Canberra, 23 January 2022 While the Persian adventurer Ahmad Shah Abdali was repeatedly attempting to make inroads into North India, and the French were laying the foundations upon which the English would later build their Eastern Empire, the Maratha king Shahu continued to dither as an indecisive head of the greatest power of the time […]
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Tag Archives: Orissa
The Marathas Part 14 Peshwa Balaji Rao Section I: A Hesitant Start
January 7, 2022 
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Canberra, 7 January 2022 On the untimely death of Baji Rao, the Deccan faction in the Maratha court once again attempted to stop the hereditary appointment of the Chitpavan Brahmin Bhat family as Peshwas. This faction was led by Raghuji Bhonsle, who was also one of King Shahu’s favourite nobles. Raghuji had been at loggerheads […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 81 Akbar – Section IV. The Conquering Emperor 4. Bihar and Bengal – Expanding to the East
August 1, 2020 0 Comments
Canberra, 1 August 2020, Saturday In ancient times, the region known as Bengal now was called Vanga and at times Gauda. Epigraphic records show that around 11th century, the region started to be mentioned as Vangala-desa, which in turn was further localised to ‘Bangal’ (Bengal) by Muslim invaders—a name that is still used today. Brief […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 75 The Tuluva Dynasty Section IV: Krishna Deva Raya – Deccan Campaign and an Inglorious End
September 8, 2019 0 Comments
Part 75 Vijayanagara stayed in a relatively peaceful state for about two years after the declaration of peace with Pratapa Rudra Gajapati of Orissa. However, true to form, Krishna Deva was restless and keen to fulfil what he considered his destiny—the recapture of the fort at Raichur and other parts of the Doab that had […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 74 The Saluva Dynasty Section I: Antecedents
July 3, 2019 0 Comments
Canberra, 3 July 2019 Saluva is not the name of a family, clan or tribe. It is a title meaning ‘Hawk’, very similar to the Persian title ‘Bahri’. There is a vague trace that is discernible in bits and pieces which could be considered to link the Saluvas as having descended from the Yadavas and […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 73 The Sangama Dynasty Section VI: A Whimpering End
June 23, 2019 0 Comments
Canberra, 23 June 2019 The period immediately following Deva Raya II’s demise is shrouded in conflicting narratives and there is only limited verifiable information available that could help in producing an accurate sequence of events. This period, leading to the end of the Sangama dynasty, has to be classified as one of confusion, an assertion […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 73 The Sangama Dynasty Section V: Dynastic Greatness
May 19, 2019 0 Comments
Canberra, 19 May 2019 The order of succession on the demise of Deva Raya I is a bit confused. Different inscriptions provide perplexing evidence of two sons of Deva Raya I—Ramachandra and Vijaya—as well as a grandson Deva Raya II as ruling at the same time. Although this conflicting information has been gathered from inscriptions […]
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Sanu Kainikara 
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