Temple Gopurams As Royal Defiance

Most of the tall gopurams we see in South India today were built by Nayaka kings of Telugu origin. Most are three to four centuries old, built during and after the Vijayangar period. Nayaka rulers reimagined Ram and Krishna as political and theological answers to the Islamic and Indo-Persian imperial culture that shaped North and Deccan India. They did this not only through stories, but through massive temple building. The gopuram became their grand statement…

Tirthankar: Jain Dharm Par 63 Vichar

by Devdutt Pattanaik (Author), Mihir Nilum Jajodia (Translator) …

The Forgotten Women Who Helped Shape Jainism

Jainism follows the path revealed by 24 sages known as Tirthankara, who appear in every …

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  • Can a French man be a ‘civilisational Hindu’?

    Can a French man be a ‘civilisational Hindu’?

    In New India, an Italian woman with an Indian passport remains a ‘foreigner’, but a French man with an Indian passport becomes a ‘civilisational Hindu’, and is even asked to influence young impressionable minds by creating ‘decolonised’ school textbooks…

  • Flower of India: Ways of Seeing the Lotus

    Flower of India: Ways of Seeing the Lotus

    In Flower of India, bestselling author and renowned mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik examines the lotus as …

  • Can a French man be a ‘civilisational Hindu’?

    Can a French man be a ‘civilisational Hindu’?

    In New India, an Italian woman with an Indian passport remains a ‘foreigner’, but a French man with an Indian passport becomes a ‘civilisational Hindu’, and is even asked to influence young impressionable minds by creating ‘decolonised’ school textbooks…

  • How the British shaped India’s education system

    How the British shaped India’s education system

    Education in India underwent a major transformation in the nineteenth century during British rule, particularly after the intervention of Thomas Babington Macaulay in 1835…

  • How Ganesh Became The God Of All Things

    How Ganesh Became The God Of All Things

    To understand why Ganesha is worshipped as the remover of obstacles and invoked before every Hindu ceremony, we must understand—and appreciate—the role elephants have played in Indian history and imagination. …

  • Vishnu’s Art of Attracting Fortune

    Vishnu’s Art of Attracting Fortune

    In Indian mythology, Vishnu is described as the beloved of Lakshmi. His names are Sri-vallabha, beloved of fortune, and Sri-nivasa, abode of fortune. In art, the goddess is shown residing in his heart, or seated by his side. When he reclines, she is at his feet. This pairing is a metaphor. …

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Devdutt Pattanaik writes and speaks on the relevance of mythology in modern times, especially in areas of management, governance, and leadership.