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May 14

#DidYouKnow that the modern version of badminton originated in ‘Poona’, or Pune in Maharashtra? It was a pastime for bored British army officers, their families and friends, and was first played in the backyards of their sprawling bungalows. 1/7
#Badminton #sports

Invented in the mid-19th century, badminton was named ‘Poona’ after the city of its origin. But its earliest version goes back 2,000 years to a game called jeu de volant, played in #Greece and #China. Here, a shuttle-like object was smacked with the feet. 2/7

In Poona, #British officers changed the sport radically by introducing a net to divide the court. They also used a leather shuttlecock, which they hit with wooden racquets. This version of the game was first played in 1867. 3/7 #Indianhistory

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LiveHistoryIndia

@LiveHIndia

May 13

For over 400 years, history has been haunted by Anarkali, the beautiful court dancer who was buried alive by Emperor Akbar, for her love affair with Prince Salim (Akbar’s son and the future Emperor Jahangir). But is the story fact or #fiction? The truth will surprise you! 1/11

This tragic love story has many modern retellings, including the 1960s classic Hindi film Mughal-e-Azam. But if Anarkali is just #folklore, whose grave lies in the magnificent ‘Tomb of Anarkali’ in the heart of #Lahore, the former Mughal capital? 2/11

The grave bears the couplet in #Persian: ‘Ah! If I could behold the face of my beloved once more, I would thank God until the day of resurrection’. It is signed by ‘Majnun Salim Akbar’ ('Enamoured Son of Akbar'). It’s the only clue we have. 3/11

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LiveHistoryIndia

@LiveHIndia

May 12

What are hundreds of skeletons doing at the bottom of a lake in an icy Himalayan wasteland? When the snow melts, it pulls back a frozen curtain, exposing 600-800 skeletons, some 1,200 years old! What spooky secrets does Roopkund Lake in Uttarakhand hold? 1/5 #Archaeology

At an elevation of 5,029 m, Roopkund Lake is very remote. One theory is that these are the remains of a King, his family and attendants, who died here while on a pilgrimage 1,000 years ago. Other theories include fallen soldiers during war and victims of an epidemic. 2/5

The mystery deepened recently, when studies revealed some astonishing results. The deceased were from diverse ethnic groups. More incredible, they belonged to different time periods! This means they did not all die from a single catastrophic event. 3/5

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LiveHistoryIndia

@LiveHIndia

May 11

#OnThisDay, in 1951, the famous Somnath Temple in #Gujarat was restored to its former glory. In the words of the then President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, it proved that “the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction". 1/9
#Indianhistory

The Somnath #Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva as ‘Lord of the Moon’, has been one of the most sacred shrines in #India for over 1,500 years. Due to its fame as a centre of wealth, it was attacked and plundered by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 CE. 2/9
#Hindu #religion

A few years after this infamous sack, the temple was restored and continued to serve as an important pilgrimage centre. But over the centuries, the temple was attacked and plundered repeatedly. 3/9

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LiveHistoryIndia

@LiveHIndia

May 4

Rockets were once a deadly weapon of war but did you know that high-end rockets were invented by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore, who died #OnThisDay in 1799 CE? His rockets were so effective, they even left a mark on the American national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner. 1/8

Rockets had been used in #war by the Chinese and Arabs in medieval times but their casings were made of bamboo, wood and cardboard. They were no more than fireworks used in battle to light up the night sky or to frighten enemy horses. 2/8

What made Tipu’s rockets deadly was the use of iron casing, which allowed for greater compression, which created greater thrust and gave them a long range (2.4 km). The Mysorean Rocket was the deadliest missile in the world at the time. 3/8

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LiveHistoryIndia

@LiveHIndia

May 3

Science or sorcery? The #IronPillar of Delhi had everyone stumped for ages, till scientists solved its metallurgical mystery. The question was: how could an iron pillar be exposed to Delhi’s heat, dust, cold and rains for 1,600 years without the slightest trace of rust? 1/6

Standing in the Qutb Complex, the #IronPillar is a 4th century CE, Gupta-era monument. An inscription in #Sanskrit and the Brahmi script reveals that it was erected by King Chandra (probably Chandragupta II) and that it celebrates his victories in battle. 2/6

But #DidYouKnow that the #IronPillar was originally erected in Udayagiri, in Vidisha, in present-day Madhya Pradesh? It is said to have been brought to #Delhi as a trophy by Sultan Iltutmish (r. 1211 - 1236) of the Slave Dynasty, after he conquered Vidisha. But there’s more. 3/6

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