Geography

Tianzhu and Tenjiku

天竺, pronounced Tianzhu in Chinese and Tenjiku in Japanese were the early names for India in China and Japan respectively. They both mean heavenly centre (or spiritual centre in reference to India being the birthplace of Buddhism).

British invasions

The analysis of the histories of the almost 200 countries in the world found only 22 which have never experienced an invasion by the British.

Escale à Pondichéry

Escale à Pondichéry is a perfume by Christian Dior which blends the fragrances of black tea, cardamom, and sandalwood.

Madurai

Madurai Malli (jasmine) is now considered a brand and has been awarded a Geographical Indication Mark. The flowers themselves are cultivated around Kodaikanal.

Salem

The capital of the state of Oregon is named Salem. All in all, there are at least 25 Salems in the US.

Dal Lake

Dal Lake in Kashmir is a tautology as the word dal in Balti means lake. This would effectively make its name Lake Lake.

Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta

Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta in Andhra Pradesh is the longest place and railway station name in India sans hyphen or space.

Ib and Od

Ib in Odisha (near Jharsuguda) and Od in Gujarat (between Anand and Godhra) have the shortest place and railway station names in India.

Geography