Indian History

Sevalal Maharaj  For the first time the Indian Government is celebrating the birth anniversary of  Banjara  community leader  Santh Sevalal Maharaj  on a national scale. The yearlong celebrations are being organized under the aegis of  Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Santh Sevalal Maharaj  is the spiritual & religious leader of  Banjara Community . This year his  284th  birth anniversary is being celebrated. About Sevalal Maharaj Santh Sevalal Maharaj was born on  15 February 1739  at Surgondankoppa in  Shivamogga  district of Karnataka.  He is considered a social reformer and spiritual teacher of the Banjara community.  His final resting place or Samadhi is situated at Pohradevi in Maharashtra’s Washim district, also known as Banjara Kashi. Key Takeaways Santh Sevalal Maharaj  was born on  15 February 1739  at Surgondankoppa in  Shivamogga...

Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple /  Image Credit Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple is a shrine at Yaganti of Banaganapalle mandal in the Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh. Located in the Erramala hills, the Yaganti is one of the most sacred places in the state. This Vijayanagar era temple is dedicated to Shiva. The Yaganti Temple is perhaps the only famous shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, where he is worshipped in the form of an idol, instead of Shiva Linga.  Nandi at the Yaganti Temple / Image credit The fact that the Nandi idol at the Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple is growing in size is a matter of debate among the historians and archaeologists.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently unveiled the statue of   Basavanna  or  Basava i n the premises of the Karnataka State Assembly. Basava was the founder of  Veerashaivism  or  Lingayatism,  an important  Shaivite  sect. This sect is famous more for its cult and social doctrines than for its theology, which is a “ qualified monism” . Basava was a minister of  King Bijala Kalchuri  who had founded a new dynasty after usurping the throne of the  Chalukyas of Kalyani  in A. D.  1156 .  Basava opposed idolatry. In Lingayatism the only scared symbol is the linga of Shiva, a specimen of which is always carried on the person of the believer.  Radical in his view, Basava completely rejected the Vedas and authority of the Brahmin class, and priesthood.   Apart from opposing pilgrimage and sacrifice he instituted complete equality among his followers, even to the equality of women who were permitted to ...

Born in 1883 at Patti (now in Tarn Taran district) in Punjab, Sohan Lal Pathak was a revolutionary who was hanged at the Mandalay Jail in Burma on 10 February 1916 for organizing an uprising against the British.  In 1901, Sohan Lal Pathak got married to Laksmi Devi who died after giving birth to their son who also died with a week of his birth.   Sohan Lal Pathak came in contact with Lala Lajpat Rai under whom he became the editor of an Urdu journal, Bande Mataram. Bande Mataram was being run by Lala Lajpat Rai in Lahore.  Sohan Lal Pathak went to the USA in 1913 to join the Ghadar Party in California. He was the first revolutionary of the Ghadar Party who went to gallows outside India.

                                                                           Se Cathedral / Iamge Credit Located in Old Goa, Se Cathedra is one of the earliest churches of Goa. It was built to commemorate the conquest of the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque over  Ismail Adil Shah,  the ruler of Adilshahi dynasty of Bijapu, resulting in the annexation of the city of Goa into the Portuguese dominions  in February 1510.  Located on  India's western coast,  Goa continued to remain under Portuguese colonial rule until 1961 when it was annexed into India.  One of the largest churches in Asia, Se Cathedral is one of the finest specimens of Portuguese-Gothic architecture. The church is dedicated to St. Catherine.  It is part of th...

                                                  St. John’s Church, Kolkata /  Image credit   Built in 1787, St. John’s Church is one of the oldest Churches in Kolkata. Its 174 ft-high stone tower has earned it the nickname ‘The Stone Church’.  Within the precincts of the Church is the tomb of Job charnock, traditionally associated with the foundation of Kolkata. Another highlight of St. John’s Church is a two hundred year old exquisite painting depicting the Last Supper, by 18th-century German neoclassical artist Johann Zoffany.

Egyptian antiquities officials have announced the discovery of a hidden corridor inside the 4,500 year old   Pyramid of Khufu or the Great Pyramid of Giza . Archaeologists are yet to unravel the purpose the corridor served. The corridor,  9m (30ft) long  and  2.1m (7ft) wide , was first detected in 2016 using an imaging technique called  muography .  The Great Pyramid of Giza is named after a Fourth Dynasty pharaoh  Khufu , or  Cheops,  who reigned from 2509 to 2483 B.C.  The mystery of how exactly the ancient Egyptians built the immense pyramids has confounded experts for centuries. Today, the pyramids are the most important historical attractions of Egypt. Located just outside the Egyptian capital  Cairo ,  the Pyramid of Khufu   is one of the three structures that make up the Giza pyramid complex. Originally built to a height of 146 meters, the Pyramid of Khufu now stands at 139 meters.  Formerly known as the Pyram...