Religions
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Hinduism Across Telugu Lands
Telugu emerged from the larger Proto-Dravidian language over 2000 years ago, but was formalised only during the reign of the Kakatiyas about 1000 years ago, who carved out a Telugu speaking kingdom from the erstwhile Chalukyan empire.
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The Feudal Buddha
Images of Buddha are popular in modern homes and health spas. It evokes peace, tranquillity and freedom from stress.
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Decoding Ganesha’s Parenthood
Ganesha’s arrival, in the latter half of the monsoon, marks the transformation of Shiva, the hermit, into Shankara, the householder.
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Caste Tales They Don’t Tell Us
Caste is a word introduced by Europeans about 300 years ago for what Indians have referred to as jati for at least 2,000 years.
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India is Ram’s Mother, Bharat is Ram’s Brother
Unless we accept the story of Indumati, India is effectively a name by which the outsider saw India
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Hinduism in Maharashtra
Today, we see Maharashtra as a land defined by political boundaries. But traditionally it has been the land of the Marathi-speaking people, who speak a set of multiple dialects that emerged from Maharashtri Prakrit and was deeply influenced by Sanskrit…
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How Vedic Are We Today?
Hymns of the Rig Veda were composed in the Punjab-Haryana region around 1500 BCE.
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From Shiva’s Knot to Ram’s Chanda Mama – Our Stories of the Moon
As Chandrayaan-3 lands on the moon, it just so happens that the name of the current Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud, means “on whose brow the moon takes refuge” – a title for Shiva.
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Bahubali: 63 Insights Into Jainism
In Bahubali, Devdutt Pattanaik explores the stories, symbols, rituals and ideas associated with one of India’s most ancient but lesser-known faiths, and shows us why the tenets of Jainism are still very relevant to all of us even today.
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From Fortune’s Favourite to Mother’s Son
Indians have visualised India in many different ways. Often through the lens of outsiders. About 4,500 years ago, the kings of Mesopotamia referred to the coast of Gujarat as Meluhha from where they imported beads, cotton, chicken, dogs and buffaloes.…
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Raiders and Traders of the Desert
What turned Muhammad, the trader, into Muhammad, the raider? It was the lack of empathy.
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Rashtra-Devta Inside a Tree
A king’s dream about a god in a tree connects Manipur and Sri Lanka with Odisha.
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When the Rising Sun in the South Was Auspicious
The South has been the home of Sugriva, king of monkeys (vanara) and Ravana, king of demons (rakshasa).
