Today in Indian History (24th December)

Vasco da Gama lands at Calicut, May 20, 1498

On 24th December, 1524, renowned Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died in Cochin (now Kochi), a major port in India.
Pattabhi Sitaramayya, freedom fighter and president of Indian National Congress in 1948, was born in Andhra Pradesh on 24th December, 1880. He was defeated by Subhash Chandra Bose for the post of Congress President in Tripura Session of 1939. Mahatma Gandhi termed Sitaramayya’s defeat as ‘his own’.
On 24th December, 1924, famous playback singer Mohammed Rafi was born.
Periyar E.V.Ramasami, prominent social worker and freedom fighter, passes away on 24th December in 1973 at the age of 94. He started the Self-Respect Movement, one of the several social movements for the uplift of the society.
Melakkath Gopalan Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR, dies on 24th December in 1987. A very popular politician, he was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The crowd that gathered in his funeral was one of the largest in Independent India. He was posthumously awarded India’s top civilian award Bharat Ratna.
On 24th December in 1999, Indian Airlines Airbus 300 en route from Kathmandu to Delhi with 186 people on board was hijacked shortly after take-off.

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Muhammad Shah Rangila

Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal emperor, died in 1707. Muhammad Shah became Mughal emperor in 1719. During the interregnum, Bahadur Shah I , Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi-ud-Darajat and Rafi-ud-Daula ascended the Mughal throne. Jahandar Shah was murdered on the orders of Farrukhsiyar who had the support of the two powerful Mughal nobles Sayyid Abdullah and his brother Sayyid Husain Ali at that time. They are famous in history as Sayyid brothers, the King-makers. In 1719, Farrukhsiyar were murdered in utter disregard of a Mughal emperor by Sayyid brothers. Rafi-ud-Darajat died of consumption in a few months. Rafi-ud-Daula was addicted to opium and died in 4 months. Sayyid brothers now chose Raushan Akhtar, a son of Jahan Shah (the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I), to be the emperor. Raushan Akhtar ascended the throne under the title of Muhamamd Shah in September 1719. In the beginning Muhammad Shah was a puppet in the hands of Sayyid brothers who soon began to lose their gri...

Sanskrit Books and Authors in Ancient India

Books Authors Abhigyan Shakuntalam (Recognition of Shakuntala) Kalidasa Aihole Prasasti Ravikirti Amarakosha Amarasimha Arthashastra Kautilya Ashtadhyayi Panini Bhattikavya Bhatti Brihat Samhita Varahamihira Buddhacharita Asvaghosa Charaka Samhita ( Compendium of Charaka ) Charaka Devichandraguptam Vishakhadatta Gita Govinda ( Song of the Cowherd) Jayadeva Gatha Saptashati Hala Lilavati Bhaskara II Hammira Mahakavya Nayachandra Suri Janakiharana ( Janaki's abduction) Kumaradasa Kama Sutra Vatsyayana ...

Turkan-i-Chahalgani, the Group of Forty

Amir-i-Chahalgani, known variously as Turkan-i-Chahalgani and Chalisa (The Forty), was a group of 40 faithful slaves which came into existence with the task of protecting Shamsuddin Iltutmish , the third Slave Sultan of Delhi Sultanate. The idea to form the group was taken by him when he came to realize that Turkish nobles cannot be trusted and could be a threat to his rule. With the passage of time the group went on to become very influential and powerful. Though Iltutmish succeeded in keeping the group under control, after his rule they became notorious and intrigued against nearly all his successors. The Forty acquired domination on the affairs of the state so much so that no ruler could defy them. Without their support it was utterly out of questions for the rulers to win the battle for succession. The members of this Turkish nobility used to appropriate all the offices of the state to themselves. Some of the rulers of the Slave dynasty after Iltutmish were murdered by these s...

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