The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History

by Sanjeev Sanyal

Thus, one of the unintended consequences of early Iron Age migrations seems to be that the world has come to celebrate the birthday of an ancient god from Haryana!

Frankincense

It is the dried resin of a thorny tree and gives off a pleasant smell when burned.

It was widely used in religious ceremonies and is one of the gifts that the ‘three wise men’ are said to h...

Golbai Sasan in Odisha

Vedda,

River Daya at Dhauli

modern Bhubaneswar.

D...

Yuddha ...

Tosali.

‘regret’ is mentioned only in locations far away from Odisha (such as in Shahbazgarhi in north-western Pakistan).

The Buddhist text, Ashokavadana, tells us of more acts of genocide perpetrated by the emperor many years after he supposedly turned pacifist.15 These were directed particularly at followers of the Jain and Ajivika sects; by all accounts he avoided conflicts with mainstream Hindus and was respectful towards Brahmins.

killed his only surviving brother, the Buddhist monk

Vitashoka (also called Tissa).

Dasharatha who reached out to the Ajivikas and constructed the rock-cut Nagarjuni and Barabar caves for the sect.

Jalauka,

Kashmir

Sha...

Satvahanas

‘Andhra-bhritya’ or servants of the Andhras.

Satvahanas

Pratishthana

Pait...

‘Lords of Dakshin...

Kalinga

Chedi

Khar...

Hathigumpha, or Elephant...

Bahasatimita

Brihadhrata)

Many of the spices thought to be ‘Indian’ by medieval Europeans were actually from Indonesia except black pepper which grows along the south-western coast of India.

Chandraketugarh,

Omanis

Ibadhi Islam.

Deval,

port

naphtha balls

Battle

of Talas in AD 751

Tang ...

Central Asia came into the Islamic sphere of influence rathe...

Qissa-i-Sanjan,

Jadi Rana

Gypsies as blacksmiths,

Suryavarman II. It is he who built Angkor Wat,

corporatized merchant

guilds.

Such organizations, created under contract, are called Samaya in inscriptions.12 One of the ...

Five Hundred’, was established in Aih...