Indian History

Union Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar has released the Hindi translation of Tolkāppiyam , a unique work on grammar and poetics.  A part of the corpus of Sangam literature, Tolkappiyam is the most ancient extant Tamil grammar text and the oldest extant long work of Tamil literature. Tolkappiyam was written by Tolkappiyar during the Sangam period. According to some Tamil tradition places Tolkappiyam in the mythical second Sangam (great literary assembly), variously in 1st millennium BCE or earlier. Tamil writing systems dates back to 250 BCE and Tamil Sangam poetry contains 2381 poems in Tamil composed by 473 poets, some 102 anonymous. Most scholars suggest the historical Sangam literature era spanned from c. 300 BCE to 600 CE to be among the finest of world literature. Though it is reasonable to believe that the ancient Tamil itself had a long poetic tradition and a large body of literature, only a grammatical treatise in verse called Tolkāppiyam, the eight anthologie

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added Kolkata's Durga Puja to its 'Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.'  The decision was taken during the sixteenth session of the of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by Punchi Nilame Meegaswatte, Secretary General of the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO. Durga Puja is an annual festival marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga. In West Bengal Bengal the festival is celebrated in honour of Goddess Durga’s killing of demon Mahishasur and is called the Durga Puja. Huge pandals are set-up housing the idols of Goddess Durga and her four children - Lakshmi , Saraswati , Ganesha and Kartikeya .  India now has 14 i ntangible cultural heritage elements on the UNESCO list. Other Indian entries that were previously inscribed include Ramlila (2008), Yoga (2016) and Kumbh Mela (2017). I

The Centre has recently refused to accept Paika rebellion as the first war of independence. In 2017, the Odisha Government demanded that the Odisha rebellion be declared as the first war of independence. Currently, the Revolt of 1857, known variously as First War of Independence and Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 is called the first war of independence against British Rule. The Revolt of 1857 shook the very foundation of the British Empire in India. Paika Rebellion took place from 1817 to 1825 in Odisha. .  What is the Paika Rebellion? The Paikas were a warrior class who were given rent-free lands by the Gajapat kings in Odisha in lieu of the military services they would render to the Kingdom of Khurda. .In 1804, the King of Khurda, Raja Mukunda Deva, who was dethroned by the British in the previous year, organized a rebellion against the British with the help of his Paiks. However, the rebellion ended in a fiasco and the British confiscated his entire territory. As the new land revenue settle

The UNESCO has conferred two awards for conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti in Delhi.  The Nizamuddin Basti has received two awards at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation this year. The conservation initiative at Nizamuddin area has bagged the prestigious Award of Excellence and another award in the Special Recognition for Sustainable Development category.  Conservation efforts at Nizamuddin Basti are being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation and the Dargah Committee and resident community groups of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti since 2007. Nizamuddin Basti Project encompasses restoration of over 20 historic monuments clustered around the 14th century mausoleum of the revered Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the most prominent Sufi saint of the Chisti order. • The Nizamuddin area consists of Humayun Tomb and the 16th ce

                                   Mattancherry palace at night/ Image Source The Mattancherry Palace in Cochin in the Indian state of Kerala is a magnificent two -story building with its vividly executed vibrant murals.   Also known as the Dutch Palace, the palace was originally built in the 16th century by the Portuguese who presented the palace to the ruler of Kochi with a view to ease the tension caused due to the plunder of Palluruthi temple by the Portuguese.  When Cochin fell to the Dutch in 1663 AD, the palace came under their control who gave this beautiful architecture a makeover.   

                                                                      Freedom fighter Khudiram Bose (Photo: Twitter) Today is the birth anniversary of Khudiram Bose [1889-1908], a revolutionary born in the Midnapore district of West Bengal.  One of India’s earliest revolutionaries to die on the gallows on August 11, 1908 at the age of 18, Khudiram Bose was a member of the revolutionary society Anushilan Samiti. He along with Prufulla Chaki threw a bomb at the carriage of Kingsford, an English Judge at Muzaffarpur in Bihar.  Bose was arrested in the Muzaffarpur Conspiracy case and sentenced to death while Prufulla Chaki committed himself before police could arrest him.  Khudiram Bose was executed in Muzaffarpur jail on 11 August 1908. 

    Vulture’s Peak, Rajagriha|Wikimedia Commons I n ancient times, Rajgir or Raagriha, as it was called, was the capital of 6th century BC Magadhan ruler Bimbisara who was deposed, imprisoned and murdered by his son Ajatashatru in about 494 B.C.  Situated in the state of Bihar, Rajgir is one of the most sacred -- and atmospheric – places in India. Rajgir measures its history in millennia. Today a pool of serenity and tranquillity, Rajgir is littered with the ancient remnants of the past. Rajgir is a holy place, a centre of pilgrimage, and an object of devotion for three faiths: Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Griddhakuta or Vulture's Peak, Bimbisara's Jail and World Peace Pagoda are some of the attractions in Rajgir, 15 km from the world famous Buddhist site of Nalanda.   Griddhakuta ( Vulture's Peak) The well-known Buddhist site of Griddhakuta Hill is deservedly an attraction in Rajgir not to be missed. During the rainy season the Buddha used to climb up to his mountain re