Have you heard of Ashoka the Great? Of course you have. He was the powerful Mauryan King who ruled most of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 2200 years ago. Ashoka  was also responsible for spreading Buddhism across large parts of Asia. Now, have you heard of James Prinsep? Perhaps not – unless you are a history buff. He is the man  who “discovered” Ashoka. You see, Ashoka left behind enormous information about his reign through inscriptions carved in stones, pillars and monuments. These inscriptions were in the Brahmi script, an ancient writing system which became obsolete by the 5th century CE. […]

Deep in southern India, in the villages of Tamilnadu and Karnataka, there is this very ancient tradition of Mariamman worship. According to scholars, the cult of Mariamman pre-dates the Vedic Gods, which means that it is probably over 4000 years old. In the pre-Vedic times, when Hinduism was not yet the expansive religion it is today, villagers in south India worshipped very localized Gods. These were the Village Gods. Each village had its own non-transferable, “our-very-own” God that understood local concerns and provided them specific relief. Perhaps, this is how Mariamman worship evolved. What would have worried an agrarian village […]

India is rich in monuments, and richer still in mythology. Sometimes the two get mixed up and confound even informed Indians. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are the most famous Indian epics. Over the centuries, these highly popular epics have been narrated, written and rewritten ever so often. The end result is that these epics have spawned many  sequels, prequels, and quaint regional variants. In most Indian villages, you will find locals insisting that some real or apocryphal event from these epics happened right in their village. They are not trying to con you: these epics are  so strong, that they […]

A tall frosted glass of something delicious, clinking with ice – is there anything to beat this on a hot summer’s day in Chennai? Today, it just means a walk to the ‘fridge, but what about the days before refrigeration? Would you believe that there was ice in Chennai much before refrigeration was invented? All thanks to a 19th century businessman from far away Boston. His name was Frederic Tudor. It’s because of him that Chennai has a handsome round building on the Marina beach front – the Ice House, now called Vivekananda House. Let me connect all the dots for […]