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The History of India Podcast

A light weekly podcast covering the history of India, from 6th century B.C. onwards. Enjoying the Podcast? Please consider donating to the Snehal Sidhu-Patrick Memorial Fund (http://tinyurl.com/prkvwll)
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Now displaying: Category: history
Jun 13, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) This week, we get to know the greatest poet and playwright of ancient India: Kalidasa. We hear the legend of how he found his talent through the strained relationship with his demanding wife. We explore his life as a poet in the court of the Gupta empire, and the tale of his sad demise. Along the way, we'll get everything we need to enjoy some of the greatest poetry ever written.

Jun 6, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) This week, get a job in the ancient Gupta empire. We look at the life of a soldier, a policeman, and a civil servant. But getting a place in the empire won't be as easy as you might think.

May 24, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) According to legend, if you travel by sea east from India and eventually you will reach the land of gold. But only the bravest adventurers dare make the journey. We follow them to the islands and states of South East Asia. We find a people deeply influenced by body and mind by Indian thought. And we watch the first Hindu states emerge in Cambodia and Vietnam.

May 18, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) Ancient North East India. We take a podcasty walk from an ancient farm in the valleys up into the hills where the Kiratas live, walking through the landscape rich with trees and caves, and hearing the legends of hill and valley along the way.

Apr 9, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) Everything you ever needed to know about buying and running a farm in ancient India. Learn how to navigate the paper work required to buy a farm. Get advice on what to grow, and how. Hear how to pay your agricultural taxes. Until finally, work done, you can settle down to watch the crops grow and listen to a few old farmer's tales.

Apr 8, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) How best to get inside the shoes of ancient Indians? Through the stomach! This episode, some friends cook some ancient Indian meals and give them a tasting. Will we adopt an ancient Indian diet? Will we be up all night with indigestion? Listen and find out.  (Check out Adil's craft beer and games podcast: http://www.outoflives.net/tankedup)

Apr 1, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) We cook a meal for some ancient Indians. From buying ingredients down the market, to working in the Kitchen, to the meal itself. We might also indulge in a bit of smoking and drinking afterwards.

 

Mar 22, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) Students from around the known world set out with their books. They are heading for one location. The great monastery in Northern India: Nalanda. We join them on their journey into the complex, and take part in debates and daily life alongside them.

Mar 18, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) We return to the Ajanta Caves for a second special episode. In this episode, the emperor is building his own cave, grander than all the others. The story of the cave is the story of the empire: it is constructed and for the briefest moment flourishes, before it tumbles into nothing.

Mar 8, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) The Ajanta Caves. A world famous collection of caves where Buddhists worshipped for years.... well, not exactly. The caves were abandoned half way through construction. They tell the story of the building of a great institution carrying the hopes of an empire, before the empire and the caves tumbled out of history.

Feb 23, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) This week, two empires will fall. As the grand Gupta empire retreats to the east and falls apart, we see its inner workings exposed. And we watch the small states squabble and fight over its legacy. The stage is set for long years of turmoil. 

Feb 15, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) Two rulers fight over Northern India. The emperor of the Guptas, a gentle man devoted to Buddhism. The king of the Huns, a self-made man devoted to conquest. This week, the war between these two men, the final war between the Guptas and the huns

Feb 1, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) Ever strolled through a museum absent mindedly, when all the exhibits seem to blur into one. What would happen if you took just one exhibit found out everything you could about it: where it was originally placed, what it meant to the people who made it, what legends and meaning it brought to their mind?

This week, we take a pair of statues from a museum in Delhi and do exactly that. We hear the story of their city from its founding to its flourishing. We take a stroll through the city during the Gupta era, and come across those same two statues. And we catch a glimpse of all the many meanings statues had for the ancient Indians who walked that ground before us. Link to image: https://tinyurl.com/graaees.

Jan 18, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) A sculpture from an ancient Indian monastery carries us away on the wings of a bird of legend. Link to image: http://bit.ly/2jHcZbr

Jan 11, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) Quick introduction to the mini-episodes on artworks and artefacts. Short ancient Indian story by way of compensation.

Jan 4, 2017

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) The fortunes of the Gupta family are ruined. The empire has splintered into a dozen warring factions. The huns are already inside India, and at the gates of the empire. This is the tale of how emperor Skandagupta overcame all odds and saved the Gupta empire.

Dec 21, 2016

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) The Gupta empire enjoys a peaceful slumber, as its golden age draws on. Its borders are and provinces are run by a closely-knit, competent and loyal family. But, in this episode, a family disagreement will tear the empire apart.

Dec 14, 2016

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) The tale of the famous Iron Pillar of Delhi and emperor Chandragupta II, from the construction of the pillar to the inscription of the emperor's tale.

Dec 7, 2016

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) The golden age of the Guptas is about to begin. A new emperor takes the throne in a wave of scandel: Chandragupta II. Despite his shaky start, he will soon be revealed as a talented ruler, a victorious warrior, and his deeds will be woven into the legends.

Nov 30, 2016

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) What music did ancient Indians hear? What songs did they sing? We track down the folk tune and ritual chants of ancient Indians. Along the way, we pass through a lovesick country addicted to the lyre, and an epic battle between master and student (3rd of 3 specials about Gupta performance art).

Nov 24, 2016

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) This week, we go hear the notes and beats of ancient Indian music, and hear some of the instruments. (2nd of 3 specials about Gupta performance art.)

Nov 9, 2016

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) Historians uncovered an ancient play about an unknown emperor, killed by his brother and the woman they both loved. The play turned out to have more truth than anyone suspected. It may have even been a cover-up, a distraction from murder. Listen, and judge for yourself.

Nov 2, 2016

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) The great conqueror of ancient India turns his attention south. We follow him through forests, along sandy rivers, down the coast and into South India. And we hear how he shaped the world outside India too.

Oct 26, 2016

(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) The story of the great conqueror of ancient India. We follow him through his first campaign, the snake wars. And we see if he really earns his title: the Napoleon of India.

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