A successful lawyer, W C Bonnerjee was born in 1844 in Calcutta and comes lauded as the first president of the Indian National Congress. He was the first Indian to contest election to the British House of Commons.
He was again elected president of the INC in the Allahabad session in 1892. He was a moderate in politics.
He had defended nationalist leader Surendranath Banerjee in a contempt of court case in the High Court of Calcutta.
Fort Asirgarh
Situated in the Tapti valley, Khandesh was a province in the empire of Muhammad bin Tughluq, the second ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty. After the death of his successor Firoz Shah Tughluq (1309 –1388), Malik Raja Faruqi, then governor of Khandesh, declared his independence from Delhi Sultanate and founded the Faruqi (also spelt Farooqui) dynasty of Khandesh Sultanate.
Malik Raja Faruqi strengthened his position by a matrimonial alliance under which he married his daughter to Hushang Shah, the Malwa ruler. He was succeeded by his son Nasir Khan (reigned 1399-1437) who succeeded in capturing the impregnable fort of Asirgarh from a Hindu chieftain by subterfuge.
He built a new town which was named Burhanpur after Chishti Sufi saint Burhanuddin Gharib. In 1417, his invasion was repulsed by the Gujarat sultan Ahmad Shah whose suzerainty was acknowledged by him. The Gujarat Sultan, in turn, recognised Nasir’s right to rule over Khandesh.
Nasir’s successors, Adil Khan and Mubarak Khan, accepted suzerainty of Gujarat Sultanate. Adil Khan II (1457-1503) was more enterprising and established his overlordship on the Hindu rulers of the Garha –mandala and Gondwana. The later Faruqi rulers were weaklings. Dynastic rivalries offered the Sultans of Gujarat and Ahmadnagar opportunities to interfere in the affairs of Khandesh sultanate which was ultimately annexed into the Mughal Empire in 1601 during the reign of Akbar.
Nagarjunakonda|Wikimedia Commons
If you travel 170km southeast of Hyderabad and then take a 45-boat ride over the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir on the Krishna river, you will discover the island of Nagarjunakonda, littered with the remnants of wonderful Buddhist structures. Located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, Nagarjunakonda was visited by seventh century AD Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang in 640 AD.
Before the construction of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam in 1960, Nagarjunakonda, which is spread over an area of 144-acre, was the top of a hill. In order to save several Buddhist structures such as stupa, chaitya, viharas that ran the risk of being submerged due to creation of Nagarjuna Sagar dam, they were reassembled on this hill.
One of the Buddhism’s most visited sites, Nagarjunakonda is named after famous Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna, who is credited to have introduced Buddhism to Andhra Pradesh in the 2nd century AD. Tradition has it that it was at Nagarjunakonda or Nagarjuna’s hill where, Nagarjuna, an authority on the Mahayana form of Buddhism, propounded the world famous Buddhist philosophy of Sunyata (the Void). A contemporary of Kanishka, Nagarjuna wrote Madhyamika Karika which forms the basic text of the Madhyamika (Intermediate), one of the two philosophical schools of Mahayana Buddhism, other being Yogacharya.
Places of interest in Nagarjunakonda
The most striking structure in Nagarjunakonda is the Mahastupa which is said to contain a bone relic the Buddha. In its current shape, the stupa reaches a height of 18 meters and has a diameter of 32.3 meters. It is the most massive structure in Nagarjunakonda.
Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi is the only historical account on the reign of Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri. It was written by Abbas Khan Sarwani and commissioned by third Mughal ruler Akbar whose father Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah Suri at the battles of Chausa and Kanauj in 1540.
Located 10km north of Varanasi, the famous site of Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh is a Buddhist site not to be missed. It was at Sarnath where in Deer Park the Buddha delivered his first sermon after the attainment of enlightenment under the tree of wisdom at Bodh Gaya. The event of his deliverance of first sermon at Sarnath is known in the Buddhist tradition as the turning of the wheel of Sacred Law or “Dharmachakra Privartan”.
The Buddha journeyed to Sarnath to preach his first sermon to those five ascetics who were his disciples but had left him in disgust when they found that the Buddha became convinced that rigorous self mortification is not the way to obtain final bliss. These five ascetics were so impressed by Buddha’s sermon that they became his disciples once again and stopped practising austerities.
In contrast to the hustle and bustle of hectic Varanasi, Sarnath, previously known as Isipatana, is a serene place where one can wander around the grassy gardens and explore the Buddhist ruins.
Places to see in Sarnath
Dhamekh Stupa
The most important highlight of a trip to Sarnath is the Dharmekh Stupa, a major tourist attraction in India. Dating back to the 3rd century AD, the stupa, which is now in ruins, is impressive at 31.3 meter high, and 28.3 in diameter. It marks the spot where the Buddha is said to have delivered his first sermon.
Ashoka Pillar
Erected by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, the Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath is an important attraction in Sarnath. The splendid lion capital which was once placed on top of the pillar can be seen in the Sarnath Archaeological Museum which also possesses some of the most beautiful images of the Buddha. The capital has been adopted by India as its national emblem.
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Dinabandhu Mitra is known for his novel Nil Darpan (The Mirror of Indigo) which describes the oppression of the indigo cultivators at the hands of indigo planters, leading to the Indigo Revolt in Bengal in 1859.
Indigo Revolt has been described as "the first Revolution in Bengal after the advent of the English."
Since Dinabandhu Mitra was in government service, he published Nil Darpan in the name of anonymous.
Affectionately called “the Grandfather of Indian Nationalism” Rajnarayan Basu was founder of the Society for Promotion of National feeling (Jatiyo Gaurab Sampadani Sabha),
World map by Cosmas Indicopleustes / Image Credit: upload.wikimedia.org Cosmas Indicopleustes (literally: "who sailed to India") ...
