Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana - UNESCO

Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana - UNESCO

Rudreshwara, popularly known as Ramappa Temple, is located in the village of Palampet approximately 200km north-east of Hyderabad, in the State of Telangana. It is the main Shiva temple in a walled complex built during the Kakatiyan period (1123–1323 CE) under rulers Rudradeva and Recharla Rudra. Construction of the sandstone temple began in 1213 CE and is believed to have continued over some 40 years. The building features decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite with a distinctive and pyramidal Vimana (horizontally stepped tower) made of lightweight porous bricks, so-called ‘floating bricks’, which reduced the weight of the roof structures. The temple’s sculptures of high artistic quality illustrate regional dance customs and Kakatiyan culture. Located at the foothills of a forested area and amidst agricultural fields, close to the shores of the Ramappa Cheruvu, a Kakatiya-built water reservoir, the choice of setting for the edifice followed the ideology and practice sanctioned in dharmic texts that temples are to be constructed to form an integral part of a natural setting, including hills, forests, springs, streams, lakes, catchment areas, and agricultural lands.

Dholavira - A Harappan City - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

DDholavira - A Harappan City - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

The ancient city of Dholavira, the southern centre of the Harappan Civilization, is sited on the arid island of Khadir in the State of Gujarat. Occupied between ca. 3000-1500 BCE, the archaeological site, one of the best preserved urban settlements from the period in Southeast Asia, comprises a fortified city and a cemetery. Two seasonal streams provided water, a scarce resource in the region, to the walled city which comprises a heavily fortified castle and ceremonial ground as well as streets and houses of different proportion quality which testify to a stratified social order. A sophisticated water management system demonstrates the ingenuity of the Dholavira people in their struggle to survive and thrive in a harsh environment. The site includes a large cemetery with cenotaphs of six types testifying to the Harappan’s unique view of death. Bead processing workshops and artifacts of various kinds such as copper, shell, stone, jewellery of semi-precious stones, terracotta, gold, ivory and other materials have been found during archaeological excavations of the site, exhibiting the culture’s artistic and technological achievements. Evidence for inter-regional trade with other Harappan cities, as well as with cities in the Mesopotamia region and the Oman peninsula have also been discovered. 

Gupta Empire – Facts about Gupta Dynasty

Gupta Empire – Facts about Gupta Dynasty (NCERT Ancient History for UPSC)

In Ancient India, the Gupta Dynasty ruled the mid-to-late 3rd century (approximately) to 543 AD. Founded by Sri Gupta, the dynasty rose to fame with rulers like Chandragupta-I, Samudragupta, etc

Origin of Gupta Empire

• The Gupta Empire rose to prominence in 320 AD and spread to large parts of northern India, central and small parts of southern India.
• The founder of the Gupta dynasty is Sri Gupta.
• The original homeland of the Guptas is not known for certain. But they might have originated from Bengal. Some scholars think they are from Prayaga (Allahabad in UP).
• They are thought to be either Brahmins or Vaishyas.

Gupta Empire – Kings

A brief about the kings of the Gupta dynasty is given in the table below:

Gupta Dynasty Kings	Facts about Gupta Kings
Sri Gupta	Founder of Gupta Dynasty Reign from 240 AD to 280 AD Used the title of ‘Maharaja‘
Ghatotkacha	Son of Sri Gupta Took the title of ‘Maharaja‘
Chandragupta I	Reigned from 319 AD to 334 AD Started the Gupta Era He assumed the title of ‘Maharajadhiraja‘ Married Lichchavi princess Kumaradevi
Samudragupta	Reigned from 335 AD to 380 AD Called ‘Napolean of India’ by V.A. Smith (Irish Indologist and Art Historian) His campaigns are mentioned in Eran inscription (Madhya Pradesh)
Chandragupta II	Reigned from 380-412 AD Navratnas (9 Gems in his Court) Took the title ‘Vikramaditya’
Kumaragupta I	Reigned from 413 AD to 455 AD Founded Nalanda University He was also called Shakraditya
Skandagupta	Reigned from 455 AD – 467 AD Was a ‘Vaishnavite‘ Son of Kumaragupta Repulsed an attack by the Hunas but this strained his empire’s coffers
Vishnugupta	Last known ruler of the Gupta Dynasty (540 AD – 550 AD)

Gupta Empire – Chandragupta I (320 – 335 AD)

• Was the son of Ghatotkacha.
• Acquired the strategically important Magadha kingdom on marriage to a Lichchhavi princess Kumaradevi.
• He extended his kingdom through conquests. His territory extended from the Ganges River to Prayaga by 321 AD.
• He issued coins in the joint names of his queen and himself.
• He assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja (great king of kings).
• He was successful in building a small principality into a great kingdom.
• He is considered the first great king of the Gupta Empire.

Gupta Empire – Samudragupta (335 – 380 AD)

• Son of Chandragupta I and Kumaradevi.
• Was a military genius and was successful in adding many territories into the Gupta Empire.
• The Allahabad inscription describes his bravery as composed by his court poet, Harisena. There it is said that he defeated nine kings of the Ganges Valley, twelve kings from the southern region, and eighteen forest tribes.
• His region extended from the Himalayas in the north to the Krishna and Godavari Rivers in the south; and from Balkh (Afghanistan) in the west to Brahmaputra River in the east.
• He was a follower of Vaishnavite Hinduism but was tolerant of other faiths. He gave permission to the king of Sri Lanka, Meghavarna to build a monastery in Bodh Gaya.
• He was also called “Indian Napoleon” by art historian Vincent Smith.
• He also performed Ashvamedha sacrifice. Hence, one of his coins refers to him as “the restorer of Ashvamedha.”
• He was also called “Kaviraja” since he composed verses.

Gupta Empire – Chandragupta II (Reign: 380 – 418 AD)

• Son of Samudragupta and his queen Dattadevi.
• He was also known as ‘Vikramaditya’.
• He further annexed territories including Saurashtra which gave him the western coastline.
• He used matrimonial alliances to expand his kingdom. He established matrimonial alliances with the Nagas and the Vakatakas. He gave his daughter Prabhapavatigupta in marriage to Vakataka ruler of Maharashtra Rudrasena II.
• He also annexed three Satrapa kingdoms and assumed the title Sakari (destroyer of the Sakas). He defeated the Saka king Rudrasimha III thus acquiring Saurashtra and Kathiawar.
• Through the western ports, the kingdom’s prosperity grew through trade links with Roman Empires.
• After East and West India, Chandragupta II defeated northern rulers also like the Hunas, Kambojas, Kiratas, etc.
• He was a brilliant conqueror and an able administrator as well.
• Like his father, he was a Vaishnavite but was tolerant of other religions.
• His other names (as mentioned in coins) include Vikrama, Devagupta, Devaraja, Simhavikrama, Vikramaditya Sakari, etc.
• His court had nine jewels or Navaratnas, nine people eminent in various fields of art, literature and science. This included the great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, Harisena, Amarasimha (lexicographer) and Dhanvantari (physician).
• Fa-Hien, a Buddhist from China visited India during his reign. He records the prosperity of the Gupta Empire.
  

  
  

Indus Valley Civilization

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Introduction – Indus Valley Civilization

• Indus Valley Civilization is also known as Harappan Civilization because Harappa was the first site to be excavated in 1921 under the supervision of Daya Ram Sahni.
• The known extent of IVC is up to Suktagendor in Baluchistan in the west; Alamgirpur (UP) in the east; Daimabad (Maharashtra) in the South; and Manda (Jammu & Kashmir) in the north.
• Indus Valley Civilization is the home to the largest of the four of its contemporary urban civilizations namely Mesopotamian or Sumerian Civilization, Egyptian Civilization, and Chinese Civilization.
• While IVC is on the banks of Indus, Egyptian Civilization flourished on the banks of the river Nile, Mesopotamian Civilization flourished on the banks of Tigris or Euphrates river and Chinese Civilization flourished on the banks of Hwang Ho river.
• Since it belongs to the Bronze/Chalcolithic age, it is also known as the Bronze Age Civilization.
• In the 1920s, the excavations were carried out in the Indus Valley regions, where ruins of the old cities were found. The first city to be unearthed was Harappa.
• In 1924, John Marshall, the then Director-General of the Department of Archaeology announced the discovery of Indus Valley Civilization

Important Sites of Indus Valley CIvilization

Site	Location	River Bank
Harappa	Montegomari, Punjab (Pakistan)	Ravi
Mohenjodaro	Larkana, Sindh (Pakistan)	Indus
Suktagendor	Baluchistan (Pakistan)	Dashta
Chanhudaro	Sindh (Pakistan)	Indus
Rangpur	Ahmedabad (India)	Meedar
Kalibangan	Ganganagar (Rajasthan)	Ghaggar
Lothal	Ahmedabad	Sabarmati & Bhogva
Banawali	Hissar (Haryana)	Saraswati
Amri	Sindh and Baluchistan	Indus
Dholavira	Gujarat	Luni

Phases of Indus Valley Civilization

Three phases of IVC are:

• The early Harappan phase from 3300 BC to 2600 BC.
• The mature Harappan phase from 2600 BC to 1900 BC.
• The late Harappan phase from 1900 BC to 1300 BC.
• The signs of a gradual decline of the Indus River Valley Civilization are believed to have started around 1800 BC and by 1700 BC, most of the cities were abandoned.

Features of Indus Valley Civilization

  Urbanization & Town Planning

	Town planning is the most important and distinguishing feature of the Harappan Civilization. Hence, it was called an urban civilization.Towns were divided into parts namely citadel and lower town. Citadels were occupied by members of the ruling class and the lower town was inhabited by the common people. Another important feature of IVC is the drainage system. Drains were built of burnt bricks and covered by stone lids.Chanhudaro was the only town without a citadel. Agriculture & Economy
	They grew wheat and barley on a large scale. Other crops that they grew included pulses, cereals, cotton, dates, melons, pea, sesamum, and mustard.No clear evidence of rice has been found. Harappan people were mostly peasants and thus the Harappan civilization was an agro-commercial civilization. Harappans were the earliest people to grow cotton. Their most important artistic work are seals. Seals are made of steatite and they are square in shape. The most depicted animal is the bull. Bangle making and shell ornament making was also practiced. Land and sea trade was in vogue in Indus Valley Civilization.A dockyard has been found at Lothal which is the longest building of Harappan Civilization. Religion of Harappans
	Pashupati seal has been found in Mohenjodaro in which a Yogi has been depicted. The Yogi on the seal is surrounded by buffalo, tiger, elephant, rhinoceros, and deer.Signs of phallic worship has been found. Harappans worshipped the mother Goddess. It is evident from the terracotta figurine recovered from Harappa. A building called Great Bath has been found at Mohenjodaro. It was meant for ritual bathing.No evidence of temples has been found in this civilization.Amulets were found in large numbers  Script of Harappans
	The Harappans knew the art of writing.More than 4000 specimens of scripts were found in excavations.The script, however, is not alphabetical but pictographic and it has not been deciphered yet.