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Monday, December 22, 2025
TopicThinking Medieval

Topic: Thinking Medieval

How non-violent Jainism thrived in the warlike Deccan

Deccan Jains were aware of the contradiction between their non-violent principles and the martial political systems that granted them patronage.

‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance’ to ‘Total War’, how video games make medieval history memorable

Want to explore medieval history? Step away from X and into video games

Vijayanagara was the Indian Renaissance State. It contains memories of older empires

Just like Europe’s neoclassical monuments, Vijayanagara’s temples reformulated memories of the older Chola and Chalukya empires.

Medieval Bengali Buddhism wasn’t purely ‘Indian’. Javanese gods, Hindu rivalry

Sudhanakumara—a minor hero from an older Buddhist text—was quite popular in Java, where he was depicted on the colossal Borobudur temple in the 9th century.

A Thai-Buddhist ‘Ayodhya’ was one of Asia’s greatest kingdoms. Then came a reckoning

Over 400 years, Ayutthaya emerged through war, flourished through commerce, and collapsed in sociopolitical crisis.

Ram wasn’t always top god in India. Political chaos, conflict with Turks elevated him

For centuries, Ram was considered a semi-divine hero and ideal king, not a supreme god. It’s only from the 1200s that major Ram temples were built.

Rama and the King: How an ancient hero was used by Pala poets, Chola emperors

For centuries, Rama has been used by litterateurs and rulers to legitimise themselves.

Who brought Sanskrit to Baghdad? This is how Iranian Buddhists, Zoroastrians changed Arabs

Sanskrit scholars were patronised by the Caliphate. This reshapes how we should think about conquest today.

Manichaeism worshipped Jesus, Buddha. This Silk Road religion’s strength became its weakness

Manichaean icons and ideas trickled into the art of Tibet and Japan, with Mani and Jesus represented as Buddhas.

How a minor medieval war inspired a Telugu ‘Katha’, Tollywood movies

The Palnati Virula Katha, the Tale of the Palnadu Heroes, is a unique Mahabharata of a medieval landowning caste.

On Camera

Violence over Osman Hadi is about Islamist Bangladesh. India-baiting is a distraction

The attack on Chhayanaut, newspaper offices, and the public lynching of a Hindu man show that Bangladesh is heading toward Islamist rule, far removed from electoral democracy.

China is taking India to WTO over subsidies, again. Here’s what it’s arguing before trade body

Dispute will now move to consultative process, which allows the two sides to come to an amicable agreement within 60 days.

Israel has ‘realised who its real friend is’, eyes defence expansion in India amid arms curbs by others

It is argued that India-Israel ties are moving from buyer–seller dynamic to one focused on joint development & manufacturing partnership, a shift 'more durable' than traditional arms sales.

Dhurandhar shows hard cinema is soft power and Pakistan is unapologetically the target

If Pathaan gave both conservatives and liberals room to hide, Dhurandhar extends no such courtesy. Aditya Dhar ripped open that tent of hypocrisy and turned the knife.