Indian History

Samprati A grandson of 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka ,  Samprati (r. 224 – 215 BCE) was a Mauryan Emperor. He was the son of Kunala who was blind by birth.  After Asoka's death in 232 BC, the territory of Mauryan empire was divided into the eastern and western parts. Sampriti and Dasaratha succeeded Asoka in the western and eastern parts respectively. Samprati had embraced Jainism. He was converted to the religion by Jain monk Suhastin. His contribution to Jainism is similar to that of Asoka to Buddhism. After a rule of nine years Samprati was followed by his son Salisuka who ruled for 13 years. 

Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman / Image Credit The Junagadh rock inscription of the Saka ruler Rudradaman is a eulogy inscribed on a rock located near Girnar hill near Junagadh in Gujarat. Composed in about 150 AD, the inscription,  which is the earliest inscription written in Sanskrit prose, refers to his reconstruction of a great dam or Sudarshan reservoir for irrigation which was excavated by Pushyagupta, the provincial governor (rashtriya) of Chandragupta Maurya in the provinces of Anarta and Saurashtra (Gujarat).  Written in the Brahmi script , this inscription is engraved on a rock which contains one of the fourteen Asokan Major Rock edicts and another inscription of the Gupta ruler Skandagupta. The inscription was first translated in 1837 by scholar and Orientalist James Prinsep, an official of the Calcutta Mint and secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.  

                                         Maurya Empire, c.250 BCE /  Wikimedia Commons Ruling from 324 to 297 BCE , Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the first and one of the greatest empires that appeared in Indian subcontinent.  The scarcity of sources dealing with the military conquests of Chandragupta Maurya makes it difficult for us to ascertain whether he first overthrew Mahapadma Nanda , the unpopular last Nanda ruler, or drove out the Greeks from the North-West part of India. From the inferences from the Jaina and Greek sources, it seems that liberation of Punjab was the first military activity by Chandragupta Maurya who felt emboldened by the confusion in the Greek empire that followed Macedonian ruler Alexander ’s sudden death in 323 BC in Babylon. Greek writer Justin writes about the prevailing condition of the time, “India, after the de...

 Mahalakshmi Temple at Doddagaddavalli / Image Cred it A ASI protected monument, Mahalakshmi Temple at Doddagaddavalli in the Hassan district of Karnataka is a 12th-century Hindu shrine built in 1113 CE by a wealthy merchant Kalhana Ravuta and his wife Sahaja Devi during the reign of Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana  (r. 1108–1152 CE). In 2020 Kali idol in the Mahalakshmi Temple was damaged.  

Amrutesvara Temple / Image Credit  Located in Amruthapura, around 67 kilometres north of Chikmagalur, the Amrutesvara Temple was built in 1196 CE by the commander Amrutheshwara Dandanayaka, during the rule of Veera Ballala II  (r. 1173–1220 CE) , the Hoysala King.  Located near the reservoir of the Bhadra River, this 12th century temple is a fine specimen of Hoysala architecture.    

Located close to Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebid in Karnataka, Hucheshwara temple is a Hoysala period shrine. As the temple is crumbling  the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is carrying out conservation and maintenance work. 

The founder of the Chisti Sufi order in India, Muinud-din-Chisti was also known as Khwaja Ajmeri. Headquartered in Ajmer in Rajasthan, Chisti Sufi order attracted devotees from both Muslims and Hindus and continue to do so. Moinuddin Chishti came from Sistan with the Muslim invasion, eventually arriving in Ajmer where he died in 1236. Thousands of Sufi devotees travel to the shrine of Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer for the annual Urs. Disciples of Moinuddin Chisti  Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki The most important disciple of Moinuddin Chisti, Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki popularized the Chisti order in Delhi. He had come to Delhi some time after 1221. He died in 1235. His tomb is in Mehrauli in Delhi and it is said that Qutub Minar takes its name from this Sufi saint.  Hamiduddin Nagauri Another prominent disciple of Moinuddin Chisti, Hamiduddin Nagauri was instrumental in initiating Chisti order in Nagaur in Rajasthan.

This year marks the 555th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak [1469-1539], the founder of Sikhism, a monotheistic religion born in 15th-century. Guru Nanak preached harmony between Hinduism and Islam.   The followers of Sikhisism must carry five articles all the time. They are known as the Five Ks: the Kesh (uncut hair), Kara (a steel bracelet), Kanga (a wooden comb), Kaccha (cotton underwear), and Kirpan (a curved dagger). Guru Nanak is the first Sikh Guru. Nine gurus followed him and there is no living human successor, but the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib is considered the 11th and eternal. Guru Nanak was born in a Khatri family in 1469 during the rule of Bahlul Khan Lodi, founder of the Lodi dynasty. His birth took place  at the village of Talwandi ((now called Nankana Sahib), thirty-five miles south-west of Lahore and situated in the Nankana Sahib district in the Punjab province of Pakistan.  Nanak's father was a Patwari (accountant). Nanak was given formal educa...

A native of sanxi (Shansi), Fa-hsien , also known as Faxian , was a Chinese monk who came to India on a pilgrimage tour during the reign of Chandra Gupta II ((reigned c 376-415). His motive for coming to India was to acquire authentic copies of the Buddhist scriptures and to visit the places associated with the Buddha. After his return to China he translated into Chinese the large number of Sanskrit Buddhist texts he had brought from India. He had recorded his observations in a travelogue titled Fo-Kwo-Ki (Travels of Fa-Hien). Being of religious nature, he gives information about temples and monasteries and the state of Buddhism in India at that time. He was so engrossed in the religious pursuits that he even doesn’t mention the name of Chandra Gupta II (376-415) of the Gupta empire though he spent some six years in India during the latter’s reign. The Buddhist canon Samyutta Nikata was translated into Chinese about 440 AD from a manuscript obtained by the pilgrim in Sri Lanka in 411....

After Muhammad Shah 's  death in A.D. 1445, his son, Alauddin Alam Shah (reigned 1445–51), succeeded him to the throne of the Sayyid Dynasty, the fourth in the line of five dynasties that comprised Delhi Sultanate that ruled from 1206 to 1526. Alauddin Alam Shah was more inefficient than his father. Such was his fondness for gratification and aversion to work that he abdicated the throne in favour of Afghan Buhlul Khan Lodi (reigned 1451–89), the governor of Lahore and Sirhind, in 1451 and retired to Badaun (now in Uttar Pradesh), where he died in 1478.  Alam Shah’s only claim to fame lies in the field of architecture. He constructed his father’s tomb which is located in the Lodhi Gardens in central Delhi. He lies buried in a tomb in Badaun in Uttar Pradesh where his mother was also buried.  The tombs of Alam Shah and his mother are an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument. 

Lord Mahavira Vardhamana, known to his followers as Mahavira, was the last of the 24 Tirthankaras (Ford-makers),  saviors and spiritual teachers of the dharma, in Jainism.  He is regarded as the founder of Jainism.  A contemporary of The Buddha, Mahavira was born in village Kundandagrama near Vaishali in Bihar in a kshatriya (the warrior class) family about 599 BC. His father Siddhartha was the chief of the Jnatrikas clan and his mother Trishala was sister of Chetaka, the Licchavis king of Vaishali. Mahavira was also related to Bimbisara, the ruler of Magadha, who was married to Chellana, the daughter of Chetaka. Mahavira was married to Yashoda and had a daughter whose husband, Jamali, became the first disciple of Mahavira. Though Mahavira was educated in all branches of knowledge he shied away from materialistic life. At the age of 30, when his parents were dead, he renounced his family, became an ascetic, and proceeded in search of truth. For over twelve years, he went ...

Throughout most of ancient Indian history, the role of women was more or less confined to the home. Though there are instances where women wielded power and authority, this did not imply the common lot of the women in ancient India. A woman was under the patriarchal authority of her parents, husband and sons. Even under Buddhism which boasted of liberal rules, a nun would be treated as subordinate to her male counterpart. The status of women in ancient India kept on changing at different stages. During the Rig Vedic Period, women were treated equal to man.   During the Vedic period women participated in the public sacrifices alongside men. Some Vedic hymns are attributed to women.  During this period, there were women rishis, and they were treated  with respect and dignity . However with the passage of time the status of women declined.  Manu , one of the famous lawgivers of ancient India, declared that wife, like the slave, has no right to property. He dictated...

After the Buddha's death, Buddhist councils were convened over the period of time to recite approved texts of scriptures and to settle  doctrinal and disciplinary  disputes.  First Buddhist Council Soon after the Buddha’s death in the fifth century BC the first Buddhist Council ( sangiti ) was held at  Sattapanni  cave near the Magadhan capital of Rajagriha (modern Rajgir, Bihar state of India). It was convened to compile the  dhamma  (religious doctrines) and the  vinaya  (monastic code).  Rajagriha, which once served the capital of Bimbisara of Magadhan Empire, is sixty miles to the south-east of the modern Patna, the capital of Bihar.  This council was held under the patronage of the king Ajatashatru with the monk Mahakasyapa, who  presided over the assembly. The council was participated in by five hundred monks. At the council,  Upali , one of the Buddha’s chief disciples, recited the  vinaya pitaka , or Rules of...

Brahma Jinalaya Temple, Lakkundi, Karnataka / Image Credit Karka II , the last ruler of the   Rashtrakuta   dynasty of   Manyakheta   (modern Malkhed in Gulbarga (modern Kalaburagi) district in Karnataka), was overthrown in AD 974 by   Tailapa or Taila II , who started a new line of Chalukyas known as the Chalukyas of Kalyani   (modern day Basavakalyan in the present Bidar district of Karnataka) .  Chalukyas of Kalyani, also known as Western Chalukya dynasty, produced some of the greatest rulers though the genealogy of the rulers of the dynasty is still in the realm of debate. The kingdom established by Tailapa is known as Later Chalukya or the Chalukyas of Kalyani (The earlier Chalukyas being the   Chalukyas of Badami ). There were many Chalukya dynasties. Of them, the four most important were: the Chalukyas of Badami or Vatapi (also known as early western Chalukyas), the   Chalukyas of Vengi   (also known as eastern Chalukyas), t...

The Dragon Palace Temple is a Buddhist temple at Kamptee in Nagpur. 2024 marks the  25th anniversary of Dragon Palace Temple.  Built in 1999 by the contribution from the Japan-based Ogawa Society, Dragon Palace Temple is a pilgrimage site for the Buddhists. 

Bodh Gaya Temple India is  the cradle of Buddhism.  The country is home to many sacred shrines of Buddhism.  Lumbini (in Nepal), Bodh Gaya in Bihar, Sarnath and Kusinagar in Uttar Pradesh, where the four key events of the Buddha’s life, namely birth, attainment of enlightenment, deliverance of the first sermon and death took place respectively, are looked upon with great reverence.  Meditation At Sarnath To these are added four other places which were also intimately associated with the Buddha’s life. These are Shravasti, Sankasya ( Sanskisa) , Rajagriha and Vaishali . These eight places have all along been considered as the eight holy places (ashtamahasthanas) and are well-known pilgrimage destinations. A major centre of Buddhist pilgrimage, Sravasti in Uttar Pradesh is known for being the place where the Buddha spent the major portion of his missionary life.  Jetavana Vihara  Sravasti Donated to Buddha by his devotee Sudatta or Anathapindika, a ric...

Lad Khan Temple  Aihole / Image Credit A small riverbank village in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka,  Aihole was in ancient times a centre of kingdom of early Chalukyas of Vatapi (now called Badami) who were prolific temple builders.  Aihole is a town of temples and contains more than hundred structures. Dating back to the 5th century AD.  Lad Khan is the  oldest temple in  Aihole. Dedicated to Shiva, the temple is  a specimen of of the Malaprabha style of architecture.  Lad Khan Temple owns its name to  a commander of the Bijapur Sultanate  who once stayed there. Nandi facing the shivalinga  / Image Credit  

Mallikarjuna_Temple,_Pattadakal / Image Credit Mallikarjuna Temple or Trilokeshwara Temple  is a temple in Pattadakal built by the Badami Chalukyas in the eighth century. Built by Trilokadevi, wife of the Chalukyan ruler Vikramaditya II (reigned 733 - 744 AD),   the temple was built immediately after the Virupaksha Temple, which was built by Lokamahadevi, another wife of the Chalukya ruler., in 745 AD.  Located on the Malaprabha river in Karnataka, Pattadakal is believed to be the site where Chalukyan rulers were crowned kings between the sixth and eighth centuries. Trilokeshwara Temple bears a resemblance to Virupaksha Temple.  The temple has beautiful pillars and columns narrating scenes from mythology, legends, puranas and Ramayana and Mahabharata. There is a Nandi pavilion  in the temple.  Trilokeshwara Temple is part of the monuments in  Pattadakal and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Virupaksha Temple / Image Credit Virupaksha is the largest and grandest of all temples built by the Badami Chalukyas in Pattadakal between the 7th AD and 9th AD centuries. Located on the Malaprabha river in Karnataka,  Pattadakal is believed to be the site where Chalukyan rulers were crowned kings.  Also known as the Lokeshwara temple, the Virupaksha temple was commissioned in 745 AD by the Chalukyan ruler Vikramaditya's consort Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate his victory over the Pallavas of Kanchi,  The architect of the temple was Sri Gundan Anivaritachari who was given the title of Tenkanadiseyasutradhari (the architect of the South).  Dedicated to Shiva, the Virupaksha temple is influenced by the architecture of the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram. The concept and design of the Virupaksha temple later served as a model for the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna I (757 -783 A.D.) to carve out the great Kailasha Temple at Ellora. Nandi Facing The Shiva Lingman ...

If there is an absolute must see in Jaipur, it has to be the Amber Fort. A fine specimen of the Rajput architecture, the Amber (pronounced Amer) Fort -Palace is a classical example of romantic forts for which Rajasthan is famous all over the world.  The Amber Fort is one of the six hill forts of Rajasthan which have been recognised as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Amber was the capital of the Kachhwaha rulers till 1727 A.D when Jaipur was made capital in place of Amber by Sawai Jai Singh II, who founded the Jaipur city.  The construction of the Amber Fort was commenced in 1592 by Man Singh I, one of the foremost generals of the greatest Mughal emperor Akbar, and completed by his successor Jai Singh I. Made of red sandstone and marble and located high on a hill, the Amber Fort consists of a sprawling collection of fairytale buildings including palaces, halls, pavilions as well as temples and gardens. The spectacular reflection of the Amber Fort in the waters of the Maota Lake...

Chand Baori / Image Credit 95 km from Jaipur is located t he medieval Chand Baori (stepwell) at Abhaneri village  in the Dausa district of Rajasthan. One of the most famous stepwells in the state, the intricately carved Chand Baori is one of India's largest and deepest step wells. With its haunting architecture, the stepwell is thirteen stories in depth with a maze of 3500 steps.    Chand Baori  is located in front of the Harshat Mata temple, which though in ruins, is known for its beautiful architecture.

Sankar Gompah / Image Credit Located at a distance of 3 km from Leh in Ladakh, the Sankar Gompa is affiliated with the revered Spituk Gompa and follows the lineage of Gelug, the Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism.  Here you will find an amazing statue of the Buddhist deity of compassion, Avalokitesvara, with thousand eyes and hands.  The two-storey Sankar Gompa is the residence of The Kushok Bakul – the regional head of Gelug. The main prayer house enshrines the image of Tsong-kha-pa, the founder of Gelug.  

White Horse Temple In Luoyang, China / Image Credit In the 1st century AD, Buddhism was introduced to China by Kasyapa Matanga , an Indian Buddhist monk who traveled  from India to Luoyang in Imperial China with another Indian monk, Dharmaratna or Gobharana.  Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty constructed the White Horse Temple or Bai Ma Temple in 68 CE in the Han capital Luoyang in honour of these two Indian monks. White Horse Temple is reputed as the first Buddhist temple in China. These two monks learned Chinese and translated several Buddhist books, the first of which was the Sutra of 42 Sections Spoken by Buddha.

Recently, Waqf Board has identified 17 monuments inside historical fort of Bidar Fort in Karnataka as its property. The fort was a stronghold of the rulers of the Bahmani  kingdom which came into existence in 1347 in the Deccan as a revolt against the rule of the Tughlaq Sultan Muhammad Bin Tughlaq of the Delhi Sultanate. Bidar Fort / Image Credit The Bidar fort is surrounded by three miles of walls with 37 bastions.  History of Bidar Built in the 10th century, the Bidar fort underwent significant modifications by the rulers of different dynasties including those belonging to Bahmani Sultanate (1347 -1518) Barid Shahi Dynasty (1527-1619), Mughal Empire (1619-1724) and Nizam of Hyderabad (1724 -1948). /  Image Credit In 1427 Bidar Fort became the capital of Bahmani Sultanate which came into being 1347 during the reign of the Tughlaq Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq. The capital of the Bahmani was shifted from Gulbarga (present Kalaburagi) to Bidar by Ahmad Shah I, the ninth ru...

Junagarh Fort in Bikaner / Incredibleindia.org History of Bikaner in Rajasthan is the history of its Rathore rulers. Bikaner is named after its founder Rao Bika, son of Jodhpur’s founder Rao Jodha. Rao Bika, a Rajput chieftain of the Rathore clan, founded the princely state of Bikaner in 1486. In this endeavor he was assisted by his brave uncle  Rawat Kandhal who was killed in  1490 in  the Battle of  Sahawa in which  the Delhi Sultanate forces were then led by  Sarang Khan, Governor of Hisar during the  Lodhi dynasty.  Battle of Sahawa, Rawat Kandhal and Sarang Khan / Image Credit The area that constitutes the present day region of Bikaner was once a barren land known as “jungledesh”. Another ruler Rao Lunakaran ,  who ruled from 1505 to 1526, built Shri Laxminath Temple in Bikaner.  After his death in a battle with Nawab of Narnaul , the reins of the kingdom passed on to his son Rao Jait Singh who was born on 31 October 1489 and rule...

Faraizi Movement is a nineteenth century religious reform movement which advocated the observance of the original teachings of Islam. The term Faraizi is derived from 'farz' meaning obligatory duties enjoined by Allah.  Starting as a religious (communal) movement in Bengal, Faraizi Movement in course of time became a struggle against the landlords (who were mostly Hindus) who oppressed the common people and farmers and British colonists.  Founded by a puritan and zealot, Haji Shariatullah, the movement began with a call to the Muslims to perform their obligatory duties (Fard) enjoined by Allah with a view to purging the religion of the un-Islamic rites which he considered were contrary to the teachings of the Qu’ran. To give his Muslim followers a separate identity,  a particular dress was introduced. Shariatullah advocated different styles of beards for his followers. Haji Shariatullah was born in Faridpur (now in Bangladesh) in 1781.  After Haji Shariatullah’s deat...

Santhal Rebellion / Image Credit Santhal Rebellion ( Santhal Hul ) against the British colonialists or to be precise  British East India Company (BEIC) , landlords and Zamindars occurred a couple of years before India’s First War of Independence in 1857. The rebellion spread a considerable area that comprise the ‘Santhal Pargana’ or ‘Damin-i-Koh’ which includes present-day districts of Dumka, Godda, Sahibganj,  Deoghar, Pakur, and parts of Jamtara, in modern -day Jharkhand.  It was June 29, 1855, when two brothers Kanhu Murmu and Sidhu Murmu, belonging to the Santhal community, asked the Santhals to assemble in the valley of Burhyte, modern-day Barhait, in Jharkhand. On the next day more than thousands of Santhals assembled at the Bhognadih village in the Sahibganj district where a divine order was issued asking the Santhals to free themselves from the clutches of their oppressors and “take possessions of the country and set up a government of their own.”  Thus began...