Indian History

Banabhatta, also known as Bana, was the court-poet of Harsha, a great and famous ruler in ancient India who ascended the throne in 606 AD at the age of sixteen. Some of Harsha’s fame is due to the fact that his reign is well documented compared to other ancient Indian rulers. And credit goes to Bana who has left a detailed and florid account of the events leading up to Harsha’s rise to power in his magnum opus Harshacharita (The Deeds of Harsha). Harshacharita, a historical work of top order, is written in ornate poetic prose.  Kadambari is another work attributed to Bana. Since Bana was patronized by Harsha, he has been accused of being biased towards the king. However, this court-poet has the temerity to "reject the whole rigmarole of royal divinity as the works of sycophants.” Bana also condemned the custom of Sati.

Alexander’s general Seleucus Nicator waged a war against Chadragupta Maurya , the founder of the Mauryan empire, in C 305 BC. He was at the receiving end in the battle and suffered the worst of engagements. Not only he was unable to recover Alexander’s Indian provinces, but also was to compelled to yield parts of what is now Afghanistan to the Mauryan emperor, receiving in exchange only 500 elephants. The peace between   Seleucus Nicator ad Chandragupta was concluded by a matrimonial  alliance. The exact nature the alliance is still in the realm of debate among the historians. But it can be said with a great deal of certainty that successors of Chandragupta had Greek blood in their veins. The importance of Seleucus Nicator in Indian history is great. He sent Megathenes to the court of Chandragupta.  Megathenes’s description of ancient India is of great value to us.

Located on the southeast coast of India about 3 km south of Pondicherry, Arikamedu was an Indo-Roman coastal trading station and an important centre of trade and commerce with the Western world during the early centuries of the Christian era. This port was known to the author of Periplus Man’s Erthreae as Padouke. After the second century AD it ceased to be an active commercial centre. Numerous Italian, Greek pottery pieces and glassware and Roman coins have been found here.