Chola

Published on 16th October, 2022, in The Hindu. Cholas in focus: 12th century war poem ‘Kalingathu Parani’ celebrates the dynasty’s exploits against the Kalinga kingdom. The poem is narrated by ghosts who are companions of a fearsome goddess called Anangu. When the Delhi Sultanate was being established in the north of India some 800 years ago, down south, a Pallava general was leading a Chola king’s army along the eastern coast. He crossed the deltas of Krishna and Godavari, slaughtered hundreds of war elephants sent to block his progress, and finally overpowered the king of Kalinga, who had not paid his tribute for two years, ..

Published on 4th March, 2018, in Mid-Day. When we use the word demon in English we are instantly drawn to dark and hideous evil creatures. This idea comes to us from the Christian world that gave us the mythology of the Devil, and from the Zoroastrian world before that, where all things ugly were attributed to Angra Manyu, the smoke to the fire that was the divine Ahura Mazda. However, it is fascinating to learn that until the Mughals painted Hindu mythology on orders of Akbar in the 16th century, demons of Puranas were never shown as having dark complexion. They were coloured red and ..