Indian History

1780   - On   29 January 1780 , India's and Asia's first printed newspaper ' Hicky's Bengal Gazette ' began its publication. Started by an Irishman named   James Augustus Hicky , Hicky's Bengal Gazette was a weekly English newspaper which ran for two years from 1780 to 1782. It was published from Kolkata. 1791 -  Lord Cornwallis  had  assumed command of the British troops on 29th January, 1791 during the Third Anglo-Mysore War. 

                          Clive meeting Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, (By Francis Hayman) Ghaseti Begum, originally named Mehar un-Nisa, was the eldest daughter of Alivardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. She was married to Nawazish Muhammad Khan. Ghaseti Begum went all out to conspire against her nephew Siraj-ud-Daula who was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. Siraj-ud-Daula was defeated by the British under Lord Clive in the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and was killed on the orders of Miran, the son of Mir Jafar who was now made the Nawab of Bengal by the British.   Ghaseti  Begum was called the Begum of Motijheel  due to her residence at the bend of this reservoir in Murshidabad. Motijheel or Pearl Lake is an oxbow lake in Murshidabad. The lake was created by her husband Nawazish Muhammad Khan. Nawazish Muhammad Khan died of grief when his adopted son Ekram-ud-Daulah succumbed to smallpox at a yo...

1846 - The Battle of Aliwal was fought on 28 January 1846 between the British led by Sir Harry Smith and Sikh forces during the First Anglo-Sikh War. The battle resulted in a decisive British victory. 1865: Birth of Lala Lajpat Rai, great Indian freedom fighter.

An awesome feat of engineering, the Kailash Temple or the Kailashnath Temple , dedicated to Hindu God Shiva, is the most impressive remainder of the Rashtrakuta dynasty of Deccan that held sway for more than two centuries. Under the Rashtrakutas, the rock-cut architecture in India reached its zenith. Carved out of the single rock (monolithic) hewn out of Charanandri hills at Ellora (in Maharashtra) under the instructions Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (756-775), the Kailashnath Temple has been described in glowing terms by Percy Brown , the noted writer on Indian architecture. He says, "The temple of Kailash at Ellora is not only the most stupendous single work of art executed in India, but as an example of rock architecture it is unrivalled…. The Kailash is an illustration of one of those occasions when men's minds, hearts and heads work in unison towards the consummation of a supreme ideal. It was under such conditions of religious and cultural stability that this grand monoli...

1556 - Death of Humayun, the second Mughal ruler, on January 27 in 1556. He died in Delhi from falling down the stairs of his library, known as the "Sher Mandal," within the Purana Qila (Old Fort) in Delhi. After Humayun,  Akbar ascended the Mughal throne on February 14, 1556. The  brick coronation platform of  Akbar , the known as Takht-i-Akbari, is located at  Kalanaur in  the Gurdaspur district in  Punjab. The brick platform is the place where Akbar’s coronation took place in 1556. 

Bharhut Stupa Jataka Tales Jataka is a collection of stories about the Buddha’s previous births as a Bodhisttva . In Hinayana form of Buddhism, Bodhisattva is a previous incarnation of a Buddha. For an orthodox Buddhist Jataka tales are the autographical accounts of Gautama Buddha and hence a part of the Buddhist religious scriptures. One of the earliest and most significant collections of folk tales extant, the Jataka (written in the Prakrit language of Pali) comprises 547 stories. The stories are written in full in a prose commentary which has been credited to Buddhaghosa . The collection contains fables, moral tales, fairy tales, maxims and legends. Incorporated in the Pali canon, the Jataka stories are included in the Sutta Pitaka's Khuddaka Nikaya (“Short Collection”). Tripitaka or Three Baskets (Sutta Pitaka, Vinaya Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka), a traditional term used for various Buddhist scriptures, is known as Pali Canon in English. In Sanskrit Jatakas are known as Jataka...

1620 - Death of Amar Singh, the ruler of Mewar Kingdom and eldest son of Maharana Pratap, on 26th January 1620.  1915 –  Birth of Gaidinliu Pamei (26 January 1915 – 17 February 1993), popularly known as Rani Gaidinliu, who was a Naga woman revolutionary leader and successor to the political movement launched by the Naga leader Haipou Jadonang (1905-31) to drive away the British from Manipur. Born in the present day Tamenglong district of Manipur Rani Gaidinliu led a popular rebellion against the British rule at the young age of sixteen after Jadonang was executed by the British.  In 1932, she was arrested by the British government who sentenced her to life imprisonment. This tribal freedom fighter spent fourteen years in different jails of Guwahati, Shillong, Aizawl, Tura and others between 1932 and 1947 making her one of India’s longest incarcerated political prisoners by the British. Rani Gaidinliu was finally released from the prison after India’s independence in 1947....

Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh / Image Credit 25th January 2026 is the 56th Statehood Day of Himachal Pradesh. Read about the history of Himachal Pradesh . After coming into the control of many dynasties including those of Mauryas ,  Guptas and Harshavardhana , the territory of Himachal Pradesh was divided into small principalities headed by chieftains. Some of these small kingdoms were ruled by Rajput chieftains. These principalities were invaded by the Muslim armies at regular intervals. At the beginning of the 11th century, Mahmud Ghaznavi had launched a military campaign against Kangra Fort (now located in the state of Himachal Pradesh) and captured it.  In 1365, Tughlaq Sultan Feroz Shah plundered Nagarkot in Himachal Pradesh compelling the ruler of Nagarkot to pay tributes. During this military campaign, Feroz Shah Tughlaq collected 1300 Sanskrit manuscripts from the Jawalamukhi temple library. Arizuddin Khan translated them into Persian under the ...

Bindusar / AI Generated  After a rule of 24 years, Chandragupta Maurya , the first Mauryan Emperor, was succeeded by his son Bindusara who ruled from around 297 BCE to 273 BCE. According to the 12th century CE Jain text Parishishtaparvan by Hemachandra (court poet of Jayasimha Siddharaja , the Chalukya ruler of Anhilwara ), Bindusara's mother was Durdhara . The Greek historian Athenaeus calls him Amitrochates (Sanskrit Amitraghata “Slayer of Foes” or Amitrakhada “Devourer of Foes”). It is not known how he got the title of Amitrochates.  Bindusara was the father of Asoka, the greatest ruler of India. The Jain scholar Hemachandra and the Tibetan historian Taranatha mention that Chanakya , also known as Kautilya , was also prime minster of Bindusara.  Bindusara maintained friendly relations with the Hellenic world that had been established in the later days of his father. According to Athenaeus, Bindusara requested the Syrian king Antiochus I “to present him sweet wine, ...

AI Generated 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 Madurai based 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". 

Michael Madhusudan Dutt, famous Bengali epic poet and playwright, was born on 25th January in 1824 at Sagardari village in undivided Bengal’s Jessore district. He knew several European languages ─ English, Latin, Greek, French and Italian. He had taught himself Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, and Hebrew. He also knew Persian. Madhusudan Dutt had converted to Christianity.  One of the greatest poets of the Bengali language, Dutt wrote his magnum opus Meghnadbadh Kavya (The Slaying of Meghnada) in 1861. Meghnadbadh Kavya is based on an episode from the Ramayana in which Meghnad (also known as Indrajit), son of Ravana, is killed by Rama's brother Lakshmana.   Dutt introduced in Bengali poetry amitrakshar chanda , or what is known as Blank Verse. The celebrated epic Meghnad Badh Kavya was written in blank verse. In 1860, he had used amitrakshar in his work Padmabati. He also replaced deva mahima , or praise for the divinity, with humanism. He had introduced the sonnet, or chaturdas...

1556-  Second Mughal emperor Humayun died in accident on the 24th January, 1556. 1950- On 24 January 1950, Constituent Assembly in India adopts the Indian national anthem from a song written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. The first stanza of the song Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on 24 January 1950.

In 1311 AD , Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khilji conquered the strategic Jalore Fort in Rajasthan after a long siege, defeating the Chauhan ruler Kanhadadeva . The battle, detailed in the 15th-century epic Kanhadade Prabandha , resulted in the death of Kanhadadeva and his son Viram Dev . Founded by Kirtipala in 1181 , Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Jalore was an Indian dynasty which ruled the area around Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Jalore were the offshoots of the Chahamanas of Naddula who in turn were offshoot s of Chahamanas of Shakambhari to which belonged the famed Chauhan ruler Prithvi Raj Chauhan who was defeated in the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 . In 1228 or 1229 Iltutmish, the Slave Sultan of Delhi Sultanate, besieged Jalore. The Chauhan ruler Udayasimha was defeated but was allowed to continue as a ruler of Jalor on agreeing to pay a tribute. The most powerful king of the dynasty was Kanhadadeva (reigned 1304-1311). He was the c...

Rama Raya being killed in the Battle of Talikota “Never perhaps in the history of world has such havoc been wrought and wrought so suddenly, on so splendid a city; teeming with a wealthy and industrious population in the full plenitude of prosperity one day and on the next day seized, pillaged and reduced to ruins amid scenes of savage massacre and horrors beggaring description.” The city mentioned in the above quote is Hampi , capital of the powerful Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagara . The famous Battle of Talikota , also known as that of Rakkasagi–Tangadagi , was fought between between Vijayanagara empire and the Muslim Sultanates of Deccan on 23 January 1565. Though the origin of the Vijayanagar Empire is in the realm of debate, it can be said with certainty that its foundation in 1336 within a few years of Alauddin Khilji’ s eunuch general Malik Kafur’s raids in south India was a culmination of the political and cultural movement against the Muslim ideas and forces of Delhi Sultanate...

1565 - The Battle of Talikota, also known as that of Rakkasagi–Tangadagi, was fought between between Vijayanagara empire and the Muslim Sultanates of Deccan on 23 January 1565.  It was during the reign of the Taluva (Taluva dynasty was one of the four main dynasties, combination of which is known as the Vijayanagar empire) ruler Sadashiva Raya (1543- 69) that battle of Talikota in 1565 was fought in which Vijayanagar army was defeated by the combined forces of the five Muslim Sultanates of Deccan. This gave body blow to the empire. After this battle the Vijayanagar kingdom lost its grandeur and glory.  1809 -  Birth of Bira Surendra Sai on 23 January 1809. Surendra Sai was an Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter from what is now Odisha. He fought against the British rule in India after they dethroned the rulers of the Sambalpur State. He had  raised a war against the British in 1827, about 30 years before the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. 1897 - Nationalist leader Subha...

Ram Mandir Ayodhya / Image Credit  1666 - Death of Shah Jahan on January 22, 1666 in Agra. He was born on January 5, 1592 in Lahore. Shah Jahān was the Mughal emperor from 1628 to 58. 1760 - Battle of Wandiwash (January 22, 1760) is a confrontation between the French and the British,  part of the Third Carnatic War (1758-1763) fought between the French and British colonial empires, which itself was a part of the global Seven Years' War (1756–63). Fought in Wandiwash in Tamil Nadu, the battle resulted in the defeat of the French.  The Battle of Wandiwash put an end to the French challenge to British supremacy in India. 2024 – Ram Mandir was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Ayodhya on 22nd January after 500 years of dispute.

1945 - Death of  Ras Bihari Bose , Indian revolutionary leader, on  21 January in 1945  in Tokyo in Japan.  Born  at  Subaldaha  village (in the present day  Purba Bardhaman  district of West Bengal) on  25 May 1886,   Rash Behari Bose played an important role in India's Independence movement. Rash Behari, who had joined Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, underscored the need for an armed struggle for liberating India from British rule. He was involved in the Delhi Conspiracy case, also known as the  Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy . The case refers to an alleged plot to kill the then Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge, in 1912. After the failed assassination attempt, Bose fled to Imperial Japan in 1915. Rash Behari formed the  Indian National Army (INA)  the reins of which was later on handed over to  Subhas Chandra Bose by him.  His wife Toshiko, whom he married in Japan, died from pneumonia in 1925. Rash Be...

1570 - On 20 January, 1570, Akbar set out on foot on pilgrimage from Agra to Ajmer as thanksgiving for the birth of his first son Salim (later Jahangir)  1949 - Death of Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru (8 December 1875 – 20 January 1949), an Indian freedom fighter,  constitutional expert, and statesman.  Born on 8 December 1875 in Aligarh, Tej Bahadur Sapru was a Kashmiri Pandit who died on 20 January 1949 in Allahabad.  Sapru participated as a delegate at all three Round Table Conferences held by the British Government in London on Indian constitutional reform between 1931 and 1934.  Sapru had pleaded from the side of Indian National Army Officers in their Red Fort trials. Also known as the INA trials, the Red Fort trials took place between November 1945 and May 1946.  1988- Death of Abdul Ghaffar Khan on 20th January, 1988. Also called "Frontier Gandhi," he was a freedom fighter recognised for his commitment to non-violence. He was awarded India's highest civili...

Buddha Statue at Mindrolling Monastery / Incredibleindia Situated in Clement Town near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, Mindrolling Monastery is the centre of spiritual activity for the Tibetan Buddhist community. Set up in 1965, the monastery enshrines 60m high Great Stupa and is adorned with beautiful murals and paintings. In Tibetan, Mindrolling means 'Place of Perfect Emancipation'. Mindrolling Monastery, which follows the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, was founded by Khochhen Rinpoche who escaped to India during the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959. The monastery has a 35m-high gold statue of the Buddha. The Mindrolling Monastery also houses Ngagyur Nyingma College, which promotes literary studies of Tibetan Buddhism.

1597-  Maharana Pratap, known for his valiant and spirited defence against the Mughal Empire under Akbar, died at Chavand, located in the Udaipur district of Rajasthan, on 19th January in 1597.  Chavand was one of the capitals of Mewar.   Maharana Pratap was the ruler of Mewar kingdom in present day Rajasthan, from 1572 until his death in 1597. He is notable for leading the Rajput resistance against the Mughals in the legendary battle of Haldighati in 1576. 1905-  Death anniversary of Debendranath Tagore (born May 15, 1817—died January 19, 1905), a philosopher and religious reformer, who was involved in the creation of the Brahmo Samaj which was founded on 20 August, 1828 in Kolkata by Rammohan Roy.   His son was Rabindranath Tagore (first Asian to receive Nobel Prize).  1936 -    First news bulletin was broadcast from All India Radio (Akashvani)  on 19th January, 1936 . 1990  -  19 January 1990 marks the day of the exodus...