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Wednesday, July 8, 2026
TopicMedieval India

Topic: Medieval India

How ancient India tracked its population

Early rulers didn't care about counting individual heads just for fun—it was all about securing taxes and finding able-bodied soldiers.

The story of India’s forgotten Afghans — horse-traders, mercenaries, kings

The relationship between Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent was built over five centuries by people who were entrepreneurial, mobile, literate, and commercially connected.

Corruption was widely documented in medieval India. Spies kept an eye on kings, bureaucracy

From the inception of Indian statecraft, political theorists were aware of the dangers of corruption. Arthashastra recommends that all senior officials be tested by secret agents.

Aurangzeb’s redemption is built on a scholarly empire of shaky citations

The considerable weight of claims about Aurangzeb’s religious tolerance rest heavily on one obscure scholar's writings. We know him merely as 'Jnan Chandra, Bombay.'

What a Tamil town tells us about votes, caste, and fraud in medieval India

Nepotism seems to have been a concern in Uttaramerur elections. That's why the drawing of ballots was done by a child and executives' relatives were banned from being elected.

Cholas and Chaulukyas understood tariffs and taxes better than Trump does

In the 11th century, Chola emperor Kulottunga I abolished all commercial tolls. His policies improved the circulation of commodities, leading to a minor boom in manufacturing centres.

Olympics of medieval India were grisly, wacky, & thrilling. Elephant racing, polo, wrestling

Sports in medieval India were primarily conducted for royal entertainment. The prizes were dazzling, but some sports could end in death.

Gyan Chaupar—the spiritual ancestor of Snakes and Ladders

The medieval game was meant to educate players on which traits and practices were morally desirable and what consequences lay in store for negative habits.

Yoga, Sanskrit inspired Sufi epics—Chakras became ‘mystical stations’, gods turned ‘angels’

Maulana Daud’s ‘Chandayan’ originated in a cultural context we can think of as Hindu, above which Sufism had become a major strand of elite devotion.

Chola kings divided people into 2 caste groups—to pit them against each other and exploit

In 'Caste Away', NA Vanamamalai talks about inscriptions from the time of Chola dynasty that reveal caste politics in medieval Tamil Nadu.

On Camera

Mock the Indian uncle. Don’t turn him into a glib theory of India

The problem with a recent Economist article, ‘India’s republic of uncles’, is the old habit of mistaking a clever metropolitan caricature for civilisational diagnosis.

Global investors show interest in India as oil risks reduce

Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Barclays see improving prospects for Indian markets after months of subdued investor interest.

NATO’s show of might ahead of Ankara summit: An ambitious arms deal amid Trump’s criticism

‘Security situation demands capabilities. The hum of machinery must become a roar,’ NATO chief Mark Rutte said as he announced 5 new military contracts. Drones and ISR take the lead.

Congress is ceding ground to BJP on nationalism. It’s pushing India towards one-party system

The Congress party’s abandonment of nationalism is the most intriguing aspect of its post-2014 politics. The real Congress was never a party of bleeding heart pacifists.