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Valay Singh
Articles by Valay Singh

Historicity | Haryana, where myth and history mingled to make for epic battles

Haryana came into being as an offshoot of the 1960s movement for an independent state of Punjab that was led by Sikh religious leader, Tara Singh

Battle of Panipat, January 14, 1761, by an anonymous artist in the Faizabad style, dated 1770. (Anonymous/Wikimedia Commons)
Published on Oct 01, 2024 07:59 PM IST

A century later, the mystery of Mohenjo-daro or the Mound of the Dead endures

The discovery was made by three Indian ASI officials: Rakhal Das Bannerjee, Daya Ram Sahni, the first Indian head of the ASI, and Madhav Saroop Vats.

Excavation work at Rakhigarhi, an Indus Valley Civilisation site in Haryana. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT Archive)
Published on Sep 25, 2024 06:47 PM IST

Port Blair, now known as Sri Vijaya Puram, India’s strategic beacon on the seas

The names Andaman and Nicobar mean the same, which is the land of the naked people, and are home to distinct tribes

The Cellular Jail in Port Blair. (File Photo)(HT_PRINT)
Published on Sep 17, 2024 07:00 AM IST

Kashmir: Before the conflict, a mystical history of confluence and influences

Dogra kings played their cards well with the British and supported them in the 1857 revolt. They are remembered for rapacious taxation and oppression of Muslims

Shawl makers in Kashmir (1867). This chromolithograph is taken from plate 2 of William Simpson's 'India: Ancient and Modern'(William Simpson/Wikimedia Commons)
Published on Sep 13, 2024 06:22 PM IST

How Kolkata evolved from three villages into the city of India’s renaissance

The earliest known mention of Kalikata is believed to be recorded in the 15th-century Bengali text ‘Manasa Vijay’ by Bipradas Pipilai, a poet.

People protest the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata, on Sunday. (PTI)(HT_PRINT)
Published on Sep 03, 2024 08:00 AM IST

Revisiting Lothal: The Harappan port-town and its role in ancient maritime trade

Debate over the nature of a 250-meter-long rectangular basin lined with burnt bricks, located at the mouth of the Gulf of Khambhat might finally be wrapping up.

Lothal, the Harappan site in Gujarat. (Shutterstock)
Published on Aug 25, 2024 09:00 AM IST

Delhi’s Red Fort: A monument of power, rebellion, and independence

Delhi’s Red Fort has always been a stage for politics, sometimes bloody, at other times petty. Its history hides layers of drama, both tragic and monumental.

Diwan-i-Aam of the Red Fort as painted by Ghulam Ali Khan between circa 1852 and circa 1854(Ghulam Ali Khan/Wikimedia Commons)
Published on Aug 17, 2024 08:56 PM IST

HistoriCity | Dhaka: At the crossroads of revolution

The exploitative taxation policies of the East India Company led to a degradation of peasantry and Dhaka’s development was ignored at the cost of Calcutta.

Published on Aug 10, 2024 09:00 AM IST

Moidam burial mounds’ UNESCO tag highlights Northeast's historical heritage

The UNESCO recognition underlines the beautiful evolution of cultures, a necropolis of Tai-Ahoms who over more than 600 years localised themselves in Assam.

The inclusion of the Moidams or burial mounds at Charaideo (pronounced Saraideo) in the UNESCO World Heritage list marks a new beginning.(PTI)
Published on Aug 02, 2024 08:00 AM IST

HistoriCity | Gaya: Corridors of religion, power, and history

Today, Gaya and Buddha Gaya- both are visited by millions of Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims, many of them unaware of past conflicts

Buddhist monks offer prayers at Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya. (HT file)
Updated on Jul 27, 2024 04:00 PM IST

HistoriCity | The treasures of Jagannath temple are in its shared history

The temple town of Puri and its iconic Jagannath temple have given the English language a much-used word, ‘Juggernaut’, which is defined as an unstoppable force

Puri: Devotees gather to witness the 'golden attire' ritual of Lords Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, in Puri, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (PTI Photo)(PTI)
Published on Jul 18, 2024 09:00 AM IST

How the Ellora caves are facing the brunt of security risks and a lack of funds

Proposed measures like CCTVs and metal detectors face delays due to funding shortages, leaving the UNESCO site vulnerable

A group of devotees gathered in Ellora caves(HT File)
Published on Jul 12, 2024 09:00 AM IST

HistoriCity | Delhi’s place of pride in the gay rights movement in India

As this year’s pride month draws to a close let’s look back at the history of legal battles fought over the now-decriminalised Section 377

Eight years of legal battle ended with cries of joy and disbelief among gay activists and their allies across the country. (Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP File)
Published on Jun 30, 2024 10:22 PM IST

How an ancient Buddhist vihara became a multicultural centre of learning

Nalanda, a preeminent centre of Buddhist and Indian learning, was renowned for its integration of Buddhist and Indian educational systems

A view of the ruins of Nalanda in the ancient kingdom of Magadha, now Bihar. (Parwaz Khan /HT PHOTO)
Published on Jun 23, 2024 09:00 AM IST

London to Calcutta on a hippie bus: Around (part of) the world in £85

In 1956, the first such bus set out from London with about two dozen passengers. The bus tour left London on April 15, 1957, and reached Calcutta on June 5.

In 1956, the first bus set out from London (Getty Images)
Updated on Jun 20, 2024 05:53 PM IST

Amaravati: A brief history of city that Chandrababu Naidu wants to build again

The layered history of Amaravati, which lies on the right bank of the Krishna river, begins more than 2300 years ago around the 2nd century BC.

Depiction of the Amaravati Stupa (Gryffindor/Wikimedia Commons)
Published on Jun 14, 2024 08:30 AM IST

How the turbulent history of Banaras was shaped by syncretism and dynasties

The city of Banaras, steeped in both political and cultural history, has played a pivotal role from the Mughal era to British colonial times.

Published on Jun 02, 2024 09:30 AM IST
By | Edited by Anish Yande

Vivekananda Rock Memorial: A memorial at the centre of propaganda and politics

In an 1894 letter, Vivekananda recalled that he had “hit upon a plan” in Kanniyakumari in 1892, whereby sanyasins would be called upon to educate India’s needy.

Kanyakumari: View of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, in Kanyakumari, Friday, May 31, 2024. (PTI Photo)
(PTI05_31_2024_000295B)(PTI)
Published on Jun 01, 2024 02:51 AM IST

Awadh and its continuing journey as UP’s cultural and political heart

An account of Awadh’s history must include the community of indigenous communities like the Nishads, who live along the banks of the Sarayu and other rivers

Plate 3 from the third set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery.' The print shows the entrance gateway to the Lal Bagh at Faizabad, a pleasure garden established by Shuja' al-Daula. (British Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections/Wikimedia Commons)
Published on May 21, 2024 08:30 AM IST

Kannauj: How this political battleground was shaped by syncretism of past kings

The storied past of Kannauj, once a seat of empires and now a focal point of modern UP politics, was shaped by King Harshavardhan and those who followed him

Coin of King Harsha of the Vardhana dynasty, circa 606–647 CE(CNG Coins/Wikimedia Commons)
Published on May 15, 2024 09:12 PM IST

Heera Mandi: Once a place for the patrons of art, now just a market for sundries

Heera Mandi was founded as a grain market by Heera Singh Dogra, the son of Dhian Singh, who was Sikh emperor, Ranjit Singh’s prime minister.

The British first developed brothel houses in the Anarkali market in the city to cater to the needs of the British soldiers stationed there. The brothels then moved to the Lohari gate before ending up here. (komfortablynumb/INSTAGRAM)
Published on May 12, 2024 09:00 AM IST

The Matua community find themselves at the crossroads of identity and politics

The rise of religious fundamentalism forced them out of Bangladesh while their low caste status impeded their full integration in Indian Bengal.

Nadia: People of Matua community demand cancellation of CAA and unconditional citizenship during Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's election campaign rally ahead of Lok Sabha polls, at Dhubuliya, in Nadia, Sunday, March 31, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI03_31_2024_000119B)(PTI)
Updated on May 01, 2024 12:52 AM IST

HistoriCity | What explains the brouhaha over Rupala’s statements

Communities have used marriages to build political alliances and achieve upward mobility. This includes those in power at different times throughout history

Rajkot: Union Minister of State and BJP candidate Parshottam Rupala addresses a gathering as he arrives to file his nomination papers for Lok Sabha elections, in Rajkot, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI04_16_2024_000107B)(PTI)
Published on Apr 18, 2024 08:22 PM IST

When an 18th-century battle decides a 21st-century election in West Bengal

It is tragic that the colonial British tactic of divide and rule continues to haunt Indian politics as the communalisation of the Battle of Plassey shows

Clive meeting Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey. The battle was fought on the banks of River Hooghly (Wikimedia Commons)
Updated on Apr 09, 2024 08:29 PM IST
ByValay Singh

HistoriCity | Mysore's logo is a new city's nod at its old, complex history

Beyond the tiger claw and the Mysore sandal soap, the city's history is filled with the symbols of good governance, wars and anti-colonial pride

Mysore Logo
Published on Apr 05, 2024 11:35 PM IST
ByValay Singh

A Banarsi landlord was exiled to St Helena 16 years before Napoleon's death

The year was 1764, and an angry landlord, Jagat Singh, incited insurrection with a deposed nawab in a bid to free Varanasi

Shah Alam II, Mughal Emperor of India, reviewing the East India Company's troops, painted 1781. An illustration from A Short History of the English People, by John Richard Green, illustrated edition, Volume IV, Macmillan and Co, London, New York, 1894.(Tilly Kettle/A Short History of the English People
Published on Mar 23, 2024 09:31 PM IST
ByValay Singh

HistoriCity | The syncretic past of the Kamal Maula mosque-Bhojshala complex

Why is a 14th century mosque being called ‘Bhojshala’? Here’s what the ASI and other historical scholars say about Dhar

The Kamal Maula mosque in Dhar, which is also known as Bhojshala temple amongst Hindus(HT File Photo)
Published on Mar 14, 2024 10:19 PM IST
ByValay Singh

Saurashtra, a city with an ancient past, is no stranger to opulence

Jamnagar, the site of the Ambani pre-wedding bash, has a long history going back over four millennia. But its more recent history is one of gems and cricket

Statue Of Jam Saheb Ranjitsinh at Lakhota lake, Jamnagar, after whom Jamnagar is named(Onedeepen/Wikimedia Commons)
Updated on Mar 13, 2024 08:32 PM IST
ByValay Singh

HistoriCity | Learn more about Dwarka, whose sea bed the PM recently touched

Faith needs no evidence to sustain it, but as findings of a 1983 archaeology expedition show, probing Dwarka’s waters will be a fitting tribute to its history

PM Modi performs an underwater puja in the Arabian Sea at the site of the ancient submerged city of Lord Krishna's Dwarka.(ANI)
Published on Feb 28, 2024 07:14 PM IST
ByValay Singh

Four tasks for Maharashtra's new DGP to improve the state of policing

Rashmi Shukla recently received a two-year extension to her tenure. Here are the big challenges that face the force

Mumbai, India - Jan. 9, 2024: IPS officer Rashmi Shukla of 1988 batch took over as the first female Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra on Tuesday.. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)
Published on Feb 28, 2024 06:48 PM IST
ByValay Singh,
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