Islamic
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Dharma of the Shudra
Dharma claims to be eternal. Eternal things are not supposed to change. But a Shudra landowner living better than a starving Brahmin priest is a fact that eternal texts cannot simply ignore. So Sanskrit scholars did what they always do…
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Mahakala in Baghdad
Mughals claimed royal authority very differently, directly from God, almost like Sufi mystics without the Caliph’s intervention. This little detail is often missed. And this shift has to do with Buddhism. Specifically, Tantrik Buddhism of Tibet.
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Who Is Baal?
The name Baal has been appearing a lot lately, especially in Western media, in the context of war between Iran and Israel. Known as a false god in the Bible, his images are being burnt in public. Western capitalists are…
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The Global Resurrection of Islam
Earlier, Islam was sustained by rulers. In the modern era, it is sustained by communities. Authority shifted from courts and empires to classrooms, print networks, voluntary organisations, and individual conscience.
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Why lotus remains India’s simplest yet most profound symbol
The lotus today is a symbol of a leading political party in India, but for thousands of years it has been part of Indian myth, ritual, architecture, and craft. At the village level, the lotus thrives as a simple floor…
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The Many Horse Invaders of India
India has been invaded several times, for over 3,000 years, by horse-breeding tribes from the steppes, grasslands north of the Himalayas, the last of whom were the Mughals, and the Mughals came only 500 years ago.
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Akbar the Jogi
Depending on the perspective, Akbar’s behaviour was explained as either the result of his being a Hindu sage in a previous life or as the outcome of him being tricked and brainwashed by sorcerers, or being a pragmatic king who…
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Sultan, Badshah and Shahenshah: What These Titles Say About India’s Muslim Rulers
Politicians usually refer to the Islamic period (1000 to 1800) as the Mughal period (1500-1800), but that is not quite correct.
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Bhairava in Baghdad
We have often heard about the great Islamic Caliphate, established by the Abbasid Empire in Baghdad in the 8th century and destroyed in the 13th century by the Mongols. What is less discussed is how Buddhism played a pivotal role…
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A Starry Network of Arabian Trade
The word monsoon comes from the Arabic word ‘mausam’, meaning season. Incidentally, the word ‘ara’ in Sanskrit means desert.
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Crescent Moon of Rome
Many Islamic nations choose the Crescent Moon as their symbol, a reminder of when Islam overpowered the Christian city of Constantinople, the second Rome. We can say the Crescent Moon is not so much about Islam as it is about…
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Month of Muharram
The month of Muharram marks the first of twelve months of the Islamic calendar, and it has very different meanings for the Shia and the Sunni communities.
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When Spitting on Someone Is Considered Good Luck
The idea that Muslims spit on food is now spreading virally across Indian social media. It is seen as some kind of Islamic practice to contaminate Hindu food, the claim is made by people with a long history of trying…
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Saraswati, Sister of the Indus
In 1947, India was partitioned. The major sites of the civilisation, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, went to Pakistan. The artefacts were divided between the two nations. The Priest King went to Pakistan; the Dancing Girl came to India.
