The Courtesan, the Mahatma & the Italian Brahmin PDF Download

Author: Manu S. Pillai
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789388689786
Category : India
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Author: Manu S. Pillai
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789353451066
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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In Rebel Sultans, Manu S. Pillai narrates the story of the Deccan from the close of the thirteenth century to the dawn of the eighteenth. Packed with riveting tales and compelling characters, this book takes us from the age of Alauddin Khilji to the ascent of Shivaji. We witness the dramatic rise and fall of the Vijayanagar empire, even as we negotiate intrigues at the courts of the Bahmani kings and the Rebel Sultans who overthrew them. From Chand Bibi, a valorous queen stabbed to death, and Ibrahim II of Bijapur, a Muslim prince who venerated Hindu gods, to Malik Ambar, the Ethiopian warlord, and Krishnadeva Raya on Vijayanagar s Diamond Throne they all appear in these pages as we journey through one of the most arresting sweeps of Indian history.

Author: Manu S. Pillai
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789391165895
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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In this brilliantly researched book, Manu S. Pillai uncovers a picture of the Indian princes far removed from the existing cliches and reminds us that the maharajahs were serious political actors - essential to knowing modern India.

Author: Manu S. Pillai
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 9351776433
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 854

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In 1498, when Vasco da Gama set foot in Kerala looking for Christians and spices, he unleashed a wave of political fury that would topple local powers like a house of cards. The cosmopolitan fabric of a vibrant trading society - with its Jewish and Arab merchants, Chinese pirate heroes and masterful Hindu Zamorins - was ripped apart, heralding an age of violence and bloodshed. One prince, however, emerged triumphant from this descent into chaos. Shrewdly marrying Western arms to Eastern strategy, Martanda Varma consecrated the dominion of Travancore, destined to become one of the most dutiful pillars of the British Raj. What followed was two centuries of internecine conflict in one of India's premier princely states, culminating in a dynastic feud between two sisters battling to steer the fortunes of their house on the eve of Independence. Manu S. Pillai's retelling of this sprawling saga focuses on the remarkable life and work of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, the last - and forgotten - queen of the House of Travancore. The supporting cast includes the flamboyant painter Raja Ravi Varma and his wrathful wife, scheming matriarchs of 'violent, profligate and sordid' character, wife-swapping court favourites, vigilant English agents, quarrelling consorts and lustful kings. Extensively researched and vividly rendered, The Ivory Throne conjures up a dramatic world of political intrigues and factions, black magic and conspiracies, crafty ceremonies and splendorous temple treasures, all harnessed in a tragic contest for power and authority in the age of empire.

Author: D D Kosambi
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000653471
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 251

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First published in 1965, The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in Historical Outline is a strikingly original work, the first real cultural history of India. The main features of the Indian character are traced back into remote antiquity as the natural outgrowth of historical process. Did the change from food gathering and the pastoral life to agriculture make new religions necessary? Why did the Indian cities vanish with hardly a trace and leave no memory? Who were the Aryans – if any? Why should Buddhism, Jainism, and so many other sects of the same type come into being at one time and in the same region? How could Buddhism spread over so large a part of Asia while dying out completely in the land of its origin? What caused the rise and collapse of the Magadhan empire; was the Gupta empire fundamentally different from its great predecessor, or just one more ‘oriental despotism’? These are some of the many questions handled with great insight, yet in the simplest terms, in this stimulating work. This book will be of interest to students of history, sociology, archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies, South Asian studies and ethnic studies.

Author: Giti Thadani
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474287042
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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The product of many years of research, this unique book presents fascinating perspectives on contemporary lesbian life in India and unravels some of the history of lesbian desire from centuries past. Through detailed examination of mythology, cosmology, ancient art and artefacts and her exegesis of ancient Sanskrit texts, Thadani constructs a tapestry of feminine kinship, genealogy and sexual or erotic bonding between women (sakhiyani) in ancient India. The author offers an historical perspective on the effect of colonization upon lesbian identities in India, showing how women were viewed by Western imperialists either as soft victims or as sexually dangerous, possessing an overgrown clitoris and in need of heterosexual domestication. The second half of the book focuses on contemporary lesbian realities and issues, including lesbian marriages, suicide pacts, forging lesbian space, lesbian human rights, lesbophobia, sexual exile and the different construction of gender, family and possible kinship alliances.

Author: Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi
Publisher: Popular Prakashan
ISBN: 9788171540389
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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This book is the culmination of patient research and mature reflection of a profoundly original mind and has earned universal recognition and honour over the last few decades.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789391234768
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Author: Sangeetha Shinde Tee
Publisher: Notion Press
ISBN: 1649516827
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 99

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This collective literary effort has taken the stories of 16 ‘everyday’ women from India – a housemaid, a lawyer, a divorcee, a doctor battling Covid-19, a single mother… It covers their most intimate stories in easy-to-read free verse. It is time the voice of the common Indian woman got heard - with all the unique challenges she faces living in this cultural ecosystem, with all its attendant heartaches and joys, highs and lows. This is the voice of the unheard women of India. And they are speaking out bravely, without fear of shame or social ostracisation. They want to inspire other women – just ordinary, everyday women like themselves – to start speaking their truth by sharing their (often painful) histories and lifting the veil on the unspoken. This anthology covers sexuality, societal judgement, divorce, education systems for women, domestic slavery, parental control and interference, in-laws and misogyny... It comprises powerful stories that tell of the hidden powerhouse that drives this nation. One that is finally breaking free of the chains that have kept them bound for as far back as any of us can remember. These are the stories of the battles and triumphs of every Indian woman and this book is a salute to their everyday courage and resilience.

Author: Namit Arora
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
ISBN: 9353052874
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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What do we really know about the Aryan migration theory and why is that debate so hot? Why did the people of Khajuraho carve erotic scenes on their temple walls? What did the monks at Nalanda eat for dinner? Did our ideals of beauty ever prefer dark skin? Indian civilization is an idea, a reality, an enigma. In this riveting book, Namit Arora takes us on an unforgettable journey through 5000 years of history, reimagining in rich detail the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages. Drawing on credible sources, he discovers what inspired and shaped them: their political upheavals and rivalries, customs and vocations, and a variety of unusual festivals. Arora makes a stop at six iconic places -- the Harappan city of Dholavira, the Ikshvaku capital at Nagarjunakonda, the Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda, enigmatic Khajuraho, Vijayanagar at Hampi, and historic Varanasi -- enlivening the narrative with vivid descriptions, local stories and evocative photographs. Punctuating this are chronicles of famous travellers who visited India -- including Megasthenes, Xuanzang, Alberuni and Marco Polo -- whose dramatic and idiosyncratic tales conceal surprising insights about our land. In lucid, elegant prose, Arora explores the exciting churn of ideas, beliefs and values of our ancestors through millennia -- some continue to shape modern India, while others have been lost forever. An original, deeply engaging and extensively researched work, Indians illuminates a range of histories coursing through our veins.