9 Gems (Navratnas) of Chandragupta Vikramaditya

Chandragupta-II was known for his deep interest in art and culture and nine gems or Navratna adorned his court. The various fields of these 9 gems prove that Chandragupta gave patronage to arts and literature. Brief description about the nine ..

Comparison of the Harappa and Vedic Civilizations

The key differences between Harappa and Vedic Civilization are enumerated as follows: The sources of information of the Harappan civilization are mainly archaeological, while the Vedic culture is mostly known from the literary sources. Harappans are said to have been ..

Classification of the Prehistoric Period

Prehistoric period refers to the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins around 3.3 million years ago till the advent of writing systems.  The Stone Age, which lasted roughly 2.5 to 3.3 million ..

Satavahana Empire

Satavahana followed the Mauryas in Deccan of India. Satavahana dynasty ruled from Pune in Maharastra to Coastal Andhra Pradesh in the second century BC onwards. This dynasty was built up on the ruins of the Maurya Empire and around 1st century ..

Shunga (Sunga) Dynasty

Four rulers of Shunga or Sunga Dynasty were Pushyamitra Sunga (185 BC TO 151 BC), Agnimitra (149 BC -141 BC), Bhagabhadra (114 BC -83 BC) and Devabhuti (87-73 BC) After the Kalinga war, Asoka became a monk and expansion of ..

Bodhisattva

A Bodhisattva means one who has essence of enlightment. Anyone who has a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all is a Bodhisattva. It’s a very popular subject in Buddhist art. A bodhisattva is bound to enlightment ..

Hinayana & Mahayana

A Yana is a vehicle. A Hinayana is a lesser vehicle while a Mahayana is a Great vehicle. Hinayana The other names of Hinayana are: Deficient Vehicle, Abandoned Vehicle or Defective Vehicle. It believes in the original teaching of Buddha ..

Buddhist Councils

Six Buddhist councils have been convened. Here is a short description: First Buddhist Council: 400 BC Held soon after the mahaparinirvana of the Buddha, around 400 BC under the patronage of king Ajatshatru with the monk Mahakasyapa presiding, at Rajgriha, ..