer: Digital India
38. The Mumbai franchise in the Indian Premier League of Cricket has what team name? It makes sense, given the country they play in.
Answer: Mumbai Indians
39. What country has the most cultivated land area in the world? Their major agricultural products include pulses, milk, jute, and rice.
Answer: India
40. Rajendra the First of what “C” Tamil Indian empire invaded Singapore in the 11th century and ruled the country for a couple decades?
Answer: Chola Empire
41. Which type of wooden boat, a cultural symbol of the Indian region of Kashmir, has a name which is an anagram of the name of a Colombian singer born in 1977? (Hint: the location of the consonants is the same in both names.)
Answer: Shikara
42. “Rajasthan Patrika” and “Punjab Kesari” are both broadsheet newspapers published in which country?
Answer: India
43. Kampatimar Shankariya, an Indian serial killer of the 1970s, was known for hitting his victims with what construction tool? The tool is more commonly used to hit nails into place.
Answer: Hammer
44. What Asian country – whose national flag features a blue 24-spoke Ashoka Chakra wheel in its center – is the world’s largest producer of milk?
Answer: India
45. In Hindu mythology, the hero Rama is the seventh avatar of what god who is the preserver and protector of the universe?
Answer: Vishnu
46. The Hindu god of love Kamadeva shoots flower arrows from a sugarcane bow frequently strung with what type of sweet insects?
Answer: Bees
47. A chawl is a residential building, similar to a tenement, found in the western region of what Asian nation?
Answer: India
48. The northernmost geographical region in the Indian subcontinent had its first Muslim ruler (Shah Mir) in 1339. What is the name of this region?
Answer: Kashmir
49. Abbreviated UP for short, what Indian state's official seal depicts the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, as well as two fish that represent the area's former Muslim rulers?
Answer: Uttar Pradesh
50. The small Indian village of Ghuar Moti holds the claim to fame as the westernmost point in India. It is located in which Indian state?
Answer: Gujarat
51. Which Indian city on the banks of the Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh is the location of the Taj Mahal?
Answer: Agra
52. The legendary India Pale Ale was the solution that brought beer from India to Britain, aging it in order to survive what weather condition?
Answer: Heat
53. What was the surname of the first Viceroy of India after whom a small but historically significant hill in the Central Area of Singapore, also known as Government Hill or Bukit Larangan, is named?
Answer: Canning
54. The third-largest city in India is also the capital of the state of Karnataka. What is this city in south India? As a hint, the city shares the same first four letters with the 8th most populous country in the world.
Answer: Bangalore
55. The country of India has three national animals. Two of them live on the land or air. One does not. What is it?
Answer: River dolphin
56. What “G”reat cricket team, representing the Indian state in its name, won the Ranji Trophy in 2017, the club’s first?
Answer: Gujarat
57. All Mughal emperors were practitioners of what religion? The empire's peak is often considered the 17th and 18th century when it ruled over nearly all of the Indian subcontinent.
Answer: Islam
58. There is a "cross and circle" board game with Indian origins that also has an Americanized brand name owned by Parker Brothers. This game involves two dice, four pieces per player and a gameboard with a track around the outside. Name either the Indian name or the Americanized name.
Answer: Parcheesi or Pachisi
59. Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrien Brody play brothers traveling across India in a train in what 2007 film directed by Wes Anderson?
Answer: The Darjeeling Limited
60. In parts of South Asia such as India, coir is a common material used to make mattresses. This thin natural fibre is extracted from the outer husk of what plant?
Answer: Coconut
61. A place named Vasco de Gama is the most populous city in what Indian state, which is also the state with the shortest name?
Answer: Goa
62. Only one of the seven countries that borders India has a population with less than one million people. This country famously measures "gross national happiness" and has Thimphu as its capital city. What is this country?
Answer: Bhutan
63. Akbar is often considered the greatest of the Mogul emperors. Although his domain expanded rapidly, the area where he first ruled is in what present-day country?
Answer: India
64. What is the common four-letter name for the Azadirachta indica tree that is native to the Indian subcontinent? This tree is typically grown in tropical regions, its fruits and seeds are commonly used for a namesake oil, and it is also commonly used as a natural alternative to synthetic pesticides.
Answer: Neem tree
65. Shampoo was invented in India, and the traditional method used herbs rather than commercial liquids. The word itself comes from the Sanskrit word "champu" which means what? This meaning is a key part of a successful shampoo activity.
Answer: Massage
66. The first batsman to score a double century in a One Day International is what Indian dude with the awesome nickname "Master Blaster"?
Answer: Sachin Tendulkar
67. The Ganges River famously flows through India, but after passing through the waters of India, what country does the river enter next?
Answer: Bangladesh
68. Nicknamed largely because its sanctum was overlaid with a metallic foil in 1830, what is the two-word English-language nickname for Harmandir Sahib (the preeminent spiritual site of Sikhism)?
Answer: Golden Temple
69. What female Indian prime minister is the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India?
Answer: Indira Gandhi
70. What city on the east coast of India was known as Madras until changing its name in 1996?
Answer: Chennai
71. As of the 2011 Census, the most common first language spoken in India is Hindi, with 44% of the population. With one guess, name either the 2nd or 3rd most common "first language" spoken in India, at 8% and 7% respectively.
Answer: Bengali and Marathi
72. An Indian meal which included "masoor" would have what ingredient?
Answer: Lentils
73. A crepe-like batter that is cooked thin and stuffed with fillings such as potatoes, onions, and cheese typically forms part of the Southern Indian and Sri Lankan diets. What is the four-letter English name for this food?
Answer: Dosa
74. An empire in South Asia ruled much of contemporary India for much of the period from 1526-1857, starting with the rule of Babur. What was the name of this empire? Note: don't confuse your answer with a similarly named group located further north in Asia.
Answer: Mughal Empire
75. Which national capital city is geographically closest to India's New Delhi?
Answer: Islamabad
76. On the reverse side of the Indian 500 rupee note is an image of what colorful building in the city of Delhi that was the historic residence of the Mughal Emperors?
Answer: Red Fort
77. Set in the Indian state of Kerala, what "divine" 1997 debut novel by Arundhati Roy won a Man Booker Prize?
Answer: The God of Small Things
78. Homer is photographed cavorting with a belly dancer with what name that suggests she might be royalty from somewhere around the India-Pakistan border?
Answer: Princess Kashmir
79. In 2021, Damien Wright took over as the bowling coach of what regal Indian Premier League team that dropped Roman numerals from their name in 2020?
Answer: Punjab Kings
80. What Sanskrit epic of ancient India tells the story of the legendary prince of Ayodhya, husband of Sita and seventh avatar of the god Vishnu?
Answer: Ramayana
81. Indian politician (and the country's second prime minister) Lal Bahadur Shastri famously promoted the White Revolution which was a national campaign focused on the production of what item?
Answer: Milk
82. What fabric material was first spun in India and referred to by Roman emperors as “woven winds” and by Mogul emperors as “morning dew” or “cloth of running water"?
Answer: Cotton
83. In the 2010s, the size of photovoltaic power stations to generate and store solar energy has increased dramatically. Back in 2012, the largest project to-date was completed in Arizona and had a capacity of 247 MegaWatts. Only eight years later, there are now two power stations with capacity for more than 2,000 MegaWatts each, both of which are located in what country?
Answer: India
84. There is an Indian telecommunications company headquartered in Mumbai that is the largest mobile network operator in India and the third largest mobile network operator in the world. What is the three-letter name of this massive communication provider in the world's second most populous country?
Answer: Jio
85. Himalayan populations in Nepal, Tibet, and northern India traditionally blend what savory ingredient into both their coffee and tea?
Answer: Butter
86. Prior to a December 2018 name change, what was the alliterative name of the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League?
Answer: Delhi Daredevils
87. The Shalihotra Samhita was an Indian veterinary treatise from the 3rd century BC, an edict from what emperor of the Mauryan dynasty? This “A” emperor promised that medicine would be available to both people and animals.
Answer: Ashoka
88. According to Yuvrat Singh's "Test of My Life," a character from the comic "Champak" is the source of what blushable nickname of cricketer Virat Kohli?
Answer: Cheeku
89. The history of the first pair of eyeglasses is generally inconclusive, but some of the oldest optical lens-making tradition occurred in what South Asian nation in which King Bhuvanekabahu the IV (AD 1346 - 1353) had craftsmen with royal patronage creating eyeglasses with a special natural stone?
Answer: Sri Lanka
90. Mrs. Rupa Mehra is determined to arrange her daughter's marriage in what nearly-1500-page Vikram Seth novel set in a newly independent India?
Answer: A Suitable Boy
91. "Selection Day" is a 2016 novel about a young cricket star by what Indian author whose debut novel "White Tiger" won a Man Booker Prize?
Answer: Aravind Adiga
92. #ArmpitGate was a brief 2016 scandal when the Indian edition of what magazine was accused of smoothing and whitening Priyanka Chopra's underarm on their cover?
Answer: Maxim
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