r/IndianHistory • • 23d ago

Announcement Moratorium on World War Related Karma Farming Posts

23 Upvotes

We've seen a sharp jump in posts that just rehash whatever's trending on Twitter about the World Wars. It started crowding out the sub's actual scope, which is the far wider history of the subcontinent.

From today we're pausing new posts on this topic for a month, under the Recycled Posts and Repeat Topic rule, and any such post will be removed. This isn't about shutting the topic out for good. We just want room for other periods and events to get some space too. If you think a specific post deserves an exception, drop us a line in modmail.


r/IndianHistory • • 13d ago

Question 📅 Monthly Feedback & Announcements Post

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

Feel free to chat, leave suggestions, or recommendations for AMAs. The mod team is always working on adding resources in the wiki and we encourage you to take a look! Also check out the link to our Discord server.

📖 Wiki

💬 Discord


r/IndianHistory • • 2h ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE Bengal famine and American independence

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100 Upvotes

Never thought the Bengal Famine of 1770 could have any connection to American independence. The East India Company’s financial crisis and the British government's attempts to bail it out contributed to the tensions that led to the Boston Tea Party. History is crazy when you realise how events in Bengal were connected to the American Revolution.here you have annamalai speaking about this in detail


r/IndianHistory • • 2h ago

Post Independence 1947–Present Fun fact: There's never been an alive Congress PM to see another Congress PM immediately succeeding him

43 Upvotes

Not counting the very brief acting PM tenures (as a result of unexpected deaths) of Gulzarilal Nanda, but there has never been an instance in which a Congress PM was alive to witness another Congress PM immediately succeeding him. The transitions were:

Nehru dies in office on 27 May 1964, Nanda serves as the Acting PM, Shastri becomes PM on 9 June 1964.

Shastri dies in office on 11 January 1966,, Nanda again serves as the Acting PM, Indira Gandhi becomes PM on 24 January 1966.

Congress-to-Janata Party transition in 1977.

Indira Gandhi dies in office on 31 October 1984, Rajiv Gandhi becomes PM that day.

Congress-to-NF transition in 1989.

Congress-to-BJP transition in 1996.

Congress-to-BJP transition in 2014.


r/IndianHistory • • 16h ago

Visual Perhaps the best Indian YouTube channel about Indian history

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463 Upvotes

I am in no way affiliated to the channel or its creator. But I have been a fan of Jay's work for years now and wanted to share it with others.

His channel is perhaps Indian channel which provides authentic, unbiased and well-researched information on Indian history.

Unlike people like Science Journey or Harry Sahota, who spread a flood of misinformation to promote their biased agenda, Jay's channel remains strictly academic and based on peer-reviewed historical information.

He adds very little interpretations of his own despite now being a full-fledged Ph.D. in Indian History and instead lets the various scholars speak on the topic through their work.

And his own interpretations are based on facts and credible data.

His other two channels, The Story Of India and Historically Speaking are excellent as well.

The Story Of India is a Hindi based channel and Historically Speaking is a long monologue based channel.

I just hope that more people watch his videos and appreciate the work he has been doing as opposed to flocking towards misinformation spreaders like Science Journey or Harry Sahota.


r/IndianHistory • • 4h ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE Letter of thanks my great great grandfather received from a school due to his donations :)

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42 Upvotes

He also received a sanad for his services in the 1931 census


r/IndianHistory • • 19m ago

Question Dussehra Festival, Quetta City, Baluchistan Province (1920)

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• Upvotes

r/IndianHistory • • 17h ago

Later Medieval 1200–1526 CE Mughal Family tree at display at Timur’s tomb in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

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148 Upvotes

Family tree of Timurid Dynasty


r/IndianHistory • • 13h ago

Classical 500 BCE–550 CE 1500 years: Golden era of Indian Imperialism. From the Nandas to the Collapse of the Tri-Partite Powers.

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38 Upvotes

r/IndianHistory • • 22h ago

Early Modern 1526–1757 CE PENUKONDA INSCRIPTION

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135 Upvotes

VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE

I found this in penukonda fort in andhra pradesh. The place was built under King Bukka Raya I and later used by Sri Krishnadevaraya too.

Can anyone decipher this? I am 99% sure it's telugu because I speak it but I think it could be kannada as well.

It would be great to see a translation!!

Also I think it's a poem but please do correct me if I'm wrong.


r/IndianHistory • • 21h ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE Anti Hindutva writings of Subhash Chandra Bose

52 Upvotes

Some background, while Subhash Chandra Bose was friendly with Savarkar and Dr Shyama Mookerjee, he was staunchly against their communal politics. Here are some excerpts from writings and speeches

History will bear me out when I say that it is a misnomer to talk of Muslim rule when describing the political order in India prior to the advent of the British. Whether we talk of the Moghul Emperors at Delhi, or of the Muslim Kings of Bengal, we shall find that in either case the administration was run by Hindus and Muslims together, many of the prominent Cabinet Ministers and Generals being Hindus. Further, the consolidation of the Moghul Empire in India was affected with the help of Hindu commanders-in-chief. The Commander-in-chief of Nawab Sirajudowla, whom the British fought at Plassey in 1757 and defeated, was a Hindu.

Unfinished autobiography An Indian Pilgrim (1937)

.

‘The Hindu Mahasabha has been doing incalculable harm to the idea of Indian nationhood by underlining the communal differences—by lumping all the Muslims together…. We cannot oblige Mr Savarkar by ignoring the contributions of nationalist Muslims to the cause of India.’

December, 1939, political weekly Forward Block

.

Senior Sangh Parivar leader Balraj Madhok, in his book Portrait of a Martyr: Biography of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (1954), writes how Bose supporters would break up Hindu Mahasabha meetings and even attack Dr Mookerjee around this time, and how Bose jokingly but seriously threatened to destroy his political party of he ever thought of making one

.

‘That was a long time ago, when prominent leaders of the Congress could be members of the communal organisations like Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League. But in recent times, the circumstances have changed. These communal organisations have become more communal than before. As a reaction to this, the Indian National Congress has put into its constitution a clause to the effect that no member of a communal organisation like Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League can be a member of an elective committee of Congress.’

editorial, titled Congress and Communal Organizations - Forward Block May 1940

.

“The Hindu Mahasabha has entered the political arena by taking advantage of religion and has desecrated it. It is the duty of every Hindu to condemn it. Banish these traitors from national life.”

speech at Jhargram in Bengal on 12th May 1940


r/IndianHistory • • 18h ago

Question How did Prithviraj Chauhan actually die?

18 Upvotes

I’m a bit confused reading different accounts.. The Prithviraj Raso says he killed Ghori in Ghazni while blind... But some history books and old coins say he was killed in Ajmer right after the battle.

Which version is the actual truth? Does anyone know?


r/IndianHistory • • 4h ago

Question >Dravidian were caucasoid mediterraneanian so was indo-ayan. What?? How true or false is this?

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1 Upvotes

r/IndianHistory • • 15h ago

Question YT vid suggestions

4 Upvotes

So lately I've been studying global history as a hobby. As of now I've been using yt videos of Jigyasium and Oversimplified (for global history) and some books as my source for increasing my knowledge about ancient and medieval history. Looking for a yt channel that covers the Maurya Empire, Gupta Empire, Chola Empire. Kindly help with suggestions. Thank you.


r/IndianHistory • • 1d ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE In aftermath of the revolt of 1857, Britishers consficated properties of Muslims on a large scale, and and started seeing Muslims with an eye of mistrust. They also started favouring Hindus more in British government services. Did this was the first time when seeds of communal tensions were sown ?

70 Upvotes

When Sepoys revolted against the British regime, they marched to Delhi & requested Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal empire to approach other rulers to plan the throw of Colonial powers from the Indian subcontinent.

And they all accepted Mughal sovereignty, sooner or later after the revolt. Like Nana Sahib from Kanpur, Birjis Qadr from Lucknow and others...

Is this the reason, why Britishers blamed Muslims more for the Revolt of 1857 ?

What you guys think ?

And I think this is also the reason which leds to a separate electorate for muslims later in early 20th century, also the reason of increment in power of WAQF board ( bcz of these consficated properties ) and also something which leads to partition too...

P.S. Don't do hindu-muslim narratives !!!

source


r/IndianHistory • • 2d ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE Lucknow: The Forgotten Songs of Protest- Kaiserbagh

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247 Upvotes

‘The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting,’ Milan Kundera.

Lucknow has buried the memories of 1857 so deeply that they have become a subject of archaeology rather than modern history. Think of Kaiserbagh today, and the images that clutter our minds are of traffic congestion, tempos, and battery rickshaws jostling for space. As one moves towards the Baradari, this procession of crawling traffic is suddenly interrupted by a majestic old gate, crumbling under the weight of time, encroachments, and the banner of a restaurant. On the other side, the gate is adorned with posters of advocates contesting elections rather than cases.

If one looks for physical evidence, one realises the history of Kaiserbagh was not only devastated by General Napier but also erased and rewritten by the Talukdars. Old houses occupied by those loyal to the Nawab have been repurposed as kothis for various Talukdars. A park has been named after an erstwhile Talukdar, where the Lanka—a pavilion that once witnessed the apogee of performing arts—now stands, flanked by a library, again named after an erstwhile Talukdar. The Safed Baradari, the centre of attraction year-round, hosts exhibitions of sarees when it isn’t serving as a venue for opulent weddings. Heritage enthusiasts, while lavishing praise, often focus on the Parikhana, the Chaulakhi gate, and various apocryphal stories. Lost between the splendour of the Nawabi period and the rise of Talukdar townhouses is the singular valour and resistance shown by Kaiserbagh. It was turned into a fortress and defied two attacks from battle-hardened British forces. Only on the third attempt, with the aid of the Nepalese Gurkha Army, could the invading forces penetrate the walls. The echoes of the looting of Kaiserbagh even reverberated in New York, where Friedrich Engels penned a scathing critique of the conduct of the occupying forces.

Lucknow has almost forgotten this. Those stories of bravery have been buried beneath saree sales and townhouses. Yet, the saga of resistance survived in folk ballads. In William Crooke’s “Songs of the Mutiny,” which appears in the second instalment of the 1911 Indian Antiquary (Vol. 40), this history is documented.

I am quoting a few songs from this text, including their original translations and details:

1. The Departure of Wajid Ali Shah for Calcutta

Repeated by Kalika Prasad, Headmaster of the village school at Akbarpur, District Fyzabad. Recorded by Pandit RẊm Gharib Chaube.

Text

Sripati Mahârâj, tu bipati niwâro. Kat aihain Hazrat des hô?

Pahila muqâm Kâhanpur bhejyô: dusrâ Banaras jât hô.

Tisarâ muqâm Kalkatwâ men bhejyô: Begamoǚ to bhâgÎn pahâr hô.

Alam Bagh men goliyâ chalat hain: MachchhÎ-bhawan men top hô.

Beli-garaḍ men tegwa chalat hain: bânan se andhiyâr hô.

Bahar sowain kul râ sipahiyâ: dewaṛht men rowain Kotwal hô.

Bich mahaliyâ men Begam rowain: lat chhatkâye lambÎ kes hô.

Topiya chhutai wah topkhânwâ; hathiyâ chhuᚭai philkhân hô.

Ghore turang saharwâ: nân chhute sáthi hamâr hộ.

Kaisar Bagh men Begam rowain: lat chhatkâye lambi kesh hô.

Raghunath Kunwar: “Kiripâ bhayo ham ko bhayo banbâs hô.”

Translation

O SrÎpati Mahârâj (Râm), thou art the remover of calamity.

When will my Lord return to his country?

The first halt was Cawnpore: the second at Benares.

The third halt was at Calcutta, and the Queens fled to the hills.

Bullets were flying in the Alam Bagh: there were cannons in the Machchi-bhawan.

Swords were drawn in the Bailey Guard: it was dark with arrows.

Outside mourned the sepoys: in the gateway mourned the Kotwal.

In the palace, the Queen mourned and let their long locks fall dishevelled.

The cannons were left in the magazine; the elephants were left in the stables.

The swift horses were left in the city: our friends forgot their sympathy.

The Queens wept in the Kaisar Bâgh, and let their long locks fall.

Saith Raghunath Kniwar¹: “It was the pleasure (Râm) that we should be in exile.”

2. A Lament

A song in honour of the Kaisar Bâgh of Lucknow and the late king of Oudh, Wâjid Ali Shah. Recorded by Pandit Råm Gharib Chaube.

Text

Kaisar Bagh banaya, mazah Wajid Ali ne na pâya

As pÝs sone ke kangure, bÎch meǚ takht bichhâyâ.

An part Angrez ki palţan, hukum apnâ chalâyâ.

Mazah Pádshah ne na påyå, kzisa Kuisar Bâgh bandyđ.

2.

Amir gharib sabhi hilmil rowain, rowai phutphut kar sârâ sansâr.

‘Hây! gayo pardes mei, apue desh se rukhsat hoke sardär.’

Kaisa Kaisar Bagh banáyd, mazah Wajid ‘Ali ne pẩyá,

3.

Lâle lale kapare pahane Pâdshâh yogiyÝ rÝp banaye.

Lâle lâle kapare sâre musâhib yogiya rÝp banaye.Are, Kaisar Bagh bandyd,

mazah Hazarat ne na pâyâ.

Translation

Wajid ‘Ali built the Kaisar Bágh, but did not enjoy it.

On all sides, turrets of gold and in the middle, a throne were placed.

An English force came and settled and assumed the authority.

What a Kaisar Bagh Wajid ‘Alî built, but did not enjoy it.

2.

Noble and peasant all wept together, and all the world wept and wailed.

Alas! The chief has bidden adieu to his country and gone abroad.

What a Kaisar Bágh Wajid ‘Alî built, but did not enjoy it.

3.

Clothed in red, the king put on the guise of a mendicant.

Clothed in red, his followers put on the guise of mendicants.

O, my Lord built the Kaisar RĂĄgh, but did not enjoy it.

Source: Indian Antiquary Vol. 40, 1911

AKS


r/IndianHistory • • 2d ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE The Wedding That Tried to Bring the Ottoman Caliphate to India: Hyderabad’s Royal Alliance (1931)

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962 Upvotes

When we think about the end of the Ottoman Empire, we usually think about Turkey and the Middle East. But there is a lesser known story that connects the last Ottoman Caliph, the richest ruler in the world, and the royal state of Hyderabad in India.

In 1931, an unusual alliance was arranged in Nice, France, between Abdulmejid II, the exiled Ottoman Caliph, and Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad. The plan was brought together with the help of Maulana Shaukat Ali, a prominent leader of the Khilafat Movement.

The alliance was built around two royal marriages. Prince Azam Jah, the Nizam's son, married Princess Durrushehvar, the daughter of Abdulmejid II. Prince Moazzam Jah, another son of the Nizam, married Princess Niloufer, who was Abdulmejid II's niece.

However, these marriages were about more than bringing two royal families together. According to the account discussed in The Indian Caliphate, there was also a political plan to transfer the title of Caliph to the Nizam's family. Prince Mukarram Jah, the son of Azam Jah and Durrushehvar, was seen as a possible future leader of the Muslim world. If the plan had succeeded, Hyderabad could have become an important centre of Islamic religious authority.

But history did not follow the plan.

The two princesses arrived in Hyderabad after growing up in Europe, bringing a different outlook on education, public life and social reform. Durrushehvar became involved in public welfare and supported institutions connected with education and healthcare. Niloufer also became known for her charitable work, including efforts to improve medical care for women. Their public roles challenged the traditional expectations placed on royal women.

The first photo shows a royal gathering in Hyderabad, with Princess Durrushehvar standing among members of the court. The image gives us a glimpse of the royal world into which the Ottoman princesses entered. It is historically interesting because it captures the meeting of Hyderabad's royal traditions and the European influence that shaped the lives of these princesses.

The second photo shows the two royal couples in traditional wedding attire, with the princes standing behind the princesses. It represents the marriages that connected the Nizam's family with the exiled Ottoman dynasty. These unions were meant to secure a lasting bond between the two families, and they became part of a much larger political vision.

The dream of an Indian Caliphate eventually faded. The Partition of India in 1947 and the Indian military action in Hyderabad in 1948 changed the political future of the state. The proposed transfer of the Caliphate never became a reality, and the Ottoman dynasty's hopes of restoring its former position were never fulfilled.

What remains is a remarkable story of royal ambition, political planning and two women who used their position to support social change. A marriage that was intended to shape the future of the Muslim world also brought two European-educated princesses into one of the most important princely states in India.


r/IndianHistory • • 2d ago

Question If St. Thomas actually visited India, what did he actually preach?

48 Upvotes

Jesus and all of apostles were Jews and died as jews. Split between christianity and judaism didnt happen for century more after St. Thomas death. I think he wasnt even part of Jerusalem council where gentiles were allowed to be part of this Jewish movement

So, St. Thomas was a jewish preacher in India , not an evangalical

If he really did convert people, what did he convert them into?


r/IndianHistory • • 3d ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE GD Naidu: The Indian inventor, industrialist, educator who deserved far more recognition

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684 Upvotes

Image: Sir CV Raman, Physics Nobel Prize winner 1930 (left) along with GD Naidu (right)

When we talk about India’s great scientific minds, we readily remember C.V. Raman, Homi Bhabha and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. However I believe very few Indians know about “G.D. Naidu”, the self-taught inventor from Coimbatore often called the “Edison of India”?

His story has recently reached a wider audience through GDN, the biographical film that was released recently on Netflix.

Born in 1893, Gopalswamy Doraisamy Naidu had little formal education, yet his achievements spanned engineering, manufacturing, agriculture, transport and technical education.
He built an indigenous electric motor, developed an electric razor, experimented with an affordable two-seater car and transformed bus transport through United Motor Service.
GDN later built several products in his life time such as voting machines, juice extractors, coin-operated phonographs, electronic calculators, lathes, projectors, five-valve radios, vending machines, kerosene-run fans, and a distance adjuster for film cameras etc.

His abilities were recognised by none other than Nobel laureate Sir C.V. Raman, who wrote in 1950:

“It would need an abler pen than mine to sketch in a few words a picture of the remarkable man that Mr. G.D. Naidu is and to indicate his great character and most varied achievements.”

Coming from Nobel laureate Raman, this was a remarkable recognition. Yet Naidu remains relatively unknown outside Tamil Nadu and regional circles.

Why did an inventor of this calibre not receive the recognition he deserved ?
I think this is probably due to the political and industrial environment of his time. Naidu’s career began under British colonial rule, when India had limited indigenous industrial infrastructure. He retired by 1945 before independence. According to sources, several of his inventions and manufacturing plans stalled because the necessary licences were not granted.

However, blaming colonial rule alone would be incomplete as even after independence the licensing Raj and regulatory system also created hurdles for industrialists.
In 1952, Naidu built two-seater petrol engine car costing ₹2,000 (equivalent to ₹240,000) However, the government denied him license to produce these cars.

G.D. Naidu deserves to be remembered not merely as an inventor, but as an example of India’s unrealised industrial potential.
His life raises an uncomfortable question like how many such innovators did India fail to nurture because institutions could not keep pace with their ideas ?

Imagine if G.D. Naidu had been born in Europe. His legacy might have been far more influential, and he could have been celebrated among the great inventors of the industrial age.

Sources:
1. The Hindu — G.D. Naidu: An innovator for all seasons
2. NDTV — Who was G.D. Naidu ?


r/IndianHistory • • 2d ago

Early Modern 1526–1757 CE Reason Behind Battle

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12 Upvotes

Duff, Kincaid, and Shakawali authors mention, that since Bajirao had still not received the Jagir that had been agreed to be granted to him, he attacked Naseer Jung. The germ of this accusation seems to be in the above explanation. However, the point about the Jagir or the stations was the least important. The previous game that the Nizam had begun playing between the Chhatrapati and the Peshwa, his son too had begun the same even now. Even when there was an agreement that Anandrao Sumant should be removed from the diplomatic office, the Nizam had retained him at his court till now.

https://ndhistories.wordpress.com/2024/01/05/reason-behind-battle/

Marathi Riyasat, G S Sardesai ISBN-10-8171856403, ISBN-13-‎978-8171856404.

The Era of Bajirao

Uday S Kulkarni

ISBN-10-8192108031

ISBN-13-978-8192108032.


r/IndianHistory • • 3d ago

Post Independence 1947–Present Place of Demise of Indian PM Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent

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764 Upvotes

Visited Uzbekistan in 2025

Visited the place where one of our greatest PMs passed away..

When he passed away it was a group of Dachas.. but post Soviet breakup

its just a street named after him..


r/IndianHistory • • 2d ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE Historical validity of Ambedkar's claim in AOC

11 Upvotes

Before asking my question I would like to inform you all that this post is not made for some controversial,political or hatred reasons.its purely out of zeal for history and research.

Ambedkar in AOC mentions that during Peshwa rule Dalits were forced to put a pot(matka) around their neck and they had to put a broom on their back.

I couldn't find historical sources of these claims. Additionally I found posts making refrence to Kelkar( A Maratha historian) who asked Ambedkar about sources for these and Ambedkar did not provide any evidence.

So is this story true? And are these claims false?

And to what extent in historical research can we trust the local narratives and stories especially those associated with historically oppressed classes


r/IndianHistory • • 3d ago

Post Independence 1947–Present Found my grandfather's 10th standard marksheet from 1971, and I'm genuinely proud of him

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352 Upvotes

Was going through some old family documents and stumbled upon my grandfather's SSC marksheet from October 1971.

He scored 284 marks across 7 subjects and passed his SSC (Class 10) examination.

What makes this special to me is knowing the circumstances my family lived in back then. We weren't financially well-off, and my grandfather passed away when my dad was only about a year old. So I never really got the chance to know him or hear his story firsthand.

Finding this document made me wonder what it must have taken for him to complete his schooling in those days, given our family's circumstances.

I know Class 10 might not sound like a huge achievement today, but seeing this old marksheet made me appreciate his journey a little more. It's a small glimpse into a life and a time I never got to experience myself.

Wish I could have sat down with him and heard about his school days.

Just wanted to share this little piece of my family's history.


r/IndianHistory • • 3d ago

Colonial 1757–1947 CE Unimaginable Horrors in Bengal during Colonial Rule - Edmund Burke during Hastings Impeachment ( Fact or Hoax ? )

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283 Upvotes

The atrocities that I have highlighted, can you guys provide more reference to it. This was used during the impeachment of Warren Hasting, led by Edmund Burke.

I can't find any solid evidence regarding it. Is it true ? A hoax ? Or something so horrible that no-one dares to challenge it ? What happened really ??

Who is more to blame for colonial horrors in India ? The East India Company or the British Crown ?


r/IndianHistory • • 2d ago

Question readings/texts on caste based violence

5 Upvotes

i wanna learn more about caste based violence in india, and more specifically bihar. where should i start?