Alberuni, the celebrated traveller to India and a Great Scholar

One of the most famous Arab travellers to India, Alberuni (Al-Biruni) visited India when Mahmud of Ghazni invaded Somnath, the famous shrine in Gujarat dedicated to Lord Shiva. Between 1001 and 1027 Mahmud made seventeen raids on India. One of the main objects of his raids was to acquire the wealth of India. Naturally so, the temples and towns were his main targets because they were repositories of immense wealth. As a result of his campaigns, many temples were looted and desecrated. Enormous caravan of booty and slaves were taken to Ghazni. Mathura and Kanyakubja, the great cites of India at that time, were plundered.

Also called Abu Raithan, Alberuni spent his years in India in the study of astronomy, medicine, chemistry, etc,. His book Tahkik-i-Hind (reality of Hindustan or Enquiry into India), a voluminous work divided into 80 chapters, is a mirror of the eleventh century India. The magnum opus gives a good graphic description of India as the great scholar saw the country. In fact, the book is “a magic island of quite impartial research in the midst of a world of clashing swords, burning towns and plundered temples.”   

Alberuni writes about Indians. He says, “They are haughty, foolish, vain, self-conceited, stolid. They are by nature niggardly in communicating that which they known…According to their belief, no other created beings besides them have any knowledge of science whatsoever.”

Banabhatta, the unorthodox Brahmin author in 7th century India

Banabhatta, also known as Bana, was the court-poet of Harsha, a great and famous ruler in ancient India who ascended the throne in 606 AD at the age of sixteen. Some of Harsha’s fame is due to the fact that his reign is well documented compared to other ancient Indian rulers. And credit goes to Bana who has left a detailed and florid account of the events leading up to Harsha’s rise to power in his magnum opus Harshacharita (The Deeds of Harsha). Harshacharita, a historical work of top order, is written in ornate poetic prose.  Kadambari is another work attributed to Bana.

Since Bana was patronized by Harsha, he has been accused of being biased towards the king. However, this court-poet has the temerity to "reject the whole rigmarole of royal divinity as the works of sycophants.” Bana also condemned the custom of Sati.

Seleucus Nicator's Invasion of India, c.306 BC

Alexander’s general Seleucus Nicator waged a war against Chadragupta Maurya , the founder of the Mauryan empire, in C 305 BC. He was at the receiving end in the battle and suffered the worst of engagements. Not only he was unable to recover Alexander’s Indian provinces, but also was to compelled to yield parts of what is now Afghanistan to the Mauryan emperor, receiving in exchange only 500 elephants. The peace between   Seleucus Nicator ad Chandragupta was concluded by a matrimonial  alliance. The exact nature the alliance is still in the realm of debate among the historians. But it can be said with a great deal of certainty that successors of Chandragupta had Greek blood in their veins.

The importance of Seleucus Nicator in Indian history is great. He sent Megathenes to the court of Chandragupta.  Megathenes’s description of ancient India is of great value to us.

Arikamedu Famous Port of Ancient India

Located on the southeast coast of India about 3 km south of Pondicherry, Arikamedu was an Indo-Roman coastal trading station and an important centre of trade and commerce with the Western world during the early centuries of the Christian era. This port was known to the author of Periplus Man’s Erthreae as Padouke. After the second century AD it ceased to be an active commercial centre. Numerous Italian, Greek pottery pieces and glassware and Roman coins have been found here.

Bagh Paintings

Painting was a highly developed art in ancient India. The cave paintings of Ajanta testify this. The paintings on the walls of the verandah of a cave at Bag are other instances where you can find painting at its greatest. The Bagh Caves are situated in the Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh .

Among the many masterpieces of Bagh paintings, we must mention the depiction of a procession of elephants. In fact according to some exerts, the painting is more impressive than those at Ajanta.

Bahadur Shah I, Mughal Emperor

Muazzam emerged victorious in the war of succession among the sons of Aurangzeb following his death in 1707. Muazzam, then subahdar of Kabul at the time of his father’s death, crowned himself emperor with the name of Bahadur Shah, generally known as Bahadur Shah I. He 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 the only ruler of the Later Mughals to have exercised the real authority. Though he was not a great administrator, he was affable by temperament. By his conciliatory attitude he managed to retain the support of most of the factions and groups in the Mughal court.

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. 

Young Bengal Movement

The Young Bengal Movement was started by a remarkable personality of the 19th century Henry Vivian Derozio (1809-1831) who was  a teacher of English literature and History in the Hindu College in Calcutta. 

A rationalist to the core, Derozio was also editor of the Hesperus and Calcutta Literary Gazette. He was associated with India Gazette as well. A radical thinker Derozio exercised unprecedented influence over his students. He urged them to live and die for truth - to cultivate and practice all the virtues, shunning vice in every shape. He gave the greatest impetus to free discussion on all subjects-social, moral and religious. 

In 1828. Derozio established the Academic Association which used to organise debates and discussions on various topics and subjects. 

Though he lived for only 22 years, Derozio ranks among those rare teachers whose attachment to knowledge, hatred of evil and love of truth made a profound impression upon those who came in contact with him. He pursued what was right and was accused of misguiding the youth. Some influential Hindus had him removed from service and shortly thereafter he died. But the Derozian influence continued and it was known as the Young Bengal Movement. All the leading movements of the period were influenced by his ideas.