This blog is a comprehensive and in-depth guide to the events, people and places throughout the history of India
Friday, February 28, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Mahendravarman I: The Versatile Pallava Ruler
A
contemporary of north Indian ruler Harshavardhan in the seventh century AD,
Mahendravarman was one of the prominent kings of Pallava dynasty which had been
ruling the region south of Krishna-Tungabhadra in South India since fourth
century AD. Mahendravarman was an individual of versatile genius: an author, an architect, a painter, a musician and a soldier.
Mahendravarman is known for introducing the cave style of temple
architecture for which Pallavas are known all over the world.
Mahendravarman
was the son of Simhavishnu who ascended the throne in the latter half of the
sixth century AD; or to
be more precise, 575 AD. From Simhavishnu’s time the
history of Pallavas emerges from legend and dubious tradition and becomes more
definite.
Mahendravarman’s
accession to the throne signaled the growing strength of the Pallavas. It was the reign of Mahendravarman which saw
the beginning of that famous struggle between the Pallavas and their sworn
enemies, the Chalukyas of Vatapi (early western Chalukyas), who ruled north of
them. The struggle which became necessary for the mastery of south India,
lingered through the generations. During
his reign the Pallava capital Kanchipuram was destroyed by western Chalukya
king Pulakesin II.
In his early days Mahendravarman was a Jaina, but
was converted to Shaivism by Appar, one
of the most famous of the sixty-three Nayanars, the Shaiva poets of the Tamil
country. This conversion was to a great measure responsible for the
decrease in the royal patronage to Jainism in Tamil nadu.
Mahendravarman
I, who assumed the significant title of Vichitrachitta,
"curious-minded", was a writer of standing. He is credited with the
authorship of the famous burlesque known as the Mattavilasa-prahasana. He had also authored another play Bhagavadajjuka. He had several titles such as Mattavilasa, ‘Chatrumalla’, ’Gunabhara’, ’Avnibhajana’, ’ Sankirna Jati’.
Mahendravarman
I
was a great patron of art and architecture too. Under his instructions, some of the finest rock-temples
at Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram
(located in the Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu) were hewn out.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Siraj-ud-Daulah, The Bengal Nawab
After the death of Aurangzeb, the disintegration of the Mughal Empire was rapid. Delhi, the seat of power of the Mughals, gave way to Bengal as the centre of political importance in India. It can be ascertained from the fact that the British win over Siraj ud Daula in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, which took place just 50 years after death of Aurangzeb, laid the foundation of the British Empire in India. During the period, Bengal was ruled by the Nawabs with their capital at Murshidabad. Though nominally governors or viceroys of the Mughals, the Nawabs were independent heads of state for all practical purposes.
Siraj ud Daula became the Nawab of Bengal after the death of his grandfather Alivardi Khan who died in 1756. He was the son of latter's youngest daughter. This was not liked by his near relations including his mother’s eldest sister, Ghasiti Begum, and his cousin Shaukat Jung who went all length to conspire against him. In addition Siraj ud Daula found in Mir Jafar, the Commander-in-Chief of the army, a formidable enemy.
Though inexperienced and lacking decision making power, Siraj-ud-Daulah became successful in overcoming these challenges by killing Shaukat Jung in October 1756. Ghasiti Begum was rendered powerless by the confiscation of her wealth. Mir Jafar was replaced by Mir Madan as the commander of the army.
Siraj ud Daula, the then Nawab of Bengal, resented to the interference by the East India Company in his province. He was also livid with the company’s abuse of the commercial privileges which was granted by the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar under the firman of 1717.
The ‘Black Hole’ was a tragic incident that happened in the run-up to the Battle of Plassey. The incident served as casus belli for the invasion by the British on Murshidabad.
With the worsening of the relations between the Bengal Nawab and the English, the latter hatched a conspiracy with Mir Jafar. The battle of Plassey was fought on 23 June 1757, resulting in the defeat of Siraj-ud-Daulah who fled from the battlefield. He was, however, captured and put to death by the orders of Miran, the son of Mir Jafar who was now made the Nawab of Bengal.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Lord Wellesley (1798-1805)
Lord Wellesley was appointed Governor General of Bengal in 1798 at the age of 37. One of the top British rulers in India, he devised strategies to
establish British paramountcy in India. He ranks among the highs of Lord Clive,
Lord Dalhousie
and Warren Hastings. When it comes to achievements, he is a cut above the rest
of the British rulers in India.
During his tenure of seven years, Lord
Wellesley became successful in defeating the adversaries of the English
Company. Jettisoning the non-intervention policy, he applied the system of
Subsidiary Alliance with a missionary zeal. Under the Subsidiary Alliance
system, the Indian ruler, who entered into this alliance, was to surrender a
part of his territories or give money for the maintenance of a subsidiary force
of the British needed for the defence of the state. The subsidiary state had
also to surrender its external relations to the Company and accept a British
resident at the capital.
The Indian states and rulers who entered into
Wellesley’s Subsidiary Alliance System were Mysore, Hyderabad, Tanjore, Berar, Awadh,
Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bharatpur, Macheri, Bundi, and the Peshwa.
During his rule,
the Fourth Mysore War took place in 1799 resulting in the defeat of and killing
of Tipu Sultan. The Second Anglo Maratha War (1803-04) witnessed the defeat of
Sindhia, the Bhonsle and the Holkar which dealt a body blow the Maratha power
in India.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Another feather in Bihar's crown: Remains of another university found
Bihar, which boasts of being home to the ancient universities of Nalanda and Vikramshila, can now add another laurel to its past glory. The architectural remains of another university have been found at the Buddhist monastery site of Telhara in Nalanda district of the state.
Telhara has been referred to by the 7th century AD Chinese traveller Heuen Tsang who visited India to obtain the copies of Buddhist scriptures. He has mentioned Telhara as "Teleadaka" in his account.
The archeologists are of the opinion that Teleadaka, also known as "Tiladhak" university, was established in 5th century during the Gupta period.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Battle of Buxur
The historical importance of the Battle of Buxar
lies in that it firmly established the position of the British East India
Company as the new and prominent power. It was fought on 22nd October in 1764
between the English and the combined armies of Mir Qasim ( the nawab of Bengal),
Shuja-ud-Daula ( the nawab of Awadh) and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. The
battle resulted in the defeat of the allied forces.
The Battle of Buxur confirmed the position of the
English as the virtual masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Awadh was placed at
the mercy of the British. With the
passage of time the British became the masters of whole of India.
Ramsay Muir remarks, "Buxar finally riveted
the shackles of Company's rule upon Bengal." In the opinion of Sir James
Stephen, “The battle of Buxar deserves far more credit than the battle of
Plassey as the origin of the British power in India.”
Alamgir II (1754-59)
Alamgir II, the second son of former Mughal emperor Jahandar Shah (reigned 1712–13), was raised to the throne in 1754 by his wazir Ghazi-ud-Din Imad-ul-Mulk after dethroning his
predecessor Ahmad Shah.
Known as Aziz-ud-Din
before he ascended the throne at the age of 55 years, Alamgir II had had practically no experience of administration
and warfare as he had spent almost all his life in jail. Such a ruler cannot
be expected to exert his independence and he became a virtual prisoner in the
hands of his wazir Ghazi-ud-Din who was now donning the mantle of Sayyid
brothers who raised and dethroned some Mughal emperors at their will.
An unprincipled Ghazi-ud-Din unsuccessfully tried to form an
anti-Maratha coalition. During Alamgir’s reign the Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah
Abdali invaded India for the fourth time in 1756. Delhi was "slandered and its unhappy
people again subjected to pillage".
Alamgir II’s tried to free
himself from the control of Imad-ul-Mulk. This worsened
the relationship between them. Consequently the Mughal emperor was put to death in 1759 by the latter’s
orders. Alamgir II was trapped to visit a saint by the associates of Imad-ul-Mulk and was stabbed to death by Balabash Khan, one of the Wazir's assassins. The pathetic condition of a Mughal emperor can be gauged from the fact
that his naked corpse was thrown down the banks
of the river Jamuna.
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