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Valay Singh
Articles by Valay Singh

HistoriCity: A tale of how Panchatantra links the histories of Iran and Israel

Cyrus, known as king of kings or Shahenshah, is remembered particularly by Jewish and Christian scholars for his support for Jews.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left); Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (AFP)
Updated on Jun 20, 2025 05:36 PM IST

HistoriCity| From Man to God: The Story of Bhagwan Birsa Munda

Birsa was born in 1875 in either Ulihatu village where his father was born or nearby Chalkad, both in present-day Khunti district of Jharkhand.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays his respects to legendary tribal leader and freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda. (Photo from X)
Updated on Jun 13, 2025 02:34 PM IST

HistoriCity: Secular alliances in battle of Haldighati and its forgotten hero

Far from the communal tinge given to the battle, Haldighati richly exemplified the shifting allegiances among kingdoms and rulers.

Haldighati richly exemplified the shifting allegiances among kingdoms and rulers. (Image sourced from Discover Udaipur website)
Updated on Jun 04, 2025 03:01 PM IST
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HistoriCity: Keeladi is ancient and so is the burial site of Adi Channallur

More than 18,000 artefacts that have been excavated and documented from Keeladi over eight rounds of excavations

The findings of the excavations at Keeladi, an urban settlement, dated to at least the 4th century BCE have been mired in controversy (HT Photo)
Updated on May 28, 2025 02:21 PM IST

How 2 Indian, Pakistani army officers, also friends, set up Wagah check-post

At its core, the ritual at Wagah is emblematic of the rivalry between the conjoined twins locked in endless conflict

Thanks to the friendship between the two army officers, the Punjab sector remained largely peaceful during the first India-Pakistan war, which broke out in Kashmir in October 1947. (PTI File Photo)
Updated on May 21, 2025 03:30 PM IST

HistoriCity: Enigmatic Bastar a mix of ancient tribal culture, Hindu influences

The Bastar region is believed to be the Dandakaranya forest from the Ramayana, where Lord Ram, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana suffered hardship.

Tribal artists during the 'Bastar Pandum 2025', a festival organised to showcase tribal art and culture, at Jagdalpur in Bastar. (PTI Photo)
Published on May 20, 2025 03:55 PM IST

HistoriCity: From Jambupura to Jammu, the layered history of the northern region

The first contemporary reference to Jammu as an important state was in the memoirs of Timur, in his invasion of India (1398 - 1399).

A view of the snowcapped Himalayan range from Poonch in Jammu.(AFP)
Updated on May 12, 2025 03:41 PM IST

HistoriCity: How the Indus river shaped geography, history, and culture

The Indus originates from near Mount Kailash in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in China and shares its headwaters with the Brahmaputra

The Indus is an antecedent river, which means it has existed for over 50 million years. (ANI file photo)
Updated on May 05, 2025 11:15 AM IST

HistoriCity: The silken history of Murshidabad, once Bengal’s crown jewel

Aurangzeb’s Deccan campaign to subjugate Golconda and Bijapur as well as his Maratha adversaries was funded to a great extent by revenue-surplus Bengal

Built between 1723 and 1724 by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan, Katra Masjid displays a unique blend of Indo-Islamic architecture in Murshidabad. (murshidabadpolice.wb.gov.in)
Updated on Apr 24, 2025 05:53 PM IST

HistoriCity: How caste evolved in ancient India

The Dharmashastras, among which Manusmriti remains preeminent, clearly distinguishes between Shudras and the twice-born castes

Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.
Updated on Apr 14, 2025 08:09 PM IST

HistoriCity: How the concept of waqf evolved in the Indian subcontinent

The waqf was seen to also play a critical role in social and political life and in organising funds for the setting up of schools and hospitals.

Women at a protest rally in Kolkata against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. (PTI File Photo)
Updated on Apr 08, 2025 02:56 PM IST

HistoriCity: Rajasthan’s Bayana houses a neglected gem, India’s oldest Idgah

When Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta visited Bayana in the 14th century, he found it as a thriving urban centre.

The Bayana Idgah in Rajasthan.
Updated on Apr 01, 2025 08:52 AM IST

HistoriCity: From Mithra to Soma, ancient links that connect Parsis and Hindus

Nowroz, a Farsi (Persian) term translating to ‘new day’, is a vibrant spring festival celebrated across multiple countries

The origins of Nowruz, while still debated, likely date back nearly three millennia with its roots intertwined with Zoroastrianism. (HT file photo)
Published on Mar 28, 2025 09:14 AM IST

HistoriCity: Hindu representation in govt rose during Aurangzeb Alamgir’s reign

The grave in question belongs to Aurangzeb Alamgir, the sixth and last great Mughal emperor, and possibly the least favourite. He ruled from 1658 until 1707.

Aurangzeb Alamgir’s grave (HT)
Updated on Mar 19, 2025 05:13 PM IST

HistoriCity: Odisha’s Ratnagiri is a portal to a time when Buddhism flourished

The discovery of 2-metre-long Buddha heads with intact features in Ratnagiri establishes that Buddhism was the predominant religion in the early medieval period

Carved green stone doorway a Ratnagiri, Odisha (Wikipedia)
Updated on Mar 13, 2025 12:52 PM IST

HistoriCity: How the tradition of fasting during Ramazan evolved over centuries

Fasting is an ancient custom known in many parts of the world since well before the advent of the three Abrahamic religions i.e Christianity, Judaism and Islam

Muslims offer prayers outside Bandra railway station in Mumbai (Hindustan Times/Satish Bate)
Published on Mar 05, 2025 02:22 PM IST

HistoriCity: India’s great language churn is something to cherish, not spurn

Multilingualism could be the key to our future success as Indians, each of us knowing at least two or more languages

The Ashokan Brahmi Minor Rock Edict in Panguraria, Madhya Pradesh (Valay Singh)
Updated on Feb 26, 2025 02:05 PM IST

HistoriCity: The rise of the house of Qatar and its old pearl link with Mumbai

Till the 1900s, Bombay was the hub from where pearls were exported to other countries. Because of this link, India traders settled in large numbers in the Gulf

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday (Hindustan Times)
Published on Feb 19, 2025 06:10 PM IST

HistoriCity: History of Nizari Ismailis stretches from Iran to India

The more concrete evidence of the formation of a distinct community can be traced back to the British colonial period

People carry the coffin of Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the Aga Khan IV, who died Tuesday in Portugal, to be buried at the Aga Khan mausoleum, in Aswan, Egypt on February 9 (AP)
Published on Feb 13, 2025 11:43 AM IST

HistoriCity | A brief, morbid history of death, dying and moksha at Prayag

The earliest historical reference to people dying by suicide at the Sangam or confluence of the Yamuna and Ganga is by Chinese traveller Xuanzang.

 Steel engraving of Haridwar Kumbh Mela in 1850s.(Wikimedia Commons)
Updated on Feb 04, 2025 08:23 PM IST

From temples to trade routes: The Indo-Indonesian civilisational bond

India and Indonesia’s historical links go beyond geography, weaving together centuries of trade, religion, and cultural exchange

Borobudur Temple, Indonesia (Unsplash)
Published on Jan 29, 2025 08:31 PM IST

Maha Kumbh: When Victorian morality collided with Naga Sadhu rituals

While the British colonial rule had banned nudity, it was not easy to enforce it within the arena of a religious festival like the Kumbh

Prayagraj: Newly-initiated Naga Sadhus of Shri Panchayati Akhara Niranjani perform rituals during Mahakumbh, at Sangam in Prayagraj, Sudnay, Jan. 19, 2025. (PTI Photo) (PTI01_19_2025_000372A)(PTI)
Updated on Jan 22, 2025 08:44 AM IST

Lohri: A mother and son ballad beyond machismo and peasant rebellion

Lohri is celebrated in Sindh, Rajasthan, Punjab-Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi and has now spread to other areas as well.

Patna: Students and teachers dance as they celebrate Lohri and Makar Sankranti, at J.D. Women's College, in Patna, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (PTI Photo)(PTI01_13_2025_000252B)(PTI)
Updated on Jan 13, 2025 04:48 PM IST

HistoriCity: Thank Nehru for his One Nation, One Calendar reform

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-affiliated committee set up to create a uniform calendar was headed by astrophysicist Meghnad Saha.

Former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. (Getty Images)
Published on Jan 07, 2025 03:19 PM IST

Mahakumbh: Tracing the legacy of India’s grandest religious gathering

Mahakumbh stands not just as a celebration of faith but as a testament to the evolving traditions that define the Indian ethos.

Mahakumbh is scheduled to begin on January 13, 2025 (HT File)(HT_PRINT)
Updated on Jan 13, 2025 08:18 AM IST

HistoriCity: A note on the tabla, maestro Zakir Hussain’s choice of instrument

Poet-musician Amir Khusrau refers to the existence of an instrument called tabl that was played in royal courts

it is only in the last 200 years that tabla has beaten its musical competitors like the Pakhowaj and the Dholak.
Updated on Dec 17, 2024 01:09 PM IST

HistoriCity: The story of Bhopal state’s role in preserving ancient heritage

Between 1822 and 1940s the British took away many famous sculptures such as the Sanchi Torso, and made plans to transport the carved gateways to London

Though Bhopal was a Muslim princely state, it showed a remarkable zeal to conserve and preserve heritage. (Incredible India)
Updated on Dec 09, 2024 11:42 AM IST

HistoriCity| Ajmer dargah: Where a Mughal princess gave up her comforts

The dargah embodies, in its true sense, India’s pluralistic character, given that it is revered by communities cutting across religions.

A view of an illuminated dargah of Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer. (PTI File Photo)
Updated on Dec 03, 2024 02:31 PM IST
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HistoriCity| Sambhal: A political and military battlefield throughout history

Sikandar later founded the town of Agra and shifted the capital there in 1505 but in these four short years, Sambhal acquired prominence.

The mosque in Sambhal might well be older than Babar to judge from its appearance. (PTI file photo)
Published on Nov 29, 2024 12:29 PM IST

HistoriCity| Manipur: The birthplace of Polo, the graveyard of the Japanese army

Manipur confounds the lay outsider and expert alike. Its histories are mired in myths and legends and competing nationalisms have made reconciliation harder.

Women from Lamlai village and Chalou village stage a sit-in protest in Imphal East against the violence and tension in Manipur. (ANI Photo)
Published on Nov 22, 2024 03:29 PM IST
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