The Portuguese had captured the seven islands of Mumbai from the Sultan of Gujarat in 1535. When Charles II of England married Catherine of Braganza in 1662, these islands—then called “Bom Bahia” (Good Bay)—were transferred as part of her dowry to the English. The Portuguese retained adjacent territories such as Vasai until their defeat by the Marathas in 1739. The British took these over from Marathas in 1780. Many Portuguese era Mumbai churches like St Michael’s at Mahim & Mount Mary in Bandra are still popular.
The image from the Royal Collection Trust shows the old English fort at Bombay.

Nanak ji spent a large part of his life on his udasis – spiritual travels where he went to important pilgrimage centres and interacted with common devotees. After his travels, Nanak ji probably returned to Punjab by 1520 since he mentions the attacks of Babur, the first Mughal. He spent the rest of his life till his passing in 1538 CE at Kartarpur, near the Indo-Pak border. Two Gurudwaras mark his stay here. Dera Baba Nanak in India, a km from the border, is where he meditated. Kartarpur Sahib 5 km across the border, marks the spot where he breathed his last. The visa free Kartarpur corridor connects the two sites now.
Source: Sikh Shrines in India; GS Randhir

Sayanacharya was a great Sanskrit scholar who lived during the reign of the first two Vijayanagara Kings. His commentaries and works have been the foundation for many translations of Vedas as of date. Every modern scholar of Vedas, Indian or Western, refers to his work obligatorily. There were many Vedic commentators before Sayana but all their work is lost. We know them by name only.
His work preserves and build upon these lost commentaries. While modern western scholars have deviated from his interpretation of Vedas, his work remains the standard Vedic commentary among traditional scholars. Some like Sri Aurobindo, have criticized him for placing greater emphasis on ritualism than spirituality in his work.
The image is of Max Muller’s translation of the Vedas, the first by a European. The title mentions that the book also has a translation of Sayana’s commentary.
Source: Dharmawiki.org, goldenreed.wordpress.com

Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh DFC is renowned for his role in the Indo- Pak War of 1965. He promised to hit Pakistan units in an hour and true to promise, the Indian Air Force bombed the armoured units of Pakistan in Akhnoor within an hour. He was conferred this five star rank in Jan 2002.

High tea is often misconstrued as an incredibly lavish affair with sumptuous cakes and plenty of fine-quality tea, but the term actually originates from the Victorian era and is how the British working classes would refer to their evening meal at their ‘high table’ after a long day’s work. Afternoon tea, such as that taken by the Duchess of Bedford, was referred to as ‘low tea’ simply because one might sit in an armchair with the tea served at a side table that might be rather low.
Source: Tea Trivia, History and Recipes, Emily Kearns
Picture is a railway hoarding by Tea Cess Committee depicting a Sikh, Muslim and Hindu drinking tea, with the caption Wealth, Health and Happiness under each of these figures.

Rani ki Vav is in Patan, near Mehsana in Gujarat. It is also known for the famous Patan sarees. The stepwell was built by Udayamati in the 11th century in memory of her husband Bhima. It was silted and unknown till 1940s. It is a UNESCO heritage site.
The stepwell is in the shape of an inverted temple and has seven levels. The stairs at each level lead to a circular well at the far end. The stepwell has 500 major sculptures and over a thousand minor sculptures. It has 212 pillars. It also features in our 100 Rs currency note.
Picture Credit: S. R. Ramanujam

The day after Deepavali is celebrated as Balipratipada in many parts of India like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh etc. It is believed to be the day when Bali returns to his kingdom once every year. This request of Bali was granted by Vishnu after he was sent to Sutala. Vamana Purana simply mentions that the Pratipada after Sakra festival shall be observed as a day of Bali’s worship – Dvarapratipada. Healthy and wealthy people will dress well and worship Bali with flowers and lamp. Due to the happiness, the auspicious day will be called Kaumudi.

Picture Credit: Venugopal and Jayachadran, Tatvamasi Mural Art

In a surprising comparison, Tulsi compares wicked people to the beautiful peacock. He writes in the Uttara-Kaand,
“झूठइ लेना झूठइ देना। झूठइ भोजन झूठ चबेना। बोलहिं मधुर बचन जिमि मोरा। खाइ महा अहि हृदय कठोरा॥ i.e.
They are wrongful in all their dealings; whether at home, in business, or during meals. Their words are sweet as honey, much like the peacock, which, despite its beauty, has a ruthless heart and consumes even the most venomous snake.”
The peacock is normally associated with beauty & royalty, it is Karthikeya’s mount and Krishna uses its feather as an adornment. But it is also remarkable in being able to subdue a snake. Tulsi uses this fact to make an earthy comparison. Tulsi uses homespun analogies, most are endearing. But a few about women and some communities, can be double edged and scholars have commented on the same. But the great poet has humbly submitted, “सुजन सुचित सुनि लेहु सुधारी” – noble people can refine (reinterpret) his work, if required.

In front of the eastern gateway of the Jagannath temple there is a beautiful chlorite pillar about 25 feet height, made of a single stone. The pillar is on an exquisite pedestal. There is a moorthy of Aruna (charioteer of Surya) on top of the pillar. The pillar was originally in the Konark temple. It was brought to Puri by the Maratha Guru Baba Brahmachari in the 18th century. The Maratha rule over Orissa provided a lot of relief to Puri. They reduced the pilgrim tax which was levied by Bengal sultans. They provided an estate, called Satais Hazari Mahal, yielding an annual rent of approximately Rs 27,000 for the temple. The picture is an 1877 painting of Puri temple with Arun Sthamba by LOUIS ROUSSELET.

Chintamoni Acharyya, Puri.

While the marathas and Ahilyabai supported the Hindu revival in all aspects, Ahilyabai’s contribution to the revival of pilgrim centers stands out. Foreign conquest of about seven centuries had levelled many pilgrimage places of India. The Marathas were instrumental in the reconstruction of the Hindu society and its institutions.

Ahilyabai was the best exponent of it. With her charity work, she ensured that several temples were reconstructed, ghats were built in tirthas, choultries were built for accommodation of pilgrims and water facilities were provided.

When Malhar Rao was alive, Ahilyabai had visited several pilgrimage places. She was conscious of the expenses that pilgrims incurred and the hardships they had to face. She decided to spend her personal wealth on renovation of pilgrimage facilities. Every major pilgrimage center in India has the stamp of Ahilyabai’s generosity and public work. There are facilities in all corners of India – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Rameswaram, Pandharpur, Somnath and Puri. To make sure that the facilities are well maintained, she also created permanent financial arrangements for their upkeep.

About her charity, John Malcom says, “hours snatched from the affairs of the State were all given to acts of devotion and charity – and a deep sense of religion appears to have strengthened her mind in the performance of worldly duties.”

After independence a trust was formed to manage the properties Ahilayabai had created with her personal wealth. In 2012, former Lok Sabha speaker and MP from Indore, Sumitra Mahajan filed a complaint to stop the misuse and unauthorised sale of these properties by the Trust. As a result, Government of Madhya Pradesh and later on the high court and supreme court ended up protecting the properties from unauthorised sale. `

The Vakatakas succeeded the Satavahanas. They ruled parts of the Deccan from the mid-3rd to the late 5th century CE, from Nandivardhana, near Nagpur. Their rule overlapped with the Guptas to the north. Chandragupta II gave his daughter Prabhavati Gupta in marriage to the Vakataka ruler Rudrasena II. This was likely to gain Vakataka support for his campaign against the Sakas in Gujarat and Malwa.

After her husband’s death, Prabhavati became regent for her three young sons and later ruled directly for two decades (390-410 CE). The Pune Copper Plate inscription of Prabhavati Gupta mentions the year she became regent. It also identifies her gotra as her father’s dynasty, not her husband’s, and gives details about her father and her mother, who was a Naga princess. This inscription shows that she ruled independently.

Because of her regency, the Guptas and Vakatakas became allies, bringing political unity to a large part of India. Prabhavati is considered the original philosopher queen of India. It is said that Kalidasa, the great Sanskrit poet, was in her court.

Source: Priya Jyoti Samanta, ‘Poona Copper Plate Inscription of Prabhavati Gupta’, Sadvidya – Journal of Research in Sanskrit; RC Majumdar, “Ancient India”

A painting of Prabhavatigupta by Asit Kumar Haldar