Indian History

As is the case with the civilizations of the ancient world, religion must have played an important role in the lives of Harappan people. However, nothing can be said with certainty about the religious life of the people of Indus valley civilization since our information on the topic is fragmentary.  The Harappan religion was polytheistic.  On the basis of information gathered from Harappan seals, seal impressions, terracotta and metal figures, cemeteries, etc, we can come to the conclusion that worship of the Mother Goddesses was very much prevalent in the society. It is very much to the point to underline the fact that worship of Mother Goddesses came into vogue in Hinduism one thousand years after the decline of Harappan culture. Other traits of later Hinduism such as worship of Pashupati Shiva, sacred animals trees etc, were practised by the Harappan people.  Among the male gods, the most striking is a three faced horned deity seated cross legged on a throne and surrounded by four

Vardhamana Mahavira A contemporary of The Buddha, Vardhamana , known to his followers as Mahavira, was born in village Kundandagrama  near Vaishali in Bihar in a kshatriya (the warrior class) family about 540 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 from one place to another and led a life of torture by subjecting his body to all kinds of hardships but it was of no avail. During this period he met another asceti

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. Manu , one of the famous lawgivers of ancient India, declared that wife, like the slave and the son, has no right to property. However, some allowed a woman to own their special property ( stridhana ) in the form of jewellery and clothing. In ancient Indian society a woman could find their role in religion, but could not serve the temples as priestess. However in Vedic period the position of women was much more enhanced. Women seers are said to have composed some o the Vedic hymns. The famous discussion between Gargi and Yajnavalkya is well known. But by the begin

" The system of blood circulation was discovered by them centuries before Harvey was heard of." - P. Johnstone The history of medicine in India is as old and as rich as its civilization. Some of the earliest practices of ancient Indian medicine have been documented by Charaka and Shushruta , the two great teachers of Indian medical science. An alumnus of the famed centre of learning Taxila (presently in the Punjab province of Pakistan), he wrote Charaka Samahita , while Shushruta- Samhita was composed by Shushruta. These two are the basic textbooks of Indian medicine. It can be inferred from these textbooks of ancient Indian science that ancient India placed great importance on prevention rather than cure. Personal hygiene and public health were accorded their due importance. The medical texts recognized the importance of fresh air and light. Though vegetarianism was much encouraged in ancient India, the ancient medical texts recommended the use of both meat and

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 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 monolith representa

Recently an inscription on stone, with three big Indus signs and possibly a fourth, has been discovered in the archeological site of Dholavira in the state of Gujarat. The discovery of three-metre long inscription becomes all the more significant since for the first time a Harappa script has been found engraved on a natural stone in the Indus Valley. So far the Harappa script has been found on seals made of terracotta, steatite, ceramics etc. An artist's impression of Dholavira

That wearing bangles in India is an ancient tradition can be gauged from the fact among the various objects found during the excavations of the Harappan cities bangles are also included. And the tradition continues even today. Bangles were also the prized possession of the women in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Iran.