Today In Indian History (10th April)

1857 - Establishment of Arya Samaj in Bombay in 1857 on April 10 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. 

Today In Indian History (6th April)

1606 - After unfurling the banner of revolt against his father and Mughal emperor Jahangir, Khusrau escapes from Agra on 6 April, 1606. After the death of his grandfather, Akbar, in 1605, Khusrau was imprisoned in Agra Fort by Jahangir who had succeeded Akbar as the Mughal emperor.

Khusrau was later defeated by the Mughal forces in 1606.  The fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev was sentenced to death by Jahangir in 1606, since he had blessed Khusrau during his rebellion against the emperor.

Khusrau was later blinded and was forced into the custody of his brother Khurram (future Shah Jahan) who eventually strangled him at Burhanpur in 1621. 

On the orders of Jahangir, Khusrau was buried in a tomb adjoining his mother's in a garden (now called Khusrau Bagh) in Prayagraj (Allahabad).

Today In Indian History (5th April)

1663 - Shaista Khan was wounded by the Maratha chief Shivaji who made a surprise night attack in Poona on 5 April, 1663, wounding him. 

After his accession to the throne, Aurangzib sent Shayista Khan (Shaista Khan was the son of Asaf Khan and brother of Mumtaz Mahal) as viceroy of the Deccan with instruction to crush Shivaji. However, Shayista Khan had to retreat when Shivaji embarked on a surprise attack at the well-guarded mansion of Shayista Khan in Poona. In the scuffle Shaista Khan lost his thumb and his son, Abul Fath, was killed. This incident served a body-blow to the Mughal prestige in the Deccan. Aurangzeb recalled Shayista and transferred him to Bengal. 

1930 - Mahatma Gandhi reached Dandi on 5th April 1930 to break the salt law. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, The famous 1930 "salt march" (Dandi March) was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience to defy the monopoly on salt production by the British colonial rulers. Dandi March is also called Salt Satyagraha.  

The 24-day march which lasted from 12 March 1930 to 6 April 1930 spanned 387 kilometres, from Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the coastal village of Dandi, which was called Navsari at that time (now in the state of Gujarat). Gandhi broke the British Raj salt laws on 6 April 1930. 

It sparked India's civil disobedience movement as thousands joined him on the beach to pick up salt, the production of which was under colonial control.

78 volunteers had accompanied Mahatma Gandhi on the Dandi March.  

Today In Indian History (4th April)

1944- The Battle of Kohima took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima, now the capital city of Nagaland in Northeast India.

The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War.

Today In Indian History (3rd April)

1680 -  Shivaji died a premature death at the age of fifty-three (or fifty, according to some) on the 3rd April, 1680. One of the most famous figures of Indian history, Shivaji was the founder of the Maratha kingdom.

Today In Indian History (2nd April)

1870 - Poona Sarvajanik Sabha was founded on April 2, 1870 in the Pune district of Maharashtra. It was one of the first Indian socio-political organisations formed to represent the interests of the Indian people during the British rule. It was by Mahadev Govind Ranade  and his associates G V Joshi, S H Sathe, and S H Chiplonkar.

Today In Indian History (1st April)

1621 - Birth of Guru Tegh Bahadur on 1st April in 1621. He was the ninth of ten gurus in the Sikh religion. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed on the orders of Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, in Delhi, on 11 November in 1675. 

Born in Amritsar, Guru Tegh Bahadur was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind (1595 – 1644), the sixth Sikh guru. 

Today In Indian History (29th March)

1857 - Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of the 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) mutinied against his commanding officers of the East India Company on 29 March 1857. 

This event and his role in the subsequent events led to more resentment among the sepoys of the Bengal Army ultimately aiding in the Revolt of 1857. Also known as the Sepoy Mutiny,   the Revolt of 1857 resulted in the dissolution of the East India Company and the beginning of the British Raj through the Government of India Act 1858.

Mangal Pandey was executed on 8 April 1857.  

Today In Indian History (28th March)

1531 - Mahmud Shah II of Malwa surrendered to Bahadur Shah, the sultan of Muzaffarid dynasty of Gujarat after the fort of Mandu fell to Bahadur on 28th March 1531. 

Today In Indian History (27th March)

Death of Syed Ahmad Khan on 27th March in 1898. Sayyid Ahmad Khan was an Indian Muslim reformer and educationist. He is credited for originating the two-nation theory, founding the Aligarh Movement and being a founding father of Pakistan. 

Syed Ahmad Khan began publishing the journal Tehzeeb-ul-Akhlaq (Social Reformer) on 24 December 1870 to spread awareness and knowledge on modern subjects and promote reforms in Muslim society.

He was born on 17 October in 1817 in Delhi, 

Today In Indian History (26th March)

1552  -  Amar Das became the third Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at the age of 73. Born on 5 May 1479 at Basarke in Amritsar district, Guru Amar Das was raised in an orthodox Hindu family. He established his headquarters in Goindwal. He introduced the ceremony of the Anand Karaj Marriage. He died on 1st September 1574, at the age of 95. 

Today In Indian History (25rd March)

1931 - Death of Indian journalist and politician Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi on 25 March in 1931.  Founder-editor of the Hindi language newspaper, Pratap, Vidyarthi was killed in 1931 in the communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in Kanpur.

Today In Indian History (24rd March)

1946 - Cabinet Mission arrives in India on 24 March 1946. In September 1945, the newly elected Labour government under Clement Atlee in Britain expressed its intention of creating a Constituent Assembly for India, that would frame India’s Constitution. The Cabinet Mission was sent to India to make this happen. Cabinet Mission arrives in New Delhi on 24 March 1946

The members of the Cabinet Mission were Lord Penthick-Lawrence, Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade, and A.V Alexander, First Lord of Admiralty.

The Cabinet Mission's plan failed due to the disagreement between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League. 

1776 - Death of Carnatic classical music composer Muthuswami Dikshitar on 24 March in 1776. He was one of the trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri are the other two. Dikshitar mainly composed in Sanskrit with the exception of a few kritis in Telugu and Manipravalam. Manipravalam is a combination of the Sanskrit and Tamil languages.

He had written Sanskrit lyrics to colonial tunes that had arrived with the British East India Company.

Muthuswami Dikshitar passed away in 1835 at the age of 60 at Ettayapuram in Tamil Nadu.  

Today In Indian History (23rd March)

1351 - Firuz Shah Tughlaq, the third ruler of the  Tughlaq dynasty, succeeded the throne on 23 March 1351 at the age of forty-six.  He became sultan after the demise of his cousin Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq who had become second Tughlaq sultan in 1325 AD. 

Firuz Shah Tughlaq is credited with the founding of the cities of Jaunpur in 1359 (Uttar Pradesh), Hissar and Fatehabad (Haryana), Firozpur (Punjab). Jaunpur was named after Muhammad bin Tughluq who was known by the name of Juna Khan before his accession to the throne.

Firuz Shah Tughlaq was a religious bigot and this prevented him from being just to his non–Muslim subjects by imposing Jizya tax on them. Firuz died in 1388, aged eighty-two.  His tomb is located in Hauz Khas in Delhi.

1931 - Death of revolutionary leaders Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev on 23rd March, 1931. They were were hanged to death by the British government at the Lahore Central Jail in Lahore in 1931. They were given the death sentence in the Lahore conspiracy case. 

‘Shaheed Diwas’ is commemorated every year on March 23 to remember the unparalleled sacrifice made by Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar.

Today In Indian History (22nd March)

1739- Military leader Nader Shah sacks Delhi on 22 March 1739 during the reign of Mughal emperor Mohammad Shah by killing thousands of the inhabitants of the city.  

1894 - Birth of Surya Sen, an Indian revolutionary, on 22 March 1894. He is best known for leading the Chittagong Armoury Raid in 1930.

A revolutionary leader from Bengal, Surya Sen had founded the Chittagong Republic Army with a view to freeing Chittagong (now in Bangladesh) from the British rule. A teacher by profession, Surya Sen led an armed uprising and organized simultaneous attacks on the British strongholds.

On April 18, 1930, the Chittagong (or Indian) Republican Army, founded by  Surya Sen, raided two government armories. The telegraph, telephone and railway station were disrupted. As a result, Chittagong was completely cut of from the rest of India. After these daring raids and attacks, Surya Sen declared the formation of a free National Revolutionary Government.

But his venture did not last long. As a result successive defeats, he went for guerilla warfare and in the meantime extended his fight to the adjoining districts of Chittagong. After nearly three years of valiant struggle, he was captured in February 1933 due to the betrayal by one his followers. He was sentenced to death in 1934.

Today In Indian History (21st March)

1887- Birth of Manabendra Nath Roy, better known as M. N. Roy, on 21 March 1887. M. N. Roy was a revolutionary, philosopher, radical activist and political theorist. Roy was the founder of the Mexican Communist Party and the Communist Party of India (Tashkent group).

M. N. Roy died on 25 January in 1954.

Today In Indian History (20th March)

1351 - Death of Muḥammad bin Tughluq on 20th March in 1351. Muhammad bin Tughluq was the second ruler of the  Tughluq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. He was the son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. He ascended the throne after killing his father. Born Jauna Khan aka Ulugh Khan, Muhammad bin Tughluq died 20th March in 1351 while fighting against the rebels in Thatta in Sindh. 

Muhammad bin Tughluq was among the most remarkable, enigmatic and controversial figures among the Sultans of Delhi. To his contemporaries, he was a mixture of cruelty and kindness.   

1602 - Dutch East India Company was established on 20 March 1602 to facilitate trade between the Netherlands and the rest of the world. Chinsurah (now Chuchura) in Hooghly district in West Bengal was a famous Dutch settlement. 

A View of Chinsurah  | Wikimedia Commons

1782 - 20th March marks the anniversary of the birth of the Oriental Scholar, Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod (20 March 1782 – 18 November 1835). He was an author and researcher of Rajput history.

 His magnum opus is Annals and Antiquities of Rajast’han’ (1829). 

Today In Indian History (19th March)

1919 - Rowlatt Act was passed by the British government in Delhi on 18 March 1919. The Rowlatt Act made it legal for British forces to arrest and hold Indians without a trial and judicial review. 

Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in Amritsar to protest against the Rowlatt Act on 13th April in 1919.

In 1919, Satyagraha Sabha was formed by Mahatma Gandhi in Bombay to protest against the Rowlatt Act.  

Today In Indian History (17th March)

1920 - Birth of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 17 March 1920. Also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist, who was the first president of Bangladesh.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was voted as the Greatest Bengali of all time in the 2004 BBC opinion poll. 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed during a military coup in 1975, along with most of his family.

Today In Indian History (16th March)

1527 - The Battle of Khanwa was fought on 16 March 1527 at Khanwa, a village in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. Khanwa is 60 km west of Agra. The battle was fought between Babur, the first Mughal emperor, and the Mewar ruler Rana Sanga for supremacy of Northern India. The battle resulted in the victory of the Mughal forces.

1559 - Birth of Maharana Amar Singh I on 16 March in 1559. Amar Singh was the son and successor of Maharana Pratap of Mewar Kingdom. The first military campaign undertaken by Jahangir, the Mughal emperor and son of Akbar, was against Rana Amar Singh. The Mughal expeditions sent against Mewar in 1606 and 1608-09 proved indecisive, but in 1613-14 the campaign led by Jahangir's third son Khurram (later Shah Jahan) proved decisive and Rana Amar Singh submitted to the Mughals in 1615. Jahangir offered most liberal terms to Mewar and thus ended a long struggle between Mewar and the Mughals. The emperor installed two life-size marble statues of Rana Amar Singh and his son Karan in the garden of his palace at Agra. However, the glory and pride of Mewar was gone.

1693 - Birth of Malhar Rao Holkar on 16th March in 1693.  Malhar Rao Holkar was a noble subedar of the Maratha Empire and was the founder of the Holkar dynasty that ruled Malwa.

Malhar Rao Holkar died on 20 May 1766 at Alampur in Madhya Pradesh. Chhatri of Malhar Rao Holkar was built by his daughter-in-law Ahilya Bai Holkar at Alampur.

Today In Indian History (15th March)

1206 - Muhammad of Ghor or Muhammad Ghori was stabbed to death at Damyak (in modern Pakistan) on the 15th March, 1206. Muhammad Ghori was the next prominent invader on India after Mahmud of Ghazni. Muhammad Ghori took the title of Mu'izzuddin Muhammad ibn Sam after he became sultan.

Today In Indian History (14th March)

1878 - The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was introduced by Lord Lytton, then Viceroy of India, and was passed on March 14, 1878. The Vernacular Press Act was enacted to curtail the freedom of the Indian press and prevent the expression of criticism toward British policies. 

The Vernacular Press Act was repealed in 1881 by Lord Ripon, the then viceroy of India. 

Today In Indian History (13th March)

1742 - Death of Nana Phadnavis (also spelt as Nana Fadnavis) on 13 March 1800 in Pune. Nana Fadnavis was a brilliant Maratha minister and statesman during the Peshwa administration in Pune. He is often referred to as "the Maratha Machiavelli".  

Nana Phadnavis was born in Satara on 12th February in 1742. 

1940 - Michael O’Dwyer was killed in London on 13th March 1940 by Udham Singh.

Udham Singh was a great revolutionary who avenged the infamous Jalianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar by murdering Michael O’Dwyer, who was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in 1919 when Brigadier General Reginald Dyer, the military commander of Amritsar had ordered the firing on the innocent people who have gathered here to protest the arrest of Congress leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satya Pal under Rowlatt Act.

Udham Singh killed O’Dwyer in London on 13th March 1940. He was arrested on the spot and sentenced to death on 21st July in the same year.

Today In Indian History (12th March)

1481- Muhammad Shah III of the Bahmani Empire sacks Kanchi or Kanchipuram temple on March 12, 1481. Other temples of Kanchipuram were looted by Muhammad III along with his minster Mahmud Gawan who confiscated large amounts of gold, silver and precious jewels. 

Today In Indian History (11th March)

1689 - Death of Sambhaji on 11 March 1689. Eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire, Sambhaji ruled from 1681 to 1689. He was captured, and after cruel torture for more than three weeks by Aurangzeb, he was brutally put to death by the Mughals forces on the instruction of Aurangzeb. He was executed by beheading on 11 March 1689 at Tulapur on the banks of the Bhima river near Pune.

Sambhaji was born at Purandar fort to Shivaji's first wife, Saibai Nimbalkar, who died on 5 September 1659 when he was two years old. 

Today In Indian History (10th March)

1897 - Death of Savitribai Phule on March 10 in 1897. Savitribai Phule was a poet, reformer and educationist. Born on January 3, 1831 in Naigaon in a lowly Mali family in Maharashtra Satara district she was married off at the tender age of 10. Her parents were Lakshmi and Khandoji Nevase Patil. 

Critical of the prevailing Hindu religion and custom Savitribai Phule along with her husband, Jyotirao Phule, established several schools for the uplift of the untouchables and women. 

Savitribai Phule started India’s first school for girls at Pune's Bhide Wada in 1848.

To make the depressed classes conscious of their rights, she and her husband founded the Satya Sodhak Samaj in 1873. 

Savitribai passed away on March 10, 1897.

Her important works include:

• Kavya Phule (“Flowers of Poems”) (published in 1854)

• Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (published in1892)

• Matushri Savitribai Phulenchi Bhashane Va Gaani

• Jotibanchi Bhashane Vol. 1 to 4 – [Collection of Mahatma Phule’s speeches, edited by Savitribai Phule],

In Savitribai’s honour, the Pune University was renamed the Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2015. 

Key Takeaways

• Savitribai Phule is hailed as the first female teacher in India. 
• Savitribai Phule opposed child marriage, dowry, Sati and child infanticide. She stood for women’s education and widow remarriage. 
• She has been popularly called the ‘Crusader of Gender Justice.’ 
• Along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai established two educational trusts in the 1850s. One was called the Native Female School of Pune, and the other was The Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs and Etceteras.

1922 – Mahatma Gandhi is arrested on March 10, 1922 in Bombay by the British government on the charge of sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years. 

Today In Indian History (9th March)

1285 - Death of Muhammad Khan, eldest son of Slave Sultan Balban, on 9th March in 1285. Balban did not lose sight of the Mongol danger that was lurking in the north-west frontier of the Mamluk kingdom during his rule . 

Balban’s cousin Sher Khan Sunqar was ably defending the frontier. However, Balban grew suspicious of him and got him murdered. His death left the field open for the Mongols to indulge in their incursions of the frontier tracts. After Sher Khan Sunqar prince Muhammad was made governor of Multan to check the Mongol menace. 

Bughra Khan, Balban's second son, was placed in charge of the territories of Samana and Sunam. In 1279 they, together with Malik Mubarak Bektars from Delhi, successfully repulsed the Mongol invasion.

However, in A.D. 1285 Mongols under their leader Tamar invaded Punjab. Muhammad proceeded towards Lahore and Dipalpur and was killed during his fight against the Mongols. He was given the title of Shahid, "the Martyr" and came to be known as Khan-i-Shahid, (the Martyr Prince).

1500 - On the 9th March, 1500, Pedro Alvarez Cabral sailed from Lisbon to India in command of a fleet of thirteen vessels with 1,500 men, becoming the second Portuguese explorer to sail to India after Vasco Da Gama.

Painting of the landing of Cabral's fleet in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil

After his accidental discovery of Brazil, Cabral landed in Calicut on 13 September, 1500 for the trade of pepper and spices. He established a factory at Calicut.

Today In Indian History (8th March)

1535- Death of Rani Karnavati on 8 March 1535. A princess and temporary ruler from Bundi in  Rajasthan Rani Karnavati, also known as Rani Karmavati, was married to Mewar ruler Rana Sanga (c. 1508–1528). 

Rani Karnavati was grandmother of Maharana Pratap. She served as regent during the minority of her son, from 1527 until 1533. She was as fierce as her husband and defended Chittor, the capital of Mewar, with a small contingent of soldiers until it inevitably fell to the Gujarat army which was led by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. She refused to flee and performed jauhar to protect her honor.

Today In Indian History (7th March)

1775 - The Treaty of Surat was signed on 7th March in 1775. Under the treaty Raghunath Rao, one of the claimants to the throne of the Peshwa, agreed to cede Salsette and Bassein Fort to the British in consideration of being himself restored to Poona. 

Warren Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal, disapproved of the Bombay Government’s action and annulled the Treaty of Surat and sent his own agent to negotiate a very different new pact, the Treaty of Purandhar (1776).  

Manasollasa of Someshwara III

Manasollasa is authored by Kalyani Chalukya king Bhulokamalla Someshwara III who ruled from 1126 AD and 1138.

Also known as Abhilasitartha-chintamani (the wish-fulfilling magic stone), this five volume compendium deals with a vast array of topics namely polity, governance, ethics, economics, astronomy, astrology, rhetoric, metallurgy, veterinary medicine, horticulture, perfumes, food, architecture, games, painting, poetry, healing of trees, dance and music.

This 12th century encyclopaedic treatise is written in Sanskrit.

 

Today In Indian History (6th March)

1759 - The siege of Masulipatam or Machilipatnam commenced on 6 March 1759  by the British during the Seven Years' War 1756–63), a conflict between European powers. The siege commenced on 6 March 1759 and lasted until the storming of the town by the British on the 7 April. The British were commanded by Colonel Francis Forde while the French defenders were under the command of Conflans.

Today In Indian History (5th March)

1539 - Death of Nuno da Cunha on 5 March 1539. He was a Portuguese admiral who was governor of Portuguese possessions in India from 1529 to 1538. 

He transferred his capital from Cochin to Goa in 1530 AD and established factories at San thome (Madras) and Hughli (Bengal). In 1534 AD, he captured Diu and Bassein from the Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah and compelled him to sign the treaty of Bassein.

1931 - The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed on 5th March 1931 by Mahatma Gandhi and Indian Viceroy Lord Irwin. Under the agreement Gandhi agreed to end the Civil Disobedience Movement in India against British rule and to join the second Round Table Conference, held from September to December 1931 in London. The Government withdrew the repressive ordinances and released political prisoners except those guilty of violence. 

Today In Indian History (3rd March)

1575 -  On 3 March 1575, the Battle of Tukaroi was fought between the Mughals army and the Sultanate of Bengal . 

The Battle of Tukaroi, also known as the Battle of Bajhaura or the Battle of Mughulmari, took place near the village of Tukaroi in present-day Balasore district of Odisha. It resulted in a Mughal victory and led to the weakening of the Bengal Sultanate which was annexed to the Mughal empire after their victory in the Battle of Rajmahal in 1576.  

1707 - Death of Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, on 3rd March.  He ascended the throne after imprisoning his father Shah Jehan, the fifth Mughal emperor in 1658. Shah Jahan passed the remaining years of his life in captivity until he died at the age of seventy-four in 1966.

A ruthless and intolerant ruler known for his military prowess, Aurangzeb ruled from 1658 to 1707. Mughal Empire was at its most expansive during the reign of Aurangzeb.   

Aurangzeb who came out victorious in the terrible war of succession that took place among the sons of Shah Jahan. The war for succession continued till 1661 and in between 1658 and 1661 all the remaining sons of Shah Jahan were killed or executed. 

Today In Indian History (2nd March)

1700  - Death of Rajaram, the third king (Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Kingdom, on 2nd March in 1700. He was the third king (Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to 1700. 

Born on 24 February in 1670,  Rajaram was the son Shivaji. He ascended the throne in 1689 after the death of his (half) brother Sambhaji who was brutally put to death by Aurangzeb.  

Rajaram died on 2 March 1700 in Sinhgad fort (in Pune district) at the age of 30. 

1949 - Death of Sarojini Naidu on 2nd March in 1949.  Sarojini Naidu was born on 13 February in 1879. She was the president of the Indian National Congress in the Kanpur session held in 1925. She became the second woman to preside over the Congress after Annie Besant. She was given the title of "Nightingale of India". 

Sarojini Naidu had participated in the Second Round Table Conference in 1931. Round Table Conferences were convened by the British government between 1930 and 1932 to discuss constitutional reforms in India. 

Sarojini Naidu became the first Governor of United Provinces  in 1947 after Indian Independence and died in office on 2nd March in 1949.  

Today In Indian History (1st March)

1572 - Maharana Pratap ascended the throne of Mewar kingdom on 1 March, 1572.  Maharana Pratap is known for his valiant and spirited defence against the Mughal Empire under Akbar. 

Maharana Pratap died at Chavand on 19th January in 1597.   

Maharana Pratap was the ruler of Mewar kingdom in present day Rajasthan, from 1572 until his death in 1597. He is notable for leading the Rajput resistance against the Mughals in the legendary battle of Haldighati in 1576.

1776 - The Treaty of Purandar was a doctrine signed on 1 March 1776 by the Peshwa of the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company's Supreme Council of Bengal in Calcutta. Earlier another Treaty of Purandar was signed between Maratha leader Shivaji and Jai Singh, Mughal viceroy of Deccan, on 11 June 1665.

Today In Indian History (28th February)

1572 - Death of Udai Singh on 28 February in 1572. Son of Rana Sanga, Udai Singh was the father of Maharana Pratap.  Rana Sanga was a valiant soldier endowed with extraordinary military prowess.

Born on 4th August in 1522  Udai Singh ascended the  throne of Mewar Kingdom after killing Banvir, also known as Banbeer (nephew of Rana Sanga), in 1540. 

Udai Singh had founded the city of Udaipur.

1580 - The first Jesuit mission from Goa arrived at Fatehpur Sikri on February 28, 1580. The Jesuit delegation consisted of Anthony Monserrate, Rudolf Acquaviva and Francis Henrique. In 1578 the Mughal emperor Akbar sent a delegation to Goa, requesting the Portuguese Viceroy to send a team of learned Catholic priests to his Ibadat Khana in Fatehpur-Sikri, where he held discussions on religious matters. 

Today In Indian History (27th February)

1712  - Death of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I on 27 February 1712. Born Muazzam, Bahadur Shah I and Shah Alam I ascended the Mughal throne at an advanced age of 67.  

Also known as 'Heedless king' (Shah-i-bekhabar) due to his indifference to administration, Bahadur Shah I was not a great administrator. By his conciliatory attitude he managed to retain the support of most of the factions and groups in the Mughal court.

Second son of 6th Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Bahadur Shah I pursued a conciliatory policy towards the Rajputs and the Marathas. 

Sahu, son of Sambhaji, who had been in Mughal captivity since the fall of Raigarh, was released. Jeziah, imposed by Aurangzeb, was withdrawn. He acknowledged the independence of Mewar and Marwar. Bahadur Shah I died in 1712 during the course of his campaign against the powerful Sikh leader Banda Bahadur.

Bahadur Shah I was succeeded to the Mughal throne by his son Jahandar Shah. 

1931 - Death of Chandra Shekhar Azad on 27 February in 1931. Chandra Shekhar Azad, was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) after the death of its founder, Ram Prasad Bismil, and three other prominent party leaders, Roshan Singh, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Ashfaqulla Khan. 

Chandra Shekhar Azad was born on 23 July in 1906 in Alfred Park in Allahabad. 

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Today In Indian History (26th February)

320 – Chandragupta I is officially crowned as the first Gupta Emperor on 26 February in 320 AD. 

1966 - Death of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on 26 February 1966. Popularly known as Veer Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a great revolutionary and later on a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha. 

Savarkar was born on 28 May 1883 to a Marathi Hindu Chitpavan Brahmin family to Damodar and Radhabai Savarkar in Bhagur in the Nashik district in Maharashtra. He had three other siblings: two brothers, Ganesh and Narayan, and a sister named Mainabai. 

In 1899 he established the first revolutionary society the Mitra Mela (Friends Association), which was named as the Abhinav Bharat Society (New India Society) in 1904. 

In 1906 Savarkar went to England and became a member of the revolutionary group led by Shyamji Krishna Varma. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Revolt of 1857, he wrote a famous book in which he called the Revolt the First war of Indian Independence. In 1907, Savarkar organized the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in London. 

In London he was a close associate of Madan Lal Dhingra who murdered Curzon Wyllie with a bomb.

In 1910 he was arrested in London, brought to India and tried in the Nashik Conspiracy case. He was sentenced to two consecutive life transportations, which meant fifty years. He spent ten years in the Andaman jail-from 1911 to 1921 and three years in other prisons. After his early release from prison in 1924 he organised a movement of social reforms and also joined the Hindu Mahasabha. He was elected president of the Hindu Mahasabha for five consecutive years, 1937-42.

Veer Savarkar was tried for his role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but he was acquitted by the court for lack of evidence.

Born in 1883 in Bhagur village to father Damodarpant and mother Radhabai, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar had two brothers, Ganesh and Narayan, and a sister, Mainabai. 

Today In Indian History (25th February)

2008 - Death of Hans Raj Khanna (H R Khanna) on 25 February in 2008.  Born on 3 July 1912 Hans Raj Khanna was an Indian judge, jurist and advocate who propounded the basic structure doctrine in 1973 and attempted to uphold civil liberties during the time of Emergency in India in a lone dissenting judgement in 1976. 

He paid the price for it. He was superseded. The government appointed MH Beg as the CJI.

After resigning from the Supreme Court, H R Khanna served as the central minister of law and justice for a very short period of three days in the Charan Singh Ministry after the fall of the Indira Gandhi Government, and was later made a combined opposition-sponsored candidate for election as President in 1982, losing to Zail Singh.

Today In Indian History (24th February)

1739 - The Battle of Karnal was fought on February 24 in 1739 between Persian invader Nadir Shah and Raushan Akhtar who had ascended the Mughal throne under the title of Muhammad Shah in 1719.

Muhammad Shah Rangila reigned from 1719 to 1748. (Muhammad Shah had earned the nickname of Rangila (merrymaker). This is because Muhammad Shah was given to pleasure. He loved to spend his time in the company of eunuchs and ladies of the harem.)

Defeat of the Mughal forces in the Battle of Karnal (presently in Haryana) paved the way for the Nadir Shah's sack of Delhi. The famed Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan was taken to Persia by Nadir Shah.   

1986 - Death of Rukmini Devi Arundale on 24 February in 1986. A dancer and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, Rukmini Devi was born on 29 February in 1904 in Madurai. An active member of Theosophical movement, Rukmini Devi Arundale was the first women nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1952.

 

Baz Bahadur, the Musician Ruler of Malwa

Rewa Kund (A reservoir, built by Baz Bahadur with an aqueduct to provide Roopmati's palace with water) Image Credit 

Baz Bahadur, a contemporary of greatest Mughal emperor Akbar, was the ruler of Muslim kingdom of Malwa with his capital at Mandu which is home to an impressive array of architectural marvels. Mandu is presently in the Dhar district of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Perched on the southwestern edge of the Malwa Plateau at an altitude of 2000 feet the fortress town of Mandu commands panoramic views of the Nimar Plains below. 

As Baz Bahadur was given to  pleasure, wine, women, and  music, Baz Bahadur loved to spend his time in the company of musicians and singers and used to indulge in sensual pursuits. He is known in history more for his love-life rather than the administrative skills and military exploits.

Baz Bahadur's Palace / Image Credit

Built by Baz Bahadur, the palace's unique features are its spacious courtyards surrounded by halls and high terraces which afford a superb view of the surrounding countryside.  The palace is famous for acoustics 

Baz Bahadur was the eldest son of Shuja'at or Shujawal Khan, who ruled Malwa independent as the viceroy of the Sur dynasty during the reign of Islam Shah. After his father Baz Bahadur became its next governor who later asserted his independence and became the ruler of the province. Shujawal Khan died in 1556, the year in which Akbar became Mughal emperor.

Contemporary writer, Nizamu-d din, author of Tabakat-i-Akbari, writes about Baz Bahadur, “Baz Bahadur was the most accomplished man of his day in the science of music and in Hindi song. He spent much of his time in the society of musicians and singers.” His love for his Hindu wife Rupmati, who was proficient in reciting poetry, is still remembered by the bards of Mandu. 

As a result of the above, the affairs of the state came to a standstill. This was used as a pretext to invade Malwa by Akbar, an imperialist by instinct. He sent his nobles Adham Khan, son of Maham Anaga (Akbar’s foster mother) and Pir Muhammad to conquer Malwa in 1961. According to some school of though, one of the causes for the invasion was Adham Khan’s infatuation for Baz Bahadur’s queen, Rupmati, who was of exquisite beauty. 

Soon after ascending to the throne in 1556, Baz invaded Garah Katanga (a territory, abounding in hills and jungles in the Gondwana region presently forming parts of the northern districts of the state of Madhya Pradesh) which was ruled by a valiant lady Rani Durgavati, a Chandela Princesses of Mahoba and regent of  her son Vir Narayan. Baz was repulsed by the forces of Durgavati. 

Baz Bahadur, who had hitherto neglected the administration of his kingdom, awoke from his slumber and faced the enemies but was defeated in the battle of Sarangpur (now in Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh), fought on March 29, 1561 and fled to Khandesh and Burhanpur. All his treasure and several other wives fell into the hands of Adham Khan and Pir Muhammad whose methods to conquer Malwa and their oppression in the Malwa kingdom have been described by the contemporary historian Badauni, who had accompanied the Mughal army.

When it was found that Rupmati ran the risk of being captured by Adham Khan, a eunuch of Baz Bahadur's harem caused wound to her with a sword. She later consumed poison and killed herself.

Baz Bahadur however, managed to recover Malwa soon. Akbar sent his general Abdulla Khan Uzbek once again to incorporate the province to Mughal empire. Baz Bahadur was once again defeated in 1562 and fled to Mewar where he was sheltered by Rana Udai Singh, son of Rana Sanga and ruler of Mewar. Thereafter, Baz Bahadur fled to Gujarat. After living a life of a wanderer he finally submitted to Akbar and according to according to Faizi, he was granted a Mughal mansab. Badauni, however says, he was imprisoned for some time when he surrendered to the Mughal court. He says that he died soon after his release.

According to Abul Fazal, the court historian of Akbar,  mentions that thirty six singers enjoyed the patronage of Akbar’s court. Baz Bahadur was one of these thirty six singers and has been described as 'a singer  without  rival ' by Abul Fazal. 

 

Today In Indian History (23th February)

2013 - Death of Lotika Sarkar on 23 February 2013. She was a famous Indian feminist, social worker, educator, teacher, and lawyer. Born in 1923, Lotika died in New Delhi on 23 February 2013, at the age of 90.

Today In Indian History (22nd February)

1892 - Birth of Indulal Yajnik on 22 February 1892. Born at Nadiad in the present-day Kheda district of Gujarat, Indulal Yajnik was a freedom fighter and one of the finest editors. A social worker and peasant leader from Gujarat he was a gifted journalist.

He was associated with the home rule movement started by Annie Besant. Yajnik actively participated in the Kheda Satyagraha organized by Gandhi to secure exemption for the peasants from payment of land tax for the crops that had failed. He launched two Gujarati monthlies – Navjivan Ame Saty and Yugadharm and a daily Nutan Gujarat.

Indulal Yajnik established schools for the Bhil children and was the secretary of the Antyaj Seva Mandal, with Thakkar Bapa as its president. He was actively associated with the Kisan Sabha work and organsied the cooperative movement among the peasants of Gujarat. In 1942 he presided over the annual session of Akhil Hind Kisan Sabha. He was a founder of the Gujarat Vidyapeeth. In 1956 he took lead in the Maha Gujarat Movement for a separate state and became founder president of the Maha Gujarat Janta Parishad.

1958 - Death of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, an important Indian leader. He was the first Education Minister in Independent India. Born in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia) in 1888 on 22 February, Abul Kalam Azad was an Islamic theologian and a great scholar of Arabic, Persian and Urdu. He adopted the pen-name of Azad at the age of 16. He published a number of papers such as Al-Nadwah, the Vakil, Al-Hilal (“The Crescent”) and Al-Balagh. 

He was 35 when he was elected President of the Indian National Congress in its Delhi session in 1923, becoming the youngest to hold that office. He was again elected to the presidentship of Congress in 1940 and continued to hold that position until 1946.

After Indian independence in 1947, he became the Education Minister in Jawahar Lal Nehru’s cabinet. He had written autobiographical narrative, 'India Wins Freedom' which holds that religion politics was responsible for the partition of the country. Ghubar-e-Khatir is his another important work. 

Azad died in 1958. In 1992, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.

  

Today In Indian History (21st February)

1685- On 21st February in 1685 a Maratha contingent under Shambhaji's lieutenant Melgiri Pandit reached Bijapur to give a helping hand to the Sikandar Adil Shah, the last sultan of the Bijapur sultanate, against the Mughals under Aurangzeb.  

Today In Indian History (20th February)

1948 - Clement Attlee, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announced on 20 February 1947 that the British Government would grant full self-government to British India by 3 June 1948 at the latest. 

Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, thought that waiting until June 1948 might be too late. So he moved the date for India's independence to August 1947. 

Today In Indian History (19th February)

1630 - Birth of Shivaji. Founder of the Maratha kingdom in 17th-century, Shivaji was born in the hill-fort of Shivneri near Junnar (in the Pune district of Maharashtra) on February 19, 1630. However, according to one school of thought, he was born in 1627.

1915 - Death of Gopal Krishna Gokhale on 19 February in 1915. Born on 9 May in 1866, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was an Indian freedom fighter and political guru of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the president of the Benares session of Indian National Congress in 1905. In that year he had founded Servants of India Society.

Ridiculing the idea of Swaraj in 1903, Gopal Krishna Gokhale had said "Only mad men outside lunatic asylums could think or talk of independence"

In 1907, the Congress had been divided into two factions in the Surat session. While the moderate faction was headed by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the leader of the extremist group.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale was also a mentor to Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Gokhale had described Jinnah as "an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity". Once Jinnah had expressed the desire to become "the Muslim Gokhale".

Today In Indian History (18th February)

1486 - Birth of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu  on 18th February in 1486. Considered to be one the greatest saints of Bhakti Movement, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born on 18th February in 1486 in Navadwip (Nadia) in a Brahmin family in West Bengal. Nimai and Gauranga were his other names. 

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave great impetus to Vaishnavism in Bengal. This greatest religious reformer  laid the foundation of the Gaudiya sect of Vaishnavs. He was an exponent of a new style of Bhajan singing. 

1905- Foundation of the Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS) in 1905. The Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS) was an Indian organisation founded on 18 February in London in 1905 that sought to promote the cause of self-rule in British India. It was founded by Indian revolutionary leader Shyamji Krishna Varma.  

Today In Indian History (17th February)

1792- Birth of Budhu Bhagat on 17 February, 1792 in Jharkhand.    

Budhu Bhagat was the leader of Kol rebellion and Larka rebellion in 1831—32 in Chhotanagpur. Born on 17 February 1792 into an Oraon farmer family, Budhu Bhagat had employed tactic of guerrilla warfare against the British.

His resistance to the British forces ended when he was killed on 13 February 1832 by them . 

The Unmissable 2025 Kumbh Fair in Pictures

 

This year Prayagraj is playing host to the unmissable fair of Kumbh Mela (festival of the Sacred Pitcher), the largest congregation of humanity anywhere in the world. 

Prayagraj is at its exuberant best when the Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious congregations in the world, is being held here

Legend has it that Prayagraj was one of the four sites where a drop of Amrita (nectar) from the Kumbh (pot), carried by Gods, fell. It is therefore one of the four venues where the Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years. Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain are the other three. 

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The Kumbh Mela is a riot of religious activities, worship, faith, rituals, colours and celebration, attracts millions of pilgrims who dip themselves in the waters to purify themselves of the sins.

 

Today In Indian History (16th February)

1759- "Siege of Madras" comes to an end on 16th February in 1759. Madras, held by the British, was besieged between December 1758 and February 1759 by French forces under the command of Comte de Lally during the Seven Years' War. 

The French forces captured Madras in 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession, but it was returned to the British in 1748. After ten years, the French army, under the command of Comte de Lally, marched to besiege Madras. The series of battles fought between December 1758 and February 1759 is called the "Siege of Madras". The French army retreated on 16th February, 1759. 

1956 - Death of Meghnad Saha on 16 February 1956. Meghnad Saha was an Indian astrophysicist. He was elected to the first Lok Sabha in 1951 as an independent candidate. 

Today In Indian History (15th February)

1869 - Death of Mirza Ghalib on 15 February 1869. He was a famous Urdu poet during the Mughal period. Ghalib was buried near the tomb of Nizamuddin Auliya in Hazrat Nizamuddin locality in Delhi

Widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, Mirza Ghalib was patronized by the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar (Zafar ascended the Mughal throne in 1837). He was born in Agra on 27 December 1797. 

Ghalib was also well versed in Persian. 

1948- Death of famous Hindi poet Subhadra Kumari Chauhan on 15 February 1948. One of her most popular poems is Jhansi Ki Rani. She was born on 16 August 1904. 

Today In Indian History (14th February)

1483- Birth of Mughal Emperor Babur on 14 February 1483. Zahirudding Muhammad Babur, better known simply today as Babur, who defeated Ibrahim Lodi of the Lodi Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate at the first battle of Panipat on the 21st April, 1526, founded the Mughal empire in India. 

1556 - Akbar ascended the Mughal throne at the age of 13 years and 4 months on February 14, 1556. The brick coronation platform of Akbar, the known as Takht-i-Akbari, is located at Kalanaur in the Gurdaspur district in Punjab. The brick platform is the place where Akbar’s coronation took place in 1556. 

1658 - At the Battle of Bahadurpur near Benares, Shuja, son of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, was defeated by Sulaiman Shikoh, on 14 February in 1658. Sulaiman Shikoh was the son of Dara Sikoh, eldest son of Shah Jahan. 

The Battle of Bahadurpur was part of the fratricidal war of succession which took place as soon as Shah Jahan fell ill in September, 1657. The sickness of Shah Jahan sparked a deadly war of succession among his four sons – Dara Shikoh, Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad. 

Today In Indian History (13th February)

1879- Birth of Sarojini Naidu on 13 February in 1879. She was the president of the Indian National Congress in the Kanpur session held in 1925. She became the second woman to preside over the Congress after Annie Besant. She was given the title of "Nightingale of India". 

Sarojini Naidu had participated in the Second Round Table Conference in 1931. Round Table Conferences were convened by the British government between 1930 and 1932 to discuss constitutional reforms in India. 

Sarojini Naidu became the first Governor of United Provinces  in 1947 after Indian Independence and died in office on 2nd March in 1949.  

Today In Indian History (12th February)

1742 - Birth of Nana Phadnavis (also spelt as Nana Fadnavis) on 12th February in 1742. Nana Fadnavis was a brilliant Maratha minister and statesman during the Peshwa administration in Pune. He is often referred to as "the Maratha Machiavelli".

1824- Birth of Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj, on 12 February 1824. Arya Samaj was founded in 1875. 

Today In Indian History (11th February)

1750 - Birth of Tilka Majhi on 11th February 1750. Tilka Majhi was a tribal leader and revolutionary who laid down his life in 1785 some 72 years before the First War of Independence in 1857. His place of birth is Tilakpur in Sultanganj in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar. 

Tilka Majhi was executed by the British on January 13, 1785. 

Today In Indian History (10th February)

1817- Treaty of Titalia was signed on 10 February in 1817. The Treaty of Titalia was signed between the chogyal (Raja) of the Kingdom of Sikkim and the British East India Company (EIC). Under the terms of the treaty, tract annexed by the Nepalese were ceded to the Raja of Sikkim.

1858 - Death of Raja Bakhtawar Singh on 10th February in 1858. 

Ruler of the princely state of Amjhera in Madhya Pradesh, Raja Bakhtawar Singh is known as a brave leader who unfurled the banner of rebellion against the British during the time of Revolt of 1857. In 1858, he was hanged on a neem tree on the premises of Maharaja Yashwant Hospital in Indore. At the time of his death, he was thirty four years old.

1916 - Death of Sohan Lal Pathak on 10 February 1916. Born in 1883 at Patti (now in Tarn Taran district) in Punjab, Sohan Lal Pathak was a revolutionary who was hanged at the Mandalay Jail in Burma on 10 February 1916 for organizing an uprising against the British. 

Assembly Elections Results of Burari Assembly Constituency

In the 2025 Delhi assembly elections Sanjeev Jha won on behalf of AAP for the third time by defeating JD(U)'s Shailendra Kumar by a margin of 20,601 votes. 

 Contesting Candidates for Burari Assembly Elections 2025    

Party	Candidates	Votes
JD(U)	Shailendra Kumar	100,580
AAP	Sanjeev Jha	121,181
Congress	Mangesh Tyagi	19,920

Burari assembly constituency is one of the ten assembly constituencies that unite to form the parliamentary constituency of North East Delhi which is currently represented by BJP's Manoj Tiwari who won the seat third time in last Lok Sabha elections in 2024.  

Assembly Elections Results of Bijwasan Assembly Constituency

Contesting Candidates for Bijwasan Assembly Elections 2025    

Party	Candidates	Votes
BJP	Kailash Gahlot	64,951
AAP	Surender Bharadwaj	53,675
Congress	Devinder Sehrawat	9,409

Bijwasan is one of the ten assembly constituencies that unite to form the Laok Sabha constituency of South Delhi which is currently represented by BJP's Ramvir Bidhuri who won the seat by defeating his nearest AAP rival Sahiram Pehalwan in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.