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Bhang | The Holy Holi Drink

Is bhang legal in India? From Holi celebrations to Siva worship, bhang has been consumed in India for centuries in various forms— bhang lassi,

History, People, Places

India’s first sports superstar | Dhyan Chand

This young sepoy’s sporting achievements are so remarkable that his birthday is celebrated as National Sports Day in India. This is the story of

History, Places, Religions

The Jain temples of Deogarh | Uttar Pradesh

How did a small town in Bundelkhand become a pilgrimage site for Jains? Deogarh’s Karnali Fort houses a remarkable complex of 31 Jain temples

People, Places, Religions

Kanwar Yatra | Har Ki Pauri

Kanwar Yatra is one of India’s largest pilgrimages. It sees over 30 million devotees walk barefoot for miles, carrying Ganga water to Siva temples

History, People, Places

The Excavations at Adichanallur | Tamil Nadu

About 150 years ago, a series of excavations at Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu threw up many ancient artefacts that were dated to about 900

History, Places

Salkhan Fossils Park | Sonbhadra

Did you know that India is home to one of the oldest fossil parks in the world? About 100 kms from Varanasi in Uttar

Culture, People

Bhang | The Holy Holi Drink

Is bhang legal in India? From Holi celebrations to Siva worship, bhang has been consumed in India for centuries in various forms— bhang lassi, bhang thandai, bhang laddoos... What makes it ‘sacred’?

History, People, Places

India’s first sports superstar | Dhyan Chand

This young sepoy’s sporting achievements are so remarkable that his birthday is celebrated as National Sports Day in India. This is the story of hockey legend, Jhansi’s Dhyan Chand.

People, Places, Religions

Kanwar Yatra is one of India's largest pilgrimages. It sees over 30 million devotees walk barefoot for miles, carrying Ganga water to Siva temples across North India. What’s the story of this pilgrimage?

History, People, Places

The Excavations at Adichanallur | Tamil Nadu

About 150 years ago, a series of excavations at Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu threw up many ancient artefacts that were dated to about 900 BCE. That included skeletons of people from all over the world! What explains this ancient, international, multi-racial cemetery?

History, People, Places

The Everest House, Mussoorie

Mount Everest bears Sir George Everest's name. But did you know that it was an Indian mathematician named Radhanath Sikdar who first identified it as the tallest peak?

History, People, Places

Raja Desingu of Gingee

A Rajput prince from Bundelkhand named Tej Singh came to Gingee in Tamil Nadu and became a local hero named Raja Desingu. His story is still told in local ballads and street performances like Therukoothu and Poi-Kal-Kuthirai, and even the Burra-Katha tradition of Andhra. It was even made into a Tamil biopic in the 1960s, featuring MGR. Who was Raja Desingu?

History, People, Places

Yale and Slave Trade

Did you know that Yale University was built on donations made from ill-gotten wealth, largely from slave trade in the 17th century? Madras or present-day Chennai is where the University’s benefactor, Elihu Yale, made much of his money.

History, People, Places

William Lambton: The Soldier Who Mapped India

The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India was the largest measurement of the Earth’s surface ever attempted. Apart from mapping the country, the project measured the height of Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world, and even corroborated Newton’s theory about the shape of the Earth. This is the story of the man who led this massive project – Col. William Lambton.

History, People

Lord Ripon: The ‘Father of Self-Government in India’

How did a British administrator come to be known as the ‘father of local self-government in India’? Read on for the story of Lord Ripon, a Viceroy of India whose liberal policies were way ahead of his times – a man who championed the cause of Indians even as his own compatriots plotted his downfall.

Culture, History, People

UVeSa: The Man Who Rediscovered Ancient Tamil Literature

Dr. U.V. Swaminatha Iyer was only 32 when he published an edition of the great Tamil epic, Jeevaka Chintamani, on paper for the first time. This was the culmination of a seven-year quest that had taken him to the remotest corners of Tamil Nadu. Read on to know the story of the man who unearthed a treasure mine of ancient classical Tamil literature.

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