A stunning find of a fragmentary stone inscription in an old well near Kandhar in 1959 with a detailed description of the buildings in the ancient capital and the philanthropic activities of Raja Krishna III of the mighty Rashtrakuta dynasty threw light on one of the unknown capitals of the dynasty. The inscription mentions the... Continue Reading →
One of the oldest temples of the Konkan coastal stretch is the Ambernath Shiv Temple located at Ambernath about 50 km from Mumbai. Ambernath literally means Lord of the Sky or Space and interestingly, this temple does not have a roof over the sanctum sanctorum! Locals believe that the presiding deity may have been named... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of 'Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra' holds the key to understanding our glorious past dating back to the Vedic times. Every square inch of this city and its outskirts is both historically and archaeologically important. Kurukshetra has been at the helm of many significant events and has faced the brunt of successive Muslim invasions over... Continue Reading →
The holy city of Pehowa in Kurukshetra district is held in high esteem by historians, archaeologists and spiritualists. This city finds mention in Hindu scriptures (several Puranas) and is believed to be named after the legendary Chakravarti Prithu. Chakravarti Prithu is credited with saving the earth from famine in the ancient times. This divine... Continue Reading →
Our quest to draw a map of ancient India specifically the Mahabharat era leads us to Mirzapur village in the municipality of Thanesar in Kurukshetra district. The ancient town of Thanesar also known as Sthaneshwar, deriving its name from the presiding deity, Lord Shiva who is seated at Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple is considered to be... Continue Reading →
Nashik has traditionally been considered to be the birthplace of the Yadavas of Devagiri also known as Seuna or the Gavli Kings. The Yadavas of Devagiri are known for their ingenuity and unique style of architecture called Hemadpanti named after their renowned Prime Minister, Hemadri Pandit. Temples built in Hemadpanti are seen in Rajputana, Malwa... Continue Reading →
One of the most interesting forts of Rajasthan is the lesser-known Achalgarh Fort nestled high in the Aravalli Range. This magnificent fort sits atop a hill in the picturesque village of Achalgarh, a few kilometres away from the famous Dilwara Temples. The Achalgarh Fort complex situated in an eco-sensitive zone is steeped in history, religion... Continue Reading →
Akhanda Bharat saw several invasions from the fearsome Huns whose tentacles of power had spread across South Asia and Europe at a frightening speed in the final years of Kumaragupta's reign. By the end of the 5th century, Attila the Hun had plundered the rich provinces of Europe with alarming ease while the Huns under... Continue Reading →
Located deep in the dense forest of the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in the geologically significant tehsil of Bhanpura in West Malwa on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan is the important monument and temple site of the fort of Hinglajgarh. This fort has a rich and glorious ancient history that is marred by the tragic events... Continue Reading →
One of the most curious brick temples built in Bengal is the famous Ichhai Ghosher Deul located on the bank of the Ajay River at a little distance from Durgapur. This centuries-old brick temple is built in the rekha deul style of architecture that is more typical of Odisha than Bengal. There is little or no... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of Tezpur known as Sonitpur in the Mahabharat was the kingdom of the mighty Shiva bhakta Banasura. Banasura, an asura had pleased Lord Shiva with his manual dexterity using his thousand arms to play for Lord Shiva as he performed the Tandava (Cosmic Dance). Banasura was at the receiving end of Lord Shiva's wrath when... Continue Reading →
One of the lesser-known and earliest examples of the char chala style of architecture is the centuries-old brick temple at Palpara. Though there is not much information about the date of construction, this temple is deemed to have been built in the 17th century. Locals and historians differ over the builder of this temple with the former... Continue Reading →
One of the most iconic forts of Madhya Pradesh is the Madan Mahal Fort located atop a hill in the centre of the historical city of Jabalpur. Built by Raja Madan Singh of the Garh Mandla kingdom of Gondwana in 1116, this fort is also known as Rani Durgavati Fort or Rani Durgavati ka Qila. ... Continue Reading →
The quaint town of Arumbavur located in Veppanthattai taluk of Perambalur district is renowned for the five-hundred-year-old craft of wood carving. In the earlier days, the sthapathis used to travel from temple to temple creating masterpieces like the ratha (chariot), utensils, statues and other iconography as per the tenets of Shilpa Shastra. Many of these original pieces of art are... Continue Reading →
The centuries-old Char Bangla Mandiralaya at Baranagar is one of the most picturesque and interesting temple complexes built in Bengal. Located on the bank of the Bhagirathi River, this temple is a short boat ride upstream from Azimganj Sadarghat on the opposite bank. This temple is one of many built by the affluent philanthropist, Rani Bhabani... Continue Reading →
The fourth of the fifty-two forts conquered by Maharaja Sangram Shah of the Garha Mandla kingdom of Gondwana in the early 16th century is the impregnable Singorgarh Fort situated atop a hillock in Singrampur village in Damoh district. This hill fort is most famous for the valour and martyrdom of the ruling Queen of Gondwana,... Continue Reading →
The finest examples of the ancient craft of stone carving adorn the temples of Puri, Bhubaneswar and Konark and is a tribute to the architectural ingenuity that Odisha is renowned for. The sculptures with its exquisite detailing and craftsmanship were an expression of love, devotion and faith and went beyond religion into the realm of... Continue Reading →
Sonamukhi, located in Bankura district is home to some of the most exquisite terracotta temples built in Bengal that are widely considered to be far superior to those seen in nearby Bishnupur. Sonamukhi derives it names from the powerful local deity Swarnamukhi Devi with Swarna meaning gold and mukhi meaning face and literally means gold face or golden face.... Continue Reading →
Pahadi Dhusran or Dhosi ka Pahad (Dhosi Hill), located at a little distance from Narnaul in Mahendragarh district is one of the most sacred places in India. This lone hill is an extinct volcano and a part of the Aravalli mountain range and has been mentioned in the Puranas, Brahmanas, Mahabharat and Hindus scriptures. The... Continue Reading →
The quaint village of Sukharia located on the busy Somrabazar railway line in Hooghly district has some of the finest terracotta temples and old mansions that you will find in Bengal. Somrabazar has historically been the home of some of the oldest Zamindar families whose wealth, grandeur and affluence has had a significant influence on the culture... Continue Reading →
One of the most mysterious forts of India is located in the sleepy village of Tikamgarh about 70kms from Orchha. A curious aspect about this fort is that the entire fort is clearly visible at a distance of 12 kms but completely vanishes as you near the assumed location of the fort! Even if this... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of Ambowa now known as Ambika Kalna located on the west bank of the Bhagirathi River in Purba Bardhaman district has some of the most unique and beautiful temples built in the various styles of architecture typical to Bengal. Chala, rekha, ratna, mancha and plain roofed temples are scattered across Kalna built by the various dynasties who... Continue Reading →
An interesting fort complex built during the glory days of Bengal relegated to obscurity is the Kurumbera Fort which is at a little distance from Kharagpur. Kurumbera Fort which derives its name from kurum which means stone and bera which means fence and collectively means an area fenced by stone in the local language is located in the historically... Continue Reading →
One of the best-preserved brick temple complexes of the 9th - 10th century is found in the sleepy village of Nibiya Khera in Bhadwara. Though no inscription has been found, it is likely that the Gurjara - Pratihara dynasty who ruled over a large part of Northern India built this temple. This temple complex... Continue Reading →
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