Saturday, April 19, 2025

Tabaqat-i-Akbari of Nizamuddin Ahmad

Khwajah Nizamuddin Ahmad was a medieval writer who has written Tabaqat-i-Akbari, dealing with the event from early Muslim invasions to the 38th year of the reign of Akbar (1593-4). He held the military title of Mir Bakhshi during Akbar's region.

Tabaqat-i-Akbari was translated into English by Dr.Brajendranath De (1852-1932). 

Udupi

Some 60km from Mangalore in Karnataka is the Vaishnavite pilgrimage town of Udupi, a sanctum of Madhvacharya, founder of Dvaita school of philosophyA 13th century Sanskrit philosopher, Madhvacharya called his philosophy Tattvavāda meaning "arguments from a realist viewpoint". He had authored several texts including Tantrasara Sangraha. 

Also known as Rajata Peetha (silver seat) and Shivalli, Udupi is famous for its Krishna Temple.

The main attraction at this temple is the 'Kanakana Kindi (Kanaka's window),' - a small window through which Krishna is believed to have given darshan to his ardent devotee, Kanakadasa, the sixteenth century Bhakti saint and philosopher. Kanakadasa belonged to Kuruba (shepherd) community.

Friday, April 18, 2025

Today In Indian History (19th April)

Execution of young Indian revolutionary Anant Laxman Kanhere on 19th April in 1910 by the British colonial government for shooting Nashik district collector Arthur Mason Tippetts Jackson on 21 December 1909.


Born on 7 January 1892 in a Chitpavan Brahmin family in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, Anant Laxman Kanhere or Anantrao was 18 years old when he was executed. 

Monday, April 14, 2025

B. R. Ambedkar's Birth Anniversary


Today is the birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar who was a leader of the depressed classes throughout his life. He worked for the moral and material progress of the 'untouchables'.

B. R. Ambedkar was born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow (now officially known as Dr Ambedkar Nagar) in Madhya Pradesh. He belonged to the 'untouchable' Mahar caste.

Ambedkar was a great scholar who studied economics at Columbia University and the London School of Economics. 

In 1924 Ambedkar founded the Depressed Classes Institute (Bahishkrit Hitkarni Sabha) in Bombay. Three years later in 1927 he established the Samaj Samta Sangh to propagate the gospel of social equality between caste Hindus and worked for the uplift of the 'untouchables'.

In December 1927, he led a satyagraha in Mahad to fight for the rights of the 'untouchables' to draw water from public wells and tanks.

In 1928 he organized temple entry movement named  Parvati temple satyagraha. He started Kalasam temple satyagraha during 1930 and 1935. 

In 1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party for protecting the interest of the labour classes. That year he wrote seminal work Annihilation of Caste which strongly criticizes the caste system. 

In 1942 he founded Scheduled Castes Federation to campaign for the rights of the Dalit community.

Ambedkar was one of the chief authors of the Indian Constitution which came into effect on January 26, 1950. He resigned from government in 1951. In 1956 he converted to Buddhism, and he died later that year.


Sunday, April 13, 2025

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Jallianwala Bagh / Amritsar

The infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British colonial power under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on thousands of people who had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh public gardens in Amritsar to protest against the Rowlatt Act and arrest of pro-independence leaders of Amritsar, Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal. Passed in 1919, the Rowlatt Act was a repressive law passed by the British colonial government in India which gave the police sweeping powers to arrest and detain people without trial.

Brigadier General Reginald Dyer, the military commander of Amritsar, had ordered the firing on the innocent people who have gathered here to protest the arrest of Congress leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satya Pal under Rowlatt Act.

1919 soldiers of the British Army in India had opened fire on the crowd in a walled public garden and killed over 1,000 of them. This became known variously as the Amritsar Massacre or the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The bloodbath was endorsed by Michael O’Dwyer who had called it “correct action”. Michael O’Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in 1919 when Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place. 

On 13 March 1940, Udham Singh shot O’Dwyer at London's Caxton Hall where he was attending a meeting of the East India Association and the Royal Central Asian Society. O’Dwyer was killed instantly. 


History of Murshidabad

Ancient Times 

Karnasuvarna (কর্ণসুবর্ণ), currently located in the present day Murshidabad district, was the capital of Gauda Kingdom,  ruled by Sasank, a contemporary of Harshvardhan (Harsha) of Kanauj and his arch enemey. Sasank had killed Rajyavardhana, elder brother and predecessor of Harsha. Sasank ruled in the first half of the seventh century AD.  

It was after the death of Sasank that the Gauda kingdom of Karnasuvarna became a part of the Assam's Kamarupa kingdom which was ruled by Bhaskaravarman. 

Mughal Period 

Named after Murshid Quli Khan, the Diwan of Bengal under Aurangzeb, Murshidabad came to the forefront of attention in 1704 when the former transferred his capital from Dacca to this place and renamed it Murshidabad. Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal and the founder of the Nasiri dynasty which ruled Bengal from 1717 until 1740.

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.

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.


Saturday, April 12, 2025

Today in Indian History (13th April)

1796 - First Elephant arrives in U.S. on April 13 in 1796

1919 - The infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British colonial power under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer opened fire on thousands of people who had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh public gardens in Amritsar to protest against the Rowlatt Act and arrest of pro-independence leaders of Amritsar, Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal.



Hawa Mahal

One of the most written-about and photographed of the monuments in the world, the Hawa Mahal ( Palace of Winds)  was built in 1799 by Sawai ...