Indian History

  Manasa Devi / Image credit One of the distinctive traditional festivals of Bishnupur in the Bankura district of West Bengal is Jhapan , a festival associated with the worship of Goddess Manasa , the serpent deity. Traditionally regarded in Bengal as the goddess of snakes, Manasa is also associated with protection from snakebites, fertility, rainfall and agricultural prosperity. Jhapan therefore reflects both the religious traditions surrounding Manasa worship and the agrarian culture of western Bengal. Observed during the month of Shravan, the festival features prayers and songs in praise of Manasa as well as performances by traditional snake handlers. They display live snakes, including cobras and pythons, often carrying them in traditional bamboo baskets known as jhapis . The festival is particularly noted for its snake-handling demonstrations and attracts visitors to Bishnupur. Jhapan has a long association with the cultural traditions of the former Malla kingdom of Mallab...

Madhukeshwar temple at  Banavasi / Image Credit   1. Who was the founder of the Kadamba dynasty? A. Mayurasharma B. Krishnavarma I C. Kakusthavarma D. Ravivarma 2. Which of the following was the capital of Kadambas? A. Badami B. Banavasi C. Kalyani D. Talakad 3. Which inscription is important for information about Mayurasharma and the early Kadamba dynasty? A. Talagunda inscription B. Aihole inscription C. Hathigumpha inscription D. Besanagar inscription 4. Which of the following is home to the famous Madhukeshwara temple? A. Banavasi  B. Badami C. Manyakheta D. Kalyani 5. The Gudnapur inscription, mentioning a temple for Manmatha, is associated with which Kadamba ruler? A. Mayurasharma B. Krishnavarma I C. Kakusthavarma D. Ravivarma Satavahana Empire Quiz Satavahana Empire Quiz

During the British colonial period, English acquired an increasingly important position in India, particularly in administration, education and public life. Even after India attained independence in 1947, the question of the status of Hindi and its place among the country’s official languages remained a contentious issue. Against this backdrop, Purushottam Das Tandon, popularly known as Rajarshi, is remembered for his prominent role in advocating Hindi and promoting its use in public life. Tandon’s strong advocacy of Hindi and the Devanagari script sometimes drew criticism from his opponents, some of whom accused him of being communal and chauvinistic. However, his contribution to the promotion of Hindi was significant. He was a leading advocate of Hindi in the debates over India’s language policy during the freedom struggle and the early years of independence. During his student days he joined Indian National congress in 1899. After being expelled from Muir Central College of the Alla...

Mehrangarh Fort / Image credit: Pexels Your lasting impression of Jodhpur is likely to be of the impressive Mehrangarh Fort, whose massive ramparts rise from a sheer-sided sandstone outcrop. As you pass through its arched gateways and imposing crenellated walls, it feels like stepping back into the medieval period. Jodhpur, the second-largest city in Rajasthan, was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, the Rathore ruler of Marwar. The city became the new capital of Marwar, replacing Mandore, the former capital of the Rathore rulers. Several places of interest around Jodhpur can be visited on a day trip. Among the most famous are the Hindu and Jain temples at Osian, about an hour's drive from Jodhpur. Mandore, located on the northern outskirts of the city, is another important attraction. It served as the capital of Marwar before Rao Jodha founded Jodhpur. Places of attractions  Mehrangarh Fort The quintessential medieval fort of Mehrangarh has stood tall for centuries in Jodhpur, epitomisi...

Qutb Minar Located in the Mehrauli area of Delhi, Qutb Minar stands within the Qutb complex which is a World Heritage Site. The complex brims with mosques, tombs, gateways and gardens.  Qutub-ud-din Aibak, founder of the Slave dynasty and the first Sultan of Delhi had initiated the construction of Qutb Minar. This massive 72.5 metre tower is named after him.  However, according to another school of thought, the monument gets its name from the famous Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, a disciple of Moinuddin Chisti who was the founder of the Chisti order in India. Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, popularly known as Qutub Sahib, is credited with the popularization of the Chisti order of Sufism in Delhi. His tomb is in Mehrauli.  The soaring Qutb Minar consists of five distinct storeys of which only the first level was built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak before his death of a sudden fall from a horse while playing polo (chaugan). The structure was completed by later Muslim rulers includin...

Tirukkural (also known as the Kural ) is one of the Tamil literature’s greatest ethical works. The text consists of 1,330 couplets of seven words each arranged across 133 chapters. It is traditionally attributed to the poet-saint Tiruvalluvar , commonly known as Valluvar, who is thought to have lived in South India between fourth and sixth century. Composed nearly 2,000 years ago, Thirukkural is widely regarded as a secular tome that does not refer to any nation, society, language, race, religion or caste in the entire book. Hence, it is also called Ulaga Podhu Marai (the universal scripture). The three parts that the Thirukkural is divided into are aṟam (virtue), poruḷ (wealth) and inbam (love), aiming at attaining veedu ((liberation or moksha), Tirukkural is categorised under Pathinenkeezh Kanakku ‘ nools ’ (Eighteen Literary Works). Pathinenkeezh Kanakku is a collection of eighteen poetic works mostly created during the post Sangam period (between 100 and 500 CE).

Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir   is the most well known   Jain   temple in  New Delhi. It is located directly opposite the   Red Fort, at the intersection of Chandni Chowk and Netaji Subhas Marg.  Situted just near the Lal Quila Metro Station, t he temple is famed for an avian (Bird)   veterinary hospital which is situated   in a second structure behind the primary temple. It has come to be known as the Jain Birds Hospital.

Coins of Coin of Muiz ud din Qaiqabad / image credit Before his death in 1287, Delhi Sultanate ruler Balban of Slave Dynasty had nominated his grandson Kai Khusrav as his successor after his son Bughra Khan declined the offer (Bughra Khan  instead became an independent ruler of Bengal).  Kai Khusrav was the son of Muhammad (another son of Balban), who was killed in the fight with Mongols in 1285. But disregarding Balban’s wish, the nobles of the Slave dynasty (Mamluk dynasty) placed Kaiqubad (Qaiqabad), son of Bughra Khan, on the throne. Kaiqubad (Muiz-ud-din Qaiqabad), brought up under the watchful eyes of Balban, himself a strict disciplinarian, was seventeen when he became Sultan. He soon plunged himself into debauchery. Real power of the kingdom came into the hands of Nizam-ud-din, son-in-law of Fakhr-ud-din, the Kotwal of Delhi. Confusion and chaos reigned supreme. Nizam-ud-din was poisoned by Kaiqubad when the former hesitated to obey the latter's diktat to transf...

M uhammad Iqbal was an Urdu poet and lawyer. Born in Sialkot (now in Pakistan) on November 9, 1877, he was a great nationalist during early years of career writing the famous nationalist song: Sare Jahan se Accha, Hindositan hamara, but later on he voiced the idea of a separate Muslim state in the north-west India in his presidential address to the annual session of the Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930. It was this idea which later fructified and culminated in the creation of a separate Muslim state of Pakistan on August 14, 1947. Naturally enough, he is acclaimed as the father of the idea of Pakistan.  Muhammad Iqbal, also known as Allama Iqbal, died in Lahore in 1938.

January brings some of India’s most vibrant celebrations, as winter gives way to the first signs of a new agricultural and cultural cycle. From camel fairs and kite-filled skies to harvest festivals, classical dance and national celebrations, the month offers a remarkable glimpse into India's diverse traditions. Here are some of the festivals and fairs that make January an especially rewarding time to explore the country.  These festivals do not have definite dates and are moveable or flexible. Bikaner Camel Festival, Rajasthan image credit Celebrating the camel, the indispensable “ship of the desert” , the Bikaner Camel Festival opens with a spectacular procession of elaborately decorated camels. Adorned with colourful textiles, ornaments and traditional embellishments, the animals provide a striking spectacle against the historic landscape of Bikaner. The two-day celebration brings together camel competitions, folk music, dance and other traditional performances, showcasing the ...

Rauza Sharif / Image Credit Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi was the most prominent saint of Naqshbandi Sufi silsila (order), one of the orders into which Sufis were organized. Chishti, Qadaria, Suhrawardy and Mawlawi are the other silsilas. Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi was a disciple of Khwaja Baqi Billah, a pioneer of Naqshbandiah silsilah in India. Also known as Mujaddid-i Alf-i Thani, Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi was born in 1564 at Sirhind (currently in the Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab). He died in 1624 at Sarhind where his shrine, known as Rauza Sharif, is located. Ahmad Sirhindi disapproved of the religious syncretism of Mughal emperor Akbar. Known for his orthodoxy and anti-Shia views, he was opposed to the Akbar’s religious views. A notable work of Sirhindi is Maktubat-e-Imam Rabbani in which he has referred to the execution of Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru.   He had hailed the execution of Guru Arjan Dev, who was executed by orders of fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who rule...

Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur (Karnataka) / Image Credit कर्नाटक के इस प्राचीन और ऐतिहासिक नगर की नींव चालुक्य वंश के शासनकाल में रखी गई थी। उस समय इसे विजयपुर के नाम से जाना जाता था, जिससे आगे चलकर इस स्थान का नाम बीजापुर पड़ा। कभी आदिलशाही राजाओं (1489–1686) की राजधानी रहा बीजापुर आज भी अपने भव्य ऐतिहासिक स्मारकों और स्थापत्य कला के लिए प्रसिद्ध है। शहर की पहचान यहां मौजूद मस्जिदों, मकबरों, महलों, किलों, प्रहरी मीनारों और विशाल प्रवेशद्वारों से होती है। विश्व के विशालतम स्वतंत्र रूप से खड़े गुंबदों में से एक  गोल गुम्बज विशेष आकर्षण का केन्द्र है। आदिलशाही शासकों के शासनकाल में बीजापुर ने स्थापत्य कला के उत्कर्ष को देखा और आज यहां की इमारतों में उस दौर की कलात्मक प्रतिभा और वास्तु-कौशल की अद्भुत झलक मिलती है। मध्यकालीन मुस्लिम स्थापत्य कला में रुचि रखने वाले यात्रियों के लिए बीजापुर किसी खजाने से कम नहीं। शहर को केन्द्र बनाकर आप ऐहोल, बादामी और पट्टदकल जैसे दक्षिण भारत के महत्वपूर्ण और दुर्लभ विरासत स्थलों की भी सैर कर सकते हैं। इतिहास, वास्तुकला और संस्कृति को करीब से समझने की चाह रख...

Photo: Pexels कौसानी को अपनी अनुपम प्राकृतिक सुंदरता के कारण भारत का स्विट्जरलैंड भी कहा जाता है। समुद्र तल से 1,890 मीटर की ऊँचाई पर बसा यह रमणीय स्थल अल्मोड़ा के उत्तर में लगभग 53 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर स्थित है। कहा जाता है कि प्राचीन काल में यह स्थान वलना नाम से जाना जाता था। महर्षि कौशिक के कठोर तप के कारण इसका नाम कौसानी पड़ा। प्रसिद्ध हिंदी कवि सुमित्रानंदन पंत की जन्मस्थली कौसानी ने अपने नैसर्गिक सौंदर्य से राष्ट्रपिता महात्मा गांधी को भी अभिभूत किया था। यहाँ की प्राकृतिक छटा देखते ही बनती है। हिमाच्छादित त्रिशूल, नंदा देवी और नंदाकोट जैसी पर्वत चोटियाँ, हरी-भरी घाटियाँ और उनमें बिखरे रंग-बिरंगे फूल कौसानी को अद्भुत रूप प्रदान करते हैं। इसकी मनोहारी सुंदरता ऐसी है कि यहाँ आने वाला प्रत्येक पर्यटक सहज ही प्रकृति के आकर्षण में बंध जाता है। कौसानी के आकर्षण अनासक्ति आश्रम यह वही पावन स्थल है, जहाँ राष्ट्रपिता महात्मा गांधी ने वर्ष 1929 में अपने प्रवास के कुछ दिन बिताए थे। कौसानी की अद्भुत प्राकृतिक सुंदरता और शांत वातावरण से गांधीजी अत्यंत प्रभावित हुए। उन्होंने अपने लेखों में कौसानी...

कश्मीर की लिद्दर घाटी में स्थित श्री अमरनाथ की गुफा प्रकृति और आस्था के अद्भुत संगम का प्रतीक है। समुद्र तल से लगभग 3,680 मीटर की ऊँचाई पर स्थित यह पवित्र गुफा बर्फ से ढकी ऊँची पर्वत चोटियों और मनोहारी प्राकृतिक दृश्यों से घिरी हुई है। यहां पहुंचकर श्रद्धालु हिमालय की आध्यात्मिक ऊर्जा और अलौकिक शांति का अनुभव करते हैं। हर वर्ष श्रावण मास (जुलाई-अगस्त) में देश-विदेश से श्रद्धालु प्राकृतिक रूप से निर्मित बर्फ के शिवलिंग के दर्शन के लिए अमरनाथ पहुंचते हैं। इस हिम शिवलिंग को भगवान शिव का प्रतीक माना जाता है। मान्यता है कि चंद्रमा की कलाओं के साथ शिवलिंग के आकार में भी परिवर्तन होता है और श्रावण पूर्णिमा के अवसर पर यह अपने पूर्ण आकार में दिखाई देता है। इसी कारण इस दिन अमरनाथ यात्रा में विशेष धार्मिक महत्व रखता है। श्रद्धालु पवित्र अमरावती नदी में स्नान करने के बाद अमरनाथ गुफा में पहुंचकर हिम से निर्मित शिवलिंग के दर्शन  करते हैं। कठिन पर्वतीय यात्रा के बावजूद लाखों श्रद्धालुओं के लिए यह यात्रा केवल धार्मिक अनुष्ठान नहीं, बल्कि आस्था, आध्यात्मिकता और हिमालय की विराट प्राकृतिक...

  Vikramshila Entrance / Image Credit अंतीचक बिहार के भागलपुर जिले में स्थित एक महत्वपूर्ण पुरातात्विक स्थल है, जहाँ प्राचीन विक्रमशिला विश्वविद्यालय के अवशेष मिले हैं। 8वीं शताब्दी में पाल शासक धर्मपाल द्वारा स्थापित विक्रमशिला वज्रयान बौद्ध धर्म का एक प्रमुख केंद्र होने के साथ-साथ प्राचीन भारत के महत्वपूर्ण शिक्षा केंद्रों में भी गिना जाता था। विक्रमशिला से तिब्बत भेजे गए बौद्ध विद्वानों और आचार्यों के माध्यम से 11वीं शताब्दी में तिब्बत में वज्रयान बौद्ध धर्म के प्रसार को महत्वपूर्ण गति मिली। इस प्राचीन विश्वविद्यालय परिसर में मठ, मंदिर और स्तूप सहित अनेक संरचनाओं के अवशेष पाए गए हैं। 1960-61 में किए गए पुरातात्विक उत्खनन के दौरान यहाँ पत्थर और मिट्टी से निर्मित बुद्ध की अनेक प्रतिमाएँ प्राप्त हुईं। ये अवशेष विक्रमशिला की समृद्ध बौद्ध परंपरा, स्थापत्य कला और प्राचीन शैक्षणिक विरासत की महत्वपूर्ण झलक प्रस्तुत करते हैं।

कुंभकोणम: प्राचीन मंदिरों और आस्था की नगरी तंजावुर जिले में स्थित कुंभकोणम दक्षिण भारत के प्राचीन और पवित्र नगरों में से एक है। शैव और वैष्णव परंपराओं में समान रूप से महत्वपूर्ण यह नगर अपने प्राचीन मंदिरों, स्थापत्य कला, धार्मिक परंपराओं और ऐतिहासिक विरासत के लिए प्रसिद्ध है। कावेरी और अरसलार नदियों के बीच बसा कुंभकोणम और इसके आसपास अनेक प्राचीन मंदिर स्थित हैं। यद्यपि कुंभकोणम का उल्लेख प्राचीन काल से मिलता है, लेकिन मध्यकालीन चोल शासन के दौरान, विशेषकर 7वीं शताब्दी के बाद, इस क्षेत्र ने महत्वपूर्ण धार्मिक और सांस्कृतिक केंद्र के रूप में अपनी पहचान बनाई। ब्रिटिश शासनकाल में यहाँ मौजूद अनेक शैक्षणिक संस्थानों के कारण इसे कभी-कभी ‘दक्षिण भारत का कैम्ब्रिज’ भी कहा जाता था। हर 12 वर्ष में आयोजित होने वाला प्रसिद्ध महामहम उत्सव कुंभकोणम की धार्मिक पहचान का एक महत्वपूर्ण हिस्सा है। कुंभेश्वर मंदिर कुंभेश्वर मंदिर /  चित्र सौजन्य कुंभकोणम का नाम यहाँ के अधिष्ठाता देव कुंभेश्वर के नाम पर पड़ा माना जाता है। मंदिर से जुड़ी एक प्रसिद्ध किंवदंती के अनुसार, प्रलय के बाद भगवान शिव ने एक किर...

Alluri Seetharama Raju Alluri Seetharama Raju is known in Indian history to have led the Rampa rebellion which took place in during 1922-24 against the British. He was born on July 4, 1897 in Pandrangi village in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. He studied at Mrs. AVN College in Visakhapatnam. Rampa rebellion was one of the 70 listed tribal uprisings during the British colonial period from 1778 to 1947. What makes Rampa rebellion unique that it was the earliest known tribal revolt led by a non-tribal Alluri Seetharama Raju. Though an outsider, he assembled a band of followers who had the support of the people of the surrounding areas of at least 2,500 square miles. He became a folk hero in Andhra Pradesh and came to be known as Manyam Veerudu (Hero of the jungles). Though Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperation Movement inspired him, he advocated violence to win tribal goals.  The revolt takes its name from the Rampa region north of Godavari, which was the place of ac...