In the 1800s, in the Kingdom of Travancore in Kerala, a king’s son could never hope to be king. Instead the crown passed from the king to his nephew. The king’s wife was called an Ammachi and she was not even considered a royal. She lived outside the palace, in a house called the Ammaveedu. Who was the queen then?  This is the story of the matrilineal system of Kerala.

A 2000-year old Indian script was decoded and a fascinating new chapter was added to Indian History. India learnt about Emperor Ashoka, one of the greatest kings to have ever ruled over the subcontinent. This is the story of an ancient king who carved his edicts on rock faces and stone pillars across India. It is the story of an Englishman named James Prinsep, who was determined to read what these ancient inscriptions said. And this is the story of the decoding of Brahmi – the oldest readable Indian script and the mother script of most modern Indian scripts. 

Take a drive through rural Tamil Nadu and at the entrance to many villages, you will be greeted by colourful mud horses with fierce men riding atop them. What do these terracotta figures symbolise? This short video is about ancient village deities of south India; fearsome gods who protect, but are incredibly human as well. Listen to stories of how these village gods may have originated, and learn about the customs and beliefs they inspire to this day. This video takes you to an Aiyanar temple in a village called Keezha kuil kudi, on the outskirts of Madurai in south […]

How did the British deal with the unrelenting heat of Indian summers in the 1800s? This is a fascinating story from the history of an enterprising young American and his successful venture that brought much joy and relief to the British in India. This short video takes you to an unusual building at the Marina beach in Chennai – the Vivekanandar Illam.