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 thread would detail about the ancient city of Pātaliputra ( modern Patna).
The city has been named in various texts of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhiam, and has been known by various names such as 'Pātalaigrama', 'Pushpa-pura', 'Kusum-pura', etc.
The origin of the name of Pātaliputra is unclear.
Some scholars consider it from the word 'patali' = a species of rice known as Bignonia suaveloens.
Others consider it from son of a king named as Sudarshan.
Mycenae is an archaeological site 120 km SW of Athens.
During the late bronze Age, it was one of major centres of Greek civilization.
The period of Greek history between 1600-1100 BCE, is called 'Mycenaean' in reference to Mycenae.
Image of Lion/Lioness gate at Mycenae
At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000 and an area of 32 hectares.
The Mycenaeans have been described in the Linear B tablets, by the Hittites in their diplomatic correspondence, and by Homer who describes it as 'rich in gold'.
Perhaps Mycenae was the strongest of all the Greek regions in those times, bounded by a loose confederation.
This confederation, perhaps sacked Troy ( Wallusia, in Hittite texts) in the Asia Minor.
This short thread would detail the origin of Gupta dynasty, laying special emphasis on first of its two kings, Sri Gupta and Ghatotkacha Gupta.
The origin of Guptas is shrouded in mystery.
Like all great empires before them, the imperial Gupta family must have had a small and obscure origin.
Some have debated that they were from the area of Benaras or Bengal, and they started out as feudatories of Kushans.
Though the available evidences are not conclusive regarding Guptas as being feudatories of Kushans, several later era Gupta inscriptions and travelogue from Chinese pilgrims like I-tsing, gives an indication as to the origins of Gupta dynasty.
This short thread will chronicle the details of India, after the demise of Mauryas up till the rise of Guptas.
After the death of Ashoka in 232 BCE Mauryan empire was consigned to the pages of history less than 50 years after his death.
A succession of weak kings, rebellions & foreign attacks ended the empire by 184 BCE when Pushyamitra deposed the last Mauryan King.
The Mauryas were able to achieve the Vedic political ideal as defined in the 'Atraeya Brahmana' , that a king should be 'Ekarat', the 'supreme sovereign of the country up to the seas.'