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ThePrint Purana

Brahmins didn’t always wear the sacred thread. They adopted it at the start of the Common Era

When we scratch below the surface, many so-called immemorial or even eternal ideas, customs, and institutions are found to have historical origins in defined times and spaces.

Ancient Indian medical system had an image crisis. A new name fixed it

Ayurvedic texts have evidence that the leaders of the medical profession were trying to clean up their image and get rid of the charlatans among them.

Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’, Manu’s laws—Ancient India had rich literature on jurisprudence

Today, the plaintiff is expected to provide evidence in court. Jurists in ancient India saw the issue as more complex—the burden of proof was determined after both parties had spoken.

Maitreyi from Upanishads broke wife-mother mould in ancient India

Maitreyi chooses the knowledge that leads to immortality over her husband’s offer of money. Her philosophical ambition reveals the roots of women-led institutions in Buddhism and Jainism.

Actors of ancient India performed with ‘weapons, fire & poison’. Kautilya wasn’t a fan

Travelling troupes of actors and singers were prime opportunities to sneak in spies and infiltrate enemy kingdoms. Knowing this, Kautilya imposed several rules on their performance.

Panchatantra had Hebrew, Spanish, Latin versions. Different cultures made it their own

Early in the 20th century, Professor Johannes Hertel, a pioneer in Panchatantra research, recorded over 200 versions of the book in more than 50 languages.

Rome to Kabul, ancient India was a global player in trade. Kautilya’s Arthshastra tells all

Ancient Indians carried out a thriving global trade in a dazzling array of goods, from pearls, corals, and silk to wine, warhorses, and elephants.

Ancient India’s battle of ideas: Yudhisthira & Arjuna are ideal kings. Don’t be like Ashoka

The literary creation of the figures of Yudhisthira and Arjuna in the Mahabharata was likely a response to the historical example of Ashoka’s crisis of conscience.

When did large Hindu temples come into being? Not before 500 AD

Dharmashastras opposed temple-based religious and ritual activities. Vishnu Smriti says that Vedic recitation shouldn't be conducted 'in a temple, in a cemetery, at a crossroads, or on a road.'

Gargi Vachaknavi – India’s first woman philosopher who ‘shut up’ men in King Janaka’s court

King Janaka, better known to Indians as the father of Sita, once invited learned Brahmins to celebrate a lavish ritual. Videha, the kingdom over which...

On Camera

Trump’s unpredictability is not the absence of strategy—it works on everyone but China

The Italian term sprezzatura—a studied nonchalance that conceals intention—best captures the spirit of Trump’s foreign policy so far. The pattern is unpredictability, transactionalism, and disruption as diplomacy.

Asia’s ‘weakest’ link: Yunus on a tightrope as Bangladesh tries to fix banks without breaking economy

With 20.2 percent of its total loans in default by the end of last year, Bangladesh had the weakest banking system in Asia. Despite reforms, it will take time to recover.

‘Let them see’: Putin says new nuclear-powered missiles in the making, in message to Washington

At a ceremony felicitating Russian military engineers, Putin highlights Moscow’s 'parity' in defence technologies for the next century.

Trump’s trade wars have rewritten powerplay, but India didn’t get the memo

This world is being restructured and redrawn by one man, and what’s his power? It’s not his formidable military. It’s trade. With China, it turned on him.