Ghaffar Khan, also called Baadshah Khan or Bacha Khan, was a leader of Pashtuns who live mostly in what was the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. A great pacifist like Gandhi, he is sometimes referred as the Frontier Gandhi. He raised the Khudai Khidmatgars (Servants of God) or Red Shirts, a 100,000 strong organization wedded to non violence and strict discipline. Gandhi called it a miracle as the Pashtuns were considered to have a code of revenge of violence.

Along with Gandhi, he was the most inveterate opponent of partition. Unlike Gandhi, he survived partition by 40 years. He spent the post partition years working for the rights of Pashtuns and was viewed with suspicion by the Pakistan government. He boycotted the 1947 referendum in the province since it did not provide an option of independence or joining Afghanistan. He was twice nominated for the Nobel price for peace and was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1987.

One of his biographers J Bright wrote that he was so wedded to non violence that Gandhi should be called the ‘Indian Khan’ and not the other way round.

Source: The Print, thefrontiergandhimovie.com.

Picture: The Wikimedia image shows Ghafar Khan with Gandhi and Kasturba.

By 1700, the fledgling Maratha kingdom was on its knees against the Mughals. Shivaji’s son Sambhaji Bhonsle had been captured, tortured and killed in 1689. His family was taken hostage. Sambhaji’s half brother Rajaram became king, and managed to win back a foothold in the state. He suddenly died in 1700.

Aurangzeb gleefully observed that Marathas were left with a widow and two infants. The widow Tarabai, wife of Rajaram, assumed leadership. In a masterly campaign of 8 years too back 6 Mughal provinces. After Aurangzeb’s death, Sambhaji’s son, Shahuji was released and became king. Tarabai established a rival kingdom at Kolhapur in 1709.

Both the Maratha kingdoms kept fighting till Shahu’s Peshwa managed to depose Tarabai in 1714 and place another Bhonsle scion at Kolhapur. Tarabai was imprisoned and was released only in 1730 when she was shifted to Satara. She spent her time there causing intrigue and fighting the Peshwas who were now the real power, till her death in 1761.

Picture Credit: The Wikimedia image is the statue of Rani Tarabai at Kolhapur courtesy pradeep717.

Gangadhara is associated with the perseverance of Bhagiratha. Siva is depicted bearing and sustaining the furious torrents of the river Ganga, as she descends from heaven to grace Bhagiratha.
Bhagiratha had undertaken a penance to seek Ganga to come to earth. His sixty thousand ancestors had been burnt to ashes by Sage Kapila. His ancestors had wrongly assumed that Sage Kapila had stolen their father’s horse. In reality it was Indra who was jealous of King Sakara. Indra had tied the horse to a tree in the ashram of Sage Kapila. The ancestors would attain redemption only when Gangaji washed their ashes.

Even though Bhagiratha managed to convince Ganga to come to earth, someone had to stop the fury of Ganga as she descends from heaven. So Bhagiratha prayed to Shiva and convinced him to absorb the fury of Gangaji. As Gangadhara, Shiva stood astride with his feet firmly on the ground. He untied his plait of hair and loosened it so as to bear the mighty torrents of Ganga.

Bhagiratha’s troubles were not over yet. Gangaji had inundated the hermitage of Sage Janhu who then swallowed all the flow of Ganga. Bhagiratha then begged forgiveness from Sage Janhu who then let out Gangaji through his ears. She would eventually reach the ashram of Sage Kapila and washed the ashes of Bhagiratha’s ancestors.

Bhagiratha thus stands as a symbol of perseverance. He is endowed with courage, confidence, determination, endurance, tenacity of purpose, holy mission and a holy vision. He is a hero bearing an exemplary character to be emulated by everyone on earth.

This is in Elephanta island off Mumbai.

Picture Credit: Rangan Datta

Megasthenes was the ambassador of Seleucus, Alexander, successor. He stayed at the court of Chandragupta Maurya at Pataliputra (Patna). He wrote, “The Herakles is held in special honour by the Sourasenoi who possess two large cities, Methora and Cleisobara and through whose country flows the river Iobares.”

The Greeks called Krishna Herakles, after their own hero Hercules. The Surasena were a tribe associated with Yadavas. Methora, Cleisobara and Iobares have been identified as Mathura, Gokul and Yamuna.

Source: Professor Meenakshi Jain. “Vasudeva Krishna and Mathura.”

Picture Credit: Amar Chitra Katha

Bharat ruled from Nandigram during Rama’s exile. When Rama was returning to Ayodhya, he did not want to claim the kingdom against Bharat’s wish. Therefore he sent Hanuman to assess the intent of Bharat. Hanuman came in disguise as a Brahmin and tested Bharat’s will to welcome Rama.

The temple here shows Bharat and Hanuman in embrace after Hanuman revealed to Bharat his true form. The Jata Kund here is believed to be the place where Lord Rama and Lakshman cut their matted hair at the end of their exile.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Uttar Pradesh A to Z, UP Tourism

Picture Credit

UP Tourism

Shringaverpur is situated on Allahabad-Lucknow road, said to be once the kingdom of Nishadraj (King of Boatmen). Lord Rama travelled till here in his chariot and dismissed his charioteer here. Sringaverpur appears to be the confines of civilisaion and after this point, Rama’s journey was through forests and on foot. There is a platform on the bank of the river Ganga, Ramchaura, believed to be the place where Lord Ram stayed overnight while proceeding to his exile. His were washed by Nishadraj before he carried them across the river on his boat.

Source
UP A to Z UP Tourism

The Geography of Rama’s Exile, F.E Fargiter, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

Picture Credit
UP A to Z UP Tourism

Hemkund is a special Gurudwara. This is the place where Guru Gobind Singh is supposed to have meditated in his earlier life. In his own words he says “I was busy performing penance on the hills of Hemkunt where seven peaks are prominent. The place is called Sapt Shring where King Pandu had performed Yoga.” The location was identified only in 1930s.

Hemkund is in the Garhwal Himalayas and adjoins the Valley of Flowers which is a very popular hiking and nature destination. Hemkund is accessible only by a steep hiking trail. The roadhead from Haridwar to Badrinath branches off towards the Hemkund hiking trail after Joshimath.

Source: Sikh Shrines in India, G.S.Randhir

Picture Credit: Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara, Facebook

The Andhaka Vrishnis were a republic with a dyarchy – there were two elected leaders whose titles included Vasudeva and Bhojaka. Their constitution was called Bhaujya in the Aitreya Brahmana. Bhojas later emerged as a separate clan & ruling dynasty and the city of Bhuj is their legacy.

Krishna’s Yadavas are part of the Vrishni clan who migrated from Mathura to Dwarka. In the Mahabharata, Krishna mentions that “he had control over half his realm” alluding to this dyarchy. He laments to Narada that he has to endure a lot of nonsense in the assembly from rival factions.

Towards the end of Mahabharata, we know that the clan and their city Dwarka were destroyed in a civil war between factions which also resulted in Krishna’s death. Puranic legend suggests that the Andhaka Vrishnis were cursed to never have kings, probably reflecting their proud republican tradition.

Source: KP Jayaswal, “Hindu Polity”
A S Altekar, “State & Government in Ancient India”
Upinder Singh, “A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India from the Stone Age to 12th Century”

Picture Credit:

After Hanumanji landed in Sri Lanka and located Sita mata, Ravana moved her to a labyrinth of caves. The caves open out at strategic places that are associated with Ravana’s life like his dairy farm, his airport, his place of meditation etc. The caves are located in Istripuram. Even though they are well known these are not frequented. There is no religious worship in the place.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Ramayana in Lanka

Picture Credit

Divirumpola is the site where Sita met Rama after the war. This is also the place where the Agni Pareeksha of Sita was conducted. A stupa is built over the spot of Agni Pareeksha. A platform commemorates the place of Agnipareeksha. Divirumpola means oath at the rice fields. A wooden sculpture of Hanumanji carved out of a single mango tree is present here.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
Ramayana in Lanka

Picture Credit

www.flickr.comphotoslakpura

Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas which adorns all devout North Indian homes. He also wrote Ganpati Vandana which describes Ganesha as Modakpriya – lover of modak.

“Gaiye Ganapati jagvandan sankar suwan bhawani ke nandan,
Siddhi sadan gajbadan vinayak kripasindhu sundar sab laayak ,
Modak priya mud mangal data vidya varidhi buddhi vidhata ,
Maangat tulsidas kar jore basahu ram siya manas more”.

A North Indian saint celebrating a quintessential Maharashtrian delicacy 500 years ago!

The Picture is of a single Modak weighing 72kgs offered to the Vinayaka in Madurai Meenakshi temple

Picture Credit: Indian Express

A devotee named Kanakadāsa came as a pilgrim to Udupi but was unable to enter the temple because of his station in life as a shepherd. So he sang songs of devotion outside the temple, and Krishna, they say, was moved by his song. The Lord opened up a crack in the temple wall and turned 180 degrees to face west so that Kanakadāsa could have his darshan. Rather than patch up the crack, the temple authorities turned it into a window, which they dubbed Kanakadāsa’s window, through which everyone can peep in from the outside and see Lord Krishna. Today, it is customary to peek through Kanakadāsa’s silver-framed and highly ornate window before entering the temple for darshan.

Source: India: A Sacred Geography by Diana Eck

Bithoor is rich in history. It is the location of the Valmiki Ashram. Luv and Kush are believed to have been born here. Historically, Bithoor is where NanaSaheb Peshwa spent time in his exile. It is the location of the start of 1857 Indian war of independence where 300 Britishers were slain. Rani Jhansi grew up in Bithoor and Tantya Tope taught her at Bithoor.

Source
Footsteps of Rama, Vikrant Pande and Neelesh Kulkarni.
UP A to Z, UP Tourism

Picture Credit
UP A to Z UP Tourism

The Guptas rose to power in the early 4th century through a marriage alliance – Chandragupta I married a princess of the Lichcchavi republic. Samudragupta is known as Lichchhavi-dauhitra (grandson of the Lichchhavis) in inscriptions.

Their imperium of roughly 200 years saw the almost complete eclipse of republics in North India.

The prashasti of Samudragupta on the Prayagraj Ashokan Pillar records the ganas that were overcome by Guptas. This included the Malavas, Arjunayanas, Yaudheyas, Madrakas, Abhiras, Prarjunas, Sanakanikas, Kakas and Kharaparikas.

The Gupta’s rule was weakened by the short-lived republic of the Pusyamitras around the Vindhyas. The Emperor Kumaragupta is supposed to have been killed in battle with the them around 450CE. His successor Skandagupta defeated them but he candidly mentions that they had made the empire totter. Skandagupta revived the Guptas and even pushed back the Huna invasion but the empire went into terminal decline after him.

Source: Upinder Singh, “A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India from the Stone Age to 12th Century”
KP Jayaswal, “Hindu Polity”.

Picture Credit:

The Jesuit delegation to Akbar in 1579 is said to have introduced the idea of grafting mangoes to the emperor. He is said to have planted one lakh trees in Darbhanga, Bihar to introduce this technique on a large scale. This led to the creation of many mango varieties. While the story is not in Ain-i-Akbari, it is accepted by historians as true. The Mughals loved mangoes, introducing recipes like the Aaam Panna, Aaam ki Lauz and Aam ka Meetha Pulao. Nurjehan is said to have created wines mixed with mangoes.

Picture Credit: AI generated image of one lakh mango trees, GenCraft