Introduction Images Coming soon A vast and wealthy port formerly flourished in what is now the Indian state of Gujarat; established as Bharuch—Greek and Roman traders knew it as Barygaza. Despite its rich and cosmopolitan past dating back to Pre-Maurya times, Barygaza – located on the Narmada river's north bank – is oddly absent from most Indian histories due to an incredible paucity of evidence. It wasn't until the Sakas intervened and developed Barygaza as an important link in the Indo-Roman commerce network. and the wealthiest people of Rome obtained silk and spices from "the east, " making Barygaza almost ... Read More

Introduction Ashoka, also goes by the name Ashoka the Great, was a Maurya Dynasty Indian monarch or ruler who controlled the entire Indian subcontinent leaving some territories of the south, between 268 and 232 BCE. Images Coming soon How Ashoka Helped Improve the Village Life Ashoka, like previous pious rulers, was not a revolutionary. However, there were some modifications. In the years that followed, Ashoka blended his Buddhism with material concerns that fulfilled the Buddha's original aim to alleviate human suffering: he had irrigation canals built, wells dug, and highways built. He constructed rest stations along roadways, public gardens, ... Read More

Introduction Not much is known about the Cholas before the beginning of the 8th century CE. It is mostly written literary sources that throw a light on the rule and kingship of the Chola rulers. Rise of the Cholas (850-1250 CE) Ancient Tamil literary texts composed during the Sangama period act as chief sources to know about the times and history of the Cholas. References to the Chola life and times, trade routes, towns, ports and commerce are also found in the Greek text, “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea”. Mahavamsa, which is a Buddhist canonical text written down during the ... Read More

Second Urbanization: Overview The "Second Urbanisation" occurred after 500 BCE, with new urban centers popping up throughout the Ganges plain, precisely the Central Ganges plain. During the second urbanization, iron was widely utilized, and agricultural productivity increased, leading to the establishment of several towns and cities. The Central Ganges Plain, where Magadha rose to prominence and founded the Mauryan Empire, was a separate cultural zone influenced by Vedic civilization. And in the whole South Asia region, only the central Ganges plain was the site known for huge rice production. Also, the Sramanic movements flourished in this region only, and ... Read More

Introduction We have various sources of history to know about what happened in the past. Some are written history called literary sources like books, religious scriptures. Some are archeological sources. Archaeological Sources of History Archaeological sources of history are of the following types − Coins − Minted containing engravings of the ruler of the time. The kind of metal used gave an idea about the economic condition of the state during that time. Images Coming soon Monuments & Relics − Built to commemorate achievements like victory of another ruler. Important directives for the people of the state were also ... Read More

Introduction History without context is an incomplete story, and as we’ve seen prior, history is written by its winners. There are several different considerations surrounding a historical event or scenario that provide additional insight into reality. Historical events too, don’t exist by themselves, but are a product of their time-period, culture, and society. We can understand that as the context changes over time, so does language and semantics–which is the meaning and our interpretation of words and language. In this tutorial, you will learn about new and old terminologies used in History, the scribes, its Historians, and their sources. ... Read More

Introduction Biographies, as written histories, are rich sources for personality portraits. Harṣavardhana ruled approximately 300 years after Samudragupta; his biography was authored by court poet, Bāṇabhaṭṭa; it is known as the Harṣacharita, or the deeds of Harṣa. Images Coming soon Bāṇabhaṭṭa, the Portrait of a Poet Bāṇabhaṭṭa is one of the greatest poets of India. He was born in Pritikuta, on the shores of river Hiranyavahu. The area where Bāṇabhaṭṭa was born is called Chhapra today. He was born a Brahmin, to Chitrabhanu and Rajadevi; the family belonged to Vatsyayana Gotra. The family didn’t have much money but Bāṇabhaṭṭa was ... Read More

Introduction We cannot imagine a life without paper today. Paper and the printing press have made knowledge widely available, but this was not always the case. Here, you will learn about the evolution of paper use through the ages, the significance of manuscripts and scribes, and the alteration of scripts due to the interpretation of manuscripts, by writers from different eras. Paper – From Scarce Resource to Daily Commodity In this section, we will look at how paper became a common resource from its former status as a limited, scarce one. This evolution happened over the course of one millennium, ... Read More

Introduction The Gupta Dynasty is a powerful royal dynasty from the annals of Indian history. The dynasty rose to prominence 1700 years ago, and several generations of rulers ascended the throne to maintain their supremacy. Chief among them is one of the forerunners of the dynasty, the man who single-handedly erected the empire, unifying the subcontinent, setting up a Golden Age of development in diverse fields; Samudragupta, who has been called the Napoleon of India. Images Coming soon Samudragupta – The Man, the Myth, the Warrior War in ancient times was no joke. It will never be, but the ... Read More

Introduction The Guptas, along with the Mauryans, are considered to be the two great dynasties in Indian history. The former, the Gupta Empire, ruled over the Maghada (present day Bihar) and portions of Central and Western India, ranging from the start of the 4th century, to the end of the 6th century. Historians and academicians have regarded the Gupta Empire as the Classical Age, the heyday of development in an array of disciplines; it was a time when the rules of Indian literature, architecture, philosophy, and art were determined. Images Coming soon Gupta Empire: History and Administration The Kushanas ... Read More