Indian History

One of the first Englishmen to come to the Mughal court during the reign of fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Captain William Hawkins was sent as ambassador by the British King James I to the Mughal court. Though favourbaly received by Jahangir, he was unsuccessful in securing the permit to settle at Surat due the opposition of the Portuguese and the merchants of Surat.  He was given a mansab of 400 by  Jahangir.    Hawkins remained at the Mughal court from 1609 to 1611. He has left a valuable account of his experiences in India.

                                        Tomb of Adham Khan/ Wikimedia Commons One of the powerful nobles of the Mughal empire during Akbar’s reign, Adham Khan was the son of Maham Anaga, the foster mother of the Mughal emperor Akabr. He was sent by Akbar to conquer Malwa in 1561 which he accomplished with oppressive measures. According to some school of thought , one of the causes for the invasion of Malwa was Adham Khan’s infatuation for Rupmati , the queen of Baz Bahadur, the ruler of Malwa. Baz Bahadur, who had hitherto neglected the administration of his kingdom, awoke from his slumber and faced the enemies but was defeated in the battle of Sarangpur and fled to Khandesh and Burhanpur. All his treasure and several other wives fell into the hands of Adham Khan whose methods to conquer Malwa and their oppression in the Malwa kingdom have been descr...

In importance, Bhavabhuti is second only to Kalidasa, the greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist. He resided in the court of Yasovarman of Kanauj in the early 8 th century. Three of his plays have survived: Malati and Madhava ; The Deeds of the Great Hero ( Mahavircharita ); and “The Later Deeds of Rama” ( Uttararamcharita ). Bhavabhuti’s greatness rests on his deep understanding of sorrow. As a matter of fact, in his treatment of the pathetic, according to the critics, he edges past even Kalidasa. Malati and Madhava is a love story which tells the rescue of the heroine from the jaws of death for more than once. Mahavircharita and Uttararamcharita tell the story of Lord Rama. Bhavabhuti in his Uttararamcharita has concluded with the full reconciliation of Rama and Sita in place of the grim ending to the story in which Sita allows herself to be swallowed up by the earth to prove her innocence. .

A contemporary of Harshvardhan (Harsha) of Kanauj and Sasank, the Gauda king of Bengal, in the first half of the seventh century AD, Bhaskaravarman was the ruler of Kamarup in modern Assam.  When Sasank, the arch-enemy of Harsha, was increasing the extent of his empire, Bhaskaravarman felt the need of checking his advance.   On the other hand, Harsha was looking for the opportunity to avenge the death of his elder brother and predecessor Rajyavardhana who was killed by the King of Bengal.   The common cause of the both resulted in an alliance between Harsha and Bhaskaravarman. However, Sasank proved to be a formidable adversary. The combined enemies of Harsha and Bhaskaravarman failed to achieve any tangible results. It was after the death of Sasank that the Gauda kingdom of Karnasuvarna (in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal) became a part of the Kamarupa kingdom.  

                                                                      Takht-i-Bahi monastery / Image Credit Gondophernes was the most prominent and famous of the Pahlava or Parthian rulers who ruled north-western part of India towards the end of the 1st century BC.  He was a great patron of Indian culture which can be gauged from the numerous coins found in the northwest of India. These coins also point to the wide extent of his suzerainty that included Kandhar , Kabul and Taxila. Gondophernes was probably responsible for the defeat of Hermaeus , the last of the Greek rulers in India. His inscription has been found at the Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bhai (Throne of Origins) in Pakistan.   Christian tradition has it that India’s first brush with Christianity took place du...

Clay utensils of Harappan Civilization

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...