Tag Chandragupta Maurya

How Western Scholars Misinterpret Hinduism Max Mueller

If one were to read Indian history, one is struck by a curious fact..

History between the period of Harshavardhana onward to Mogul Emperors is hazy , if not missing.
It becomes clear after this period.

You do not get authentic records or information about the Middle ages, when Tamil and Sanskrit literature were awash with Bhakthi literatue.

For instance one does not find reference of Adi Shankaracharya in either Sanskrit or Tamil literature during this period.

One does not find reference to Shankaracharya even among Sanskrit and even among the records of kings who were ardent promoters of Sanskrit in their chronicles, either written by them or others.

You find this only by the time of Vidyaranya when he established the Vijayanagar Empire.

The information has been so scanty that it took the 33rd Acharaya of Sringeri Sharada Mutt to locate Kalady, the birth place of Shankaracharya!

Ancient Maps India Timeline Ramayana Mahabharata

Now that India is giving birth to its twenty-ninth State, Telengana,it is worth remembering that ancient India had fifty-six kingdoms.

Some of them are quite large and were Empires, some small like the Chera Kingdom in Tamil Nadu.

It is interesting to note that these small kingdoms were as prosperous if not more than the large kingdoms' say in the period of Ramayana,Mahabharata.

The Tamil Chera King, Perunchotru Udiyan Cheralathan fed both the armies of the Epic battle of Mahabharata.

For more details on this read my post on this,

He used to liaise with both the warring groups, such was the respect he commanded and so was his states prosperity.

Even During Ramayana period the prosperity of the smaller states were in evidence.

What i have gleaned from these and other historical facts, in India, Austrian Empire, i that a State is prosperous if the Government is good and there are development activities.

The academic discussion that large Sates have more resources at their disposal, smaller easy to administer ...are mere arm-chair discussions.

i was curious to find how ancient Map of India looked like.

Here are some Maps of ancient India from the Ramayana, Mahabharata days.