Indian History

Samprati A grandson of 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka ,  Samprati (r. 224 – 215 BCE) was a Mauryan Emperor. He was the son of Kunala who was blind by birth.  After Asoka's death in 232 BC, the territory of Mauryan empire was divided into the eastern and western parts. Sampriti and Dasaratha succeeded Asoka in the western and eastern parts respectively. Samprati had embraced Jainism. He was converted to the religion by Jain monk Suhastin. His contribution to Jainism is similar to that of Asoka to Buddhism. After a rule of nine years Samprati was followed by his son Salisuka who ruled for 13 years. 

Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman / Image Credit The Junagadh rock inscription of the Saka ruler Rudradaman is a eulogy inscribed on a rock located near Girnar hill near Junagadh in Gujarat. Composed in about 150 AD, the inscription,  which is the earliest inscription written in Sanskrit prose, refers to his reconstruction of a great dam or Sudarshan reservoir for irrigation which was excavated by Pushyagupta, the provincial governor (rashtriya) of Chandragupta Maurya in the provinces of Anarta and Saurashtra (Gujarat).  Written in the Brahmi script , this inscription is engraved on a rock which contains one of the fourteen Asokan Major Rock edicts and another inscription of the Gupta ruler Skandagupta. The inscription was first translated in 1837 by scholar and Orientalist James Prinsep, an official of the Calcutta Mint and secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.  

                                         Maurya Empire, c.250 BCE /  Wikimedia Commons Ruling from 324 to 297 BCE , Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the first and one of the greatest empires that appeared in Indian subcontinent.  The scarcity of sources dealing with the military conquests of Chandragupta Maurya makes it difficult for us to ascertain whether he first overthrew Mahapadma Nanda , the unpopular last Nanda ruler, or drove out the Greeks from the North-West part of India. From the inferences from the Jaina and Greek sources, it seems that liberation of Punjab was the first military activity by Chandragupta Maurya who felt emboldened by the confusion in the Greek empire that followed Macedonian ruler Alexander ’s sudden death in 323 BC in Babylon. Greek writer Justin writes about the prevailing condition of the time, “India, after the de...

 Mahalakshmi Temple at Doddagaddavalli / Image Cred it A ASI protected monument, Mahalakshmi Temple at Doddagaddavalli in the Hassan district of Karnataka is a 12th-century Hindu shrine built in 1113 CE by a wealthy merchant Kalhana Ravuta and his wife Sahaja Devi during the reign of Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana  (r. 1108–1152 CE). In 2020 Kali idol in the Mahalakshmi Temple was damaged.  

Amrutesvara Temple / Image Credit  Located in Amruthapura, around 67 kilometres north of Chikmagalur, the Amrutesvara Temple was built in 1196 CE by the commander Amrutheshwara Dandanayaka, during the rule of Veera Ballala II  (r. 1173–1220 CE) , the Hoysala King.  Located near the reservoir of the Bhadra River, this 12th century temple is a fine specimen of Hoysala architecture.    

Located close to Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebid in Karnataka, Hucheshwara temple is a Hoysala period shrine. As the temple is crumbling  the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is carrying out conservation and maintenance work. 

The founder of the Chisti Sufi order in India, Muinud-din-Chisti was also known as Khwaja Ajmeri. Headquartered in Ajmer in Rajasthan, Chisti Sufi order attracted devotees from both Muslims and Hindus and continue to do so. Moinuddin Chishti came from Sistan with the Muslim invasion, eventually arriving in Ajmer where he died in 1236. Thousands of Sufi devotees travel to the shrine of Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer for the annual Urs. Disciples of Moinuddin Chisti  Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki The most important disciple of Moinuddin Chisti, Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki popularized the Chisti order in Delhi. He had come to Delhi some time after 1221. He died in 1235. His tomb is in Mehrauli in Delhi and it is said that Qutub Minar takes its name from this Sufi saint.  Hamiduddin Nagauri Another prominent disciple of Moinuddin Chisti, Hamiduddin Nagauri was instrumental in initiating Chisti order in Nagaur in Rajasthan.