History

JOTIRAO GOVINDRAO PHULE occupies a unique position among the social reformers of Maharashtra in the nineteenth century. While other reformers concentrated more on reforming the social institutions of family and marriage with special emphasis on the status and right of women, Jyotiba Phule revolted against the unjust caste system under which millions of people had … Read more

The Balfour Declaration was a letter written by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lionel Walter Rothschild, in which he expressed the British government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The long-term effects of the Balfour Declaration, and the British government’s involvement in Palestinian affairs, are felt even today.Britain’s acknowledgement and support of Zionism, and … Read more

The 1919 Amritsar massacre, known alternatively as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre after the Jallianwala Bagh (Garden) in the northern Indian city of Amritsar, was ordered by General R.E.H. Dyer. On Sunday April 13, 1919, which happened to be ‘Baisakhi’, one of Punjab’s largest religious festivals, fifty British Indian Army soldiers, commanded by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, … Read more

a) Ijara:  the Ijarahsystem or revenue farming was introduced to boost up the state’s revenue in Bengal in the reign of Jahandar Shah (1712–13), who was supported by nobel Zulfiqar Khan.Under this system, when peasant did not have resources available for cultivation or due to some calamity cultivation could not be done, the lands were farmed … Read more

Ibadatkhana: The IbadatKhana or House of Worship was a prayer or a meeting room built by Akbar at his palace in Fatehpur Sikri. Originally he intended the place to be only for Sunni Muslims to gather and discuss various issues. However, when petty differences between other religious sects and followers got out of control he … Read more

Diwani-i-WIzarat:It was the finance department headed by the wazir (Prime-minister). Naib wazir acted as deputy to wazir. The wazir was assisted by the mushrif-i-mamalik, (accountant) who maintained a record of the accounts and the mustauf-i-mamalik (auditor) who audited this account. Under Firuz Tughluq, wazirs became hereditary.   Diwan-i-Ariz:   Headed by the Ariz-i-mamalik, it was the … Read more

Din-i-illahi:     Din-i-IIahi proclaimed by Akbar was an order or people with a motto of peace with all (sulehkull), rather than as an eclectic religion. Akbar’s Hindu nobles preferred to remain aloof, with only Birbal consenting to become a member. Raja Todar Mal, Raja Bhagwan Das and Raja Man Singh all declined to associate with … Read more

The Battle of Saragarhi occurred on 12 September 1897 and was fought between 10,000 Orakzai and Afghan tribesmen and just 21 soldiers of the 4th Battalion of the British India’s Sikh Regiment.All 21 Sikhs chose to defend their army post, instead of choosing to surrender.The UK parliament gave all the brave Sikh soldiers a standing … Read more

The Vellore Mutiny predated the Indian Revolt of 1857 by about 50 years. It erupted on 10th July 1806 in Vellore, present-day Tamil Nadu, and lasted only for a day, but it was brutal and shook the British East India Company. It was the first major mutiny by the Indian sepoys in the East India Company. … Read more

The Komagata Maru incident is about a Japanese steamship called  ‘Komagata Maru’ that voyaged from Hong Kong (part of British Empire) to Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada passing through Shanghai, China to Yokohama (Japan) in the year 1914, carrying 376 passengers from Punjab, part of British India. Out of all the passengers 24 were admitted … Read more