"http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,849910-1,00.html"
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Miscellaneous Topics On Indian History - 2
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05-18-2008, 01:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-18-2008, 01:38 PM by Capt M Kumar.)
http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/media/sh...ave-land-3.html
Clearly, with the economic changes sweeping the tribal region of Himachal, the conflict between tribal laws and constitutional law is becoming more glaring than ever before and could well sound the death knell for polyandry which has little relevance or legality in todayâs reality.
06-06-2008, 08:12 PM
Madurai family traces its roots 70,000 years back: Bearers of 'M130'
http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftn...-yrs-back-.aspx <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Chennai, April 3: A 30-year-old systems administrator hailing from a sleepy village close to Madurai in Tamil Nadu has been identified as one of the direct descendants of the first ever settlers in India, who had migrated from the African coast some 70,000 years ago. The DNA of Virumandi Andithevar, one of the 700-odd inhabitants of Jothimanickam village, matched the white chromosome marker scientifically labelled 'M130', which is a gene found only among the descendants of the African migrants who had spread across the world tens of thousands of years ago. 'This young man and 13 members of his nine-generation clan carried the same marker in their genes. It means that his ancestors in all probability settled in this village several generations ago,' said Prof. Rm Pitchappan, who led a team of scientists tracking the 'M130' DNA and ended up at Virumandiââ¬â¢s little house. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Genographic Project will gather all data in collaboration with indigenous and traditional people around the world. The public is invited to join the project by purchasing a Genographic Project public participation kit. The proceeds from the sales go to further field research and the Genographic Legacy Fund, which in turn supports indigenous conservation and revitalisation projects. Virumandi Andithevar is being presented before the media by the Discovery Channel in Chennai on Friday during the national launch of its serial The Story of India.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Is this serial being shown only in India or available via Discovery in US/UK too?
08-11-2008, 01:09 AM
<b>Ancient Rome's she-wolf statue not so ancient?</b>
<i> New theories suggest that the statue dates from the Middle Ages</i> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->ROME - She suckled Rome's legendary twin founders and fed Benito Mussolini's ambitious dreams of renewed imperial glories. For centuries, the she-wolf has been one of Rome's most powerful symbols. But now some experts are contending that the bronze statue in a city museum atop Capitoline Hill might not be so old after all. New theories suggest that the statue dates from the Middle Ages, and not from Etruscan times, as has long been held. "It's decisively medieval," said Anna Maria Carruba, a researcher who studied the statue when she worked on its restoration a decade ago. "As I went ahead with my research, I was ever more sure," ,,<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
08-16-2008, 01:05 PM
<!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo--> The Ramayanas, in a volume
Scholars of ancient Indian history are of the opinion that there are over 300 different versions of the epic in existence. However, they are agreed on the main episodes: the birth and upbringing of Sri Rama and Lakshmana in Ayodhya, Sri Ramaâs marriage to Sita, their 14-year exile, abduction of Sita, her rescue and triumphal return to Ayodhya. This drama is enacted year after year as Dussehra in every village, town and city across our subcontinent. It is also usually the first story that mothers and grandmothers narrate to children. It is deeply embedded in the Indian psyche. The version most widely accepted in northern India is the one narrated by Valmiki. In 1649, Rana Jagat Singh of Udaipur (Mewar) commissioned his court artists to paint a series of pictures depicting the entire story from beginning to end. The task took four years to be completed. It is our misfortune that the collection was sold to English connoisseurs and fragments are found in the British Library in London. It is also our good fortune that these fragments have been put together in collaboration with the British Library by Niyogi Books with a detailed introduction by the Indologist JP Lusty. So, we have a beautifully produced coffee-tabler: The Ramayana: Love & Valour in Indiaâs Great Epic (Niyogi Books). I canât think of a more suitable gift for growing children on their birthdays or on Diwali to make them aware of their heritage. (contributed by Khushwant Singh)
08-23-2008, 11:15 PM
The english managed to have their way in australia, america, canada etc because the existing civilizations there were not advanced enough to resist or overcome the insidious invasion, whatever the form it took. The europeans wiped out entire civilizations but pontificate on human rights today.
No tom, prick or harry gave a toss as to who was butchered. They went in and grabbed more than their share while the grabbing was good. All this is very conveniently forgotten now, the concerned parties have gone to the top of the class and are currently the teacher's pets. India is a different ball game. The cross and the crescent ( sorry, sounds like a cheap pub! ) did not succeed because civilizationally and culturally we were stronger, more advanced and resilient. Enter max muller, maculay and others of their ilk. They had to tinker with the minds and the social fabric of the country before they could make some headway. I have never understood the weak military force that the indian civilization seems to prefer and persist with. We lack long term memory, the capacity for strategic thought and the indian crab story is very true. We are not a developing nation but a redeveloping one. In sixty odd years we have risen like the phoenix and are back in stride again. This, mind you, after being raped, pillaged, plundered and beggared for countless centuries by barbarians of all hues. This has to touch some very raw nerves. We are the only country that resisted islam and christianity for centuries and will comfortably continue to do so. All the others have been over run. The cross and the crescent are giving it the good old college try all over again. Having failed the first time around, they are using the same methods again albeit a bit modernized, catering for the internet and TV. Even the greatest personae in christianity and islam did not have the freedom of speech that the ordinary Hindus have had through the ages. They could not say that they were god, even though they wanted to. They could only vaguely, slyly hint at it in a very round about way. They would have been killed had they explicitly said so. Those were the times they lived in and the same is true even today. However the pagan Hindus can all claim to be god, many a village has its own little living god, fed and revered by the local people as god. Living gods abound and yet no one minds, each to his own. Passersby, including many non hindus hedging their bets, silently seek their blessings, accumulating brownie points for the hereafter. And why not? We have millions of them, one for each occasion,festival, season and no reason.This is true liberalism, freedom of speech and freedom of spirit. This is why we welcomed and sheltered all comers through the ages, even those wretches who would do us harm by using our given freedoms, to malign and abuse us. Linguistic phenomena is one aspect. Most superpowers are homogenous and lack diversity. For exmaple, how difficult is it foster comradierie among Han people and to enforce a single language. The very fact great powers tend to lack diversity and hence the language seems to have become an important criteria. The Indic civilization on the other hand is highly diverse and has managed to foster similar aspirations among its people. The Indic civilization has made diversity its bedrock and is mindboggling to the others who are used to living with and building nations among homogenous people. For most part, Indians are bilingual to say the least, and that is good thing. A nation and great power is being redeveloped with a single link language (could be anything) with many languages. This is a testimony to the maximum amount of freedom one experiences under such a setup, without fetishness for uniformity or homogeneity. Indic civilization is being re-developed and should not mimic a single Hans race type of deal.
<!--QuoteBegin-acharya+Aug 23 2008, 11:15 PM-->QUOTE(acharya @ Aug 23 2008, 11:15 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Indic civilization is being re-developed and should not mimic a single Hans race type of deal.[/size]
[right][snapback]86933[/snapback][/right] <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> IMO, it would be a hasty analysis to write off (traditional) Han Civilization as a variant of the west in terms of a unified race dynamic or normative culture. Some instances that we supposedly see are really effects of Communism. Other instances are perception deficits, since we see the same type of analyisis applied to Japan (which never was Communist, but did undergo Westernization). Lastly, "Semitization of Hindusim" is known to be a favored allegation to be leveled against Hindu Renaissance discourse, but only when these allegations could not be made to correspond to ancient Hindusim (eg racialist Aryavarta). Even Chinese actions in Tibet are not ideologically oriented, but are only about land, buffer, rivers, revenge, and so on which are same as the "motivating" factors we see in India. We would not like it if Chinese used Nehru's antics to similarly berate us.
05-30-2009, 11:18 PM
<b>Snake and Ladder had its origin in India </b> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/6953/474131239946714/320/80331/mokshapatam.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
The game had its origin in India and was called <b>Moksha Patam or Parama Padam or Mokshapat</b>. It was used to teach Hinduism and Hindu values to children. The British renamed it as Snakes and Ladders. Now, when and who created this game? Most people believe it was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. There are certain references which take the game back to 2nd century BC. The ladders represented virtues and snakes vices. In the original game square 12 was faith, 51 was Reliability, 57 was Generosity, 76 was Knowledge, and 78 was Asceticism. These were the squares were the ladder was found. Square 41 was for Disobedience, 44 for Arrogance, 49 for Vulgarity, 52 for Theft, 58 for Lying, 62 for Drunkenness, 69 for Debt, 84 for Anger, 92 for Greed, 95 for Pride, 73 for Murder and 99 for Lust. These were the squares were the snake was found. The Square 100 represented Nirvana or Moksha The British took the game to England in 1892 and named it Snakes and Ladders and changed it according to Victorian values <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
06-12-2009, 03:34 AM
http://www.poetryinstone.in/lang/en/2009/0...a.html#comments
A few pictures from a blog on "The vanishing wonders of Mogalrajapuram caves- Vijayawada"
06-13-2009, 12:46 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-13-2009, 12:47 AM by Bharatvarsh.)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The tamil royalty was Thevar
Raja Raja Chola, etc The Raja of Pudukottai, etc<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Speaking of Pudukottai mentioned in the Srilanka thread by G. Sub: <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->amman kasu <img src='http://thina06.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/pdktamks.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> Indian Coinage by Dr.S.Jayabarathi Malaysia The Amman Kaasu of Pudukkottai was a coin of very denomination. This was a unique coin which was issued only by the Pudukkoottai State of South India. British India was divided into several administrative categories. There was the Presidency India, which comprised of states rules by British Governors under the Viceroy. The other category was the Native Ruled India. This comprised of 552 Samasthaans ruled by native rulers known variously as Maharajas, Maharanas, Rajas, Ranas, Raos, Nawabs, Nizam, and other miscellaneous titles. Some were very large, drawing very large revenues. Some were very small. The States were classified into A.B,C. etc., categories. The categories depended upon the special rights, privileges, articles of protocol, and marks of respect like the gun-salute. Certain most privileged states had the right of issueing their own stamps and coinage. Travancore and Pudukkottai were among those few. The hereditary Maharaja of Pudukkottai, known as dynastically as the Thondaimaan had the privilege of issueing his own coinage. Since his 2000 square miles kingdom of a couple of million people was land-locked into the larger British territory of Madras Presidency, the Thondaimaan decided to exercise his special privilege as only a token. So he issued only one denomination of coin. This was the famous Amman Kaasu of Pudukkottai. The Amman Kaasu is so-named after the presiding Goddess of Pudukkottai, Brihadhambaal. Brihadh Ambal or Periya Naachiyaar is the tutelary deity of the dynasty of the Thondaimaans. There was a rebellion in Pudukkottai at one time. The ruling Thondaimaanâs own kinsmen were contesting for the throne of Pudukkottai. The odds were against the Thondaimaan. A scheme was proposed by the able Divan of the Samasthaan, called Sesha Saasthrigal. Accordingly, the Thondaimaan decreed that, henceforth the Sovereign State of Pudukkottai would be the property of the Goddess Brihadh Ambal. The Thondaimaan will hereafter administer the state as Her Viceroy. Anybody rebelling against the State, also commits sin and heresy against the Supreme Goddess, who is the true ruler of the state. Thereafter, Thondaimaan kings added a prefix to their string of titles - Sri La Sri Brihadh Ambal Daasa, Jamshad JamBahadhur, etc., etc., So-and-So Thondaimaan Maharaja of Pudukkottai. They also ruled happily ever after â until the Sun set at long last in the British Empire where the Sun was said to never set. The Amman Kaasu, though small in denomination was able to buy small items of food, snacks, and fruits. Twelve Amman Kaasu were equal to one quarter anna at one time. The coin was also of very small dimensions. It was less than one centimeter in width. It was made of highly pure copper. At the time of the Indian Independance, there was an abundance of these coins. But they were collected by the sackfuls and bought by the copper-smiths and gold-smiths, who melted them down into metallic copper. Thus they became extinct, existing only in the private collection of the Numismatologists. http://thina06.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/amman-kasu/<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Interestingly the coin has Telugu script, it says "Vijaya".
06-13-2009, 01:26 AM
Does anyone know if Eagles or Hawks were domesticated in India for hunting. This is very popular in Mongolia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re644qgnCtw I am aware of course Indian Eagles are smaller. Certainly in ancient India Cheetah's were trained as hunting animals similar to hunting dogs like Rajapalayam, the Telugu word for these types of Cheetah's i think is sivangi. There is a story that Guru Gobind Singh had a hawk as a pet.
06-13-2009, 10:51 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-13-2009, 10:52 AM by Hauma Hamiddha.)
<!--QuoteBegin-Bharatvarsh+Jun 12 2009, 02:56 PM-->QUOTE(Bharatvarsh @ Jun 12 2009, 02:56 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Does anyone know if Eagles or Hawks were domesticated in India for hunting. This is
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Ctesias mentions that the Indian king has tribal servants who maintain kites, crows and eagles for hunting hares and "foxes". He was a greek priest from around the time of Hippocrates. So some form of falconry was around from around 400 BCE Indika of ctesias
On the subject of falconry, I am reminded of these lines of bihArIlAl:
svAratha sukR^ita na srama vR^ithA dekh viha~Nga vichAri bAja parAye pAni para tU pancHInhi na mAri (neither any personal gain, nor any pUNya, and so much of hardwork. Listen Eagle, do you gain anything in killing birds for the hunt of your master?)
06-19-2009, 05:56 AM
Latest edition of Pragati magazine is full devoted to Indian History & its relevance. It can be read in http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2009/06/ (can be downloaded into pdf)
It has articles like: i. Why History is important ii. Genomic unity of India for 50000 years iii. A Muslim travellerâs tales - Across the Dar-ul-Islam in the 14th century iv. Foreign observations - Excerpts from perspectives on India (Megasthenes, Xuanzang, Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur, George Curzon & Alice Albinia) etc
Will Admin please consider moving this to whatever history thread this belongs in? There are so many, have no clue which one to add it to.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16639906/Hindu...Compressed <b>Must see images</b> of Hindu temples converted into islamoterrorist bases http://haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?P...840&SKIN=C <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Hindu Masjids - Images</b> 21/06/2009 13:49:00Â http://www.prafullgoradia.com/hindu-masjid...t-the-book.html Masjids.........Hindu?! About The Book Hindu MasjidsRead about and see vivid photographs of how the Hindu legacy has been trampled upon by iconoclasts. Hindu Masjids: Symbolises the longstanding conflict between Hindus and Muslims, and tries to offer a solution. From Emperor Akbar to Rajiv Gandhi, many have tried to build bridges of friendship between the two communities but all of them, including Mahatma Gandhi, have failed. As the last five decades have proved, the partition of 1947 did not solve the problem. Is it to escape facing the truth about the past? Or is it to placate Muslim sentiments? Is it to avoid a controversy which might adversely affect one or more electoral verdicts? But how can all the political parties have a vested interest in the suppression of the same facts? Surely, if some party might lose out by the facts coming to light, another should gain as a result. Ruling parties at the centre as well as in the state change from time to time. Yet, no party has shown any real inclination in letting the people of India know facts of their collective past? Is the reason then, a countrywide fear of a community's wrath? If it be so, how can there be friendship between one community being the cause and the other the casualty of fear? Hindu Masjids Several scholars have, over the years, listed hundreds of temples and described their desecration but none before the author has drawn a clear distinction between a mandir converted into a masjid in contrast to a mosque built with the rubble of a demolished temple. Even Cunningham, who toured North India extensively in the course of 1838-1855 and published his surveys in 23 voluminous reports, did not make the distinction. Prafull Goradia has visited every masjid or dargah that has been discussed. Not alone, but accompanied by a research scholar as well as an excellent photographer. He now appeals to Muslims to abandon and not use these ill-gotten or looted edifices for praying to their one and only god, Allah. http://www.prafullgoradia.com/hindu-masjid...t-the-book.html <b>Hindu Masjids Compressed</b> http://www.scribd.com/doc/16639906/Hindu...Compressed<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Actually, he's right. Obviously such Indian islamics are tainted, are haraam islamics. Don't they know, a Hindu site remains Hindu forever? And that by congregating and praying at sacred Hindu sites muslims are only directing themselves to our Gods, no matter how often they howl 'allah'? If they want to be Hindu (what else is one to conclude when they so adamantly insist on parking themselves on forever-hallowed Hindu sites), then they should just reconvert instead of playing hypocrites. As it is now, they please neither 'allah' by their praying to Hindu Gods, nor are they being honest to themselves about their subconscious longing for returning to their ancestral Gods.
11-02-2009, 03:58 AM
Two posts about the "Sannyasi" rebellions:
<!--QuoteBegin-"brihaspati"+-->QUOTE("brihaspati")<!--QuoteEBegin-->Rahul M - ji, Here are my thoughts on the "Sannyasi rebellion". I will divide this into two parts. Here is part one. I will summarize these first in a sequence of points. (1) Prior to Islamic invasions, conflicts between sects within "Hinduism" are not unknown, but they were not confrontations between organized military units specifically maintained under religious principles, on a permanent or semi-permanent basis (2) Even if occasional "Hindu" kings assaulted temples/brahmins/religious sects, the latter dod not seem to have openly taken up militarily organizing themselves for defence on a permanent basis (3) The Hindu religious sects began to organize themselves into relatively well-defined military units, specifically with the collapse of the "Hindu" kingdoms and arrival of Islamic armies and regimes, as well as Islamic proselytizers. (4) The "Sannyasi" rebellion of Bengal and Bihar, in the early days of EIC diwani, was a combination of this tradition with genuine local and regional socio-economic grievances. (5) This particular "Sannyasi rebellion" should however be seen as a five cornered struggle for survival and dominance. The five components are EIC and allied local elite, older elite displaced or marginalized by the EIC+allies, peasantry across communal lines, the Hindu Sannyasis/ascetics of military organization and traditions, the Islamic fakirs of military organization and traditions. The most interesting aspect of the "Sannyasi rebellion" highlights two features that still concern us - (a) the loud representation of "Hindu" spiritual or ascetic organizations as purely non-violent social-workers only, and the demand that they remain so without any participation/role in national life and politics (b) the contrasting behaviour of ascetism in Islamism and Hinduism. The myth about castes and caste roles are trashed in the many references to brahmins taking up arms or religious orders recruiting non-rahmins into positions of supremacy and turning to military organization or even acting as mercenaries. I will mention two of my favourites : first the case of Chach as described in Chachnama. He was a brahmin who killed the reigning king of Sind and married the widowed queen (who had apparently fallen in love with him before and was a Rajput princess) and carried on an active military campaign against his enemies. This was late 7th century. The second is the Chammak copper plate inscription of the Vakataka king Pravarasena II (c. 400 CE) granting a village to a thousand brahmins with the clause that the grant will remain permanently in force provide among other restrictions, they do not engage in "droha" against kingdom or wage war [samramam karvatam] or attack other villages. This implies that it was not unexpected of them to do so. However this still does not prove the favourite demand of Thaparites that violent military conflicts were the norm between "sects" and there is almost no evidence for permanent organized military structures. Even in the well-publicized inscriptional and Virasaiva Channa-Basava Purana narrative - the conflict etween Saivite leader Ekantanda Ramayya and Jains at Ablur in Dharwar, Karnataka around 1160 CE., was an incidental attack after the Jains apparently reneged on their promise to convert the shrine into Saivite. Militancy alleged in Madhavacharya's account of Adi Shankara and Tantrik kapalikas led by Krakacha/Nityananda also does not seem to imply organized military structures. However Antarkar, Sri Balasastry Hardas, or Baldev Upadhyay date this narrative to a much later date - Mughal period, and therefore more representative of contemporary experience of militant asectic orders. Note also that the earlier (probably 14th century) narrative of Sankaravijaya by Anantaanadagiri omits the "military" part. The armed conflicts in pre-Islamic India that brutalized religious orders were clearly, even if very rarely, only coming from kings themselves when circumstances were appropriate. The relatively few such episodes among non-Muslim kings show that the targeted religious orders were militarily defenceless and unable to protect themselves. The supposed impaling of 8000 ex-fellow religionists by the Pandya king converted to Saivism from Jainism under Nanasambandar could be an exaggeration ut still carry grains of reality. (Nilkantha Sastry). Kalhana and Jonaraja's Rajatarangini provides numerous examples of kings attacking brahmins but who typically retaliate not militarily but by "incantations and curses" or even "ritual suicide". This clearly shows a ideological response to kingly violence on religious orders and not violent and organized military resistance. In an ironic and characteristic precedent relevant for modern India, sections of Indian non-Muslim elite in rashtryia power used foreign elements, especially Islamics in Kashmir - to increase their own military power or security (or some illusion about it) - and what appears to be an attempt at curbing the power of the indigenous religious orders, in this case the brahmins. This was what happened with Harsha (of Kashmir) and the Muslim convert Suhabhatta - advisor to Sultan Sikandar. The first clear militarization of Hindu asetics took place after the Islamic conquests were the Nath/Kanphata Yogis - claiming descent from Gorakshanath. The claimed records appear in Nizamuddin Ahmad's Tabaqat-i-Akbari and Akbarnama. If we rely more on Abul Fazl, who refers to the conflicting groups as Gurs and Puris then this implies Giris and Puris - two of the Dasanami orders. The strange element in this story is the involvement of Mughals. According to Nizamuddin, since the "sannyasis" were outnumbered by the "Jogis", Akbar made up the numbers by disguising his own soldiers with ashes etc. We are not told whether these were "Hindu" soldiers. If they were Hindu then it provides an important clue to later collaboration and links with ruling powers and the militarization of ascetics. The obvious development of such militarization over the course of the early Islamic conquests and Sultanate, when prior to Islamic invasions ruling regime attacks still did not develop such militancy - implies a clear change of rashtryia character. Previously the ascetics still felt ideologically powerful enough to be able to counter such attacks non-militarily, whereas post Islam - they felt they needed military organization to protect themselves. This also meant a much higher institutional and regime attack on them, physical and violent in nature and including non-rashtryia elements like the Muslim proselytizers. Increasing military conflicts between various sects or orders themselves means first that the ruling regime did not mediate and check disputes between such sects or probably even actively encouraged such disputes (like that in Akbar). Secondly that the natural societal processes that allowed these sects to survive non-violently, had been disrupted and they were then forced to fight for vastly reduced basic material resources. Unconfirmed narratives (Jadunath Sarkar's summary of Nirvani manuscripts) shows that they had begun also to fight Muslim rulers - as possibly between the Nirvanis and Aurangzeb, 1664. JN.Farquhar's report of a narratives from the Saraswati order in Kashi, and the Giri order in Allahabad specifically refers to armed Islamic faqirs who participated in Islamic wars of conquest (this is definitely supported also by Islamic chroniclers themselves) but also in times of peace went aout looting and murdering Hindu sannyasis both for their possessions as well as their being Kaffirs. The narrative claims Akbar or Biral's tacit support of militarization under Madhusudana Saraswati whereby Madhusudana could recruit non-Brahmins into the orders specifically to build up an army. To a certain extent, this must be true as without tacit allowance by the Mughals such militarization could be dangerous in the heartlands of Islamic power. Akbar could have done this with the same shrewdness as the later British - encouraging and balancing both sides in a conflict between pre-existing groups (he definitely was interested in weakening the remnants of Turko-Afghans who were closely intetwined with the Islamic proselytizers then plaguing the country). Thus these six military orders of the Dasanamis and main four military akhras of the Viashnavites (claiming descent from Ramanand, Madhava, Vishniswamin, Nimbarka) probably dated within the late Sultanate and early Mughal period to preserve their own physical and material survival. I will continue onto part two. But another thought crossed my mind after writing this - is there a parallel now to what happnes with the Talebunnies? :mrgreen:<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> and <!--QuoteBegin-"brihaspati"+-->QUOTE("brihaspati")<!--QuoteEBegin-->Part Two: The collaborative and mercenary role that such ascetic armies egan to play in Mughal times first appears strongly in Dadu Panthis (descended from a militant wing of Ramananda's branch). Armed Dasanamis were firts recruited in this sect under the martial spirited Jait Sahib (1693-1732). By the second half of 18th century they had grown so powerful militarily that they were used by the Maharaja of Jaipur. Here we find the first ref of such groups also as "tax farmers" (1733). In 1793 a formal contract was signed by the Dadu Panthis and the state of Jaipur for provision of 5000 ascetic warriors for the defence of the state. Curiously, they also acted as mercenaries for the British in 1857. The same trend is seen also in the significant dates of militarization of the Sikh Khalsa. Guru Govind formally initiated the military side of Khalsa in 1699. This is the period in which Mughal taxation and accompanying Islamism of the post-Akbar emperors start increasing at an accelerating rate. Numerous reellions start happening -such as of the Jats in Agra around 1699, but the more significant ones belong to the genre of "warrior ascetics". These were the Satnamis of Narnaul in 1657, the wars waged by the former Vaisnava bairagi - Banda Bahadur until 1716. But Sikhs revived after the Maratha retreat at Panipat in 1761 when both Marathas and Mughals had bled to near extinction in the Punjab area. During this period of breakdown of the Mughal authority, the ascetic-armies began to play an increasing role not only as defenders of temple or religious endowments but also provide security or military services and alliances with local elite and rulers. This would then typically involve also participation in financial transactions, tax-farming, and financial investments etc. Two famous commanders who represent this transition are Dasanami Nagas - Rajendra Giri Gosain (-1753), and Anupgiri aka Himmat Bahadur (1730-1804). These two, in succession, were influential supporters and protectors of Safdar Jung of Aoudh (Mughal wazir) and his successor Shujauddaulah. They were loyal against teh Hindu ruler of Benaras, Balwant Singh, and later helped the British against Shamsher Bahadur of Bundelkhand. Anupgiri is reported to have become the virtual ruler of these territories. That the naga sannyasis also became mercenaries has been reported by Thomas Broughton in "Letters written in a Mahratta camp during the year 1809" (1813). Tod describes Damodara, the chief priest of the Nathdvara temple of the Vallabhacharyas in Mewar and says that the 30 year old was quite aristocratic/polished in demeanour, is a strict monogamist himself and enforcer of the same on the other priests. Most interestingly Tod reports that Krishna preferred to use the "lance" to stave off the greedy arm of the illustrious Jeswunt Rao Holkar and Bapoo Sindia (is this why Tod is so roundly trashed by Thaparites!!). Damodar moved at the head of 400 horse, "two standards of foot" and two "field pieces" of artillery. He rode good war-horses, wore a quilted "dugla" and was summoned "to the matins by the kettle drum instead of the bell and cymbal". It is in this perspective that the "sannyasi rebellion" in the East should be explored. The three main refs for this are Hunter's "Annals of Rural Bengal" (1868), J.M.Ghosh's Sannyasi and Fakir raiders in Bengal (1930) and The Sannyasis in Mymensingh (1923). In the first stage, we have Muslim Fakirs involved in violent conflicts when their rights to levy tribute on locals became jopardized. These are the Madaris claiming descent from a Syrian Sufi who alighted on India in the 15th century at Makanpur, UP where his mazar lies now. I typically find that the Sufi connection is consistently dropped when describing the leaders of these "glorious" fighters against the British in connection with the "sannyasi rebellion". Probably because of the Thaparite project to cleanup image and real role of Sufis and Sufi methodology of conversions in modern India. The confusion that the only contemporary extensive recorders of events from EIC in clubing together the "Hindu" and "Muslim" component together, at least partly lies in the exterior appearance and styles of the Madaris. The earliest description is found in the 17th century Dabistan-i-Mazharib by Muhsin Fani - who says that the Madaris sported external clothes, smeared ashes, and maintained "jata"'s like Hindu ascetics but they also sported black flags and black turans. They also sit around fire and drink "bhang" and they were reportedly scene in the "nude" in Kabul and Kashmir! (1843) A faction of the Madaris were granted the right to collect contriutions from village heads and zamindars and other special privileges in a sanad by Shah Suja in 1629 (Ghosh). After EIC obtained diwani of the subah, in 1765, tax demands skyrocketed. This disruption of preexisting system with natural causes led to the disastrous famine of 1770 and compounded the problem. The zamindars and village heads were unable to cope with both the Fakir demand and EIC taxes and appealed for cancellation of both. EIC, of course did not budge on company demands ut decided to act against the Fakirs. The famous letter by the leader of the Fakirs, Majnu Shah to Rani Bhavani of Natore refers to the Brits putting 150 Fakirs to death "without cause" during their "pilgrimages through Bengal" in 1771. He admits that fakirs now "begged" in "groups" and not as separated individuals as was their tradition - a clear indication that were doing the "collections" as a coercive or military unit. The second component is a separate involvement of the Dasanami naga warriors in the succession to the throne of Coch Bihar. Here the sannyasis, who had a base were typically against the Brits - and the interests of the common peasantry, and older elite landholders displaced by the EIC converged. These are the primary sources of the "Hindu" imagery of the rebellion and probably the core of Anandamath. Here the initial struggles started with the confrontations between the agents of EIC and unscrupulous characters like Reza Khan (no less unpleasant than the collaborators of Hastings though, like the Sinha brothers - any attribution to any BRFite if related, entirely unintended) . However, it is estimated that by the 1780's they had mostly left to participate in the Mahratha wars. It is also possible, that the variosu monasteries and local sects of sannyasis had evolved into landowning and administering structures that came up to protect the countryside where urban based authority of the regional powers during the breaking up of Mughal authority had no reach. [a branch of my ancestors for example had to refortify a castle and keep mentioned in Bankim - as far as I have been told, as bands of Mughal soldiers and armed Faqirs constantly roamed about or looted and raped in the countryside - and this was close to the seat of power to the Mughal faujdar on the banks of Ganges! One ancestor had actually left the lands in charge of his guru and collected his soldiers into a "bairagi" unit to participate in the "rebellion" and specifically keep out the faqir marauders and company agents both. An indication of the complex set of religious and political/economic motivations.] What is usually not mentioned is that conflicts actually occurred between the sannyasis and the faqirs (in 1777 in the Bogura district now in BD). It is only towards the late 1790's, when obviously the military campaigns were losing steam, and reduction of taxation had improved socio-economic conditions that we find direct evidence of collaboration between obviously dwindling numbers of faqirs and sannyasis. A Dasanami naga sannyasi gave statement to the effect that his band consisted of around 1000 people, with 400 Muslim faqirs, 100 Hindu sannyasis, 400 "sepoys", 20 bairagis and rest miscellaneous. (Ghosh). The interesting features that still stand out are (1) the unhesitating acceptance of women (yes even if of elite) in positions of leadership by the Hindu side of the armed campaign such as "Devi Chaudhurani" (2) the preponderance of Hindu older elite in the confrontation against EIC compared to the more extensive Islamic landholders (3) militancy and armed organization not found to be incompatible with being a Hindu "sannyasi" (4) a possible clear distinction in origins and motivations between the sannyasis and the faqirs at least at the initial stages and collaboration only towards the last stage, with the sannyasis more leaning towards defence of local interests while faqirs leaning towards traditional "living off the land" as assured by Islamic regimes to them, etc. (5) the reltiave insignificance of "class" and "caste" differences within the Hindu side when mobilizations were required. All these must have held important lessons for the Brits. OT - but I know that certain important characterizations of identities were begun in the "rebellion" areas of North Bengal afterwards by the British - that was instrumental in communal politics of 20th century Bengal.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
02-05-2010, 12:56 AM
[url="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gkHITye6SJ7AXNjFvJ0_RDGffLjQ"]Ancient tribe dies out in India's Andaman islands[/url]
Quote:(AFP) ââ¬â 6 hours ago [url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8498534.stm"]Ancient Indian language dies out[/url] Quote:By Alastair Lawson
02-28-2010, 04:26 AM
http://www.petitiononline.com/dharma10/petition.html
This is an earnest request to you to sign the online petition and forward it to your friends for signature. The petition to the Penguin Group asks for an apology for the publication of the factually incorrect and offensive book "The Hindus-An Alternative History" by Wendy Doniger. We expect Penguin Group to withdraw the book immediately. "The Hindus: An Alternative History" is rife with numerous errors in its historical facts and Sanskrit translations. These errors and misrepresentations are bound and perhaps intended to mislead students of Indian and Hindu history. Throughout the book, Doniger analyzes revered Hindu Gods and Goddess using her widely discredited psychosexual Freudian theories that modern, humanistic psychology has deemed limiting. These interpretations are presented as hard facts and not as speculations. Doniger makes various faulty assumptions about the tradition in order to arrive at her particular spin. In the process, the beliefs, traditions and interpretations of practicing Hindus are simply ignored or bypassed without the unsuspecting reader knowing this to be the case. This kind of Western scholarship has been criticized as Orientalism and Eurocentrism. The non Judeo-Christian faith gets used to dish out voyeurism and the tradition gets eroticized... We emphasize that this defamatory book misinforms readers about the history of Hindu civilization, its cultures and traditions. The book promotes prejudices and biases against Hindus. Can Penguin's editors really be incompetent enough to have allowed this to pass to publication? If this is not deliberate malice, Penguin must act now in good faith. As concerned readers, we ask PENGUIN GROUP to: 1. WITHDRAW all the copies of this book immediately from the worldwide bookshops/markets/ Universities/Libraries and refrain from printing any other edition. 2. APOLOGIZE for having published this book "The Hindus: An Alternative History". This book seriously and grossly misrepresents the Hindu reality as known to the vast numbers of Hindus and to scholars of Hindu tradition. PENGUIN must apologize for failure to observe proper pre-publication scrutiny and scholarly review.
04-06-2010, 02:55 AM
Geocities used to have a site which had political maps of India through the ages from the epic age to current. Sadly its gone now that yahoo has taken geocities down.
We need multiple sites for data. I got ten of the maps from Ramayana period to Harsha in a discussion forum.
04-06-2010, 03:20 AM
[quote name='ramana' date='05 April 2010 - 04:33 PM' timestamp='1270502700' post='105714']
Geocities used to have a site which had political maps of India through the ages from the epic age to current. Sadly its gone now that yahoo has taken geocities down. We need multiple sites for data. I got ten of the maps from Ramayana period to Harsha in a discussion forum. [/quote] Ramana gaaru: Hope you get some good maps from this site: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=200052 |
![[Image: _47244342_anvita_abbi-with-boa_cut.jpg]](http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47244000/jpg/_47244342_anvita_abbi-with-boa_cut.jpg)
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