1. Hing was NOT introduced to India by Mughals in the 16th century. It was used in Ayurveda & Bharatiya cuisine 1000s of years before Islam, even by currently accepted Western dating of Indian history.
2. Rishi Shukracharya (pre Mahabharata), in his Sukraniti, classifies 10 branches of medical arts, one entire branch is about making preparations with exudations like Hing. The Sukraniti is mentioned by Chanakya & predates Arthashastra (300 BCE)
3. Ancient Sanskrit Ayurvedic texts Sushruta Samhita (1000-600 BCE) & Charaka Samhita (400-200 BCE) clearly refer to complex formulations with Hingu. Specific Ghees were prepared with it for various conditions.
4. Nala’s Paka Darpana, a cookbook by King Nala which predates the Mahabharata describes numerous recipes using Hingu for preparing Dals, meat & rice stews & vegetables. The variety of techniques indicate it was an integral part of Bharatiya cuisine far before his time.
5. Abhilashitartha Chintamani or Manasollasa ,(12th c. CE), a cultural Sanskrit text by the Kalyani Chalukya king Someshvara III, also mentions cooking extensively with Hing to flavor such South Indian delicacies as Dhosikas (dosa), black eyed peas, dals, & even meat dishes.
6. Baseless lies claiming Hing was brought by Mughals are clearly contradicted by history. Another myth credits Alexander for bringing Hing to India from Afghanistan. But Hindu texts clearly mention cooking with Hingu from ancient Vahlika (Afghanistan), centuries before Alexander
7. The continuity of references to Hing are evidenced by Jain scholar Hemachandra’s (12th c. CE) Nighantushesa which existed centuries before the Mughal Empire. It clearly mentions the best quality Hing as coming from Balkh or Vahlika (now Afghanistan).
8. In 1563 CE, Portugese doctor, Garcia De Orta wrote “Colloquies on the simples & drugs of India” in Goa mentioning Hing as most used by Hindus all over India. Goa was under Portuguese rule before Mughals. This clearly proves Hing was used in Hindu cuisine before the Mughals.
9. Ayurveda prescribes Hing for helping appetite & digestion. Indian cuisine has by far many more recipes using Hing than any other cuisine, because it was an integral part of Bharatiya culture for centuries before the Mughals or Arabs ever knew about Hing.
10. Moreover, Hing called Asafoetida in English, is etymologically derived from asa, a latinised form of Persian azā, meaning 'mastic', & Latin foetidus meaning 'smelling, fetid’. If Hing was introduced by the Mughals - Bharatiyas would refer to it by the Persian Azā not Hingu.
10. It has become common to constantly distort Bharat’s history by attributing most of our cultural heritage to foreign invaders like the Mughals or Greeks. It’s time we start fighting back with historical facts to disprove & call out such blatant lies to hijack our history.
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1. Did you know that the success & “Golden Age” of the Roman Empire was primarily dependent on trade from India? It is estimated that by 1st c. CE, trade from India was financing almost 30% of the Roman Empire’s total income.
2. When Mark Antony was defeated at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, Queen Cleopatra prepared an escape to India with the treasure of the Ptolemais. She planned to escape accompanied by Caesarion, her son by Julius Caesar.
3. She had enough troops to guarantee the continuance of her royal court in the safety of India & made preparations to launch her ships into the Red Sea by dragging them across the Suez Isthmus. But the Nabataeans of Arabia were her old enemies.
1/n Famous actresses such as Merle Oberon and Vivien Leigh of “Gone with the Wind” fame hid their Anglo-Indian ancestry. Merle Oberon claimed to be Australian despite being Mumbai born & Vivian claimed French ancestry. Many Anglo-Indians hid their origins to escape racism.
2/n When the British first came to India, many of them took Indian women as “wives”. Over time, the Urdu term bibi came to mean mistress in British slang for an Indian "wife". British officers would “marry” Indian women for cohabitation but rarely married them legally.
3/n These were often not actual marriages by social standards at all. British officers used their power to exploit Indian women & left them with children and no support when they went back to England. Often these women were left helpless & poverty stricken.
1.
Yesterday, Krishna Janmashtami Jhanki Yatra passed through the Lal Chowk in Kashmir after the abolition of Article 370. This heart warming event is a reminder that Shree Krishna's birth has always been celebrated in Kashmir with pomp & fervor.
2. Krishna worship has been a part of Kashmiri tradition since the beginning of its history. The Mahabharata refers to Panchal Naresh, the father of Panchali (Draupadi). Panchal Naresh was king of the Pir Panchal belt which stretches from Kishtwar to Muzaffarabad in J&K.
3. The veneration of Shree Krishna in Kashmir dates back to ancient times. It is described in the pre -Mahabharata text Nilamata Purana which was describes legends & rites of worship by Rishi Nila to Kashmiris & mentions Kashmiri King Gonanda who was killed by Balarama.
1. Kabir Khan says that Mughals were the original nation-builders of Bharat & people should show historical evidence instead of calling them villains. Let’s explore the evidence to see how great the Mughals were as builders.
2. To qualify as nation builders, Mughal literature should demonstrate evidence of knowledge of the science of building, architecture, construction techniques, engineering, etc. Pearsons CSAT Manual for UPSC aspirants gives a list of famous historical Mughal sources & treatises.
3. This list has 30 most famous treatises of Mughal history & not one is about building anything. There are ruler’s chronicles, biographies, religion, military tactics, etc. But treatises on techniques of construction, building or architectural sciences on the list equal ZERO.
1. The news of the Taliban initiating destruction of libraries in Afghanistan comes as no surprise. It is the hallmark of Islamic regimes to destroy libraries & universities especially if they belong to Non-Muslims. No country knows this since ancient times better than Bharat.
2. Islamic invaders like Bakhtiyar Khilji delivered a death blow to Bharat’s educational system by destroying its best libraries. The loss of millions of invaluable manuscripts was a devastating shock to the heritage of the entire world. This is a shortlist of some of them.
3. Nalanda University (Bihar) burned for 3 months after destruction by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193 CE. The Library had 9 Million manuscripts. Spread over 3 multi storied buildings, a 9 storied building housed sacred manuscripts.