Culture

Culture, People

Raja Harischandra

Dadasaheb Phalke produced India's first full length feature film.

Culture

Jadau Jewellery

Jadau jewellery has gemstones embedded in gold.

Culture

Patola Sarees

The geometric patterns on Patola sarees might be inspired from the sculptors who created structures like Rani Ki Vav in Gujarat.

Culture, History, Religions

Bhandara Festival

The town of Jejuri in Maharashra is famous for the Bhandara festival, where devotees splash each other with turmeric.

Culture, History, People

The Jaipur jars that helped a maharaja cross the oceans

What connects a pair of gigantic silver jars in the Jaipur city palace to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman? Surprisingly, a long-held Indian taboo called Kalapani that prevented Indians from traveling overseas. This is the story of a clever workaround that the British used, to move Indian soldiers across the world during World War I.

Culture, People, Places

Why Are South Indians Called Madrassis?

Back in the 1970s, Chennai was called Madras. And in the Hindi-belt, everyone from South India was classified as Madrassi. It did not matter where they actually came from: Kanyakumari, Kakinada or Kozhikode. Bollywood took the stereotype to a whole new level and the idea of a Madrassi was here to stay.

Culture, History, Places

Tales That Pots Tell: Keeladi Excavations

In 2015, on the banks of the river Vaigai, near Madurai in Tamil Nadu, archaeologists unearthed several artefacts dating back to the 6th century BCE. They offered many clues to the archaeologists about that civilisation: it told them about the language and literacy levels, the social hierarchy, and the age of the civilisation. What are now known as the ‘Keeladi excavations’ point to the existence of a literate society in parts of South India nearly 2,500 years ago!

Culture, Places

The myths and mysteries of the Big Temple, Thanjavur | Episode 2

The mighty Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur is a 1000 year-old engineering marvel and one of the tallest structures of its time. It is considered Rajaraja Chola’s magnum opus. Join us on this podcast by Storytrails, as we explore the rich history and the many myths that surround this famous temple.

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