Indian History

A popular feature of Vaishnavism is the worship of the avataras, i.e. descents or incarnations of Vishnu. According to popular tradition there are ten incarnations of Vishnu. While the nine avatars have already appeared, Kalkin or Kalki is yet to come. At the end of Kali- yuga (dark age) marked by utter confusion resulting from disappearance of religion and virtue, Kalki will appear in the form of a man mounted on a white horse named Devadatta , with a flaming sword raised in his hand. We are presently in the Kali-yuga, which started according to popular tradition in 3012 B. C. Kalki will destroy the wicked, reward the good and usher in the age of gold. This 10 th incarnation of Vishnu appears to be a late addition to the Vaishnavite concept of avataras . This can be gauged from the fact that there have already been references to the concept of the coming of Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha) in Buddhism. There are many temples dedicated to Kalkin. The Kalkin temple n

Charvaka is an ancient Indian philosophical system which propounded materialism and rejected the notions of an afterlife. According to the Charvaka school of thought, all religious observance and morality were useless. The school encouraged making most of the life and seeking after the happiness that can be found in life. As long as he lives a man should live happily And drink ghee, though he run into debt, For when the body is turned to ashes How can there be any return to life?” Ajita Kesakambalin (“Ajita of the Hair-blanket), a contemporary of the Buddha, is the earliest known proponent of complete materialism.  He taught that pleasure is the chief end of life. According to him, “When the body dies both fool and wise alike are cut-off and perish. They don’t survive after death.” According to Buddhist sources, Ajita founded a sect of monks. It is not possible to pinpoint the exact influence of the tenets of Carvaka or Lokayata, as the materialist schools were

Mirabai (also spelt as Meerabai) was a Rajput princess who was one of the greatest saints of the Krishna cult of Vaishnavism in 16 th century India. She was the only child of Ratna Singh Rathor of Merta in Rajasthan.  Mirabai was born at the village of Kudki in the Pali district in or about AD 1498. In 1516, she was married to Bhoraj, eldest son of Rana Sanga, the ruler of Mewad with its capital at Chittor. Bhoraj was heir-apparent to Mewad but he died in 1526.   Mirabai was highly religious from her childhood. Like her grandfather Dudaji and father she was a devotee of Krishna. After her husband’s death she completely addressed herself to the devotion of Krishna. She patronized learned men. Devotees who were drawn from both sexes made a beeline to Mirabai. Consequently, her fame spread far and wide. However, Mirabai’s religious activities were resented by her in-laws who took exception to the fact that a royal princess would sing and dance before the image of Krishna

·          Badauni was a famous Mughal historian who flourished at the court of Akbar. He disapproved of Akbar’s religious views.  An orthodox Sunni, Badauni prepared a list of charges against Akbar and dubbed him enemy of Islam.   ·          Mughal princess Zeb-un-Nisa, the eldest child of sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, wrote under the pen name of Makhfi (meaning Hidden One in Persian) and was poetess of considerable merit. She produced a brilliant collection of beautiful poems which were published after her death in 1702 as Diwan-i-Makhfi . ·          Aurangzeb prohibited the practice of placing tika or tilak on the forehead of Hindu rulers by the Mughal emperor.

From 500 AD onwards Huna power was in ascendancy in Western India for next thirty years.  Hunas came from Central Asia in the 5th century AD and have been referred to as Hephthalites or White Hunas by the Byzantine historians.  Toramana was a famous Huna king in India and was succeeded by his son Mihirakula (Mihiragula, meaning sunflower) in 515 AD. Mihirakula, a follower of Shaivism, has been described by 7th century Chinese traveler Huen – T- Sang as a tyrant who fiercely persecuted the Buddhists by destroying their monasteries and killing them. He is supposed to have destroyed fourteen hundred Buddhist monasteries, His ferocity and cruelty has been also been recorded by the 12th century Kashmiri historian Kalhana in his magnum opus, Rajatarangini (Chronicle of Kings).   Mihirakula’s capital was at Sakala (modern Sialkot in Pakistan’s Punjab). He built up a vast empire which extended up to Gwalior.  However, Mihirakula suffered at the hands of Gupta ruler Nasimhagupta or Baladitya by

"Hazar-dinari" was nickname of  Malik Kafur, lieutenant of Alauddin Khilji, the most powerful Khilji ruler of the Delhi Sultanate.  He was a Hindu turned Muslim slave captured by Nusrat Khan, Alauddin commander, during the conquest of Gujarat in 1299. Kafur soon rose in ranks and was given the exalted title of malik naib (regent). He successfully executed his master’s expeditions to the South India and brought immense wealth from the South Indian kingdoms after demolishing many temples. With the passage of time Kafur became Alauddin’s Man Friday and so much so that the Khilji Sultan came under his complete influence.   Alauddin died in 1316. His eldest son Khizr khan was the claimant to the throne. However, on the second day of Alauddin’s death, Kafur placed five or six year old Shihabuddin Umar, another son of Ala-ud-din, on the throne and himself became his regent by producing a will of late Sultan. Then began the thirty five day criminal rule of Malik Kafur marke