European Power in India

Portugal was the first European power to establish factories and trading settlements in India in the early 16th century. Portuguese were followed by Dutch, British, Danes and French. In the 18th century with the downfall of the Mughal Empire, these Europeans countries began to take greater interest in Indian politics. By the early 19th century the British East Indian Company had outsmarted its rivals and held sway over most of the Indian sub-continent.

The ease with which the British became the master of India is a measure of the political decadence of the country at the time. By the middle of the 19th century the whole of India came under either the direct control of the British or petty princes being supported by them.

The British rule came to an end in 1947 when India became independent.

Kaveripattinam: the chief port of Chola kingdom

Kaveripattinam, the chief port of the ancient Chola kingdom, was situated at the mouth of Kaveri river. It is today identified with Puhar, a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu. Kaveripattinam is also known as Kaveripaddinam, and Kaveripumpattinam. 

Once the capital of the early Chola rulers, Kaveripattinam has been described in various Sangam works and also in Ptolemy’s Geography and the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea. According to a Sinhalese source, spacious harbour of Kaveripattinam was built by soldiers captured by the great Chola King Karikalan in a raid on Ceylon. During the first three centuries of the Christian era, Kaveripattinam was a prosperous city inhabited by rich merchants, traders, craftsmen and sailors.

Champa: Important port of Ancient India

Situated in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, Champa was the capital of ancient Anga in the sixth century BC. It was of great commercial importance. It was a river port from which ships world said down the Ganga and coast to south India and Sri Lanka. These ships returned with jewels and spices which were much in demand in the north India. From Champa seafaring merchants went to distant islands. Champa was also a place of pilgrimage for the Buddhists and the Jaina alike. At a time of the Buddha’s great decease, known as Mahaparinirvana in Buddhist phraseology, Ananda, one of the most famous disciples, said that he regretted that his master was to die in so small a town as Kushinagar and mentioned Champa as one of the six places (others being Sravasti, Rajagriha, Saketa, Kausambi and Kasi) where he considered important enough for his master to die in. This proves that Champa was evidently one of the greatest cities of the 5th century BC.

History of Uttar Pradesh

The territory that constitutes present day Uttar Pradesh was made home by the Aryans in 2000 BC. The ancient kingdom of Kosala of which Rama of Ramayana was king was located in the state of Uttar Pradesh. According to tradition, Krishna, the preacher of Bhagwat Gita, was born in the city of Mathura.

Uttar Pradesh remained part of the most of the great kingdoms of India including the Mauryan (320-200 BC), Kushan (100-250 AD) and Gupta (350-600 AD) empires. After the downfall of the Guptas, Harshavardhana rose into prominence with Kannauj at his capital. After Harshavardhana’s death, his empire fell into pieces. There arose many kingdoms which were ruled mostly by Rajputs.

Uttar Pradesh came under the control of Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire. Agra and Fatehpur Sikri served as the capital cities of Akbar, the greatest Mughal Emperor of India. After the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, the state was ruled by different rulers. Chief among them were the Nawabs of Oudh who ruled Lucknow in the 18th century.

Uttar Pradesh was the main centre of the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, also know as India’s First War of Independence.

History of Tripura

Known as Kirat Desh in times of antiquity, Tripura has been referred to in the great epic of Mahabharata as well as ancient Hindu scriptures including the Puranas. That the region was under the control of the 3rd century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka is proved by the pillar inscriptions that were erected by the great Maurya in many parts of his expansive kingdom.

Tripura derives its name from the great king of the same name, a contemporary of Yudhishtara of Mahabharata fame, tracing his descent to King Druya and Bhabru. According to other school of thought the region derives its name from the temple of Tripuri Sundari, situated at Radhakrishnapur in the state.

A princely state of great antiquity, Tripura was under the control of Tripuri Kings (Habugra) who ruled the territory for three millennia under the title of Manikya. Udaipur in South Tripura district was seat of government of the Manikyas whose King Krishna Manikya, in the 18th century, transferred the capital form Udaipur to Old Agartala. Agartala became the seat of power in the 19th Century. When India became independent there was clamour for the integration of the princely states into the India union. As a result of Ganamukti Parishad movement, Tripura was integrated with India in 1949. Tripura attained full statehood in 1972.

Taj Mahal, the Symbol of India

The symbol of India, the Taj Mahal at Agra is known the world over. In fact, this is the most resplendent of the Indian sites, one certainly not to miss even in the most perfunctory of tours. Situated 125 miles (200km) south of Delhi, Agra is an essential stop in any tour of India.

Built under the reign of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, this mausoleum of his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum (better known as Mumtaz Mahal), is the very pinnacle of Mughal architecture. It is called the Taj Mahal after the title of the empress. It has been poetically described as “a tender elegy in marble.”

The belief that the Taj owes its design to a Venetian, Gernimo Verrones, is misleading. The Taj is the crowing glory and culmination of the Mughal architecture. It was commenced in 1631 and completed some time around 1653. The monument is rightly regarded as one of the wonders of the world for its beauty and magnificence.

The grandest achievement of the Mughal architecture, the Taj Mahal, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Taj Mahal was the result of the efforts of over 12, 000 workers, over a period of 22 years. The cost incurred on the construction in those times was 50 (5 million) Rupees.

History of Tamil Nadu

The excavations at Adichanallur, 24 km from Tirunelveli in the state of Tamil Nadu, points to settlements of people in the pre-historic times.

The ancient period in Tamil Nadu is marked by the emergence of the four Tamil kingdoms of the Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallavas. Apart from these dynasties, an obscure power named Kalabhras succeeded in displacing the three Tamil kingdoms between the fourth and the seventh centuries CE. The period is referred to as the Dark Age in the history of Tamil Nadu. The Kalabhras were later expelled by the Pallavas and the Pandyas.

The Pallavas who ruled Tamil Nadu were the contemporaries of the Rashtrakutas. The early history of the Pallavas is shrouded in mystery, but Simhavishnu Avanisimha, who ascended the throne in about 575 AD, is considered to e the real founder of the Pallava dynasty. Mahendravarman I and his son Mamalla Narasimhavarman I were the great rulers of the Pallavas dynasty. Kanchipuram was the capital of the Pallavas whose contribution to the Dravidian architecture was immense. The Shore Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built by Narasimhavarman II.

Pallavas were followed by the Pandyas in the 8th century. With their capital Madurai, Pandyas were referred to as the richest kingdom by the famous traveller Marco Polo. The greatness of the Cholas as described by Asoka was restored by Vijayalaya, who began his rule in 850 AD. The greatest kings of the Chola Empire were Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola. Mahipala, the pala king of Bengal was defeated by Rajendra Chola. To commemorate this victory he founded a new capital and called it Gangaikonda Cholapuram, identified with modern Gangakundapuram in Tiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu.

The Vijayanagara Empire which ruled over the entire Tamil Nadu was founded in 1336 by Harihara I and Bukka. This empire ruled for two centuries with the defeat of Vijayanagara forces in the Battle of Talikota against the Muslim forces of Deccan in 1565.

In 1968, Madras State became the state of Tamil Nadu.