One of the most popular things for a traveler is to explore the narrow gullys, and pathways.
The houses adjoining these gullys, nooks have some incredible stories attached to it.
One of the story concerns a Golden Deer!
The story is of around 1770's Varanasi, when the East India Company was fighting to ensure their hegemony in the Indo-Gangatic plains.
They were up against Raja Chait Singh of Benaras ( Died 1810).
During one of these struggles with Chait Singh, the EIC lost and their Governor General, Warren Hastings had to flee the battlefield.
In his wanderings, he came to an area called Bansphatak, which is about 50 odd meters from the famus temple of Shiva.
A house-dweller at Bansphatak, gave refuge to Hastings in his need of hour, and after 2-3 days he shipped off Hastings in a palanquin towards Gwalior, and this saved his life.
Afterwards, when EIC had won, in gratitude, Warren Hastings gave an area of at least 20 sq miles as a gift to this house-dweller.
The person and his descendants got exceedingly rich in a matter of few decades.
However, one small secret from their house filtered out!
That little secret was a store-room at the house, which contained lots of treasures, like diamonds, jewels, gold, pearls of intricate designs, and most importantly a deer, made of solid gold!
However, no one, including the persons living in the house are allowed to enter the store-house.
The legend goes that if anyone tries to pick up the treasure, the golden deer speaks and demands the sacrifice of the eldest son or daughter of the person who wants the treasure.
If anyone tries to ignore the warnings, the door shuts off automatically, and traps the person inside.
Even now, the room is still there, after all these years, but locked from outside and no one is allowed to enter it!
End
P. S: The escape of Hastings gave rise to the popular saying,"Godhe Pe Hawda, Haathi pe Jeen, Aise Bhaga Warren Hastings".
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The expansion of Mauryan empire towards south has been credited to two kings of the dynasty; Chandragupta or Bindusara.
Ashoka is ruled out because he only conquered Kalinga as per his own admission in RE-XIII, RE Kalsi, etc.
Let's look at Bindusara first.++
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Tārnātha, states that:
"Chanakya accomplished the destruction of the nobles & kings of 16 towns and made Bindusara master of all territory between the eastern and western sea”.
Apart from this, his title 'Amitraghata' = slayer of foes, indicates some forms of conquests. ++
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However, there is rather discouraging evidence against Bindusara's capacity as a conqueror due to following reasons:
a) He was a man of easy going nature & interests mainly in philosophy, wines & figs;
b) There were frequent rebellions in his empire, like Taxila (twice) ++
The thread details the daily routine of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, whose empire stretched from Peshawar to Satluj in the 19th century.
Parts of the thread have taken from accounts of soldiers & diplomats, who spent time with the Maharaja.
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W.G. Osborne- British Military Secretary, spent a month with the Maharaja in 1838 at Dinanagar in Gurdaspur district & noted the routine of the Maharaja.
The Maharaja woke up at 4.30 am during summers & 6 am in winters.
He would start the day with a "brisk gallop at 5 am". ++
On inquiring whether they had breakfast or not, and the reply being in negative, he ordered breakfast to be served at the spot.
The breakfast consisted of rice, curry, sweetmeats, fat cakes stuffed with spices, mango jam and milk.
Moksha: A Charity Event in the Times of Harshavardhan.
The following thread would look at an event named 'Moksha', held every 5 years at Prayaga, under Harsha of Kannauj.
The details of the event have been taken from the writings of Xuanzang, who saw this event in c.639 AD.
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Harsha fixed the place of this event at Prayaga (Prayagraj), at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna, where according to the traditions "it is more advantageous to give one mite in charity, than a thousand in other places."
This 'Arena of Charity’ was the great sandy plain, about 8 kms on the west of confluence, where even to this day is held the most important & numerously attended Hindu religious congregation of India, called the 'Mahakumbh.'