History

Din-i-illahi:     Din-i-IIahi proclaimed by Akbar was an order or people with a motto of peace with all (sulehkull), rather than as an eclectic religion. Akbar’s Hindu nobles preferred to remain aloof, with only Birbal consenting to become a member. Raja Todar Mal, Raja Bhagwan Das and Raja Man Singh all declined to associate with … Read more

The didactic nationalism of the Brahmo Samaj appealed more to the intellectual elite in Bengal, while the average Bengali found more emotional satisfaction in the cult of bhakti and yoga. The teachings of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836- 1886), a poor priest at the Kali temple in Dakshineshwar, on the outskirts of Calcutta (who was known in … Read more

Arya Samaj,founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati on April 10, 1875 in Bombay (now Mumbai), is a social reform movement. Contrary to some misconceptions, it is not a religion or a new sect in Hindu religion. Swami Dayanand brought together a number of concerned members of the society to eliminate the ills prevalent within the Hindu … Read more

There is a remarkable similarities between bhakti movement and sufism. This is reflected in the socio-religious life of the then era. Major similarities between bhakti movement and sufism are as follows: Element of tolerance is the basic constituent of both streams. They buttressed hindu-muslim unity. This can be testified by the number of followers from … Read more

After the announcement of deadline by House of commons that British will left by 30th June, 1948 all the processes for peaceful resolutions were tried out.    But all the solutions went in vain and Partition was the only solution left. For peaceful partition, Mountbatten was appointed. He gave the  Mountbatten plan for Partition. Features of … Read more

Zardozi embroidery is beautiful metal embroidery, which once used to embellish the attire of the Kings and the royals in India. It was also used to adorn walls of the royal tents, scabbards, wall hangings and the paraphernalia of regal elephants and horses. Zardozi embroidery work involves making elaborate designs, using gold and silver threads. … Read more

Arjuna’s Penance Mamallapuram   This magnificent relief, carved in the mid-seventh century, measures approximately 30m (100ft) long by 15m (45ft) high. Its huge size and scale is difficult to imagine just from photographs; a person standing on the ground in front of it could barely touch the elephants’ feet.   The subject is either Arjuna’s … Read more

The Indian handicrafts that had made the country famous, collapsed under the colonial rule. There was a sudden and quick collapse of the urban handicrafts which had for centuries made India’s name a byword in the markets of the entire civilised world. During the first half of 18th century, India was the biggest manufacturing nation … Read more

Division of Empire among-st his brother and thus weekning the position of king. Humayun’s inability to understand the nature of the Afghan power and Sher Shah’s deceptive trick. The presence of large numbers of Afghan tribes across the north India and their nature of getting united under a capable leader (like Sher Shah). Without getting … Read more

Indigeneous tradition as well as modern research trace the origin of Indian drama to the Vedas. In the Ramayana we hear of drama troupes of women while Kautilyas Arthshastra mentions musicians, dancers and dramatic shows. Drama is a performing art, which has also been practised since times immemorial. Drama could spring from a child’s play. … Read more