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The Lion of the South: Did Ancient Kings Know the Real Animal?

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Published by Orugallu Andhalu The Lion in the Landscape While examining the architectural remains of Warangal, I kept noticing the same animal appearing in different places: the lion. It appeared on pillars, door jambs, temple fragments and larger sculptural panels. Some figures had open mouths and curled tails; others were arranged in rows above elephants or incorporated into elaborate decorative patterns. A few looked closer to mythical creatures than to animals one might encounter in the wild. What caught my attention was not simply the presence of lions, but the variety of forms in which they appeared. At the Swayambhu temple complex, lion figures occur in several architectural settings. Similar motifs can be seen at the ruined Venkateshwara temple within the fort, at Jakaram, and in other temples around Warangal. My photographs record these examples, although the exact date and original position of every surviving fragment still need to be established. The pattern extends beyond W...
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Puhar: Reconstructing a Lost Chola Port

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Published by Orugallu Andhalu There is a strange problem with Puhar. Ancient Tamil literature describes a busy port where ships arrived, goods moved between land and sea, merchants from different regions lived alongside one another, and the Kaveri met the Bay of Bengal. Today, much of the archaeological landscape associated with that port lies along and beneath a coastline that is no longer where it once was. The question is not simply whether Puhar existed. The evidence already makes its existence difficult to dismiss. The harder question is this: What happened to a port that once stood at the meeting point of the Kaveri and the sea?  The City at the Mouth of the Kaveri Puhar, also known as Poompuhar, Kaveripattinam and Kaveripoompattinam, stood on the northern bank of the Kaveri near its meeting with the Bay of Bengal. It functioned as a flourishing port and an important coastal centre of the early Cholas described in Sangam literature. Its geographical position was central to th...
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Location: Kaveripattinam, Tamil Nadu 635112, India
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The Goldsmith’s Daughter Who Defied a King: The Story of Pertal

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Published by Orugallu Andhalu The history of the Deccan Plateau is largely a history of conflicts between powerful kingdoms competing for land, wealth, and influence. To understand the later rivalry between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Bahmani Sultanate, we first need to look at the political changes that transformed the Deccan in the early 14th century. The earlier Yadava kingdom of Devagiri and the Kakatiya kingdom of Warangal had both come under the control of the Delhi Sultanate. Devagiri was annexed to the Delhi Sultanate in 1313, while the Kakatiya kingdom was finally defeated at Warangal in 1323. For a time, Delhi's authority extended deep into the Deccan. But maintaining such a vast southern territory proved difficult, and as Tughluq authority weakened, the political landscape began to change. It was in this changing political environment that two new powers emerged: the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336, founded by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka I, and the Bahmani Sulta...
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Location: Mudgal, Karnataka 584125, India
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Warriors of the Guru: The History of the Nihang Sikhs

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Published by Orugallu Andhalu While researching the military history of the Indian subcontinent, I often find that the most interesting stories are not only about battles, kings, or armies, but also about the communities that shaped the way those conflicts were fought. The Nihang Sikhs are one such example. Known for their distinctive blue attire and strong martial tradition, the Nihangs developed within the wider Khalsa tradition established by Guru Gobind Singh. Over time, they became closely associated with the defence of Sikh institutions and with some of the most difficult military struggles faced by the Sikh community during the 18th and early 19th centuries. What makes their history particularly interesting is that their identity cannot be understood through warfare alone. Their religious discipline, relationship with the Khalsa Panth, independence from political rulers, and role in Sikh institutions were all closely connected to their martial tradition. In this article, let ...
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Location: Amritsar, Punjab, India
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Gudimallam: The Mystery of the Ancient Human-Form Shiva Linga

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Published by Orugallu Andhalu Among the Shaivite temples of South India, few objects raise as fundamental a question as the Gudimallam Linga. South Indian dynasties like the Pallavas, Chalukyas, Cholas, and Kakatiyas of Warangal later developed a highly distinctive language of Shaivite architecture, including Eka Mukha Lingas and elaborately planned temples. But if those medieval monuments represent a mature stage of Shiva worship, what did an early physical representation of Shiva look like? The answer lies in Gudimallam village of present-day Tirupati district. Inside the Sri Parashurameswara Swamy Temple stands a remarkable dark stone Linga with a human figure carved directly onto its shaft. It is widely regarded as the earliest known human-form Shiva Linga, generally dated to the early centuries BCE. The question is not simply how old it is, but why Shiva was represented in this unusual form at all. The Puranic Story and the Archaeological Record Parashurama's Legend Local t...
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Location: Gudimallam, Andhra Pradesh 517526, India
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