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More from @GemsOfINDOLOGY

GemsOfINDOLOGY

@GemsOfINDOLOGY

Nov 26

THREAD: How Bengaluru Buried 3,000 Years Under Asphalt 🧵

1/ Take a moment. Picture Chikkajala—a megalithic burial site predating empires we revere. Unearthed by Captain Branfil in colonial times, packed with Iron Age cists (500-1000 BCE) and striking black-and-red pottery. Priceless for science. Until we paved it over. What a legacy, eh? 🏗️🪦🏛️

#GemsofASI #Archaeology

2/ This wasn't just dirt. A 3,000-year-old cemetery fused with a fortified temple, etched stepwell boasting fish, turtles, scorpions. Hoysala pillars, Vijayanagara scripts, a bicentennial Hanuman shrine, and a peepal tree clinging to granite like ancient defiance. But highways wait for no history. 🛣️🕳️🗿

3/ ASI listed Chikkajala among 208 protected gems in Bangalore Circle. Ironclad safety? Hardly. When NHAI bulldozed the entrance in 2011 for airport road expansion, ASI shrugged: Not our circus. Bureaucratic brilliance. 🙄📜🚧

Read 17 tweets

GemsOfINDOLOGY

@GemsOfINDOLOGY

Nov 2

Did you know Delhi’s winter pollution isn’t caused by Diwali fireworks, but by agricultural laws that changed how farmers grow rice? 🌾

Few know that the Punjab and Haryana Preservation of Subsoil Water Acts (2009) are major reasons behind the smog choking Delhi every winter. ☁️

Curious how? Dive into this short #Thread. 🔍

1️⃣ The Green Revolution in Punjab & Haryana: A Double-Edged Sword

In the 1970s and 80s, India shifted from traditional crops like maize and millet to wheat-paddy systems to reduce food imports. High-yield seeds, chemical fertilizers, and irrigation drove this change, boosting agriculture and making Punjab a key food supplier. However, rice cultivation strained water resources, dropping groundwater levels from 10 to over 200 feet. Increased pesticide use led to health issues, including more cancer cases and birth defects. ⚠️🌾🚜🚰🚱

2️⃣ Farmers began planting SATHI, a type of paddy, allowing for two harvests during a single kharif season (April to October). When sown in April, producing one kilogram of rice required 4,500 liters of water, but if planted in mid-June, it only needed 1,500 liters.

Read 10 tweets

GemsOfINDOLOGY

@GemsOfINDOLOGY

Oct 25

When Sargon of Akkad bragged about "ships from Meluhha docking at Agade" (2334 BCE), he wasn't making it up.

The Sumerians called India by a name meaning "THE ELEVATED PLACE."

Why? Because mountains were how they FOUND us.

A thread on ancient branding. 🧵🗻

2/ Let's talk about how the Sumerians knew India as 'MELUHHA' 🧵

When Sargon of Akkad boasted (2334 BCE) about ships from Meluhha docking at Agade, he wasn't just name-dropping. The term possibly derives from Dravidian 'mel-akam' = 'elevated place.'

Why? Mountains.

Mount Meru/Sumeru wasn't just mythology—it was NAVIGATION. Ancient maritime traders crossing the Persian Gulf needed distinctive landmarks. The Harappan civilization's mountain ranges (Himalayas, Aravallis) served as crucial geographic identifiers.

Evidence? EVERYWHERE:

Harappan seals found in Ur, Babylon, Kish (2600-1900 BCE)

Gudea's records: 'translucent carnelian FROM MELUHHA'

Shortugai colony near Afghanistan lapis mines

Meluhhan interpreters living in Mesopotamian cities

The cosmic mountain of Vedic texts wasn't abstract philosophy—it was rooted in the REAL geography that made India recognizable across 2000km of ancient trade routes.

Mountains weren't just landmarks. They were BRANDS. 🗻

3/ Let's start with the hard evidence. Because unlike colonial "Aryan invasion" fantasies, the Harappan-Sumerian connection is DOCUMENTED.

Sargon of Akkad (2334-2279 BCE) literally carved into stone: "Ships from Dilmun, Magan, and Meluhha dock at Agade's quays."

Not mythology. Not speculation. ROYAL INSCRIPTIONS.

Gudea of Lagash (2144-2124 BCE) was more specific: He imported "translucent carnelian" specifically FROM MELUHHA.

The Royal Cemetery at Ur? FILLED with Harappan carnelian beads using acid-etching techniques that ONLY the Harappans mastered (2600-2450 BCE).

Here's what colonial historians don't want you to know: The Harappan civilization covered 1.2 MILLION sq km. Mesopotamia? 65,000 sq km.

India wasn't the "backward" partner. We were the SUPERPOWER they desperately needed to trade with.

The evidence isn't subtle. It's OVERWHELMING.

Read 8 tweets

GemsOfINDOLOGY

@GemsOfINDOLOGY

Oct 19

1/ Ever heard of Vasantsena? The legendary courtesan from Sudraka’s Sanskrit play “Mrichchhakatika” (The Little Clay Cart) – a woman who broke stereotypes & redefined love in ancient Indian drama. 🧵👇

2/ Located in Ujjayini, “Mrichchhakatika” focuses not on deities or royalty, but on everyday individuals—an altruistic yet impoverished Brahmin named Charudatta, an astute courtesan called Vasantsena, as well as ambitious politicians and street scoundrels.

3/ Vasantsena stands out—not as a victim or villain, but as a powerful, empathetic, and generous woman. She’s famed for her beauty AND her heart. She falls for Charudatta, a man who lost his wealth but not his virtue.

Read 11 tweets

GemsOfINDOLOGY

@GemsOfINDOLOGY

Oct 11

1/ Who was Chand Bibi? Around 1550, Chand Bibi emerged as the regent for the Sultanates of Bijapur and Ahmednagar. Fluent in multiple languages, a talented artist, and a fierce warrior, she stood out as a remarkable figure during the Deccan's challenging times. #History #WomenInPower

2/ Raised in royal grandeur, the daughter of Hussain Nizam Shah I excelled in a diverse array of languages like Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Marathi, and Kannada. Her talents extended to the sitar, painting, and even the game of polo—skills that were exceptional for women of her stature during that era. #GemsOfIndology

3/ Ruling Bijapur:
Upon the passing of Ali Adil Shah I, Chand Bibi stepped in as regent for her young nephew, skillfully navigating several coup attempts with her unwavering resolve and tactical genius. #IndianWomen #DeccanHistory

Read 9 tweets

GemsOfINDOLOGY

@GemsOfINDOLOGY

Oct 2

1️⃣ 🧵 Thread: The European Genocide of the Selk'nam — Tierra del Fuego’s Forgotten People

The Selk'nam were indigenous to the remote Tierra del Fuego archipelago in South America. Around 4,000 strong in the 1880s, within 50 years, they were nearly wiped out. Why? Because European foreigner settlers saw them as obstacles to colonization.

Tag this to your favourite european occupiers in South America #Selknam #Genocide

2️⃣ In 1520, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for Spain, first saw Tierra del Fuego, naming it the "Land of Fire" due to numerous coastal fires lit by Indigenous peoples. Among them were the Selk'nam, also known as Ona or Onawo, one of the four tribes present when Europeans arrived.

3️⃣ Europeans unleashed a brutal campaign of extermination. The Selk'nam were hunted like animals, shot on sight. Bounties were offered for their dead bodies — reportedly 1 British pound per head. Women fetched even higher prices. #IndigenousGenocide

Read 11 tweets

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