Bharukachcha: An important port of ancient India

Located on the banks of the Narmada, Bharukachcha, the modern Broach in Gujarat, was the most famous port and commercial centre of Gujarat in ancient India. It was one of the chief ports of ancient India. It has been frequently mentioned in several Buddhist and Sanskrit works. From the early centuries of the Christian era till the close of the thirteenth century, Bharukachcha, remained a prosperous town and a thriving port under the successive dynasties which ruled Gujarat.

Sir Alexander Cunningham: Father of Indian Archeology

Alexander Cunningham was one of the colleagues of James Prinsep. He assisted the later in the decipherment of the Brahmi script. The decipherment of the Brahmi script led to the reading of the Asokan edicts. Thus the world came to know about the great emperor.

Alexander Cunningham was an officer of the Royal engineers. He came to India in 1831. Since his arrival in the country, he devoted his time to the study of the ancient remains of Indian history. Alexander Cunningham recorded the existence of a series of mounds after visiting Harappan site. He is credited to have conducted a limited excavation of the Harappan site. He published a few Objects (such as seals) as well as the site-plan. He was appointed Archeological Surveyor in 1862.

Indian Indology owes a lot to Sir Alexander Cunningham. He is rightly called father of Indian archeology.

History of Himachal Pradesh

After coming into the control of many dynasties including those of Gupats and Harshavardhana, the territory of Himachal Pradesh was divided into small principalities headed by chieftains. Some of these small kingdoms were ruled by Rajput chieftains.

These principalities were invaded by the Muslim armies at regular intervals. At the beginning of the 10th century, Mahmud Ghaznavi launched a military campaign against Kangra and captured it.

Timur and Sikander Lodi also made similar raids. Many of the hill kingdoms became vassals of the Mughal empire. 

During India’s struggle for freedom, most of the princely states of Himachal Pradesh either remained indifferent or supported the cause of the British. After becoming a Union Territory on 1 November 1956, Himachal Pradesh became the eighteenth state of the Indian Union on 18 December 1970 thanks to the enactment of the State of Himachal Pradesh Act by the Indian Parliament

History of Maharashtra

The area that constitutes the present day state of Maharashtra was the scene of the flourishing of many dynasties. After coming into the control of the Mauryan Empire, Satavahana kingdom held its sway over the territory. Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, was the capital of the Satavahanas at one point of time.

During the Satavahana period, Maharashtra became a great centre of culture and learning. The official language of Satavahana was Maharashtri, which later developed into Marathi. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana dynasty was Gautamiputra Satkarni, who took pride in calling himself the destroyer of the Sakas (Scythians), Yavanas (Greeks) and Pahlavas (Parthians). He is credited to have started the Shalivahana era, a new calendar, still used by the Maharashtrians. Sri Yajna Satkarni was the last great king of the Satavahana kingdom. According to some Puranas, 19 kings of this dynasty ruled for 300 years, while according to others, 30 kings ruled for 465 years. The dynasty came to an end about the middle of the third century A.D.

After the fall of the Satavahana dynasty, the eastern part of Maharashtra came under the control of Vakatakas. Among other dynasties that ruled over the territory the Rashtrakutas, and the Yadavas of Deogiri find special mention.

The invading armies of the Delhi Sultanate rulers Ala-ud-din Khalji, and later Muhammad bin Tughluq took control of the territory of Maharashtra. After the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate, the area became part of the Bahmani Sultanate.

The greatest name in the history of Maharashtra was that of Shivaji who by dint of his hard work and sheer tenacity succeeded in creating a kingdom covering most of Maharashtra and nearly half of India in a short span of his life. He was the nemesis of Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor. Shivaji was born in the fort of Shivaner in 1627 and deied on April, 1680.

Shivaji's death was followed by internal dissensions in the newly created Maratha Kingdom. There was a dispute about succession between the two sons of Shivaji. Finally Sambhaji ascended the throne in 1680. He was captured, and after cruel torture for more than three weeks, he was brutally put to death by Aurangzeb.

Rajaram's nephew & Sambhaji's son, Shahu Bhosale (born May 18, 1682) who had been in Mughal captivity since November 3, 1689, was liberated on May 8, 1707. He was recognized as the king of the Marathas. This was resented by Rajaram’s wife Tara Bai. However, Shahu ultimately came out victorious, manly with the help and advice of a Chitpavan Brahmana from Konkan, named Balaji Viswanath.

Balaji’s character and capacity and the peculiar circumstances of the country favoured the rise of the Peshwas to power and renown. He has been rightly called the second founder of the Maratha state.

After the death of Balaji Viswanath, his eldest son Bajiroa, a young man of hardly twenty, was appointed the Peshwa by Sahu. Under him the Maratha power reached its zenith.

Maharashtra played an important role in India’s freedom struggle. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Pherozeshah Mehta and Dadabhai Naoroji were some of the prominent leaders of the freedom struggle.

Maharashtra became a full fledged state on May 1, 1960, when Bombay Presidency State was bifurcated into the new linguistic states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

History of Madhya Pradesh

Various dynasties held their sway over the territory that constitutes the present day state of Madhya Pradesh. Many places in the state find mention in the ancient scriptures such as Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Khajuraho

The city of Ujjain, earlier known as Avanti, made its mark as a major center of power and learning in the sixth century BC. The whole area came under the control of the Maurya Empire (321 to 185 BCE). After the downfall of the Mauryan Empire, the territory was ruled by various dynasties including the Satavahana and the Sakas.

The Gupta dynasty which ruled over the state is considered to be golden period of the Indian history. The medieval period witnessed the emergence of several dynasties including the Paramaras of Malwa and the Chandelas of Bundelkhand. The world heritage site of Khajuraho temples were built by the Chandelas of Bundelkhand.

The territory came under the control of the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire. The present day Madhya Pradesh came into being on 1 November 2000, following its bifurcation to create a new state of Chhattisgarh.

History of Dadra and Nagar Haveli

One of the few Portuguese colonies, Dadra and Nagar Haveli is currently a Union Territory in western India. The territory came under the rule of the Portuguese dominion in India in 1779 and remained under their control till 1954.

India’s independence in 1947 instilled a sense of patriotism and confidence in the residents of Dadra and Nagar Haveli who were now filled with the desire of throwing of the yoke of foreign rule. As a result, a movement was started under the aegis of the United Front of Goans (UFG) and the National Movement Liberation Organisation (NMLO) resulting in the independence of Dadra and Nagar Haveli from the Portuguese rule. The movement was ably supported by the Azad Gomantak Dal and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli, thus, became a free nation. The residents of the territory sought help from the Government of India. From 1954 to 1961 Dadra and Nagar Haveli was administered by a body called the Varishta Panchayat of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

In 1961, when Goa, Daman, and Diu were annexed into India, Dadra and Nagar Haveli formally joined the Republic of India.

Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy of India

Lord Mountbatten, a member of the British Royal family, assumed office as Viceroy on March 24, 1947 and was the last Viceroy of India. His administration in India witnessed the creation of the independent states of India and Pakistan, Mountbatten , after meeting various warring groups, came to the conclusion that only solution to the constitutional impasse was partition of the country and he won over the congress leaders to that viewpoint.

On June 3, 1947 (June 3rd Plan) the plan to partition India was announced. On July 4, 1947, the Indian independence act was introduced in the House of Commons by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee. Two boundary commissions were set up- one for the partition of Bengal and other for the partition of Punjab. Sir Cyril Radcliffe was appointed the chairman of both commissions. On August 7 Jinnah left India for Karachi and the constituent assembly of Pakistan elected him as its president.

The constituent assembly of the Indian union met in Delhi on the night of August 14. In an atmosphere charged with excitement, Nehru addressed the members. The events of the partition ad its aftermath led to the largest migration of population in the world history.

Lord Mountbatten was killed by IRA guerillas while on holiday in the Irish republic.