India’s original Constitution features 22 paintings celebrating the nation’s rich heritage. These artworks, highlight the deep roots of democracy and governance in Indian history.

This painting of Mahavira is in Part VI of the Indian Constitution that describes the governance structure of the major States of India.

The painting is very meaningful. Mahavira’s father Siddhartha, was a ruler of the Nata or Jnatri clan which probably were part of the Vaishali (Vajji) confederation, one of the Mahajanapadas.

Other notable paintings showcase iconic figures like Arjuna & Krishna, Rama, Buddha, Guru Gobind Singh, Nataraja, Akbar, Shivaji, Gandhi, and Netaji.

Source: Indian Constitution

Picture Credit: Indian Constitution

The most distinctive feature of Lothal is the dockyard, which lies on the eastern edge of the site. This is a roughly trapezoidal basin, enclosed by walls of burnt bricks. The eastern and western walls measured 212 m and 215 m respectively in length, while those on the north and south measured 37 m and 35 m. The dockyard had provisions for maintaining a regular level of water by means of a sluice gate and a spill channel. A mud-brick platform along the western embankment may have been the wharf where goods were loaded and unloaded.

Source: Upinder Singh

Picture Credit: Harappa.com

Surat was the richest Mughal city. It earned several lakh rupees from customs duties alone. Shivaji Raje attacked Surat. His aim was to reduce its importance as a commercial base and hit at the root of the Mughal pride. For three days the city was looted. The Mughal subedar was unable to protect it. Shivaji used the loot to repair and strengthen his forts as well as to build sea forts. Padmadurg near Janjira, Sindhudurg, Suvarnadurg and Vijaydurg were built/ strengthened with this money.

Picture Credit: Bal Krishna

This site was identified in 1981 and appears to have been a popular hatchery. Thousands of fossilised dinosaur eggs have been found there. Fossilised bones of an animal two thirds of the size of Tyrannosaurus Rex have also been found. The animal is named Rajasaurus Narmadsensis.

Source: Upinder Singh

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The first King to sign the Instrument of Accession was also the first to be dethroned. Baroda Maharajah Pratap Singh’s administration was mired in financial irregularities. He was accused of taking money out of the treasury and of smuggling away State jewelry to Britain. He later on questioned even the accession of Baroda.

Eventually, in 1951, under Article 366 of the constitution, the President dethroned the Maharajah of Baroda. His eldest son Yuvaraj Fatehsingh was recognised as the ruler of Baroda. Pratap Singh appealed, claiming he was misled by his advisors, but it was turned down.

As India had already become a republic, the effect was only cosmetic. The privy purse of the Maharajah was stopped. His son received a reduced amount as a privy purse.

Source: VP Menon. The Story of the Integration of Indian States

Picture Credit: Picture is that of the Laxmi Vilas Palace of Baroda. S. R. Ramanujam

Junagadh had 80% Hindu population but a muslim ruler. Nawab Mahabat Khan of Junagadh was an easy going man. He loved his dogs so much that he would have wild celebrations when his dogs gave birth.

Egged on by Jinnah, Junagadh acceded to Pakistan. Patel decided to use force. The Nawab escaped with the treasury and his dogs to Karachi. His Dewan handed over the territory to India and he too left for Pakistan. A referendum was held in Junagadh along with a few other neighbouring princely States. Out of about 2 lakh voters, only 91 voted to join Pakistan.

The Dewan was Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto. His son, grand daughter and grand son in law went on to be leaders of Pakistan.

Source: Rajmohan Gandhi, Patel – A Life.
Sandeep Bamzai, Princestan.

Picture: Natioal Virtual Digital Library. Celebration of Junagadh referendum resuts.

The English word mango originated from Tamil “mangai” and Malayalam “manga.” Cashew, same as mango family, is called Kashumaanga in Malayalam! The Malayan word for mango is manga, same as Tamil. After its domestication in India more than 4000 years ago, traders, travelers and rulers have taken the mango across the globe. During 4-5th centuries BCE the Buddhist monks took mango to Malaya Peninsula and East Asia. Chinese traveler Hiuen T’sang returned from India to China with the mango in the 7th century CE. Further, in the 10th century CE the Persians carried it to East Africa. During 16th century CE the Portuguese have taken it to West Africa & Brazil and thence to West Indies where the British picked it up.

Picture Credit: Rajesh India, Flickr

Shrinathji’s idol was brought to Rajasthan from Govardhana near Vrindavan to protect it from the hands of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who in 1665 was bent upon vandalizing the area of Vrindavan by widespread destruction of Hindu temples. For almost six months the statue stayed in Agra after which the custodians of the idol of Shrinathji left that place with the idol in search of a new location. When the wheel of the chariot carrying the Lord got stuck in the mud at a place called Sihar, the Maharana Rajsingh of Mewar saw it as a divine sign that Lord Krishna wished to settle here, and thus a temple was built at this spot and the holy township of Nathdwara grew around the temple.

Source: https://www.nathdwaratemple.org/history/shrinathjis-arrival-at-nathdwara

Ajrakh is a combination of block printing and resist dyeing. The original Ajrakh style has double side printing. The pattern on one side is matched precisely, dot for dot, on the reverse side. It uses blue or red vegetablle dyes.

Historically the craft was practised in Sind and was brought into Kutch.

Source: Google Ars and Crafts

Picture Credit: Google Ars and Crafts

The Pushti Mārg tradition of Krishna worship creates yet another landscape—a linked network of havelīs, each housing a small and powerful image of Krishna, and a network of baithaks where Vallabha taught. At any one of these havelīs, the pilgrim experience brings vicarious participation as members of the extended family in the daily life of Krishna—his waking and sleeping, his caring for the cows and coming home at dusk, his swinging and his water sports. Visiting a havelī, one will catch the Lord somewhere in the daily domestic cycle and enter into that very moment.

Source: India: A Sacred Geography by Diana Eck

One of the major Jain tirtha-yatras (pilgrimages) in Gujarat is the Navanu Yatra (99 yatras), undertaken from Palitana in Bhavnagar district. From Palitana, yatris ascend Shatrunjaya Hill (altitude 580 m), considered to be tirthadhiraja (the king of all yatras), whose summit has hundreds of temples built over several centuries.

The objective of the Navanu Yatra is to ascend Shatrunjaya 99 times, hence the name navanu. This is a re-enactment of the number of times Adinatha (the first Jain tirthankara) is believed to have ascended the hill. He is believed to have given his first summon under a banyan tree on the summit of the hill. Because of this association, the cynosure of Navanu Yatra is the Adishvara temple (popularly called Dadanu Derashar), where the yatra culminates. Jains believe that 23 out of 24 tirthankaras attained moksha on Shatrunjaya Hill.

Source: https://www.sahapedia.org/journey-moksha-navanu-yatra-shatrunjaya-hill

Picture Credit: Ankita Jain

Alfonso is named after its Portuguese cultivator in India, Nicolau Alfonso. Little else is known of the creator.

The famous varieties over which Indians squabble so much, started appearing only after the Portuguese introduced grafting. This technique was then patronized by Mughal rulers. Nicola Manucci, an Italian traveler in Aurangzeb’s court, notes that Portuguese created many varieties which carried the names of individual cultivators. These mangoes were a favourite of Emperor Shahjahan, who had a dedicated supply from Mazgaon to Delhi. Today, it is grown in the Konkan region and is the one of the prized exports from India.

Picture Credit: Joquim, pixabay

Patel studied law in London and became a lawyer at Ahmedabad. He was an expert bridge player. He seemed to be destined for judgeship or knighthood or both. When Patel learnt about Gandhi, he joked that “we have too many Mahatmas” and called him a “crank.”

When Gandhi came to Gujarat Club for a speech, Patel preferred to play bridge. A friend forced him to get up and listen to Gandhi. Patel, always attracted to the idea of renunciation, found his friend and mentor in the abstemious Gandhi. Patel became the most effective leader of satyagraha – Kheda (1918), Borsad (1923) & Bardoli (1928) – earning him the title of Sardar (leader).

Source: “Patel, A Life”, Rajmohan Gandhi.

Picture: The Wikimedia image is of Patel with Gandhi

Zoroastrians consider the fire absolutely sacred and worship in fire temples called Atash Behram. When they came to India in the 8th century, they were called Parsis. The first sacred fire that they established in India was in Sanjan in Gujarat where they first settled down. It was called the Iranshah to honour the country of their origin. In the 14th century CE (or earlier), during the invasion of Gujarat by either Alauddin Khilji of Delhi sultanate or Sultan Mahmud of Gujarat, they were forced to flee with the Iranshah to Navsari. In the 17th or 18th century, the Iranshah was again transferred to Udvada, also in Gujarat, which is now the chief pilgrimage for Parsis in India.

Source: “Parsis of India”, SK Hodivala.

The Wikimedia image by Warrior 4321 shows Udvada Atash Behram where the Iranshah is housed.

Junagadh has the oldest long form inscription in sanskrit. It has 20 lines.

A series of unique records of royal initiatives are inscribed on a granite rock at Junagadh (Girnar) in Gujarat. Apart from a set of Ashokan edicts, this rock bears two other important inscriptions.

A 150 CE inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman records the beginning of the construction of a water reservoir known as Sudarshana lake in the 4th century BCE during the time of the Maurya emperor Chandragupta, its completion during the reign of Ashoka, and its repair in 2nd Century CE.

The name Junagadh is also believed to reflect the antiquity of this place.

Source: Upinder Singh

Picture Credit: Peepul Tree

Dhanavantri is considered the God of Ayurveda and brings good health and prosperity. Hindus consider it auspicious on this day to make new purchases of utensils or any item made of metal. As per legend Dhanvantri is supposed to have emerged from the churning of the celestial ocean, Samudra manthan bearing a kalash (utensil) full of amrit (nectar).

In the picture you can see Dhanvantri holding Amrita Kalash (medicine pot) on walls of Keshava Temple, at Somanathapura, Karnataka.

Source: Dr. Shreenand Bapat’s Lecture History of Diwali, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons

In Gujarat prevalence of the sun worship is indicated by the number of inscriptions and remains of stone sculptures. The temple at Modhera is the most important of all sun-temples built in the whole of Gujarat.  It enjoys the same significance as other two well known sun-temples in Kashmir (Martand) and Orissa (Konark).  According to the Skanda Purana (3.2.40-67) after defeating Ravana, Lord Rama consulted Muni Vasishta to show him a place of pilgrimage where he could go and purify himself.  The Muni showed him dharmaranya, where Modherak or Modhera is situated. The famous sun temple was constructed in 1026-27 A.D. during the reign of Chalukya King Bhima I (1022-1063 A.D.). Though the temple has suffered extensive damages due to invasions, it still retains its original grandeur. But apart from its material beauty, its designer has succeeded in communicating to it an atmosphere of spiritual grace.  The temple faces the east. The rising sun at the equinoxes filters in a golden cadence through its openings, from door way to corridor, past columned vestibules finally to fall on the image in its innermost chamber.

Source: Dr. Advaitavadini Kaul, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts

Picture Credit: S. R. Ramanujam

Patola is possibly derived from the Sanskrit word “Pattakula”, meaning a silk fabric. It is a legendary heritage of Indian textiles from North Gujarat.

It is one of most complex textile?weaving techniques in the world and highly priced fabric. First, the threads are dyed before they are woven (unlike, say in Batik when the woven cloth is dyed). Second, both the vertical and horizontal threads (warp and weft) are dyed in Patola which is called double Ikat.

It takes three to four months to prepare tie- dyed design on warp and weft threads for one sari of 6 yards length. Two weavers take about 40 to 50 days to just weave the sari. 4 to 5 persons take periods of 5 to 6 months to complete a sari depending on the intricacy of the design.

Source: Patola and Resist Dyed Fabrics of India

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Mashru is woven with both silk and cotton. It is woven in a way that only the cotton thread touches the skin while the silk thread is visible outside. It is believed to have been developed to overcome the taboo that muslims had for silk. Mashroo in Arabic means permitted.

The style also has a practical utility. The silk on the outside has a beautiful, gloss, the cotton yarns in the back soak up sweat and keep the wearer cool. It is popular in the Kutch region. Mashru is also believed to derived from collquial Gujarati word “Mishru” which means mixed.

Source: Gaatha.org

Picture Credit: Gaatha.org

As per Jain tradition, Lord Mahavira attained Nirvana on Diwali. Jains celebrate this occasion by lighting lamps. Laxmi Puja and the worship of books of accounts are also part of Jain tradition.

Source: Some Notes on the History of Diwali Festival, P.K. Gode

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons