Indian History

Born at Nadiad in the present-day Kheda district of Gujarat, Indulal Yajnik was one of the finest editors. A freedom fighter, social worker and peasant leader from Gujarat he was a gifted journalist. He was associated with the home rule movement started by Annie Besant. Yajnik actively participated in the Kaira Satyagraha organized by Gandhi to secure exemption for the peasants from payment of land tax for the crops that had failed. He launched two Gujarati monthlies – Navjivan Ame Saty and Yugadharm and a daily Nutnan Gujarat . Indulal Yajnik established schools for the Bhil children and was the secretary of the Antyaj Sava Mandal , with Thakkar Bapa as its president. He was actively associated with the Kisan Sabha work and organsied the cooperative movement among the peasants of Gujarat. In 1942 he presided over the annual session of Akhil Hind Kisan Sabha . He was a founder of the Gujarat Vidyapeeth. In 1956 he took lead in the Maha Gujarat Movement for a separate state and beca...

Born in a Brahmin family in 1608 Ramdasa was the spiritual guru of the great Maratha ruler Shivaji . He travelled throughout India for twelve years and finally settled at Chaphal on the banks of the Krishna where he built a temple. During the political upheaval Ramdasa regarded the realization of God as primary aim. Samarth Ramdasa established monasteries in different parts of Maharashtra. These monasteries served as centres of spirituality. He emphasized the need of physical yoga exercises as well as meditation. In his magnum opus Dasabodha , Samarth Ramdasa combines his vast knowledge of various sciences and arts with the synthesizing principle of spiritual life. He is credited to have written several abhangas which deals with the ways to realize God.

The emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign country in 1971 is an important event in the world history. At the time of Indian independence in 1947 Bangladesh was a part of newly created nation of Pakistan. Since then, (it is still the case) Pakistan had been carrying their hate India campaign since its creation. It was nor ready (is still not ready) to understand that the future of India and Pakistan depends on peace and cooperation between these two countries. Before its independence in 1971 Bangladesh was described as Eastern Pakistan . Due to the high handedness of the West Pakistan (present Pakistan) over the people of Eastern Pakistan, the situation came to such a pass that the people of the eastern Pakistan were in no mood to submit to the reckless dictates of the Western Pakistani authorities. The first elections in Pakistan were held in 1970. The Awami League of eastern Pakistan, under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , got an absolute majority winning 160 out of 1...

There is a divergence of views on how the word Bangla or Bengal came into being. The area that constitutes the present day West Bengal was ruled by various kingdoms in ancient times. West Bengal was part of the Mauryan Empire (BC 321-185), the first and one of the greatest empires to be established in Indian history. The earliest reference to Bengal in foreign accounts has been found in those of the Greeks dating back to the first century BC. According to Mahavamsa, the Sri Lankan Buddhist Chronicle, Vijaya Singha, an obscure Vanga prince, conquered Sri Lanka in 544 BC. After the fall of the Mauryan Empire, the territory of West Bengal came under the control of smaller kingdoms. After an interregnum it once again became part of the great Gupta rule, known as the classical age in Indian history. After the fall of the Gupta empire, several local rulers asserted their independence. Chief among them were Dharmaditya, Gopachandra, and Samacharadeva. The first independent king of substance i...

I n ancient times many powerful dynasties held their sway over the territory that constituted the present day Assam which was then known as Kamarupa. Chief among them were the Varmans (c.350-650 AD), the Salstambhas (c.655-900 AD) and the Kamarupa-Palas (c.900-1100 AD). It was during the reign of the Varman king, Bhaskaravarman (c.600–650 AD), that the Chinese traveler Xuan Zang visited the region. After the disintegration of the ancient dynasties, two later kingdoms, the Ahoms and the Koch came to the centrestage of Assam. Of these the first held their sovereignty over Assam for nearly 600 years. The Koch kingdom came into being in c.1510 AD. During the reign of Naranarayana (c.1540-1587 AD), the power of the kingdom reached its pinnacle. The greatest king of the Ahom dynasty was Sukhrungpha or Sworgodeu Rudra Simha (c.1696-1714 AD). Among other kingdoms which held their sway in some parts of Assam at this period were the Chutiyas, the Kacharis. During the reign of  Mughal emp...

The history of Gujarat, the western most state of India, goes back to 2000 B.C. Tradition has it that Lord Krishna left Mathura to settle on the west coast of Saurashtra, which later became famous as Dwarka, a well-known city in the state.  Two important Indus Valley Civilisation sites in  Gujarat are Lothal and Dholavira . The area that constitutes the present day Gujarat was ruled by various dynasties including Mauryas, Guptas, Pratiharas and others. During the time of Chalukya dynasty, Gujarat saw progress and prosperity. the Chalukya or Solankis ruled in Gujarat and Kathiawar for nearly three centuries and half (950-1300). One of the earliest rulers of this dynasty was Mularaja who consolidated the Chalukya power in Gujarat. The next illustrious king was Bhima I (1022-64), during whose reign Mahmud Ghazni overran Gujarat and plundered the great temple of Somanath. Jayasimha Siddharaja was the greatest Chalukya king who, in commemoration of his victory against the...

Haryana is known for being the territory over which were fought some of the decisive and famous battles that changed much of the history of India. Chief among them are the battle of Mahabharata and the three battles of Panipat. The Indus Valley Civilization, or the Harappan Civilization, one of the world's first and oldest civilizations, was located in part of what is now Haryana. Banawali in Hisar District of Haryana was a major city of the Indus Valley Civilization. Rakhigarhi is another city of the Indus Valley Civilization that is situated in the present day Haryana. Haryana was an important centre of Vedic civilization. King Harshavardhana, one of the greatest kings of ancient India made Thanesar near Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana his capital in the 7th century AD. Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu king in Delhi, founded forts at Tarori and Hansi in the 12th century. Haryana came under the control of Muslim ruler after Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by Muhammad G...