Tag: history

Thiruvasagam is a volume of Tamil hymns composed by the ninth century Shaivite bhakti poet Manikkavasagar. It contains 51 compositions and constitutes the eighth volume of the Tirumurai, the sacred anthology of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta.
Most of the portions in Thiruvasagam were first sung in Thillai Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram. It is considered one of the profound works of Tamil literature and it discusses every phase of spiritual path from doubt and anguish to perfect understanding in Shiva, from earthly experience to teacher-disciple relationship and ultimately freedom from rebirth.

The famous ports of the Pandyas were Korkai and Thondi. Pearl fishing was another industry that flourished during the Sangam age. The Pandyan port city of Korkai was the centre of pearl trade. The most expensive animal product that was imported from India by the Roman Empire was the pearl from the Gulf of Mannar.

Expeditions from the Khalji Sultanate in 1314 led by Khusro Khan and in 1323 by Ulugh Khan under Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq shattered the Pandyan empire beyond revival. While the previous invasions were content with plunder, Ulugh Khan annexed the former Pandyan dominions to the Delhi Sultanate .

The Greek historian Megasthenes, in his work Indica, mentions the Pandyan kingdom and includes legends linking its origin to the daughter of Heracles.

Madurai served as the capital of the Pandya dynasty, the southernmost of the three ancient Tamil kingdoms. It was a major cultural and political center in Tamilakam during the Sangam period.

Women's life in those days was full of hardship. Their world was confined to the house of first their father , and then their husband. Their education was neglected. Only a few exceptional women had achieved any progress in literacy, administration and battle skills. Customs like child marriage, unequal marriages, widowhood, keshwapan, sati, polygamy had imposed harsh restriction on the way women lived.

Sher Shah started the Suri dynasty in 1540 by defeating Humayun. He was one of the greatest administrators of medieval India. During his rule, he introduced Dam- small copper coin,  Mohur, the gold coin and Rupiya the silver coin. His silver rupee coins weighed 180 grains, of which 175 grains were pure silver. Sher Shah’s name and title and place of mint were invariably inscribed on the coins in Arabic characters. 

In Akbar's reign, the principal outlets for foreign sea trade were ports of Cambay and Surat. The chief exports of Mughal empire during Akbar's reign were textiles,  pepper, indigo, opium and other drugs and other miscellaneous goods, while imports from abroad included horses, raw silk, metals, ivory, coral, amber drugs and Chinese goods.

In large parts of the subcontinent, society was already divided according to the rules of varna. These rules, as prescribed by the Brahmanas, were accepted by the rulers of large kingdoms. The difference between the high and low, and between the rich and poor, increased. Under the Delhi Sultans and the Mughals, this hierarchy between social classes grew further. Here, in the question, the keyword is "further". Division on the basis of caste was present even before the rule of the Delhi Sultans and Mughals.
Hence, division of society on the basis of caste cannot be the main reason for the division to grow further. The divisions grew due to new administrative measures and the introduction of rank system.

A majority of people lived in villages. The villages were mostly self - sufficient. Only salt had to be imported from other places. The needs of farmers were limited. They grew jowar , bajra , wheat , ragi , maize , rice and other grains in their fields.