Indian History

Today is the 135th birth anniversary of Vallabhbhai Patel was a great freedom fighter whose contribution to Indian independence is exemplary. Popularly known as Iron Man , he marked his entry into politics by participating in the Kheda Satyagraha launched in 1918 to secure exemption for the cultivators from payment of land tax for the crops that had failed. In 1922 he stared another peasant movement in Bardoli taluka of Gujarat, popularly known as the Bardoli Satyagraha . In recognition of his great success in organizing the Bardoli movement, Mahatma Gandhi called him Sardar .  Vallabhbhai Patel actively participated in all the movements launched under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. After Independence in 1947, he became India’s deputy Prime Minister. His portfolios included Home, the Indian States and Information and Broadcasting. The crowing achievement of his political career was the integration of some 562 Princely States and domains in the India Union.

Ashoka, the great Mauryan Emperor, became a Buddhist eight years after his coronation, that is a year after his conquest of Kalinga . According to Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamasa (Great Chronicle), Ashoka was converted to Buddhism by Nigrodha , a boy monk who was just seven years old, and afterwards he came into contact with Moggaliputa Tissa who presided over the third Buddhist Council called by Ashoka in his capital Patliputra (modern Patna, the capital of Bihar).  After the third Buddhist Council Ashoka sent Buddhist mission to several parts of India and to Sri Lanka where he sent Mahendra his son, or in some sources his brother, and daughter Sanghamitra for the spread of Buddhism. The conversion of Sri Lanka into Buddhism is unanimously ascribed to Mahendra.  When Ashoka embraced conversion to Buddhism the other members of his family also followed suit. According to the Buddhist sources, Ashoka’s brother Tissa, his son, daughter and queen Karuvaki also became converts to Bu

We have to rely on the traditional accounts to know the early life of Ashoka, the greatest of the Indian kings. According to Buddhist accounts his mother was Janapada Kalyani or Subhadrangi . As a prince he served as a Viceroy of Ujjaini and Taxila. During his Viceroyalty he fell in love with the daughter of a merchant of Bidisha, referred to as Devi or Vedisa Mahadevi , whom he married.  Ashoka’s two other well-known queens were Karuvaki and Asandhimitra . The second queen, Karuvaki is mentioned in the Queen’s Edict inscribed on a pillar at Allahabad , in which her religious and charitable donations are referred to. She is described as the mother of Prince Tivara , the only son of Ashoka to be mentioned by name in edicts and inscriptions erected by the Great Mauryan Emperor throughout the kingdom.  According to the Sri Lankan Buddhist chronicle Mahavamsa , Ashoka usurped the throne by killing 99 of his brothers. Only the youngest brother named Tishya was spared .

We have to rely on the traditional accounts to know the early life of Ashoka, the greatest of the Indian kings. According to Buddhist accounts his mother was Janapada Kalyani or Subhadrangi . As a prince he served as a Viceroy of Ujjaini and Taxila. During his Viceroyalty he fell in love with the daughter of a merchant of Bidisha, referred to as Devi or Vedisa Mahadevi , whom he married. Ashoka’s two other well-known queens were Karuvaki and Asandhimitra . The second queen, Karuvaki is mentioned in the Queen’s Edict inscribed on a pillar at Allahabad , in which her religious and charitable donations are referred to. She is described as the mother of Prince Tivara , the only son of Ashoa to be mentioned by name in inscriptions.

Cheras were one of the three famous ruling kingdoms of the Snagam Age. The rulers of these kingdoms ruled over parts of Kerala and Tamilham. Cholas and Pandyas were the other two ruling dynasties. The Tamil anthology  Padirruppattu is exclusively devoted to the Chera monarchs.   The first famous king of the Chera dynasty was Udiyanjeral (c. AD 130). He was given the titles of Vanavaramban and Perunjoram Udiyan by the poet Mudinagarayar in Puram literature. A generous ruler, he is said to have maintained a large kitchen from where he freely distributed food to the people. He was succeeded to the throne by his son Imayavaramaban Nedunjeral Adan (c. AD 155) who defeated the ruler of the  Kadambas and destroyed his guardian tree. In another work, he is also credited to have captured several Yavanas, who were released only when the ruler received a heavy ransom in the form of diamonds and may utensils of fine workmanship. These Yavanas are identified with the Greek sailors. It is not

The last days of the Mughal Emperor Akbar proved to be unhappy due to rebellion of his son Salim , who succeed him under the title of Jahangir . The death of his friend and poet Faizi in 1595 saddened Akbar. Salim was eager to ascend the throne and even entered into intrigues with Portuguese to achieve his end. He even hurt Akbar by commissioning the murder the Abul Fazal (brother of Faizi), author of Akbarnama, by Vir singh Bundela.  The Mughal court became divided into two factions, one favouring the succession of Salim while the other, led by Raja Man Singh , plotted to secure succession of Salim’s son Khusrav. In fact, Khusrav was also Akbar’s choice. However, before his death Akbar pardoned Salim and nominated him as his successor. Akbar died of diarrhoea on 17th October in 1605.

During the 10th and 11th century AD the territory of Jejakabhukti or modern Bundelkhand was ruled by the Rajput rulers of the Chandella dynasty under whom a great school of architecture flourished. The finest specimen of the architecture is a group of temples at Khajuraho in the state of Madhya Pradesh . The Khajuraho temples have been declared World Heritage site by UNESCO. Three most important cities in the Chandella dominions were Khajuraho (Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh), Kalinjar (Banda district in Uttar Pradesh) and Mahotsavanagar (Mahoba district in Uttar Pradesh). About these cities eminent historian Vincent Smith remarks, “The first-named town with is magnificent temples may be regarded as the religious, the second with its strong fortress as the military and the third with its palace as the civil capital.”                                                              Khajuraho Temple / Image source The Chandellas are believed to have been a clan of aboriginal

Buddha Statue-Bodhgaya The Buddha ( the enlightened or Awakened), also known as Sakyamuni or Thathagata , was born in 563 B. C. on the Vaihsakha Purnima day in the royal grove at Lumbini, near Kapilavastu , capital of the Sakyan republic, where his father Suddhodana was at the time ruling. At birth the Buddha stood upright, took seven strides, and spoke: “ This is my last birth-henceforth there is no more birth for me .” His mother, Mahamaya , died seven days after the birth. So the child, named Siddhartha , was brought up by his stepmother Gautami. Gautama as a child led a sheltered life and was given every kind of luxury. He was married at the age of 16 to Yasodhara , his cousin and the beautiful daughter of a neighboring chieftain whom he won at a contest where he defeated all the contenders including his envious cousin Devadatta . Gautama enjoyed family life for thirteen years and had a son Rahula . Since one of the soothsayers had prophesied that Siddhartha is des

Razia (AD 1236-40) was the first and last Muslim woman ruler of Delhi. After the death of her father Sultan Iltutmish (the second ruler of the Slave dynasty of Delhi Sultanate) in 1236, her half brother Rukn-ud-din Firuz ascended the throne with the help of the nobles. This was against the wishes of Iltutmish or Altamash who was aware that his sons were not fit to be the ruler.  During the rule of  Rukn-ud-din Firuz the empire plunged into disorder. Matters were made worse by her mother Shah Turkan who unveiled a reign of terror on her adversaries. Initially a concubine in the harem of Iltutmish, Shah Turkan later on went on to become queen of the Sultan. As chaos and confusion loomed large, Rukn-ud-din Firuz and his mother Shah Turkan were put to death on November 9, 1936. He ruled for only seven months. Razia was now the natural choice of the nobles of Delhi. Razia’s rule lasted three years ad half. She gave good account of herself as a shrewd diplomat and a strategist. At the beginn

Mariam uz-Zamani was the wife of Akbar and mother of the fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Akbar, the greatest of the Mughals, understood it very well that in order to rule such a large country like India, it was essential to have the support the majority of the population. Consequently he entered into matrimonial alliance with Rajputs who were the formidable adversaries of the Mughals. Tomb of Mariyam Before her marriage to Akbar, Mariam uz-Zamani, who was Akbar’s first Rajput wife, was known as Rajkumari Hira Kunwari. She was the eldest daughter of Kachwaha Rajput, Raja Bharmal of Amber. The Tomb of Mariam, built in red sand stone in 1611, is located at Sikandra, near Agra. It is one km away from Akbar’s tomb.

In the history of Kashmir, the Utpala dynasty holds a special place. The founder of the Utpala dynasty was Avantivarman who ruled from AD 855 to 883. He was more interested in internal administration than military conquests. New towns and irrigation works were constructed. One of these towns was Suyyapura (modern Sopar ), called after his minister and engineer Suyya who gave a further impetus to the agriculture of Kashmir by draining marshes and protecting the fields against the deluge of avalanches. It is said of Suyya that he “made the streams of Indus and Jhelum flow according to his will, like a snake charmer his snakes.” Avantivarman founded a new city Avantipur (Bantipur). A patron of learning , Avantivarman, in his court, has two poets, Ratnakara and Anandavardhan . In his time, according to the Kashmiri poet Kalhana, author of Rajatarangini (“rivers of kings”), rice was sold for 36 dinaras per khari, as against 2000 dinaras earlier, showing the revival of the country’s p

Since ancient times rivers have been held scared by the Hindus. Ganga is the most sacred river of India. Sacred because according to Hindu mythology, Ganga sprang from the foot of Vishnu, flowed over the sky in the form of the milky way ( Mandakini ) and then fell to earth from the matted locks of Shiva.  Himalayas is the source of Ganga. It is at Hardwar in the sate of Uttarakhand that this holy river debouches on the plain, known as the Gangetic plain. Ganga joins the Bay of Bengal at Ganga Sagar in West Bengal where it forms a large delta.  Ganga is mentioned only once in a late hymn of Rigveda, the earliest of the Vedas. It seems that during the Rigvedic period, the Aryans had not expanded beyond Yamuna.  The relief of " The Descent of the Ganges ", also known as Arjuna's Penance , in the rock-cut temples of Mamallapuram (Tami Nadu) , now known as Mahabalipuram,  is the most striking of the sculptures for which the Pallavas are known all over the world.  Covering

Pritilata Waddedar (1911-32) was a woman revolutionary from Bengal. An active member of the Jugantar and the Chittagong Republican Army , formed by Surya Sen , also known as “ Masterda ”. She led a group of revolutionaries and attacked a European club at Pahartali on September 24, 1932 in which a number of European were killed or wounded. After successfully raiding the club, she swallowed poison and committed suicide with a written statement in her pocket, which was a clarion call to the womanhood of India to rise up in arms against the foreign oppressions and to stand by the side of their brothers fighting for freedom. Pritilata Waddedar Ashutosh Gowariker's period film "Khele Hum Jee Jaan Se" is based on the Chittagong Uprising. The film is based on based on the book Do And Die by Manini Chatterjee, a veteran journalist. Role of Preetilata Waddedar is played by Vishakha Singh. Abhishek Bachchan plays the role of Surya Sen, that of other woman revolutionary

Sivaga-sindamani or  Civaka Cintamani  is a famous epic in Tamil. Written in elegant and ornate style, it is third most popular epic after Silappadigaram (the jeweled Anklet) and Manimegalai .  Attributed to the Jaina monk Tiruttakkadevar in the 10th century AD, the epic describes the heroics of the hero Sivaga or Jivaka, a superman who excels in every art form from archery to the curing of snake bite. The hero wins a new bride for his harem with every feat. After his many heroic deeds, Jivaka embraces the Jaina faith and becomes an ascetic. Sivaga-sindamani,  which means "fabulous gem", is also known as Mana nool or "Book of Marriages". 

Of the four Vedas ( Veda means knowledge), the Rigveda , Samveda , Yajurveda and Atharvaveda , the Rigveda is the oldest religious text in the world still looked on as sacred, and therefore, is also known as the first testament of mankind. Dating the Rigveda is a subject of conjecture.  the probable date for its composition may be around 1700 BC. Vedas are written is Sanskrit. The first three Vedas are collectively known as Trayi or trio. Each Veda is further divided into Samhitas or collections. These were learnt by heart and then passed on from the teachers to the disciples.  © Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute The Rigveda is neither a historical nor a heroic poem but is mainly a collection of hymns of praise composed by many authors. It describes the religious life of the early Aryans in India. The hymns of Rig Veda were recited at the time of sacrificial rites and other rituals with utmost devotion. These hymns are still recited by the Hindus at different ceremon