Indian History

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Guru of the Sikh religion. He was beheaded on the orders of the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb on 24 November 1675 in Delhi. Born to Guru Hargobind and Mata Nanaki on 1 April 1621 in Amritsar Guru Tegh Bahadur was named Tyaga Mal at birth. Guru Hargobind was the sixth Sikh Guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur was trained in martial arts, swordsmanship and horse riding. He was married to Gujari in 1633. Guru Tegh Bahadur travelled far and wide visiting many places in northern India and also Assam and Dhaka, preaching the word of Guru Nanak. Guru Tegh Bahadur founded the city of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab in 1665. Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib at Chandni Chowk in Delhi was built in 1783 at the place where he was beheaded. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s young son Gobind, who was only nine when his father was killed, became the tenth and the last Sikh Guru.  

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) has added Gujarat's traditional Garba dance to its ' Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. ' The inclusion of Garba now makes it India’s 15th inscription on the List. India had nominated Garba for inclusion in the list. Garba is performed across Gujarat and in many other parts of the country for nine days during the festival of Navaratri . The festival is dedicated to the worship of the feminine energy or Shakti.  The inclusion was made under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage during the 18th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on Tuesday. The meeting is taking place began in Kasane, Botswana from 5 to 9 December 2023. Apart from ‘Garba of Gujarat,’ some of the new inscriptions include Rickshaws and Rickshaw painting in Dhaka from Bangladesh , Songkran in Thailand , tr

This year the 525th birth anniversary of Sant Mirabai is being celebrated. Mirabai (also spelt as Meerabai) was a Rajput princess who was one of the greatest saints of the Krishna cult of Vaishnavism in 16th century India.  Mirabai was the only child of Ratna Singh Rathor of Merta in Rajasthan.  She was born at the village of Kudki (now  in the Pali district) in AD 1498. In 1516, she was married to Bhoraj, eldest son of Rana Sanga, the ruler of Mewar with its capital at Chittor. Bhoraj was heir-apparent to Mewar but he died in 1526.   Mirabai was highly religious from her childhood. Like her grandfather Dudaji and father she was a devotee of Krishna. After her husband’s death she completely addressed herself to the devotion of Krishna. She patronized learned men. Devotees who were drawn from both sexes making a beeline to Mirabai. Consequently, her fame spread far and wide. However, Mirabai’s religious activities were resented by her in-laws who took exception to the fact that a roya

Birsa Munda was born in Jharkhand on 15th November 1875 into a Munda family. His parents were Sugana Munda and Karmi Hatu. His place of birth is Ulihatu, a village in the Khunti district in Jharkhand. Birsa converted into a Christian to receive education from the German Mission School . In 1894, Birsa declared his opposition to the British and the Dikus (outsiders) and thus began the Munda Ulgulan .  Birsa also started his own religion and proclaimed he was god’s messenger. Many tribal people Mundas, Kharias and Oraons accepted him as their leader.  Birsa asked the tribal people to keep distance from the Christian missionaries and revert to their traditional ways. He also advocated for the non-payment of taxes. Birsa was arrested in 1895. Afterv coming from the jail after two years he he resumed his armed struggle by razing police stations, churches, government property and houses of Zamindars. He was arrested in  1900 from Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur. He died on June 9th 1900 wh

Kozhikode in Kerala and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh have been awarded the status of UNESCO City of Literature and City of Music respectivley, joining a club of 350 such cities around the world. These cities in more than a 100 countries represent seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.  On World Cities Day which falls on October 31, this year 55 cities have joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).  Launched in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a network of creative cities working together towards a mission for cultural diversity and sustainable urban development.  Kozhikode is the first UNESCO City of Literature in India. Gwalior is the birthplace of great musician Tansen. The newly designated Creative Cities are invited to participate in the 2024 UCCN Annual Conference (July 1-5, 2024) in Braga, Portugal, under the theme "Bringing Youth to the Table for the Next Decade,

  Savitri / Image Credit Savitri was a legendry princess in Hinduism, renowned for the love she had for her husband. She was the daughter of the king of Madra, Ashvapati, and his wife Malati. As Savitri was very beautiful and radiant, this deterred prospective suitors from approaching her father and asking for her hands in marriage.  As a result Ashvapati asked his daughter to choose a person of her liking so that he could fulfill his obligation to marry her off.  Hence, Savitri set out to tour the country in her golden chariot in search of a suitable mate. She went though forests and cities, until she found Satyavant, son of Dyumatsena, the blind King of Shalwa, then in exile, living in poverty.  As luck would have it, Satyavant  was destined to die after one year from the marriage date. Savitri followed him when he was being carried away by the death-god Yama, and so impressed the god with her loyalty that he released her husband. 

Moth ki Masjid / Image Credit Located in the South Extension Part II area in Delhi, Moth ki Mosque is a Lodi era mosque commissioned by Miya Bhoiya, a minister during the reign of second Lodi Sultan Sikandar Lodi (ruled 1489–1517).  The nomenclature of the mosque derives from an interesting story describing how this temple came into being. The mosque is named after moth (beans), the good harvest of which stood the builder in good stead in getting the requisite finances for the construction of the mosque. 

Traditionally Vaishampayana is the narrator of the Mahabharata, one of the two great Sanskrit epics of India (other being the Ramayana). Vaishampayana was the pupil of sage Vyasa who is said to have authored the Mahabharata.  It was at a great sacrifice ( sarpa satra or snake sacrifice ) held by the Kuru King Janamejaya that sage Vaishampayana recited the Mahabharata in public for the first time.   Janamejaya was the great grandson of Arjuna of the Mahabharata fame.   

  Raja Todar Mal, the finance Minister of Emperor Akbar / Image Credit Todar Mal was a brilliant finance officer who was first in the service of Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri and afterwards in that of Mughal emperor Akbar. Known for introducing standard weights and measures, he was the main architect behind a brilliant land revenue system Zabti system which is also called as Todar Mal bandobast. Dahshala , a system of taxation, was also established by him.  According to tradition he was one of Akbar’s ‘Navratnas (“Nine Jewels”). The Navratnas were nine individuals of extraordinary ability gracing the court of Akbar. Todar Mal joined Akbar’s revenue department in 1560 by replacing Khawaja Malik Itimad Khan. Another field in which Todar Mal excelled was architecture. In 1585 Todar Mal rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath Temple which was later demolished by Aurangzeb, who had the Gyanvapi Mosque built on its ruins. Qila Rohtas, near the city of Jhelum in Pakistan, was built by Raja Todar Mal for S

Mihr-un-nissa Begum, better known as Ladli Begum, was the daughter of Mughal empress Nur Jahan and her first husband, Ali Quli Khan Istajlu, more famously known as Sher Afgan Khan, who was killed fighting Kutubuddin, the governor of Bengal, in 1607. Nur Jahan had become the 20th wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1611.   In 1621 Ladli Begum married Shaharyar, son of Jahangir. Naturally enough, Nur Jahan pushed Shaharyar's claim to the Mughal throne after the death of Jahangir on 27th October, 1627. This was resented by Asaf Khan who wanted his son-in-law Shah Jehan (another son of Jahangir) to be the next emperor.  All the competitors to the throne including Shaharyar were executed by Asaf Khan, father of  Mumtaz Mahal  (Shah Jahan’s wife in whose memory world renowned monument  Taj Mahal  in Agra was built). Nur Jehan and her daughter Ladli Begum were imprisoned for life. Shah Jahan ascended the throne on 19 January 1628.  Nur Jahan died in 1645 and was buried in a tomb at Shahda

Ghateshwar Mahadev, Badoli / Image Credit Built in the tenth century AD by the Gurjara Pratihara rulers, Badoli Temples are nine temples located near Rawerbhata in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan. Of these eight temples is situated within a walled enclosure. The ninth temple is about 1 kilometre from the complex of eight temples.  Four temples are dedicated to Shiva, two to Durga and one each to Shiva-Trimurti, Vishnu and Ganesha. Dedicated to Shiva, Ghateshwara Mahadeva Temple is the most prominent of the Badoli Temples. 

Q.1. The idea of a separate homeland for Muslims found mention for the first time in the writings of: A. Mohammed Iqbal B. Liaqat Ali C. M.A. Jinnah D. Rahmat Ali Q.2. The beginning of the British political sway over India can be traced to the battle of A. Tai Khamti-British War of 1839 B. Plassey C. Buxar D. Wandiwash Q.3. Who described Bal Gangadhar Tilak as the “Father of Indian unrest”? A. Disraeli B. Valentine Chirol C. Minto D. Chelmsford Q.4. Who assassinated Sir Michael O`Dwyer, the British Lt. Governor of Punjab? A. Udham Singh B. Lala Lajpat Rai C. Bhagat Singh D. Vir Savarkar Q.5.  The first Europeans to come to India were A. French  B. Dutch C. Portuguese D. British Q.6. Who among the following did Lord Mountbatten replace as the viceroy of India in 1947? A. Lord Curzon B. Lord Chelmsford C. Lord Wavell D. Lord Linlithgow  Q.7. The Communal Award was declared by Ramsay Macdonald in: A. 1928 B. 1929 C. 1931 D. 1932 Q.8. Who declared, "The only hope for India is from the

Indian revolutionary leader Shyamji Krishna Varma was born on 4th October, 1857 in Mandvi town of Kachchh district of Gujarat . He is known for founding the Indian Home Rule Society , India House and The Indian Sociologist in London. Shyamji Krishna Varma was impressed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj .  He was an admirer of Herbert Spencer , a Victorian sociologist who coined the phrase " survival of the fittest ".  He worked as an assistant to Monier Williams, a professor of Sanskrit in the Oxford University. In 1883 Shyamji Krishna Varma graduated from Balliol College in Oxford and was called to the Bar in 1884. In 1881, he attended the Berlin Congress of Orientalists. In 1905, Krishnavarma founded the Indian Home Rule Society and India House .  India House became a meeting-place for Indian revolutionaries in London. Krishna Varma shifted his base to Paris in 1907 to avoid arrest by the British Government due to the political

Q.1. The revolutionaries who were arrested in the Central Assembly Bombing Case were? A. Bhagat Singh & Chandrashekar Azad B. Bhagat Singh & Batukeshwar Dutt C. Bhagat Singh & Sachindranath Sanyal D. Jatindra Nath Das & Bhagat Singh Q.2. Rani Gaidinliu was the fearless freedom fighter from: A. Manipur  B. Tripura C. Mizoram D. Nagaland  Q.3. The treaty of Srirangapatnam was signed between Tipu Sultan and A. Robert Clive B. Cornwallis C. Dalhousie D. Warren Hastings Q.4. Who among the following was the first English President of the Indian National Congress? A. George Yule B. Alfred Webb C. Henry John Stedman Cotton D. William Wedderburn Q.5. Both the processes of transfer of power and the partition of India were hurried through in ____ days? A. 72 B. 94 C. 86 D. 92 Q.6. Albuquerque captured Goa from the ruler of A. Golconda B. Vijaynagar C. Ahmednagar D. Bijapur  Q.7. The two Home Rule Leagues in India were led by: A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant. B. Annie Besan

Smṛrti is a class of literature comprising law books. Many medieval Indian jurists wrote lengthy commentaries on the Smriti literature. Of these the most important was Vijnaneshwara who wrote at the court of great Western Chalukya emperor Vikramaditya VI (r. 1076 – 1126 CE). Western Chalukyas are also known as the Chalukyas of Kalyani.   His treatise, Mitakshara played a very important part in forming the civil law of modern India. Mitakshara is a commentary on the law book of Yājñavalkya,

  Nuakhai Juhar Festival  is an agricultural festival chiefly celebrated in  Western Odisha .  Celebrated primarily by tribal people, this festival falls on the day right after  Ganesh Chaturthi . Nuakhai Juhar is a celebration of the harvest, which is being celebrated on  September 20  this year.  The word ‘Nuakhai’ is translated into  ‘Nua’  (i.e., new) and  ‘Khai ’ (i.e., eating). Nuakhai Juhar is the most prominent harvest festival celebrated in Odisha. It is a festival of worship of food grain. As per the ritual,  Nabanna  or the newly harvested rice has been offered to the presiding deity of the presiding deity of western Odisha, the Goddess Samaleswari.. Though celebrated throughout Odisha, the districts of Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sonepur, Boudh, and Nuapada are the places where people celebrate Nuakhai on grand scale. 

'Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala', the three Hoysala temples in Karnataka, have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These temples are the Chennakeshava temple at Belur, Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu and The Keshava temple at Somnathapura. While the first two are in Hassan district, the third is in Mysuru district.  All the three temples are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Nominations were entered as ‘’The Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas’’. While the Chennakeshava temple and Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu were on the UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014, the Keshava temple at Somanathapur was appended to the other two monuments under the tentative list and all the three were officially nominated by the Centre as India’s entry for 2022-23 in February in 2022. An expert from International Commission on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) concluded the site visits covering all the three temples in September 2022 and the monuments were officially inscri

Credit: Twitter/UNESCO Santiniketan in the Indian state of West Bengal  has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.  UNESCO is an acronym for  United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization . It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that works for world peace through global cooperation in the fields of education, culture and the sciences.  India has been striving for long to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.  It was at Santiniketan where poet Rabindranath Tagore built Visva-Bharati over a century ago.  About Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati is an university located in Shantiniketan in  West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva-Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India.  Until independence it was a college. Soon after independence, the institution was given the status of a central university in 1951 by an act of the Parliament.  When f

"Well-regulated streets (were) oriented almost invariably along with the cardinal directions, thus forming a grid-iron pattern. (At Kalibangan) even the widths of these streets were in a set ratio, i.e. if the narrowest lane was one unit in width, the other streets were twice, thrice and so on...Such a town-planning was unknown in contemporary West Asia." - B.B. Lal The Indus Valley Civilization  site of Kalibangan is situated on the southern bank of the Ghaggar (Sarswati) river in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. Here we find evidence of the world’s first furrowed field. Traces of pre-Harappan culture have also been found.  The excavations at Kalibangan were conducted by BB Lal and BK Thapar from 1961-69.   Fire worship was prevalent in Kalibangan where rows of distinctive fire alters with the provision of ritual bathing have been found.  Like other Indus Valley towns Kalibangan was divided into two parts, fortified town and a lower town. The lower town at Kalibagnan was

Thyagaraja is considered the greatest saint-composer of Carnatic music.  He was a Telugu who was born and brought up in present-day Tamil Nadu.  He worshipped God in the form of Rama, the incarnation of Vishnu and Hero of Valmiki’s Ramayana. Thyagaraja was born in Thiruvarur in Tanjore District of Tamil Nadu in 1767. 

Built in the 13th century, the Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Known worldwide for its architectural grandeur, the temple was built by Eastern Ganga ruler Narasimha I. Eastern Ganga dynasty was a kingdom in India, ruling over an area corresponding to present day Odisha, the coastal plain between the Ganga and the Godavari. The majestic Sun Temple at Konark is a symbol of India. Formerly called the Black Pagoda, this magnificent temple has been designed as a gigantic chariot of the Sun God.  Eastern Gangas were great temple builders. The temples built by them survive to be awe-inspiring spectacles for the people who throng to them.  Chief among them are Jagannatha temple of Puri and the Sun Temple (also known as Black Pagoda) at Konark. The dynasty is called Eastern Gangas to differentiate them from Western Gangas, a separate dynasty, ruling in Mysore.  x

Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh is the finest Gupta temple that has come down to us in a relatively good state of preservation.  The temple is known for the carvings depicting Hindu Gods and mythological figures.  It is known as the earliest example of Panchayatana style of temple.  Dashavatara Temple was discovered by Captain Charles Strahan and was named so by Alexander Cunningham. It depicts the 10 avatara of Vishnu. 

The disappearance of the Harrapan Civilisation, also known as Indus Valley Civilisation, is still shrouded in mystery. Leading explanations include warfare with the Aryans, a nomadic, Indo-European tribe.   While some say that frequent regular flood could have contributed to the civilisation’s collapse, another school of thought is of the opinion that an earthquake might be the real culprit. According to one theory by British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler, the Indus River Valley civilization was overthrown by the Aryans.  An Indo-Aryan Migration theory has found currency amongst various scholars who believe that the Harappan culture was assimilated during a widesperead migratorty movements of the Aryan people into northwest India. Though it is still not known whether it was the Aryan invasion, natural catastrophes, or something else that destroyed the Harrapan culture, but whatever it was, the end of the Harrapan civilisation was the end of a glorious chapter in the Indian History as

You will be confronted by a symbol of Hindu India in the spiritually important Vishwanath Temple, the number-one attraction of Varanasi that draws hordes of pilgrims daily. The temple is one of the Dwadasa Jyotirlinga shrines or the 12 shrines enshrining Shiva in the form of a Jyotirlingam in the country. Built in 1776 Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore, the wonderful Vishwanath Temple is a big attraction in Varanasi. This sacred Hindu shrine attracts pilgrims from all over the world who come here to offer their prayers to Lord Siva, one of the Hindu Trinity of Gods. One of the 12 jyotirlinga sites, Vishwanath Temple is a pilgrimage site that every Hindu cherishes to visit.  In 1839, two domes of the Temple were covered by gold, donated by the great Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjeet Singh.

The five-member BRICS have invited six more nations to join the alliance on Thursday (August 24), The group owes its name to the initials of its five member states. They are Brazil, Russia, India, C hina, and South Africa. In its recent 15th  summit at Johannesburg in South Africa, BRICS has invited Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, and Ethiopia. Their membership will begin in January. Approximately two dozen countries had formally applied to join the group, but there had to be consensus among its existing five members for candidate countries to be admitted. BRICS currently represents around 40% of the world’s population and more than a quarter of the world’s GDP. With the additions, it will represent almost half the world’s population, and will include three of the world’s biggest oil producers, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran. The formation of BRICS in 2009 was driven by the idea that the four emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China would be

Jamaat Khana Masjid, Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi / Image Credit   Jamat Khana Masjid in the Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah complex in Delhi is said to be built by Khizr Khan , eldest son of Khilji Sultan Sultan Alauddin Khilji. Also known as Khilji mosque, this 14th century mosque is a living mosque still in use for prayers.

Vasco da Gama lands at Calicut, May 20, 1498 Q.1. Renowned Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India in  _____. (a) 1490 (b) 1492 (c) 1496 (d) 1498 Q.2. To whom the statement “The soul of India lives in villages” has been attributed? (a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Vinoba Bhave (c) Gopalakrishna Gokhale (d)     Lala Lajpat Rai Q.3. Who was the political guru of Mahatma Gandhi? (a) Gopal Krishna Gokhale (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (c) Dadabhai Naoroji (d) Pherozeshah Mehta Q.4. The first Governor-General of Bengal was________. (a) Warren Hastings (b) Robert Clive (c) Canning (d) William Bentinck Q.5. The last Governor-General and the first Viceroy of India under the British crown was (a) Lord Canning (b) Warren Hastings (c) William Bentinck (d) Lord Dalhousie Q.6. On what pretext, Lord Dalhousie annexed the state of Oudh to the British Empire in India? (a) Doctrine of Lapse (b) Policy of Subsidiary Alliance (c) Maladministation of

Q.1. Who passed the Indian Universities Act? (a) Lord Dufferin (b) Lord Curzon (c) Lord Minto (d) Lord Hardinge Q.2. Who among the following is the founder of the “Azad Hind Fauj”? (a) Ras Behari Bose (b) Bhagat Singh (c) Motilal Nehru (d) Lala Har Dayal Q.3. Who is known as the “Father of Indian Unrest”? (a) Lala Lajpat Rai (b) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (c) Aurobindo Ghosh (d) Bipin Chandra pal Q.4. Who were the first to discover the sea route to India? (a) Portugal (b) Dutch (c) French (d) Danes  Q.5. The concept of Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution) was advocated by____.  (a) Acharya Vinoba Bhave (b) Mahatma Gandhi (c) Lokmanya tilak (d) Jai Prakash Narayan Q.6. When did the British Government set up Sadler University Commission for reforms in education? (a) 1917 (b) 1919 (c) 1921 (d) 1918 Q.7. Which one of the following places was associated with Acharya Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan Movement at the beginning of the movement? (a) Udaygiri (

  Q.1. Mahatma Gandhi started his famous Salt March from his Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to. (a) Dandi  (b) Kheda (c) Kuttch (d) Somnath Q.2. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched ? (a) Warren Hastings-The Battle of Buxar  (b) Lord Cornwallis-The Permanent Settlement of Bengal (c) Lord Wellesley-The Prohibition of Sati (d) Lord Dalhousie-Local Self- government Q.3. Which one of the following is NOT correctly matched? (a) Mohammad Ali Jinnah-Khilafat Movement (b) Gopal Krishna Gokhle-Servants of India Society (c) Syed Ahmed Khan-Mohammadam Anglo Oriental Defence Association (d) Moti Lal Nehru-Nehru Report Q.4. Who among the following was associated with the newspaper 'The Commonweal'? (a) John Bright (b) Raja Rammohan Roy  (c) William Wedderburn (d) Annie Besant Q.5. Which of the following is the writer of Geeta Rahasya ? (a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Bal Ganga Dhar Tilak (c) Gopal Krishna Gokhle (d) Aurobindo Ghosh Q.6. Who was the founder of the 'Asiatic Society

 Q.1. “Only mad men outside lunatic asylums could think or talk of independence”. Who among the following had made this remark in the backdrop of nascent idea of Swarajya? (a) Lord Hardinge (b) Lord Curzon (c) Gopal Krishan Gokhle (d) Pheroz Shah Mehta  Q.2. Who among the following was the only British king to visit India during the British Rule?   (a) Edward VII (b) George V (c) James II (d) Edward VI Q.3. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood to protest which among the following? (a) Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre  (b) Partition of Bengal  (c) Execution of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev  (d) Execution of Khudiram Bose Q.4. Which one of the following Muslim leaders was not a part of the Non-cooperation movement started by Gandhiji? (a) M.A.Jinnah (b) M.A.Ansari (c) Hakim Ajmal Khan (d) Abul Kalam Azad Q.5. Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on _______. (a) 13 April 1919 (b) 13 April 1920 (c) 13 April 1921 (d) 13 April 1922 Q.6. Where did the Jalianwala Bagh mass