Indian History

Shyama Sundara at Bhagabanpur / Image Credit One of the sixteen assembly constituencies in the Purbi Medinipur district of West Bengal, Bhagabanpur covers Bhagabanpur, Kotbarh, Kajlagarh and Shimulia gram panchayats of Bhagabanpur- 1 block, Basudevberia, Arjunnagar, Baroj, Jukhia, Itaberia, Mugberia and Radhapur gram panchayats of Bhagabanpur-2 block, and Mathura and Argoyal gram panchayats of Patashpur- 2 block.  Bhagabanpur is one of the seven assembly constituency falling under Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency. Electoral History Rabindranath Maity is the sitting BJP MLA of Bhagabanpur which was won by him in 2021 by defeating his nearest TMC candidate and incumbent MLA Ardhendu Maity. In that election while  Rabindranath Maity polled 121,480 votes, the TMC nominee 93,931 received votes and was distantly followed by Congress’s Shiu Maiti who secured 5,274 votes. Earlier Ardhendu Maity was elected from Bhagabanpur seat for the fourth time in a row in 2016.  CPM had won the ...

Ichamati River_View_from_Basirhat_Bridge/ Image Credit Polling Date: 29th April, 2026 Located in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal,  Basirhat South constituency came into being on the recommendations of delimitation commission in 2008.       Basirhat South, one of the seven assembly segments in the Basirhat parliamentary constituency,  is home to Basirhat and Taki municipalities, in addition to the block of Basirhat. Saptarshi Banerjee is the sitting TMC MLA of Basirhat South Assembly which he won in 2021 by defeating his nearest rival of the BJP by 24,468 votes. In that election, Saptarshi Banerjee polled 115,873 votes,  Footballer   Dipendu Biswas of the TMC had won the seat in 2016 by defeating Samik Bhattacharya, now West bengal BJP President. Dipendu Biswas had lost to Samik Bhattacharya in 2014 in a by-poll, necessitated by the death of sitting CPM legislator Niranjan Mu...

Reserved for the candidates belonging to the scheduled castes, Baruipur Purba is located in the South 24-Parganas district of West Bengal.  The constituency is formed by the areas covered by Bamangachhi, Dhosa Chandaneswar, Chaltaberia, Jangalia, Narayanitala and Khakurdaha gram panchayats of Jaynagar block and Belegachhi, Begumpur, Brindakhali, Hardhah, Champahati, Nabagram, Ramnagar I, Ramnagar II and South Garia gram panchayats of Baruipur block. Baruipur Purba, which came into being before 2011, is one of the seven assembly segments falling under the parliamentary constituency of Jadavpur.  Electoral History  Currently, Baruipur Purba is held TMC’s  Bivas Sardar  who won the seat in 2021 by defeating his nearest BJP rival  Chandan Mondal  by an impressive margin votes  49,641  in a bipolar contest. In that election while    Bivas Sardar   secured  123,243  votes, the BJP candidate polled  73,602 ...

Barrackpore Railway Station / Image Credit TMC’s Raj Chakraborty is the sitting legislator of Barrackpore assembly constituency which was won by him in 2021 by virtue of his victory over Chandramani Shukla of BJP. TMC’s Silbhadra Dutta had won the seat in 2016 and 2011. Barrackpore assembly constituency, which came into being in 2011 in place of erstwhile Titagarh, is located in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Barrackpore assembly constituency is formed by the areas covered by the municipalities of Titagarh and Barrackpore. Barrackpore is one of the seven assembly segments falling under the parliamentary seat of the same name.  

Elephant herd near Barjora Forest / Image Credit: https://bankuraforest.in Barjora is one of the 12 assembly constituencies located in the Bankura district of West Bengal. The constituency is constituted by areas covered by Barjora block and Gangajalghati, Bhaktabandh, Gobindadham, Nityanandapur, Kapista and Piraboni gram panchayats of Gangajalghati block. One of the seven assembly segments that combine to create the Bishnupur Lok Sabha seat, Barjora  assembly seat is currently held by the TMC MLA Alok Mukherjee  who won it by defeating his nearest BJP rival  Supriti Chatterjee by  3,269  votes in 2021. Sujit Chakraborty, the then incumbent CPI(M) legisltor,  came third. Sujit Chakraborty had emerged victorius in 2016. Asutosh Mukherjee of TMC won it by defeating his nearest CPIM rival and then sitting legislator Susmita Biswas by 8491 votes in 2011.  Susmita Biswas had won the Barjora seat in 1996, 2001 and 2006. While CPM’s Jayas...

An orientation of Mumbai is best begun from the Gateway of India , the most recognisable landmark of the financial capital of India. Though completed in 1924 the yellow basalt monument was supposed to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911.   George V is the only British king to travel to India before country's Independence.   This famous colonial landmark of Mumbai was designed by George Wittet. This 25 mtrs. high stone archway has an imposing gateway arch in the Indo-Saracenic style with Gujarati and Islamic elements such as wooden carvings. The foundations were laid on March 31, 1913 and between 1915 and 1919, the land on which this yellow basalt monument was to be built was reclaimed from the sea. The Gateway, however, was formally opened by the then Viceroy, the Earl of Reading, on December 4, 1924.  The constitutional head of any foreign country on an official visit to India was officially received at the Gateway of India,...

  Electoral History Manoranjan Byapari  is the sitting TMC MLA of Balagarh which he won in 2021. Earlier  Ashim Maji of TMC had wrested the seat from the CPM by defeating its candidate and sitting MLA Bhuban Pramink by a margin of 21583 votes in 2011. Ashim Maji went to win the seat in 2016.  Earlier Bhuban Pramink was elected from the Balagarh seat in a by-election held in 2008. The bye-poll was necessitated due to the death of then sitting CPM legislator Dibakanta Routh who had won in 1996, 2001 and 2006. Abimnash Pramanik of the CPM was the winner of the seat in 1969, 1971, 1977, 1982, 1987 and 1991.   Background One of the seven assembly segments that fall under the Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency, Balagarh is formed by the areas covered by Balagarh block as well as Chandrahati I, Digsui, Chandrahati II and Mogra I gram panchayats of Chinsurah-Mogra block. Located in  Hooghly district of West Bengal, Balagarh is an assembly segment in the...

Ajodhya Hill, a poplar tourist place, is located within the Baghmundi Assembly Constituency  Baghmundi is one of the nine assembly constituencies located in the Purulia district of West Bengal. Jhalda municipality is covered by the Baghmundi assembly constituency, which also contains the blocks of Jhalda-1 and Baghmundi as well as Sirkabad and Hetgugui gram panchayats of Arsha block. Baghmundi is one of the seven assembly segments falling under Purulia parliamentary constituency. Balarampur, Joypur, Purulia, Manbazar, Kashipur and Para are other six assembly constituencies.  Baghmundi came into being before 2011 on the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission.  Electoral History Sushanta Mahato is the sitting TMC MLA of Baghmundi which he won by defeating AJSU nominee Asutosh Mahato by a margin of 13,969 votes in the last assembly polls in 2021.  Nepal Mahato had won the seat in 2009 and 2016 as Congress MLA.  

The rural constituency of Baduria covers Baduria municipality, and Aturia, Bajitpur, Bagjola, Chandipur, Chhatra, North Jadurhati, South Jadurhati, Jagannathpur, Jasikati Atghara, Raghunathpur, Nayabastia Milani and Sayesta Nagar II gram panchayats of Baduria block. Located the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, Baduria is one of the seven assembly segments falling under the Basirhat parliamentary constituency. Electoral History  Currently, Baduria is held by Abdur Rahim Quazi who is contesting the 2026 assembly seat on Congress ticket.  He had won the seat in 2021 on the ticket of TMC.  Congress legislator Quazi Abdul Gaffar was elected for the eighth term in 2011 by defeating then sitting CPM MLA Mohammad Shelim.  Apart from 2011, Quazi Abdul Gaffar had won the seat in 1967, 1971, 1972, 1982, 1991, 1996 and 2001. Mohammad Shelim emerged victorious in 1987 and 2006. CPI(M)'s Mustafa Quassem, who committed suicide in 2011 just months after winning the Basirha...

The rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves were built under the patronage of Vakataka king, Harishena  Q.1. What was the capital of the Vakataka dynasty in ancient India? [A] Nandivardhana  [B] Ujjain [C] Pataliputra [D] Thaneswar Q.2. Who was founder of Vakataka dynasty ? [A] Pravarasena I [B] Prithivishena I [C] Vindhyashakti [D] Sarvasena Q.3. Which ruler of the Vakataka dynasty is said to have performed several sacrifices including  Agnishtoma, Aptoryama, Ukthya, Shodasin, Atiratra, Vajapeya, Brihaspatisava, Sadyaskra and four Asvamedhas? [A] Pravarasena I [B] Rudrasena-I [C] Prithvisena-I [D] Narendrasena-I Q.4. Which Vakataka ruler was married to Prabhavatigupta, the daughter of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II. [A] Vindhyashakti [B] Rudrasena II [C] Pravarasena I [D] Prithivishena I Q.5. Which Vakataka king had written “The Building of the Causeway” (Setubandha or Ravanavaho), a famous work in Prakrit language.  [A] Rudrasena II [B] Pravarasen...

Q.1. How many Prime Ministers were born after India became independent in 1947? [A] 1 [B] 2 [C] 3 [D] 4 Q.2. Which dynasty immediately followed the Lodi dynasty? [A] Khilji Dynasty [B] Sayyid Dynasty [C] Tughlaq Dynasty [D] None of the above Q.3. Who was named Prime Minister of India after Indira Gandhi's assassination? [A] Rajiv Gandhi [B] P.V. Narsimha Rao [C] V.P. Singh [D] Chandra Sekhar Q.4.  Who among the following was one of the leading British general officers in the American War of Independence? [A] Lord Cornwallis [B] Lord William Bentinck  [C] Lord Mountbatten  [D] None of the above Q.5.  In what modern-day Indian state did the Battle of Chausa take place? [A] Haryana [B] Uttar Pradesh [C] Bihar [C] Madhya Pradesh Q.6. When were the  ruins of Mohenjo-daro discovered? [A] 1922 [B] 1932 [C] 1942 [D] 1952   Answers:  Q.1- A  Every other Prime Minister of India (from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh) was born before 19...

                                                            Adham Khan's Tomb in Delhi One of the powerful nobles of the Mughal empire during Akbar’s reign, Adham Khan was the son of Maham Anaga , the foster mother of the Mughal emperor Akabr. He was sent by Akbar to conquer Malwa in 1561 which he accomplished with oppressive measures. According to some school of thought , one of the causes for the invasion of Malwa was  Adham Khan’s  infatuation for  Rupmati , the queen of  Baz Bahadur, the ruler of Malwa. 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 and fled to Khandesh and Burhanpur. All his treasure and several other wives fell into the hands of Adham Khan whose method...

 Q.1.Which of the following had the power to appoint, promote, and remove officials during the Mughal administration? [A] Wazir [B] Emperor [C] Council of Ministers [D] Nobility Q.2. Who among the following rulers of Qutub Shahi dynasty built Golconda fort? [A] Quli Qutub Shah [B] Abul Hasan Qutb Shah [C] Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah [D] Muhammad Qutb Shah Q.3. Which of the following was the representative of the central Sadar at the provincial level? [A] Sadar [B] Darogai-i-Dak [C] Bakshi [D] Mir Bakshi Q.4.Humayun overthrew which Pashutan ruler to recapture the throne of Delhi ? [A] Sikandar Shah Suri [B] Muhammad Adil Shah [C] Firuj Shah Suri [D] Ibrahim Shah Suri Q.5. Which among the following was the court language of Mughals? [A] Urdu [B] Arabic [C] Persian [D] Turkish Q.6.In which year Sikandar Lodi transferred his capital from Delhi to Agra? [A] 1503 AD [B] 1506 AD [C] 1510 AD [D] 1517 AD Q.7. Which among the following ports was called Babul Makka (Gate of Makka) during the Mugh...

  A View of the Red Fort The Red Fort, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, is one of the most striking and immediately distinguishable structures on the Delhi’s skyline.  Red fort’s red sandstone walls This magnificent red sandstone structure consists of a sprawling collection of buildings which once served as the living quarters for the Mughal Emperors, their courtiers, family and staff.  Since no expense was spared in decorating the various buildings, they provide insight into the opulent lifestyle of the Mughal Emperors.  Naubat Khana Naubat Khana Viewed from Diwan-i-Aam  Diwan-i-Aam  Within the enclosure of the red fort are located many fairytale buildings. The Diwan-i-Khas and the Diwan-i-Khas are the two most conspicuous buildings inside the Red Fort.  Red fort was attacked in 1739 by Persian invader Nadir Shah who carried back with him the ornate gold Peacock Throne. After 1857 uprising, which is generally known as First War Indian Independ...

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.  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 ...

Trinamool Congress to contest 291 of 294 seats in Bengal assembly, remaining three to be fought by Anit Thapa-led BGPM in Darjeeling hills.

Contesting Candidates for Bhabanipur Assembly constituency for West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 Party Candidate Votes Polled   TMC Mamata Banerjee BJP Subhendu Adhikari      Located in Kolkata, Bhabanipur assembly constituency is formed the areas covered by Ward Nos. 63, 70- 74, 77 and 82 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The urban assembly constituency of Bhabanipur is one of the seven assembly segments falling under the parliamentary seat of Kolkata Dakshin.

Christianity has quite a good presence in India. Ever since its early years, Christianity has had its roots in India. If we are to rely on a tradition, India came in contact with Christianity very early. In fact tradition credits the Disciple Thomas himself with evangelizing India.  Christian tradition has it that India’s first brush with Christianity took place during the reign of  Gondophares (founder of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom) by the efforts of the Christian apostle St. Thomas who is said to have visited his empire. According to Roman Catholics, tomb of St. Thomas was buried in the cathedral at Mailapur or Mylapore in the southern part of Chennai. If we have to put aside the legend, the first definite historical evidence to the Christian activity can be found in the Topografia Christiana (Christian Topography) of Cosmas Indicopleustes, an adventurous Alexendrian monk of the 6th century AD. Cosmas Indicopleustes, literally meaning who sailed to India, left a voluminous ac...