Indian History

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 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". 

Of the four Vedas ( Veda means knowledge), the Rigveda , Samveda , Yajurveda and Atharvaveda , the Rigveda is the oldest religious text in the world still looked on as sacred, and therefore, is also known as the first testament of mankind. Dating the Rigveda is a subject of conjecture.  the probable date for its composition may be around 1700 BC. Vedas are written is Sanskrit. The first three Vedas are collectively known as Trayi or trio. Each Veda is further divided into Samhitas or collections. These were learnt by heart and then passed on from the teachers to the disciples.  © Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute The Rigveda is neither a historical nor a heroic poem but is mainly a collection of hymns of praise composed by many authors. It describes the religious life of the early Aryans in India. The hymns of Rig Veda were recited at the time of sacrificial rites and other rituals with utmost devotion. These hymns are still recited by the Hindus at dif...

Archaeologists have unearthed a large number of stone tools and weapons dating back to more than 80,000 years ago from a dry lake bed in Singadivakkam , a remote village some 65 km south of Chennai, according to report published in Times of India. The discovery was the result of an ongoing excavation work, in cooperation with the Archaeological Survey of India , by Professor S Rama Krishna Pisipaty and his student S Shanmugavelu of the department of Sanskrit and culture at Sri Chandrasekaharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya in Enathur, Kancheepuram . According to Professor S Rama Krishna Pisipaty and his team, so far hand-axes, choppers, scrappers and borers as well as microlithic tools (small stone implements) and pointed tools of different sizes and shapes have been found. The tools could have been used for hunting and fishing. Read Full Story

Greek scientists and archaeologists achieved the wonderful feat when they gave an ancient Athenian girl from the 5th century BC a face by using her bones, found in an ancient mass grave near the ancient Athenian cemetery of Keramikos by archeologist Effie Valavani. The girl named 'Myrtis' by the scientists, has been brought back to life through facial reconstruction from her intact skull and teeth. Myrtis is now one of the prized possessions of the National Hellenic Archeological Museum of Athens. Read Full Story

In ancient India, life was dominated by religion to a large extent and so it is of no surprise that ancient Indian architecture includes mostly religious structures. Since the people of ancient India also had a political purpose there were many secular structures in ancient times. The first organized art activity in India belongs to the Mauryan period. The description of the city of Patliputra (modern Patna in Bihar) and the royal palace in the city by Megasthenes , who came to India during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya , suggests that the first Mauryan emperor built the buildings of the city. Other Mauryan architecture include the rock-cut Chaiya halls or cave dwellings in the Barabar and Nagarjuna Hills of Gaya in the sate of Bihar, the edict bearing and the non edict bearing Asokan pillars. Stupas Tradition has it that Stupas or tumuli were over the divided ashes of the Buddha . These stupas were built by Ashoka , the greatest Mauryan emperor, in honour of the Buddha ...

Accession to the Throne  Shah Jahan (1628-58) was in Deccan when his father Jahangir died in the month of October in 1627. At Lahore, Nur Jahan , one of the wives of Jahangir, proclaimed her son-in-law Shahryar as the emperor, while Asaf Khan , father of Mumtaz Mahal (Shah Jahan’s wife in whose memory Taj Mahal was built) put Dawar Baksh , son of Khusrav (brother of Shah Jahan), on the throne as a stop-gap emperor till the return of Shah Jahan to Agra from Deccan. When Shah Jahan arrived at Agra in February 1628, Dawar Baksh , the “sacrificial lamb’ was deposed and sent in exile to Persia. Asaf Khan defeated, captured and blinded Shahryar . Now decks were clear for Shah Jahan who ascended the Mughal throne at Agra in February 1628. However, Shah Jahan was paid back in his own coin when during his last days when two of his own sons were executed.  Military Conquests of Shah Jahan   The first three years of Shah Jahan’s reign were marked by the rebellions of the Bundela ...

Humayun's Tomb in Delhi Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India in 1526, was succeeded by his eldest son Humayun who inherited “a monarchy which could be held together only by the continuance of war conditions which in times of peace was weak, structureless and invertebrate.”  When Babur died in 1530, Humayun was 23 years old. Since father's conquests had not been consolidated in the short span of four years, the army lacked cohesiveness and the administration an effective machinery. The name Humayun (meaning "the Fortunate”) is rather a misnomer. Though the second Mughal emperor, he had to spend his life as a wanderer almost all through his life. He lost the nascent Mughal kingdom and when he regained it, he did not live long enough to rule it. Humayun was born in Kabul in 1508. He ascended the throne  on December 30, 1530 four days after death of Babur.  The imperial treasury was almost bankrupt and beyond the frontiers powerful political forces, such ...