Indian History

  Vikramshila Entrance / Image Credit अंतीचक बिहार के भागलपुर जिले में स्थित एक महत्वपूर्ण पुरातात्विक स्थल है, जहाँ प्राचीन विक्रमशिला विश्वविद्यालय के अवशेष मिले हैं। 8वीं शताब्दी में पाल शासक धर्मपाल द्वारा स्थापित विक्रमशिला वज्रयान बौद्ध धर्म का एक प्रमुख केंद्र होने के साथ-साथ प्राचीन भारत के महत्वपूर्ण शिक्षा केंद्रों में भी गिना जाता था। विक्रमशिला से तिब्बत भेजे गए बौद्ध विद्वानों और आचार्यों के माध्यम से 11वीं शताब्दी में तिब्बत में वज्रयान बौद्ध धर्म के प्रसार को महत्वपूर्ण गति मिली। इस प्राचीन विश्वविद्यालय परिसर में मठ, मंदिर और स्तूप सहित अनेक संरचनाओं के अवशेष पाए गए हैं। 1960-61 में किए गए पुरातात्विक उत्खनन के दौरान यहाँ पत्थर और मिट्टी से निर्मित बुद्ध की अनेक प्रतिमाएँ प्राप्त हुईं। ये अवशेष विक्रमशिला की समृद्ध बौद्ध परंपरा, स्थापत्य कला और प्राचीन शैक्षणिक विरासत की महत्वपूर्ण झलक प्रस्तुत करते हैं।

कुंभकोणम: प्राचीन मंदिरों और आस्था की नगरी तंजावुर जिले में स्थित कुंभकोणम दक्षिण भारत के प्राचीन और पवित्र नगरों में से एक है। शैव और वैष्णव परंपराओं में समान रूप से महत्वपूर्ण यह नगर अपने प्राचीन मंदिरों, स्थापत्य कला, धार्मिक परंपराओं और ऐतिहासिक विरासत के लिए प्रसिद्ध है। कावेरी और अरसलार नदियों के बीच बसा कुंभकोणम और इसके आसपास अनेक प्राचीन मंदिर स्थित हैं। यद्यपि कुंभकोणम का उल्लेख प्राचीन काल से मिलता है, लेकिन मध्यकालीन चोल शासन के दौरान, विशेषकर 7वीं शताब्दी के बाद, इस क्षेत्र ने महत्वपूर्ण धार्मिक और सांस्कृतिक केंद्र के रूप में अपनी पहचान बनाई। ब्रिटिश शासनकाल में यहाँ मौजूद अनेक शैक्षणिक संस्थानों के कारण इसे कभी-कभी ‘दक्षिण भारत का कैम्ब्रिज’ भी कहा जाता था। हर 12 वर्ष में आयोजित होने वाला प्रसिद्ध महामहम उत्सव कुंभकोणम की धार्मिक पहचान का एक महत्वपूर्ण हिस्सा है। कुंभेश्वर मंदिर कुंभेश्वर मंदिर /  चित्र सौजन्य कुंभकोणम का नाम यहाँ के अधिष्ठाता देव कुंभेश्वर के नाम पर पड़ा माना जाता है। मंदिर से जुड़ी एक प्रसिद्ध किंवदंती के अनुसार, प्रलय के बाद भगवान शिव ने एक किर...

Alluri Seetharama Raju Alluri Seetharama Raju is known in Indian history to have led the Rampa rebellion which took place in during 1922-24 against the British. He was born on July 4, 1897 in Pandrangi village in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. He studied at Mrs. AVN College in Visakhapatnam. Rampa rebellion was one of the 70 listed tribal uprisings during the British colonial period from 1778 to 1947. What makes Rampa rebellion unique that it was the earliest known tribal revolt led by a non-tribal Alluri Seetharama Raju. Though an outsider, he assembled a band of followers who had the support of the people of the surrounding areas of at least 2,500 square miles. He became a folk hero in Andhra Pradesh and came to be known as Manyam Veerudu (Hero of the jungles). Though Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperation Movement inspired him, he advocated violence to win tribal goals.  The revolt takes its name from the Rampa region north of Godavari, which was the place of ac...

Independence Day celebrations will be marked by the unfurling of the national flag at the Red Fort in Delhi and across the country.  Indian flag is important for the people of India. It has a place of pride in the hearts of Indian people. Traditionally, the Indian national flag was made exclusively from khadi, a hand-spun and handwoven fabric closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi and India's freedom movement. Following amendments to the Flag Code of India in 2022, the flag may now also be manufactured from machine-made fabrics such as cotton, polyester, wool, silk, or khadi.  It is also called Tricolor thanks to the three colours that adorn it.  Importance and meaning of Indian Flag India's national flag is a symbol of the unity of India which is a pluralist country. It was officially adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947. The flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya .  The Indian flag is a rectangular and horizo...

Today is the death anniversary of Khudiram Bose [1889-1908], a revolutionary born in the Midnapore district of West Bengal.  One of India’s earliest revolutionaries to die on the gallows on August 11, 1908, Khudiram Bose was a member of the revolutionary society Anushilan Samiti. He along with Prufulla Chaki threw a bomb at the carriage of Kingsford, an English Judge at Muzaffarpur in Bihar, instead mistakenly killed two British women. He was arrested in the Muzaffarpur Conspiracy case and sentenced to death at the young age of 18. Khudiram Bose was executed in Muzaffarpur jail in Bihar on 11 August 1908.  Khudiram Bose was born on 3rd December in 1889  in the Habibpur village in West Bengal's West Midnapore district.  

Under Communist regimes there is a wide gap between precept and reality, of which history offers ample evidence. After the Russian Revolution, Vladimir Lenin moved into a millionaire’s mansion even as widespread hardship and famine afflicted parts of the country. The revolution had promised equality and fraternity, yet many critics argue that the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite increasingly contradicted those ideals. Similarly, footage of celebrations marking Mao Zedong's birthday in Communist China has been cited by critics as reflecting extravagant displays more commonly associated with elite social gatherings than with a society founded on egalitarian principles. During much of Mao's rule, millions of Chinese continued to live in poverty despite the state's commitment to economic equality. Cuban leader Fidel Castro was well known for his fondness for premium cigars, a luxury item that stood in contrast to the egalitarian ethos espoused by the revolution. Among Co...

  India's ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision to include Sarnath in the list was taken during the ongoing 48th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) being held in Busan , South Korea.  "New inscription on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath, #India," UNESCO said in a post on X. The nomination for UNESCO tag was for the 2025-26 cycle. Sarnath Buddha / Image credit Now India has 45 of its sites on the list. The country ranks sixth globally and second in the Asia Pacific Region for the most number of World Heritage Sites.  Last year,  12 Maratha forts of 'Maratha Military Landscapes ' were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in Paris .  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 G...