Indian History

Faraizi Movement is a nineteenth century religious reform movement which advocated the observance of the original teachings of Islam. The term Faraizi is derived from 'farz' meaning obligatory duties enjoined by Allah.  Starting as a religious (communal) movement in Bengal, Faraizi Movement in course of time became a struggle against the landlords (who were mostly Hindus) who oppressed the common people and farmers and British colonists.  Founded by a puritan and zealot, Haji Shariatullah, the movement began with a call to the Muslims to perform their obligatory duties (Fard) enjoined by Allah with a view to purging the religion of the un-Islamic rites which he considered were contrary to the teachings of the Qu’ran. To give his Muslim followers a separate identity,  a particular dress was introduced. Shariatullah advocated different styles of beards for his followers. Haji Shariatullah was born in Faridpur (now in Bangladesh) in 1781.  After Haji Shariatullah’s deat...

Santhal Rebellion / Image Credit Santhal Rebellion ( Santhal Hul ) against the British colonialists or to be precise  British East India Company (BEIC) , landlords and Zamindars occurred a couple of years before India’s First War of Independence in 1857. The rebellion spread a considerable area that comprise the ‘Santhal Pargana’ or ‘Damin-i-Koh’ which includes present-day districts of Dumka, Godda, Sahibganj,  Deoghar, Pakur, and parts of Jamtara, in modern -day Jharkhand.  It was June 29, 1855, when two brothers Kanhu Murmu and Sidhu Murmu, belonging to the Santhal community, asked the Santhals to assemble in the valley of Burhyte, modern-day Barhait, in Jharkhand. On the next day more than thousands of Santhals assembled at the Bhognadih village in the Sahibganj district where a divine order was issued asking the Santhals to free themselves from the clutches of their oppressors and “take possessions of the country and set up a government of their own.”  Thus began...

Six Heretical Teachers / Image Credit  A contemporary of the Buddha in the 6th century BC, Ajita Kesakambalin (“Ajita of the Hair-blanket)  is one of the Six Heretical Teachers who were opposed to his teachings. The other five were Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Pakudha Kaccāyana, Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta and Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta).  According to Buddhism, Ajita Kesakambalin was a heretic whose beliefs were challenged and refuted by the Buddha who is said to have performed feats of levitation and other miracles (known as the Twin Miracle) due to challenge from these rivals.  Ajita Kesakambalin is the earliest known proponent of complete materialism. He taught that pleasure is the chief end of life. According to him, “When the body dies both fool and wise alike are cut-off and perish. They don’t survive after death.” According to Buddhist sources, Ajita founded a sect of monks. He is depicted as an ascetic dressed in human hair. Hence the name 'Ajita Kesakambalin' It is n...

View of the Dhungeswara_Hills / Image Credit After renouncing his home life the event known as “Great Going Forth” ( Mahabhiniskramana ) in the Buddhist phraseology, Siddhartha Gautama began to lead a life of mendicancy, asceticism, and meditation.  Approach Road To Dhungeswara Hills / Image Credit Siddhartha learnt the technique of ecstatic mediation (samapatti) from a sage named Alara Kalama (first teacher of Gautama Buddha).  During the period he practised most rigorous self-mortification. For six years, he tortured himself and his penances were so severe until he was nothing but a walking skeleton.  One day, Siddhartha realized the futility of fasts and penances and began to beg food. Sujata, the daughter of a farmer, brought him a large bowl of rice boiled in milk.  After forty nine days, he became Enlightened- a Buddha at Bodh Gaya.   12 Km from Bodh Gaya in the district of Gaya is located Pragbodhi hill where the Buddha had penanced in a cave for six...

  Prayer at Griddhakuta Hills The well-known Buddhist site of Griddhakuta Hill is deservedly an attraction in Rajgir not to be missed. During the rainy season the Buddha used to climb up to his mountain retreat atop the Griddhakuta Hill and deliver sermons to his disciples.  The great Chinese traveler and Buddhist monk, Hiuen-Tsang, also known as Xuanzang, who visited the place in the 7th Century AD, had seen a stupa at Vulture's Peak where Buddha delivered the sermons. It was at Griddhakuta Hill where Magadhan emperor Bimbisar belonging to the Haryanka dynasty was converted to Buddhism by Buddha.   Though you can reach the hill by following a bridle path, it would be an experience of a lifetime to use the aerial single-person chairlift. A ride on the chairlift commands a panoramic view of the hills of Rajgir and some Jain temples dotting the landscape. The brilliant shine of the Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda), built on the top of the Griddhakuta Hill by the Buddha Sang...

Sankissa / Image Credit  Sankassiya  (Sankisa Basantpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad district) is the place where  Gautam Buddha had descended from the Sineru mountain   to earth  after preaching  his mother Mayadevi and other divinities in the Trayastrimsa (Heaven) .   India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed a ceremony in celebration of International Abhidhamma Divas (IAD) and recognition of Pali as a classical language.    Abhidhamma Divas (IAD) commemorates the descent of Lord Buddha from the celestial realm of the thirty-three divinities ( Tāvatiṃsa-devaloka ) to Sankassiya,  one of the ‘Eight Great Places’ (Ashtamahasthan) of the Buddhist pilgrimage.  Sankassiya or Sankissa occupies a place of prominence in the history of Buddhism and is associated with several legends and myths related to the Buddha. Tradition has it that after preaching Abhidhamma to his mother Mayadevi and other divinities in the Tra...

A replica of Raigad Fort has been made as backdrop at the venue of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade in Kevadiya (now known as Ekta Nagar) in Gujarat to showcase the stories of incredible valour, heroic deeds and innovative warfare techniques of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Originally called Rairi,  the fort of Raigad is part of the 12 forts nominated by India for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)  World Heritage under the title “Maratha Military Landscapes of India”.  Among the 12 nominated forts, Raigad is the classic example of Maratha architecture and best representation of the capital fort on a hill, well integrated with the physiography of the hill with the most developed typologies of structures within the fort. Grant Duff (1789 – 1858), a British administrator-historian of the Maratha period, had compared Raigad to the Rock of Gibraltar and labeled Raigad as the Gibraltar of the East. Why did Shivaji Maharaj select the Raigad Fort...