Kosala Kingdom

The kingdom of Kosala covered the territories of Oudh and was ruled by king Mahakosala and his more powerful son Prasenajit who was a contemporary of Buddha. King Prasenajit was known for his devotion to Buddha, without being a Buddhist. His respect for

Read More

Hoysala Dynasty (Hoysala Empire)

The Empire of Hoysala Dynasty rose into prominence towards the beginning of the eleventh century A.D. in the territories now represented roughly by Mysore and Madras. Origin: The Hoysalas claimed their descent from the moon and regarded themselves to be the “Kshatriyas

Read More

Useful notes on Kautilya’s Arthashastra

The Arthashastra by Kautilya Kautilya (also Chanakya) was the chief adviser of Chandragupta Maurya. The Arthasastra by Kautilya is another important source which throws a good deal of light on the Mauryan period. As Kautilya (or Chanakya), was directly concerned with the Maur­yan government,

Read More

Rajput Kingdoms (Rajput Empire)

Principal Rajput Kingdoms At the time of Muslim invasions the whole of Northern India was divided into a large number of Rajput Kingdoms. The major Rajput Kingdoms were Delhi, Mewar, Kanauj, Ajmer, Bihar, Bengal, Bundelkhand, Malwa and Chedi. These Kingdoms have been

Read More

Early Life of Asoka the Great (Devanampriya Priyadarshi)

Devanampriya Priyadarshi Samrat Ashoka was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya and the son of the second Maurya Emperor, Bindusara. Acknowledged as the greatest of monarchs in world history, Ashoka is singled out as a ruler without a parallel. In his role as

Read More

Information on Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang, Hsuan Tsang) in India

Hiuen Tsang (also Xuanzang, Hsuan Tsang) was the celebrated Chinese traveler who visited India in Ancient Times. He been described therefore as the “Prince of Pilgrims.” India is much indebted to this Chinese for the valuable accounts he left behind with many details of

Read More

Decline of Mauryan Empire

Decline of Mauryan Empire No political empire lasts forever. Every empire in history broke down for certain obvious causes. Among these causes, some causes appear almost as common, namely, the weak successors, vastness of the empire, independence of the provinces, foreign invasion,

Read More

Gupta Empire Art and Architecture

This article contains details of the Architecture of Gupta Empire, the Gupta Sculpture and the Art of Painting. Architecture of Gupta Empire The Gupta Age, being an age of intense religion interests, saw the construction of large number of temples and religious

Read More

Bhartrihari (Sanskrit Author)

Bhartrihari was a famous Sanskrit Author in Ancient India. His is considered to be a great literary figure of his age. He is said to have renounced the world to lead a saintly life after passing through the painful experiences of life.

Read More

Sunga Dynasty (Sunga Empire)

Background It is gathered from some Puranic descriptions as well as from the famous work ‘Harsha Charita’, written by Bana several centuries later, that the last King of the Maurya Dynasty named Brihadratha was killed by his own General named Pushyamitra Sunga

Read More