Notes and Study material for Exams
Puranas Divided into sarga, pratisarga, manvantantar, vamsa (genealogical list of kings) & vamsanucharita. 18 main puranas & 18 subsidiary puranas. Vedas Meaning “knowledge”. Rigveda (hymns), Yajurveda (sacrificial formulae), Atharvaveda (magical charms & spell), Samveda. Vedas are called aparusheya (not created by man) & nity Upanishads About 200 in number. Deal with philosophy. Oldest & … Read more
The literal meaning of Mahajanapadas is great kingdoms. They flourished in the north/north western parts of India before the rise of Megasthenes. Whereas Avantipura who was the king of Surasena was one of the first desciples of Buddha, and it gained prominence evr since then in Mathura. The geographical locattion of this kingdom among the sixteen … Read more
Jainism Originated in India thousands of years ago and is thought to have heavily influenced the two other main belief systems of the region at that time: Buddhism. The religion centres on the progress of one’s soul towards a divine consciousness through self-reformation, wisdom and self-control and pacifism towards all living creatures. There are two … Read more
Religious beliefs and practices, recreation and amusement of Himachal Pradesh Religious practices of himachal pradesh For thousands of years Indians, especially the Hindus, have looked upon the mighty Himalayas with awe and reverence. For them it is the abode of the gods. There Shiva, the great god of destruction, sat in deep meditation until ‘Parvati’, … Read more
Paintings of Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh possesses a rich cultural heritage and one of the famous of the arts is paintings which show a diversity in the area due to the presence of Tibet as one of its borders as well as Kashmir which has influenced and blessed the state with a beautiful fusion of … Read more
KHAJURAHO TEMPLES:- The Khajuraho Temples:- This is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was accorded this status in 1986. The temples at Khajuraho, located in the Chhatarpur district were built during the Chandela Dynasty, which reached its apogee between 950 and 1050. The mediaeval trailer Ibn Battuta noted in 1335, that there … Read more
The Marathas : The Marathas, who were encroaching upon the Bijapur dominion came to have control over parts of Karnataka to the North of the Tungabhadra. Shivaji built forts at Ramadurg, Nargund, Parasgad, Gajendragad, Katkol etc., in North Karnataka. In the South they had their Bangalore jahgir administered first by Shahji (1637-63) and later by … Read more
Vijayanagara empire and their contribution to art, literature and culture – socio-economic conditions, administration, fall of Vijayanagar empire The Vijayanagara Empire, an important South Indian empire was founded by Harihara Raya I and his brother Bukka Raya I. The capital of the empire was Vijayanagara, present days Hampi in Karnataka. The empire ruled from 1336 … Read more
Satvahanas After the fall of the Mauryan Empire, the history of the Andhras, as a continuous account of political and cultural events, commences with the rise of the Satavahanas as a political power. According to Matsya Purana there were 29 rulers of this dynasty. They ruled over the Andhradesa including Deccan for about 400 years … Read more
Jainism Originated in India thousands of years ago and is thought to have heavily influenced the two other main belief systems of the region at that time: Buddhism. The religion centres on the progress of one’s soul towards a divine consciousness through self-reformation, wisdom and self-control and pacifism towards all living creatures. There are two … Read more