Mughal Tomb Building Tradition Mughal rule in India lasted from 1526 to 1857 and the period of the first six emperors (1526-1707) can be seen as greater than their successors’ time in two respects. Firstly, it was a period of expansion and secondly, the artistic achievements were superior. One such example of their artistic achievementsContinue reading “Mughal Tomb Buildings”
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Miniature Paintings Under Akbar
MINIATURE PAINTINGS UNDER AKBAR In 1539 Humayun took refuge at the court of the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp after suffering defeat at the hands of Sher Shah Suri. There, he was captivated by the beauty of Persian miniature paintings and as a parting gift, received two of Shah Tahmasp’s most acclaimed painters, Mir Sayyid AliContinue reading “Miniature Paintings Under Akbar”
Vannupatha Jataka
VANNUPATHA JATAKA Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta ruled in Banaras in Kashi, the Bodhisatta was born into a trader’s family. When he grew up, he would travel about trading with a carava of five hundred carts. On one occasion he came to a sandy wilderness sixty leagues across, the sand of which was so fine that,Continue reading “Vannupatha Jataka”
Apannaka Jataka
Apannaka Jataka Long, long ago, when Brahmadatta was reigning in Baranasi, there were two merchants in the city, one was a normal man and the other was the Bodhisattva. One day it so happened that the two merchants each loaded five hundred carts with costly wares of Baranasi and prepared to leave in the sameContinue reading “Apannaka Jataka”
Qutub Complex
QUTUB COMPLEX From the nomadic “Aryans” down to the British, in over 3,000 years, invaders have followed a path eastward, from lands beyond the Hindu Kush, for the fabled wealth of our country and the fertility of the plains. One such ferocious horde was from Muhammad Gauri from Ghur who rode down at the endContinue reading “Qutub Complex”
Ajanta
AJANTA Ajanta is located in Aurangabad District of Maharashtra State and the caves are excavated in the face of an almost perpendicular scrap of rock, about 250 ft. high, sweeping round in a complete semi-circle or horseshoe shape, and forming the north or outer side of a wild secluded ravine down which comes a smallContinue reading “Ajanta”
ATHARVAVEDA
ATHARVA VEDA The Vedas are the Oldest scriptures of India and one of the oldest extant texts in the Indo-European languages. The Atharvaveda is different from other Vedic texts as it contains both hymns and prose passages and is divided into 20 books where the first seven books contain magical prayers for precise purposes: spellsContinue reading “ATHARVAVEDA”
Auroville
AUROVILLE Auroville was born on 28 February 1968 as its founder, the Mother, created the Auroville Charter that consists of four main ideas that underpin her vision for the place, the ideas of which the resident have to apply in their daily life, policy development and decision making. The Charter therefore is an omnipresent referentContinue reading “Auroville”
Bahuchara Mata
BAHUCHARA MATA Bahuchara Mata is the incarnation of the Mother aspect of Shakti. She is represented as a woman carrying a sword in her bottom left hand, a text of scriptures in her top left hand, the abhay hasta mudra (“showering of blessings”) in her bottom right hand, and a trident in her top right hand who is seated on a rooster, symbolising innocenceContinue reading “Bahuchara Mata”
Yajur Veda
YAJUR VEDA The Vedas are the Oldest scriptures of India and one of the oldest extant texts in the Indo-European languages. Among those the Yajurveda is the Veda of mantras for ritual worship datable to roughly 1200-1000BCE. It is a compilation of ritual offering formulas recited by priests during yajnas. This veda is broadly groupedContinue reading “Yajur Veda”
The Vedic Soul 