Indian History

Coins of Yashovarman Nothing much is known about the events in Kanyakubja from the death of emperor Harshavardhana in 647 AD up to the rise of the Yashovarman who in the eighth century had established an empire at Kanyakubja which for a while controlled much of the North India. After Harsha's death there was a great confusion due to the absence of his heirs.  After Harsha's death Kanyakubja came for a short period under the hands of an usurper, Arunasva who attacked Wang Hstian-tse who had come to the court of Harsha as ambassador of the Chinese emperor Tai-tsung. However, Wang Hstian-tse, with the help of an army from Tibet, Nepal and Assam, succeeded in capturing Arunasva who was taken back to China to spend his days in attendance on the Tang Emperor.  The city of Kanyakubja, modern Kannauj, was the largest and most prosperous city of Northern India and its cultural centre till the coming of the Muslims. The exploits of Yashovarman have been documented in the Prakri...

Ashokan Pillar Lumbini / Image Credit   Lumbini in the Rupandehi District in Nepal is the spiritual centre of Buddhism. It was at the royal grove at Lumbini that the Buddha was born in 563 B. C. on the Vaihsakha Purnima day. Lumbini is one of the four main sacred sites of the Buddhist religion. Other three main holy places are Bodh Gaya (Tree of Wisdom at Gaya where Buddha gained enlightenment), Sarnath near Varanasi where he preached his first sermon and Kushinagar where he died- all located in India.  These four sacred places have attracted pilgrim for centuries. Lumbini has long been sanctified as the birthplace of Lord Buddha. According to the Lumbini Pillar Edict (also known as Rummindei Pillar Inscription) in Lumbini, Mauryan Emperor Ashoka travelled to Lumbini in 249 BC and constructed four stupas and erected a stone pillar with a figure of a horse on top. Lumbini is one of the four main sacred sites of the Buddhist religion. Other three holy places are Bodh Gaya (...

Popular in ancient India, Pali and Prakrit are among the five languages which were recently accorded the status of Classical Languages. Marathi, Bengali and Assamese are the other languages that have been accorded similar status., Prakrit (natural) is a blanket term for the peoples’ languages that were used by the common masses in ancient Indian subcontinent. Parkrit, unlike Sanskrit, was people's language, the natural speech of the people because the Prakrit language was simple and easy than Sanskrit both in sound and grammar.  Each region of the subcontinent had its own particular variety of Prakrit. A large number of Ashokan edicts are in Prakrit.  Famous works written in Prakrit are the poems “The Building of the Causeway” ( Setubandha or Ravanavaho ), “The Slaying of the King of Gauda (Bengal)”  ( Gaudavaho ) and a drama named Karpuramanjari . While Setubandha was written by Vakataka king Pravarasena II (r. c. 420 – 455 CE), Gaudavaho has been ascribed to 8th ...

  Drainage System at Lothal /  Image Credit One of the most striking features of Harappan civilization , also known as Indus valley civilization, is its elaborate drainage system which was a product of careful thought and planning. Furnished with sophisticated sewage system, the main streets of the cities of the Indus valley civilization had sewers below them. The bathrooms of the houses flowed into sewers leading to the soak pits. The drains were covered with large slabs of bricks and stones. However, one defect of the drains during the period was that they were located near the wells. This unique drainage system of the Indus people indicates the existence of a highly organized municipal organization without which it would not have been possible to maintain such an efficient system of drains. It can be safely said that no other ancient civilization can come close to the Harappan culture when it comes to drainage system. The efficient sewage system characteristic feature of th...

Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur (Karnataka) / Image Credit   The most famous monument in Karnataka’s Bijapur, Gol Gumbaz (Round Dome) is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah (1627 -56), the seventh ruler of Adil Shahi Dynasty, one of the five succession states that came into existence after disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate of Deccan. Bijapur was established in the 10th–11th centuries during the reign of Kalyani Chalukyas (Western Chalukyas) and was known as Vijayapura (city of victory).  Built by the ruler himself in his lifetime, this gigantic mausoleum is an engineering marvel known for perfect stereophonic acoustics. Its huge round dome is world’s second largest in size only to the dome of St Peter's Basalica in Rome. The external diameter of this hemispherical dome is about 44 metres.   Every sound in the central chamber of the monument is echoed seven times. Another feature of this ambitious monument of the Adil Shahi Dynasty is the whispering gallery, where even the ...

       Contesting Candidates for Palwal Assembly Elections 2024      Party Candidates Votes Polled   BJP Gaurav Gautam 109118   Congress Karan Singh Dalal 75513   Palwal assembly constituency in the district of the same name is currently being represented by BJP's Gaurav Gautam who had defeated Karan Singh Dalal of the Congress in 2024 by a margin of 33,605 votes.  Electoral History of Palwal Assembly Constituency Palwal, one of the nine assembly segments in the Faridabad parliamentary constituency, had been earlier won by Karan Singh Dalal five times in a row. He emerged victorious in 2014, 2005, 2000, 1996 and 1991. 

      Contesting Candidates for Prithla Assembly Elections 2024      Party Candidates Votes Polled   Congress Raghubir Tewatia 70262   BJP Tek Chand Sharma 49721   Independent Nayan Pal Rawat 22023