The Birth of Pax Magadha

Dad @ the iconic rock cut elephant, Dhauli

(Dhauli, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, 

November 2021)

The Afternoon Sun was merciless upon us, menacing with a dash of urgency, even though it was November. 8 Kms to the South of Bhubaneshwar diverted from the oft taken Puri Road, lays the hallow ground of Dhaulagiri, the legendary battleground of India's most famous Ancient War. Dhauli / Dhaulagiri now houses an Asokan rock Edict, a rock cut Elephant and a new, large Buddhist Shanti Sthupa. 

In 261 BCE, the Mauryan Emperor of Magadha, Asoka the Great, as per his own recorded inscriptions, defeated and annexed Kalinga, with one decisive final battle at Dhauli / Dhaulagiri (?). After the bloody battle, the Emperor, dejected with violence, increasingly took solace in Hinyana Buddhism, and pursued the concept of Dhamma with a renewed zeal, and became a Pacifist, as per Buddhist tales. Modern day historians are more balanced, and view Asoka's Dhamma as merely an extension of his Statecraft, a tool to consolidate his empire, albeit with peaceful means and within practical ends. A code of conduct was envisaged for people and officials, and ostentation and rituals were frowned upon, as Asoka, being a 'Benevolent Despost', was stretching the Chanakyan adage of 'King as a Father to his subjects' to it's most logical extent.   

"The beloved of the Gods declares that victory of Dhamma (Righteousness) to be the true victory" proclaims the victorious emperor's Rock Edict XIII at Dhauli, now protected. A rock cut elephant, perhaps, the first of it's kind in the Sub Continent welcomes one to the site. Today, the small hills and nearby meadows are peaceful, as people visit the Dhauli Shanti Sthupa located nearby. I looked around, and wondered aloud, as to what would inspire men to take up arms, and wage great battles? Under the weight of the titles of Kings, How did the common man fare and suffer? How could abstract concepts and material pursuits combine to create bouts of war and peace?  Doesn't Time destroy everything? Centuries thence, empires of yore crumbled into obscurity, in what way? Perhaps in the words of Ernest Hemingway, "gradually and then suddenly."     

Dhauli forms a lesser known part of the East Indian / Odisha Triangle comprising Puri, Konark and Bhubaneshwar. Yet the place's significance cannot be missed, for it marked the death of a war and the birth of Pax Magadha....  

Dhauli Shanti Sthupa

 

The Birth of Pax Magadha

Maheeth Veluvali,
16 Saladi Jamindar Street, Palakollu,.
21st of May, 2025.

The Land of Singing Waves

Me @ Tharangambadi Beach

Tharangambadi (formerly Tranquebar), Tamil Nadu - September 2023

In Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu lies the sleepy coastal town of Tharangambadi (literally, 'The Land of Singing Waves'), that was once Danish East India Company's crowning glory in the Colonial Era (c.1620 -1777 CE). The Imperial Kingdom of Denmark-Norway was also one of the lesser-known protagonists of the 'White man's burden'. However their possessions in India mattered little when compared with the ambitions of the British or the French. 

South Asia's first Protestant Church (?) - Tharangambadi

Fort Dansborg - one of the largest Danish Forts ever built

Fort Dansborg, one of the largest Danish forts ever built is the most recognizable monument of Tharangambadi, her long unutilized little cannons seemingly perched towards the sea, as if thwarting  any competitive economic rival emerging from the Bay of Bengal. Much before the advent of the Danes, the Pandyas and later, Thanjavur Nayaka Kings controlled Tharangambadi. The old Saiva temple (Masilamaninathar) stands to this day, despite the ravages of the infamous 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. The serene spot could have captivated the Danes, who indulged in business as well as proselytization, eventually 'purchasing' this piece of land from the Nayaka Kings, just like the British in Chennai. Unlike Chennai, Tharangambadi remains a foot note in the pages of history and retains an idyllic charm befitting a benign rural setting. The town also possesses South Asia's first Protestant Church (sic), a Danish-Indian Cultural Centre, and a museum. A walk down this town, soaking in the evening Sun, looking at the old colonial buildings, with the breeze from the Bay, offered a serene refreshment from the routine of the ordinary days - a much-needed break. 

Masilamaninathar Temple (Saiva) - Pandyas - Tharangambadi

Me @ Fort Dansborg

Tharangambadi, formerly Tranquebar, the little Denmark of India, the Indian darling of the Danes in 17th Century, remains 'The Land of the Singing Waves'. 

TownsGate - Tharangambadi

   

Main Street, Tharangambadi

The Land of Singing Waves - on Tharangambadi/Tranquebar

16 Saladi Jamindar Street, Palakollu

Saturday, 03rd of August, 2024.

Maheeth Veluvali.

The Curious Case of the Mummy of Hyderabad

The chill of the morning was gone. A sudden surge of sunshine was vital to get things done during winter. And so, it was, a sudden raise in temperature. Such baffling inconsistencies in the weather of the Deccan, within a day would scare a farmer. But for a student, they did ensure an encouraging sign of things to come. The workers at the great Public Gardens of Nampally toiled hard - the image of the city was important, more than anything else. After the Global Entrepreneurship Summit & the opening of the Metro, the city is about to host the World Telugu Conference on 15th of December. And I asked one such toiling worker, the way to the Museum.

Within the sprawling Public Gardens lies an old building, housing the Telangana State Archeological Museum. The Piece de Resistance of this museum is an old Mummy - the likes of which scared me as a kid when I visited it as a school going boy. But now, I was no longer a boy to be scared. And so, once again, I stared into the glass ceiling.

Egyptians, like many other civilizations had a firm belief of life after death. However, they took this passion to rituals of epic proportions. All Emperors, Queen consorts and Royalty, after death were preserved as mummified bodies. All vital organs were separately preserved in separate jars, and elabarote rituals followed where the ancient gods of Egypt like 'Ra, Seth, Horis, Anubis' were invoked to protect the body till the soul reaches the Egyptian Eden.

About the mummified body, it was not even 5 feet long, and was assumed to be that of the daughter of the VI Pharoah of Ptolemaic Egypt (c.300-100 BCE). Allegedly, she died young, aged around 16-18 years. There was, virtually, no information about the name of this once Princess of Egypt. The way this mummy made to Hyderabad is a tale of Luck and grandeur of the Nizams. Nazeer Nawaj Jung, the son-in-law of Mir Mahboob Ali Khan (VI Nizam of Hyderabad) brought the mummy for an allegedly throw away price of 1,000 Pounds in London, and then, gifted it to the Nizam. Thus, did the mummified body of the Princess of Egypt reach this Museum of Hyderabad.

As I stepped down, I was fascinated by the Mummy who could've once walked on the banks of the Nile alive. And now, this Mummy could'nt hear the ambient & fiery sound of the new Metro Rail just few feet away. Or can she?

1.Place and Time

@ - Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Telangana State Museum, Public Gardens, Nampally, Hyderabad, Telangana

On - Wednesday, 6th of December, 2017.

2. Subject -

"The Curious Case of the Mummy of Hyderabad" on the Mummified Body of a supposedly Ptolemaic Egyptian Princess preserved at the Museum.