Lord Dufferin (1884-88)

Lord Dufferin was appointed the Viceroy of India in 1884. He succeeded Lord Ripon who ruled from 1880 to 1884. Dufferin’s administration in India saw the Third Burmese War in 1885, resulting in the annexation of upper Burma. As a result, his viceroyalty saw the final extinction of Burma as an independent power.

Another event which was of utmost consequences for the future was the foundation of the Indian National Congress (INC) by A. O. Hume and S. N. Banerjee in 1885.

But in the North-west, the Panjdeh incident on the border of Afghanistan brought Britain to the verge of war with Russia. But a s result of the possibility of this war, the total strength of the Indian army was raised.

Iron Pillar of Meharauli: A technical Achievement of Ancient India

Iron Pillar of Meharauli in Delhi is a memorial dedicated to a king called Chandra, who has been identified with Chandra Gupta II (c 376-415) of the Gupta dynasty. Originally erected on a hill in Ambala, Iron Pillar now stands the near the renowned Qutab Minar, one of the greatest monuments of Muslim India. Over twenty three feet high, the pillar consists of a single piece of iron. Though produced some 1500 years ago, the Iron Pillar of Meharauli shows no sign of rusting. This is testimony to the high level of metallurgical skill of ancient India.

Nalanda university as related by Hiuen-Tsang

Established in 5th century AD, Nalanda was a famous university of ancient India. During the rule of Harsha, the fame of university reached far and wide. Under the Pala ruler Dharampal, the glory of the university reached its zenith. The renowned Chinese traveler Hiuen-Tsang who came to India during the rule of Harshvardhan and studied at Nalanda, has mentioned the Nalanda university in glowing terms. From his accounts it can be said that the university was a great centre of education and was famous even in far-off countries. According to Hiuen-Tsang, the number of students at the university was ten thousand and the faculty consisted of great minds drawn from different parts of India.

Separate buildings were used for the study of the students. Some buildings had the sitting capacity of ten thousand students. The library of the university was very big and consisted of three buildings, one of them nine storied.

Admission to Nalanda university was a tough affair. The rules of the university were tough and had to be obeyed. Students were not required to pay any fee. The expenses of the university were met by the donations given by the rulers and the rich.

Remembering Guru Arjan on his death anniversary

Today is the death anniversary of Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru of Sikhism. Guru Arjan died in 1606 in Lahore (Pakistan). 

Guru Arjan was executed by orders of fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who ruled from 1605 to 1627. He was charged with treason because he had given shelter to Prince Khusrau at Tarn Taran, who had rebelled against his father Jahangir for the Mughal throne. Khusrau was captured, confined and subsequently killed by Shah Jahan (fifth Mughal emperor) in 1622. 

Guru Arjan was at first fined by the Imperial Mughal power, but as he refused to pay the fine he was sentenced to death.

European Power in India

Portugal was the first European power to establish factories and trading settlements in India in the early 16th century. Portuguese were followed by Dutch, British, Danes and French. In the 18th century with the downfall of the Mughal Empire, these Europeans countries began to take greater interest in Indian politics. By the early 19th century the British East Indian Company had outsmarted its rivals and held sway over most of the Indian sub-continent.

The ease with which the British became the master of India is a measure of the political decadence of the country at the time. By the middle of the 19th century the whole of India came under either the direct control of the British or petty princes being supported by them.

The British rule came to an end in 1947 when India became independent.

Kaveripattinam: the chief port of Chola kingdom

Kaveripattinam, the chief port of the ancient Chola kingdom, was situated at the mouth of Kaveri river. It is today identified with Puhar, a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu. Kaveripattinam is also known as Kaveripaddinam, and Kaveripumpattinam. 

Once the capital of the early Chola rulers, Kaveripattinam has been described in various Sangam works and also in Ptolemy’s Geography and the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea. According to a Sinhalese source, spacious harbour of Kaveripattinam was built by soldiers captured by the great Chola King Karikalan in a raid on Ceylon. During the first three centuries of the Christian era, Kaveripattinam was a prosperous city inhabited by rich merchants, traders, craftsmen and sailors.

Champa: Important port of Ancient India

Situated in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, Champa was the capital of ancient Anga in the sixth century BC. It was of great commercial importance. It was a river port from which ships world said down the Ganga and coast to south India and Sri Lanka. These ships returned with jewels and spices which were much in demand in the north India. From Champa seafaring merchants went to distant islands. Champa was also a place of pilgrimage for the Buddhists and the Jaina alike. At a time of the Buddha’s great decease, known as Mahaparinirvana in Buddhist phraseology, Ananda, one of the most famous disciples, said that he regretted that his master was to die in so small a town as Kushinagar and mentioned Champa as one of the six places (others being Sravasti, Rajagriha, Saketa, Kausambi and Kasi) where he considered important enough for his master to die in. This proves that Champa was evidently one of the greatest cities of the 5th century BC.