Rani ki Vav

Rani ki Vav / Image Credit

Situated in the town of Patan in Gujarat, Rani Ki Vav is an intricately designed step well built in the 11th century by Queen Udayamati, wife of Bhima-I of the Chalukya (Solanki) Dynasty. It was during the reign of Bhima I (Bhimadeva) that Muslim invader Mahmud Ghazni overran Gujarat and plundered the great temple of Somanath. 

That Bhimadeva’s queen Udaymati caused this step-well to be built has been referred to in a text named Prabandhachintamani, written by the Jain scholar Merutunda, in 1304 AD. In 1986, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had carried out  excavation of this stepwell. An image of Udayamati was recovered during the excavation. 

Rani ki Vav was declared a UNESCO's World Heritage Site in 2014.

Veerabhadra Temple, Lepakshi

Veerabhadra Temple, Lepakshi / Image Credit

Located at Lepakshi in the Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, the 16th century Veerabhadra temple is a famous shrine built  by Virupanna, a governor under the Vijayanagar Empire during the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya.  

Executed in the Vijayanagar style, the temple, dedicated to the Virabhadra, a form of the god Shiva, is known for the monolithic statue of Nandi, the largest in the country. 

Paintings in the Veerabhadra Temple

Coiled multi-hooded serpent providing an umbrella cover over a Linga

Sembiyan Mahadevi: 10th Century Chola Queen

Sembiyan Mahadevi / Image Credit

Sembiyan Mahadevi was the wife of the Chola ruler Gandaraditya Chola who succeeded to the Chola throne in 955 AD. At the time of Gandaraditya’s reign, the Chola kingdom was reduced to the size of a principality. Gandaraditya, with his wife Sembiyan Mahadevi, is more known for his work in the field of culture and religion. 

Sembiyan Mahadevi was the mother of Uttama Chola who had become the Chola ruler in 973 after the death of the incumbent Chola monarch Parantaka Chola II who succeeded his father Arinjaya who became the ruler after the death of his brother Gandaraditya.

Sembiyan Mahadevi was instrumental in constructing many temples in South India including the Umamaheswarar  at Konerirajapuram, 30min drive from Kumbakonam In Tamil Nadu. Umamaheswarar temple has been the famous abode  of Lord Nataraja.

Mughal Royal Family Quiz

Q.1. Jahangir's eldest son Khusrau was forced to watch as his supporters were put to death by ____________on the Chandni Chowk street in Delhi.

(A) Crucifixion

(B) Boiling 

(C) Hanging

(D) Impalement

Khusrau was the eldest son of the fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir. With the support of the powerful nobles Khusrau eyed the Mughal throne and unfurled a banner of rebellion against his father. After the death of his grandfather, Akbar, in 1605, he was imprisoned in Agra Fort by Jahangir who had succeeded Akbar as the Mughal emperor.

However, though he managed to escape, he was defeated by the Mughal forces in 1606. He was taken to Delhi where he was paraded down Chandni Chowk on an elephant while his supporters were impaled on stakes through their bowels.   

Khusrau was later blinded and was forced into the custody of his brother Khurram (future Shah Jahan) who eventually strangled him at Burhanpur in 1621. (The official cause of his death was colic.)

On the orders of Jahangir, Khusrau was buried in a tomb adjoining his mother's in a garden in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), now called Khusrau Bagh.

Chola Dynasty Quiz

Veeranam Lake / Iamge Source

 Q.1. Which of the following Chola princes died in the battle field?

(A) Rajaditya Chola 

(B) Aditya Karikala, alias Aditya II, 

(C) Rajendra Chola

(C) Parantaka I

Answer: A 

Parantaka I ascended the Chola throne in 907 and ruled for forty-eight years till 955. In 949 he suffered defeat at the hands of Rshtrakuta king Krishna III in the battle of Takkolam. Rajaditya, eldest son of Parantaka I, lost his life in the battle when a well-aimed arrow by Butuga II (Western Ganga king and brother-in-law of Krishna III) struck him while he was on an elephant back. After his success in the battle, Krishna III adopted the title of ‘Conqueror of  Kanchi (Kanchipuram) and Thanjai (Thanjavur)’. 

Rajaditya earned the title ‘Yanaimel Thunjiya Devar’ (The king who died on the back of an elephant) in the Chola inscriptions at Kumbakonam and Thirunageswaram. 

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)  has recently named  its Recruits Training Centre (RTC) as Rajaditya Cholan (RTC) in Thakkolam, in memory of the Chola prince.

Veeranam Lake, located in Cudadalore district of Tamil Nadu, was constructed by Rajaditya Chola.

Vijayanagar empire Quiz

                                                                Lotus Mahal in Hampi.

                        Photograph by John Gollings from the George Michell Collection

Q. 1.- Where are the ruins of Vijayanagar empire found ?

(A) Bijapur

(B) Bidar 

(C) Golconda

(D) Hampi

Q. 2.-  Lotus Mahal is an important monument in___

(A) Pattadakal 

(B) Hampi

(C) Badami

(D) Aihole

Q.3.- Which among the following was the single biggest item of import to the Vijayanagar empire?

(A) Cotton and silk clothes

(B) Spices

(C) Horses

(D) Sugar 

Q.4.- Who was the most famous ruler of the Vijayanagar Empire?

(A) Krishnadeva Raya

(B) Harihara II, 

(C) Sadasiva Raya

(D) Deva Raya

Q.5, - Who was the author of Madhura Vijayam?

(A)  Shilabhattarika

(B) Gangadevi

(C) Tirumalamba

(D) Vijjika

Answer

Q.1- D

The nucleus of the Vijayanagar kingdom was the city of Vijayanagar, identified with present day Hampi (located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River) in Karnataka. 

Q.2- B

Lotus Mahal or Chitrangini Mahal is an important structure in Hampi.

Q.3- C

Horses was the single biggest item of import to the Vijayanagar empire.

Q.4. - A

One of the greatest kings of India, Krishnadeva Raya raised the Hindu power of Vijayanagar to the zenith of its prosperity and glory.

Q.5. - B

Gangadevi was a 14th-century princess and Sanskrit-language poet of the Vijayanagara Empire of present-day India.She was the wife of Veera kampana, son of the Vijayanagara ruler Bukka Raya I (c. 1360s-1370s).

Madhurā Vijayam was written by the poet Gangadevi. 

Madhurā Vijayam is also named Vira Kamparaya Charitham by the poet. It chronicles the life of Kumara Kampana. The poem describes in detail, the conquest of the Madurai Sultanate by the Vijayanagara Empire

Gangadevi is a key inspiration for Pampa Kampana, the protagonist of Salman Rushdie's novel Victory City.

Satavahana Empire Quiz

Q.1. Which Satavahana ruler had authored Gathasaptashati?

[A]  Gautamiputra Satkarni 

[B] Simuka 

[C] Pulumayi 

[D] Hala

Q.2. The famous book ‘Brihatkatha’ written in Paishachi language was composed by __?

[A] Subandhu

[B] Guṇāḍhya 

[C] Somadeva 

[D] Kshemendra 

Q.3. With whom is Nashik Inscription associated?

[A] Samudragupta

[B] Rudradaman 

[C] Gautamiputra Satakarni

[D] Ashoka

Answer: 

Q.1. -  D

Hāla was a Satavahana king who is traditionally assigned the authorship of Saptasataka (Seven Hundred) or Gathasaptashati, the most important literary work in Prakrit. Written in the Arya metre, Saptasataka is a collection of self contained stanzas full of beauty. 

Q.2. -  B

Brihatkatha is a book written by Gunadhya. Gunadhya was a scholar in the court of Satvahana King Hala. Brihat Katha is written in Paisachi language.

Q. 3. -  C

Nashik prashasti inscription was issued by Gautami Balashri, the mother of Gautamiputra Satakarni. Gautamiputra Satakarni was the greatest ruler of Satavahana Dynasty