The History of India Podcast

ตอน

• 
  Interview with Aditi Sriram 06.08.2026 28นาที
• 
  6.2 Tale of two princes: Dantidurga and Nandivarman 08.12.2023 49นาที

  The Pallava Empire is sliding into anarchy. All its hopes are pinned on a twelve year old boy from Cambodia. We follow his winding path to power. Also in this episode: the origin story of a poet-saint, some brutal medieval punishment, and an elephant hat. https://tinyurl.com/hw5mezkh
• 
  6.1 Ascending the peak: Dantidurga and the founding of the Rashtrakuta empire 01.12.2023 56นาที

  A young prince rises to found an empire. We tell the story of his rise in three ritual baths. Also in this episode: how running a medieval Indian court is like writing an essay, the most imperial of all imperial banners, and death himself dies. https://tinyurl.com/hw5mezkh
• 
  5.E By the dry heart of empire 13.01.2021 57นาที

  What was life like in the heart of the Chaulkiya empire? How did they survive in such a dry environment? How was the city defended? In this episode, we chat with Dr Hemanth Kadambi about stone horse hurdles, his youthful misadventures, must-see places if you visit Badami, and how the sacred survives the test of time.
• 
  5.D Workers stranded by the lockdown 01.05.2020 48นาที

  **Special episode on the current crisis** People are stranded all across India. They left to find work. Now the lockdown has come, they are out of work, out of money and out of food. We get to talk to Anushka and Nithya who are chatting to these workers every day, and hear some of their stories. They work for SWAN - the stranded workers action network. They can help you give money to stranded workers directly here: bit.ly/3euYfGF You can get more facts and figures here: https://tinyurl.com/ydbgmpsa or search twitter for @strandedworkers History returns in the next episode.
• 
  5.C Chalukyas by the book 26.04.2020 49นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) This week we chat to comic book author, novelist and fellow fan of the Chaulkiya period Dr. Shalini Srinivasan about the book she's been writing set in the Chaulkiyan empire. She tells us about how comic books get made, we share our favourite parts of the ruins, and I learn about how and why she writes. [Patchy audio quality in places]
• 
  5.B By the whim of the master (part 2) 18.04.2020 1ชม. 4นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) ***Warning: contains upsetting details.*** The second special episode on slavery. This week, we hear about the lives of female slaves. We meet slaves in Buddhist monasteries. And we meet a young woman being sold into slavery. Also in this episode: how to construct a Buddhist cave, a boy survives seven attempted murders, and a vengeful woman crosses the ocean.
• 
  5.A By the whim of the master 11.04.2020 59นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) ***Warning: contains upsetting details.*** This week, we learn a little about what life was like for slaves in ancient and early medieval India, from becoming a slave to being free. India might have been the best place in the ancient world to be a slave, but slave life was often still brutal. In this episode: four ways you might become a slave, bad food sends a slave running for freedom, another annoying rant about academia, and an ancient Indian slave talks about cold baths and Buddhism with her master.
• 
  5.23 Overtaken by the bogeyman 04.04.2020 43นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) This week, we meet some of the bogeymen of ancient India; a group among the most feared of the Barbarians. The mighty Kamboja horsemasters. And yet, these are real people. In this episode we hear the tales told about them, but we also get to know a bit about how they really lived, and even them described in their own words. Also in this episode: the moon kings rise, an ocean gets drunk up, I get lost in a rant about pacifist kings, and why you should try some dynastic identity theft. Last week of the regular episodes of season 5; special episodes start next week.
• 
  5.22 By the back of the five great kings 26.03.2020 44นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) This is the week of small kings. The Pratihara empire has ruled for as long as anyone can remember. But a small king from the south will destroy the emperor's army and send him fleeing. And a small king from the north will restore him to his throne. Also in this episode: book reading in Baghdad, a rant about early medieval boasting, and our first glimpse of the world famous Khajuraho temples.
• 
  5.21 By half a metre 14.12.2019 49นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) This week, Mahendrapala extends his empire downstream, towards the sea. But nothing is what it seems: not the emperor, nor his empire, nor his conquest. All will be revealed only half a meter down. Also in this episode: how to tell whether you are living on top of a monastery, more than twenty early medieval Indian insults, and how to call someone beautiful and aggressive at the same time.
• 
  5.20 Assault by salt 05.12.2019 51นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) A journey through one of emperor Bhoja's lands. With the emperor far away in the Imperial city, we find out what life is like for the merchants and city folk under him. Also in this episode: a practical guide to salt making in medieval India, the garden of the snake kings, and the origin of candy.
• 
  5.19 Drawn by the sun 21.10.2019 44นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) In this episode, young king Bhoja will grow into his throne. He will draw together allies and subordinates and wait patiently. When the time is right he will strike at his ancestral enemies, defeating them, and achieving what none of his forefathers could ever do: founding an empire. Also in this episode: how to misspend 2000 silver coins, why you should construct a queen's city, and what to do when you are handed a royal baby.
• 
  5.18 Drawn by greatness 08.10.2019 1ชม. 1นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) For too long the empire of the east has dominated North India. Bhoja, the descendant of the western emperors is determined to bring change. But he starts with almost nothing, for the once great western empire as been reduced to just a minor kingdom. In this, the first of three episodes, we look at Bhoja's first faltering steps. Also in this episode: how to make a river go backwards, a gruesome house of the dead, and a crocodile wrestling king. *Some of the inscriptions in this episode are pretty graphic - no rude language, but may not be suitable for all*.
• 
  5.17 By the tip of the quivering sword 23.08.2019 41นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) The victorious Palas build their empire. Poets gather in their courts. Kings flee before their armies. All seems well, but an old enemy is regathering strength. Also in this week's episode: religious rivalry told through a hymn about toenails, a pun about grief, and a practical guide to buying and selling in medieval Assam.
• 
  5.16 By the setting of the eastern sun 10.08.2019 1ชม.

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) This week, the build up to the great battle continues. We join the navy of the East, as it brings infantry and elephants up the river. Then we launch into the battle itself, following the commander's choice of battle formation. This is the battle to decide who will rule north India supreme, though the victor is not always who it seems to be. Also in this episode: hot to your elephant for war in eight simple steps, a poem about river logs, and a lesson in how to walk across a battlefield.
• 
  5.15 By the light of the western dawn 03.08.2019 50นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) This week, we witness the build up to a great battle of the age: the Pratihara king has brought his army from the east, thick with warhorses. The Pala king has brought his army from the west, loaded with mountainous elephants. They meet for battle on the shores of the Ganges. In this episode, we spend time with a Pratihara horsemen. We hear the story of his king, we check out his equipment, and hear about his horse. Also in this episode: the first thesaurus, a cunning nut seller, and a gratuitous rant about military history (sorry).
• 
  5.14 By the help of a hundred scholars 20.06.2019 44นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) Emperor Dharmapala constructed an education system across his empire, so great it surpassed all that had come before. For half a millennium, it shaped Eastern India. This week, we go inside the system. We follow the great Buddhist teacher Atisha in his long and uncommon adventure through the system, and we find out what it was like to live there. (This episode is reuploaded; a previous version contained the out of date claim that one of the monasteries had not been discovered by historians. A later special episode will cover this monastery.)
• 
  5.13 By a graceful move of the eyebrows 16.06.2019 48นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) This week, we find out what happened to the great prize of North India: the Imperial city of Kanyakubja. Two dynasties: the Palas (protectors), and the Pratiharas (doorkeepers) have been fighting to gain control. In this episode, a new emperor of India will win it, and then give it away. Included: a trip to a hidden great monastery, how a queen made a snake king deceive her, and two hundred hunchback maidens with quite different attitudes to marriage.
• 
  5.a Philosophy, by the book 05.06.2019 24นาที

  (www.historyofindiapodcast.in) Become a student of the great Jain thinker Haribhadra. His novels have thrilled you. His satires have scanadlised you. His logics have perplexed you. Now listen to his lightening fast summary of all the important points of Indian philosophy. Featuring: the first ever summmary of the six schools of philosophy, a bonus school of philosophy just for fun, and a deep sense of bewilderment. Can you get through an early medieval philosophy lesson? Listen and test yourself.