Topic
indian history
Essays connected by a shared question.
The Layered Birth of Gods
One temple accepts only flowers; another remembers blood. Read those differences as fossils rather than local flavour, and the gods start to look assembled.
The Lord of the Hills and the Clay of the Desert
A terracotta goddess excavated at Ur around 1800 BCE looks unmistakably like Venkateshwara. Coincidence, or a shared grammar for picturing the divine?
Age of the Shiva Tandava Stotra
The hymn is credited to Ravana, but its metre, vocabulary and imagery point somewhere else entirely: eighth-century Rashtrakuta India.
Why India created so many spiritual systems, and kept them all
Ritual, self-knowledge, mantra, yoga, devotion: India kept adding paths without discarding the old ones. Why the contradictions were allowed to stand.
Tracing the origins of Srāddha
The gods are offered svāhā; the ancestors, svadhā. Following one difference in wording back through the Brāhmaṇas to the root of a rite for the dead.
The Many Faces of Indian Gods: A Historical Story
In the Rigveda the gods have no faces, only fire, storm and wind. How Indian divinity travelled from poetic metaphor into carved, worshipable stone.
The Journey of Indian Spirituality, Part 2
By 500 CE the Vedic sacrifice had argued itself into abstraction. Part two follows what rose in its place: Buddhism, bhakti, and a god you could love.
Rewriting Mathematical History: The Bakhshali Manuscript’s Revelations
The history of mathematics is rich with innovators who brought forth concepts and systems that revolutionized our understanding of the universe.
A Journey Through India’s Age-old Water Wisdom
Water, often termed the “lifeblood of civilization,” has been at the core of societal development from the earliest of times.
Seas That Connected Crowns
In the ancient city of Kanchipuram, the air was thick with sorrow and tension. The elder Pallava king, Paramesvara varman I, had breathed his last, and the kingdom was plunged into a state of uncertainty.
Ancient Commerce with a Modern Conscience
Let’s take a step back in time, journeying to ancient India, to be specific around the 4th and 5th centuries CE. Picture two bustling towns: Aihole and Pattadakal, located in what is now modern-day Karnataka.
Hyderabad: The Forgotten Epochs and the Quest for Origins, Part 1
Greetings from the heart of Hyderabad, a city where history whispers through the stones, food, and soil.
From Pune Potters to British Surgeons: The Story of Nose Jobs
The concept of interconnected knowledge can be envisioned as a vast, invisible web, each thread contributing to the strength and integrity of the whole.
When Aryabhata Meets Aditya L1
As ISRO’s Aditya L1 spacecraft soared into the sky from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, a new chapter was added to India’s ambitious space exploration narrative.
Evolution of India’s Natural Philosophy and Engineering Marvels
In an ancient land, where the misty Ganges flowed and the colossal Himalayas stood guard, the nascent seeds of knowledge were sown.
Witness to Glory: Domingo Paes and the Vijayanagara Empire
Hampi, known for its monumental ruins and historical charm, has always been near and dear to my heart. My multiple visits to this ancient city have always filled me with awe and curiosity.