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Incredible Megaliths of India: Star Maps and Headless Goddesses

Incredible Megaliths of India: Star Maps and Headless Goddesses – Part I

That India has many thousands of megaliths is something that deserves to be more widely known. These monuments include Menhirs (tall standing stones), alignments, avenues, stone circles, cysts,...
Krishna Butter Ball: 250 Ton Boulder that Defies the Laws of Physics

Krishna Butter Ball: 250 Ton Boulder that Defies the Laws of Physics

The Krishna Butter Ball is a large boulder located in Mahabalipuram, a town in the Kancheepuram district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This giant boulder is one of the town’s tourist...
Timeline of the Harappan Civilization is Pushed Back 2,500 Years as Researchers Find New Reason for Its Fall

Timeline of the Harappan Civilization is Pushed Back 2,500 Years as Researchers Find New Reason for Its Fall

A recent discovery suggests that the Indus Valley Civilization is at least 8,000 years old, not 5,500 as previously believed. Moreover, the researchers show that its power dwindled because of weaker...
Ancient Irish Musical History Found in Modern India

Ancient Irish Musical History Found in Modern India

An archaeologist studying musical horns from iron-age Ireland has found musical traditions, thought to be long dead, are alive and well in south India. The realization that modern Indian horns are...
An image of the god Soma and its representations.

The Secret Substance Soma: Bringing Human Beings Closer to the Gods

Soma is both the name of a god and a substance that is found in Hindu mythology. As a deity, Soma is one of the most important gods in the Rigveda . Soma is also considered to be a primeval being,...
Photo of modern Azalai salt caravan.

Hippalos: Hazardous Journeys by Camel and Caravan – Part II

(Read Part 1, Hippalos: Early Navigation of Deep Sea Routes Between India and Egypt ) Assuming the presence of military was a deterrent to the local pirates, the Greek ship loaded with trade goods...
Hippalos: Early Navigation of Deep Sea Routes Between India and Egypt – Part I

Hippalos: Early Navigation of Deep Sea Routes Between India and Egypt – Part I

On the south-east or Coromandel Coast of India, about two miles (3.2km) south of the former French enclave of Pondicherry, there is a tract on the east known locally as Arikamedu, near the village of...
Kathmandu: How Religion and Trade Flowed into an Ancient Water-Filled Valley

Kathmandu: How Religion and Trade Flowed into an Ancient Water-Filled Valley

The city of Kathmandu is today the capital of Nepal. This status, however, was only conferred on it during the 18th century. 1769 is traditionally regarded as the year that Nepal was unified by...
The Egyptian Goddess Isis, Found in India

The Egyptian Goddess Isis, Found in India

One of the great, largely untold adventure stories of late antiquity is the journey to the East, from Egypt’s Red Sea ports, across the open ocean for 40 days and 40 nights, to the legendary entrepôt...
Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao. Prince of Wales museum, Mumbai.

Bajirao I – Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire and a Man of the Battlefield

Bajirao I was born on August 18, 1700. From April 27, 1720 until April 28, 1740 he served as Peshwa (Prime Minister) to the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shahu. Bajirao I was also known as Thorale Bajirao...
Some of the underwater features discovered off of Mahabalipuram.

Scientists Say that One of the Legendary Six Pagodas of Mahabalipuram Has Been Discovered

The ruins of a temple were glimpsed during the 2004 Asian Tsunami when the shoreline receded in Mamallapuram (also known as Mahabalipuram ) , India. More than 10 years later, divers and scientists...
Chola Fresco of dancing girls. Brihadisvara Temple

The Extensive and Sometimes Mythical History of the Chola Empire

The Chola Empire was a southern Indian state that existed from around the middle of the 9th century AD until the 13th century AD. Although the Chola Empire was founded during the 9th century AD, the...
The Jagannath Temple in Puri.

The Jagannath Temple in India: Home to a Trio of Deities and Numerous Religious Festivals

The Jagannath Temple is an ancient temple located in Puri, a city in the state of Odisha on the eastern coast of India. This temple is dedicated to Jagannath, a Sanskrit name which may be translated...
The underwater archaeologists found dozens of cannonballs at the wreck site.

Wreckage of Lost Ship of Vasco da Gama is Found and Contains Thousands of Artifacts

A ship which was a part of the legendary Vasco da Gama’s Portuguese fleet that reached India has been found close to Al Hallaniyah island, near the coast of Oman. According to the Ministry of...
Ellora, cave 16, Kailasha Temple.

Breathtaking Ellora Caves Were Preserved by Hemp

In the state of Maharashtra, in India there lies a large breathtaking series of ancient archaeological structures known as the Ellora Caves. The Ellora Caves were used for various religious practices...
Mapungubwe Hill viewed from the north, The gold rhino of Mapungubwe.

Looking for Clues on the Hill of the Jackal: The Rich African Kingdom of Mapungubwe

Mapungubwe is an Iron Age archaeological site in the southern part of the African continent. This city, which is located on the northern border of modern day South Africa with Zimbabwe and Botswana,...
Ancient ruins in Mizoram

Ancient Ruins in India May Be Lost Civilization of Mizoram

Researchers in the Indian state Mizoram recently made an exciting discovery – the remains of what may be a lost civilization. According to The Times of India , the general director of the...
Paranormal animals of North America.

Hair-Raising Tales of Paranormal Animals that Possess Humans, See Death, and Act as Messengers of the Gods

Throughout time, numerous people have declared that they had witnessed strange and inexplicable occurrences involving the ghosts of the deceased, fantastic creatures, demons, and other similar things...
The Tereshchenko and Hope Diamonds, two rare, blue, and world famous diamonds.

Dazzling and Dangerous? Examining the History of the Exquisite Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond is one of the most well-known diamonds in the world. This famous diamond has been on exhibition in the National Museum of Natural History (which is administered by the Smithsonian...
Hellenistic culture in the Indian subcontinent: Greek clothes, amphoras, win,e and music. Detail from Chakhil-i-Ghoundi Stupa, Hadda, Gandhara, 1st century AD.

What Does Alexander the Great Have to Do with Buddhist Imagery?

When Alexander the Great arrived in Pakistan and India two very different civilizations confronted and were influenced by each other. The first anthropomorphic representations of Buddha were...
16th Century depiction of execution of a prisoner by Ottoman soldiers.

Execution by Elephant: A Gory Method of Capital Punishment

Elephants have played a number of important roles in human history. In some cultures, the elephant is a revered creature. In Buddhism, for example, the vivid dream of Buddha’s mother which foretold...
‘Ayurvedic Medicine. Man of the Medical caste, masseuse.’

Ayurvedic Medicine: A Traditional Knowledge of Life from India that Has Endured the Passage of Time

Ayurveda, known also as Ayurvedic medicine, is an ancient medical system that has its roots in India, and has been considered by many as one of the oldest healthcare systems in the world. In today’s...
The area known as “street 9” in Lothal, Gujarat, India.

The Extensive Indus Valley Sites of Gujarat

The Indus Valley Civilization is believed to have existed between the 3rd and 2nd millenniums BC. This civilization covered an area of around 1,210,000 square km (467,183.6 square mi). As a...
Artifact discovered at the Arattipura site in India.

Important 800-Year-Old Jain Inscription Uncovered in India

An 800-year-old inscription detailing a donation during the Hoysala Regime has been discovered in Arattipura, India. This find is thought to be a very important discovery for researchers interested...

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