Articles by Valay Singh
Port Blair, now known as Sri Vijaya Puram, India’s strategic beacon on the seas
The names Andaman and Nicobar mean the same, which is the land of the naked people, and are home to distinct tribes
Published on Sep 17, 2024 07:00 AM IST
Kashmir: Before the conflict, a mystical history of confluence and influences
Dogra kings played their cards well with the British and supported them in the 1857 revolt. They are remembered for rapacious taxation and oppression of Muslims
Published on Sep 13, 2024 06:22 PM IST
How Kolkata evolved from three villages into the city of India’s renaissance
The earliest known mention of Kalikata is believed to be recorded in the 15th-century Bengali text ‘Manasa Vijay’ by Bipradas Pipilai, a poet.
Published on Sep 03, 2024 08:00 AM IST
Revisiting Lothal: The Harappan port-town and its role in ancient maritime trade
Debate over the nature of a 250-meter-long rectangular basin lined with burnt bricks, located at the mouth of the Gulf of Khambhat might finally be wrapping up.
Published on Aug 25, 2024 09:00 AM IST
Delhi’s Red Fort: A monument of power, rebellion, and independence
Delhi’s Red Fort has always been a stage for politics, sometimes bloody, at other times petty. Its history hides layers of drama, both tragic and monumental.
Published on Aug 17, 2024 08:56 PM IST
HistoriCity | Dhaka: At the crossroads of revolution
The exploitative taxation policies of the East India Company led to a degradation of peasantry and Dhaka’s development was ignored at the cost of Calcutta.
Published on Aug 10, 2024 09:00 AM IST
Moidam burial mounds’ UNESCO tag highlights Northeast's historical heritage
The UNESCO recognition underlines the beautiful evolution of cultures, a necropolis of Tai-Ahoms who over more than 600 years localised themselves in Assam.
Published on Aug 02, 2024 08:00 AM IST
HistoriCity | Gaya: Corridors of religion, power, and history
Today, Gaya and Buddha Gaya- both are visited by millions of Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims, many of them unaware of past conflicts
Updated on Jul 27, 2024 04:00 PM IST
HistoriCity | The treasures of Jagannath temple are in its shared history
The temple town of Puri and its iconic Jagannath temple have given the English language a much-used word, ‘Juggernaut’, which is defined as an unstoppable force
Published on Jul 18, 2024 09:00 AM IST
How the Ellora caves are facing the brunt of security risks and a lack of funds
Proposed measures like CCTVs and metal detectors face delays due to funding shortages, leaving the UNESCO site vulnerable
Published on Jul 12, 2024 09:00 AM IST
HistoriCity | Delhi’s place of pride in the gay rights movement in India
As this year’s pride month draws to a close let’s look back at the history of legal battles fought over the now-decriminalised Section 377
Published on Jun 30, 2024 10:22 PM IST
How an ancient Buddhist vihara became a multicultural centre of learning
Nalanda, a preeminent centre of Buddhist and Indian learning, was renowned for its integration of Buddhist and Indian educational systems
Published on Jun 23, 2024 09:00 AM IST
London to Calcutta on a hippie bus: Around (part of) the world in £85
In 1956, the first such bus set out from London with about two dozen passengers. The bus tour left London on April 15, 1957, and reached Calcutta on June 5.
Updated on Jun 20, 2024 05:53 PM IST
Amaravati: A brief history of city that Chandrababu Naidu wants to build again
The layered history of Amaravati, which lies on the right bank of the Krishna river, begins more than 2300 years ago around the 2nd century BC.
Published on Jun 14, 2024 08:30 AM IST
How the turbulent history of Banaras was shaped by syncretism and dynasties
The city of Banaras, steeped in both political and cultural history, has played a pivotal role from the Mughal era to British colonial times.
Published on Jun 02, 2024 09:30 AM IST
Valay Singh | Edited by Anish Yande
Vivekananda Rock Memorial: A memorial at the centre of propaganda and politics
In an 1894 letter, Vivekananda recalled that he had “hit upon a plan” in Kanniyakumari in 1892, whereby sanyasins would be called upon to educate India’s needy.
Published on Jun 01, 2024 02:51 AM IST
Awadh and its continuing journey as UP’s cultural and political heart
An account of Awadh’s history must include the community of indigenous communities like the Nishads, who live along the banks of the Sarayu and other rivers
Published on May 21, 2024 08:30 AM IST
Kannauj: How this political battleground was shaped by syncretism of past kings
The storied past of Kannauj, once a seat of empires and now a focal point of modern UP politics, was shaped by King Harshavardhan and those who followed him
Published on May 15, 2024 09:12 PM IST
Heera Mandi: Once a place for the patrons of art, now just a market for sundries
Heera Mandi was founded as a grain market by Heera Singh Dogra, the son of Dhian Singh, who was Sikh emperor, Ranjit Singh’s prime minister.
Published on May 12, 2024 09:00 AM IST
The Matua community find themselves at the crossroads of identity and politics
The rise of religious fundamentalism forced them out of Bangladesh while their low caste status impeded their full integration in Indian Bengal.
Updated on May 01, 2024 12:52 AM IST
HistoriCity | What explains the brouhaha over Rupala’s statements
Communities have used marriages to build political alliances and achieve upward mobility. This includes those in power at different times throughout history
Published on Apr 18, 2024 08:22 PM IST
When an 18th-century battle decides a 21st-century election in West Bengal
It is tragic that the colonial British tactic of divide and rule continues to haunt Indian politics as the communalisation of the Battle of Plassey shows
Updated on Apr 09, 2024 08:29 PM IST
Valay Singh
HistoriCity | Mysore's logo is a new city's nod at its old, complex history
Beyond the tiger claw and the Mysore sandal soap, the city's history is filled with the symbols of good governance, wars and anti-colonial pride
Published on Apr 05, 2024 11:35 PM IST
Valay Singh
A Banarsi landlord was exiled to St Helena 16 years before Napoleon's death
The year was 1764, and an angry landlord, Jagat Singh, incited insurrection with a deposed nawab in a bid to free Varanasi
Published on Mar 23, 2024 09:31 PM IST
Valay Singh
HistoriCity | The syncretic past of the Kamal Maula mosque-Bhojshala complex
Why is a 14th century mosque being called ‘Bhojshala’? Here’s what the ASI and other historical scholars say about Dhar
Published on Mar 14, 2024 10:19 PM IST
Valay Singh
Saurashtra, a city with an ancient past, is no stranger to opulence
Jamnagar, the site of the Ambani pre-wedding bash, has a long history going back over four millennia. But its more recent history is one of gems and cricket
Updated on Mar 13, 2024 08:32 PM IST
Valay Singh
HistoriCity | Learn more about Dwarka, whose sea bed the PM recently touched
Faith needs no evidence to sustain it, but as findings of a 1983 archaeology expedition show, probing Dwarka’s waters will be a fitting tribute to its history
Published on Feb 28, 2024 07:14 PM IST
Valay Singh
Four tasks for Maharashtra's new DGP to improve the state of policing
Rashmi Shukla recently received a two-year extension to her tenure. Here are the big challenges that face the force
Published on Feb 28, 2024 06:48 PM IST
Valay SinghArshi Showkat
HistoriCity | Varanasi is a microcosm of Hindu India, it's also a city of reform
Kashi has captured the collective Hindu imagination as Shiva’s city. But to narrowly define this city in terms of orthodox Hinduism is a mistake
Published on Feb 19, 2024 09:42 PM IST
Valay Singh
From confluence to conflict: When archaeological digs, history and faith collide
As the clamour for ASI surveys of mosques in Varanasi and Mathura grows, a look at the deeply layered history of that region in modern-day UP
Updated on Feb 07, 2024 11:28 PM IST
Valay Singh
- 1
- 2
- ...