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Knowledge in History
C N Annadurai
A brief note on Annadurai
Harrishma Palani
Teja K S
K Kamaraj
Breif note on K Kamaraj
Karthick Sundar
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya is the one who started the Gupta dynasty.The Gupta period in ancient india is known as the "GOLDEN AGE ".
Devigasri Chandrasekaran
MGR
A comprehensive note on MG Ramachandran
Surya Prakash
The Mauryan Legend - Ashoka
Ashoka - The Mauryan Legend c.268 - c. 232 BCE In the history of the world there were many Kings who referred themselves as ‘The Greatest’ but their reign shone only for a very little time but Ashoka’s legend is widely known by many people even in the modern era,so were his good deeds and practical qualities as a king. Ashoka was born in Pataliputra to Bindusara,the second mauryan emperor and Subhadrangi also known as Dharma,a mere consort in the courts of Bindusara, she was considered a lowly ranked queen and so was her predecessors.Ashoka had many elder half brothers and sisters and just one younger brother,Vitthashoka who was also born to Dharma and Bindusara. The Rivalry between the brothers for the throne was said to be significant but Ashoka has seemed to excel in administration,academics and all the disciplines that were tutored to the princes.One of the noted Rivalry to Ashoka was his elder brother,Susima who was an equivalent to Ashoka ,both as an administrator and a warrior. Takshashila -The First Rule and Exile of Ashoka Ashoka grew up to be a abled warrior and a shrewd commander,his name was spoke across the country,increasing his chances of inheriting his father’s place.This fueled the feud between Susima,the traditional heir to the throne and Ashoka, Susima persuaded Bindusara to send Ashoka to quell the volatile city of Takshashila in the northern province.Ashoka complied to the emperor’s orders,the news of Ashoka’s visit trickled an unrest among the citizens,he was welcomed to the province by the unmanaged revolting militants but due to his practical qualities and warriorship the revolt ended without a fight.Ashoka’s success made the situation even worse,Susima incitements made Bindusara to Exile Ashoka Exile of Ashoka In Kalinga Ashoka was exiled and stayed at Kalinga as a fugitive,complying to his father’s orders.Even though there was not much information on what he did there,Recently found inscriptions state that Ashoka fell in love with a fisherwoman named ,Kaurwaki who later became his second or third queen. Ujjain- The Teachings of Buddha Ashoka was summoned by Bindusara after two years of exile since there was a violent uprising in Ujjain and the emperor needed more commanders in order to control any further revolting of the militants.Unfortunately,Ashoka was injured in the ensuing battle of Ujjain ,in order to keep him safe from the loyalists in Susima’s camp he was treated in hiding by the monks and the nuns -This is were he first learned about the teachings of Buddha.After recovering completely he married Devi,the daughter of a merchant who was also his personal nurse while he was injured. Ashoka - The Chand (Murderer) After a year later, Bindusara,the emperor was terminally sick.The throne was to be inherited by any of his sons,Bindusara preferred Susima but this was greatly opposed by the clique of ministers who called themselves The Radhagupt,they summoned Ashoka to take the crown.Angered by his father’s choices Ashoka attacked Pataliputra and killed all his brothers including Susima and ascended the throne as the Third Emperor of Maurya.At this point of time many called him Chand which means murderer.There are also many historical paintings of the Buddhist that depicts the sadisticall and goriest form of Ashoka. The Battle Of Kalinga Ashoka as the Emperor of Maurya started extending his rule by conquering land after land,executing and deporting men after men.His last conquest was Kalinga-Present day Orrisa.Kalinga was a prosperous land and uniquely followed the system of democracy with monarchial parliment.The pretext of the war remains uncertain but it’s said to be around 265 BC or 263 BC .Ashoka send a diktat asking the Kalinga’s royalty to submit to him ,when they defied it ,he was greatly humiliated ,therefore he send one of his generals to Kalinga to make them submit to his supremacy but he failed miserably.Ashoka was baffled by this,he gathered a huge army and approached Kalinga with the greatest Invasion.He succeeded and so did he lose many generals.A rough estimate states that 10,000 mauryan warriors and 100,000 Kalinga warriors were killed. The Legend of A Change of Heart There were many legends which claimed as to why Ashoka changed his way of living but by far,the most realistic one was - Ashoka was taking a stroll in the Eastern City and all he could see was burnt houses and corpses and wails and cries of the people.The blood of the innocent people were in his hands and all he could ask himself was,” What have I done ?” The brutality that he done so far made him change his way of living to Buddhism with the help of Sage Radhaswami and Manjushri.He gave up war and violence,released prisoners and declared in his edicts and started preaching Buddhism as far as Egypt and Rome. Dharmashoka-The Real Mauryan Legend Though the goriest of wars was associated with Ashoka he is widely known for his peace and preaching of Buddhism.He propagated the Vibhajjavada School Of Buddhism in 250 BC.Silver punch mark coins bear the symbol of Buddhism- Dharmacakra and Elephant and also the tree where Buddha received enlightment- Bodhgaya .Ashoka was one of the noted rulers who preached Buddhism in the early 3rd century, where only war and swords were considered bravery. From his edicts and teachings we may always see him as Ashoka - The Greatest. Textual Reference: The Outline Of History by H.G.Wells The Mauryan : The Legend Of Ashoka by Bhanver Komal Ashoka the Great by Wytze Keuning
Deepika Priscila
The origins of Pallavas
Various theories on the origins of Pallvas
Shruthi Vijayaraghavan
Greek Philosophy
In-depth understanding of the Greek Philosophy...
Rajat Durgapal
Roman Empire
Understanding Roman Empire...
ROME
Understanding Rome
Messopotamia and its hallmarks
Messopotamia at a glance...
Mughal History -Babur The Founder of Mughal Empire
Babur - Founder of the Mughal Empire When Babur swept down out of the valleys of Central Asia to conquer India, he was only one of a long line of such conquerors through history. However, his descendants, the Mughal emperors, built a long-lasting empire that ruled much of the subcontinent until 1868, and that continues to impact the culture of India to this day. It seems appropriate that the founder of such a mighty dynasty would himself be descended from great bloodlines. Babur's pedigree seems to have been specifically designed for the job. On his father's side, he was a Timurid, a Persianized Turk descended from Timur the Lame. On his mother's side, Babur was descended from Genghis Khan. Childhood of Babur Zahir-ud-din Muhammad, nicknamed "Babur" or "Lion," was born into the Timurid royal family in Andijan, now in Uzbekistan, on February 23, 1483. His father, Umar Sheikh Mirza, was the Emir of Ferghana; his mother, Qutlaq Nigar Khanum, was the Moghuli king Yunus Khan's daughter. By the time of Babur's birth, the remaining Mongol descendants in western Central Asia had intermarried with Turkic and Persian peoples, and assimilated into local culture. They were strongly influenced by Persia (using Farsi as their official court language), and they had converted to Islam. Most favored the mystic Sufism-infused style of Sunni Islam. Babur Takes the Throne In 1494, the Emir of Ferghana died suddenly, and 11-year-old Babur ascended his father's throne. His seat was anything but secure, however, with numerous uncles and cousins plotting to replace him. Evidently aware that a good offense is the best defense, the young emir set out to expand his holdings. By 1497, he had conquered the famous Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand. While he was thus engaged, however, his uncles and other nobles rose in rebellion back in Andijan. When Babur turned to defend his base, he once again lost control of Samarkand. The determined young emir had regained both cities by 1501, but the Uzbek ruler Shaibani Khan challenged him over Samarkand, and dealt Babur's forces a crushing defeat. This marked the end of Babur's rule in what is now Uzbekistan. Exile in Afghanistan For three years, the homeless prince wandered Central Asia, trying to attract followers to help him retake his father's throne. Finally, in 1504, he and his small army looked to the southeast instead, marching over the snow-bound Hindu Kush mountains into Afghanistan. Babur, now 21 years old, besieged and conquered Kabul, creating a base for his new kingdom. Ever optimistic, Babur would ally himself with the rulers of Herat and Persia, and try to take back Fergana in 1510-1511. Once more, however, the Uzbeks utterly defeated the Moghul army, driving them back to Afghanistan. Thwarted, Babur began to look south once more. Invitation to Replace Lodi In 1521, a perfect opportunity for southern expansion presented itself to Babur. The sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, Ibrahim Lodi, was hated and reviled by his ordinary citizens and the nobility alike. He had shaken up the military and court ranks, installing his own followers in place of the old guard, and ruled the lower classes with an arbitrary and tyrannical style. After just four years of Lodi's rule, the Afghan nobility were so fed up with him that they invited the Timurid Babur to come to the Delhi Sultanate and depose Ibrahim Lodi. Naturally, Babur was quite happy to comply. He gathered an army and launched a siege on Kandahar. The Kandahar Citadel, however, held out for much longer than Babur had anticipated. As the siege dragged on, however, important nobles and military men from the Delhi Sultanate such as Ibrahim Lodi's uncle, Alam Khan, and the governor of Punjab allied themselves with Babur. First Battle of Panipat Five years after his initial invitation into the subcontinent, Babur finally launched an all-out assault on the Delhi Sultanate and Ibrahim Lodi in April of 1526. On the plains of Punjab, Babur's army of 24,000, mostly horse cavalry, rode out against Sultan Ibrahim, who had 100,000 men and 1,000 war-elephants. Although Babur appeared to be terribly outmatched, he had a far more cohesive command - and guns. Ibrahim Lodi had none. The battle that followed, now called the First Battle of Panipat, marked the fall of the Delhi Sultanate. With superior tactics and firepower, Babur crushed Lodi's army, killing the sultan and 20,000 of his men. Lodi's fall signaled the beginning of the Mughal Empire (also known as the Timurid Empire) in India. Rajput Wars Babur had overcome his fellow Muslims in the Delhi Sultanate (and of course, most were happy to acknowledge his rule), but the mainly-Hindu Rajput princes were not so easily conquered. Unlike his ancestor, Timur, Babur was dedicated to the idea of building a permanent empire in India - he was no mere raider. He decided to build his capital at Agra. The Rajputs, however, put up a spirited defense against this new, Muslim, would-be overlord from the north. Knowing that the Mughal army was weakened after the Battle of Panipat, the princes of Rajputana gathered an army even larger than Lodi's had been and went to war behind Rana Sangam of Mewar. In March of 1527, at the Battle of Khanwa, Babur's army managed to deal the Rajputs a huge defeat. The Rajputs were undaunted, however, and battles and skirmishes continued all over the northern and eastern sections of Babur's empire for the next several years. Death of Babur In the autumn of 1530, Babur fell ill. His brother-in-law conspired with some of the Mughal court nobles to seize the throne after Babur's death, by-passing Humayun, Babur's eldest son and appointed heir. Humayun hurried to Agra to defend his claim to the throne but soon fell gravely ill himself. According to legend, Babur cried out to God to spare Humayun's life, offering his own in return. Soon, the emperor once more grew weak. On January 5, 1531, Babur died at the age of just 47. Humayun, 22 years old, inherited a rickety empire, beset by internal and external enemies. Like his father, Humayun would lose power and be forced into exile, only to return and stake his claim to India. By the end of his life, he had consolidated and expanded the empire, which would reach its height under his son, Akbar the Great. Babur lived a difficult life, always battling to make a place for himself. In the end, however, he planted the seed on one of the world's great empires. Himself a devotee of poetry and gardens, Babur's descendants would raise all kinds of arts to their apogee during their long reign. The Mughal Empire lasted until 1868, when it fell to the colonial British Raj.
Nitish Khanna