Culture and History

Articles that details the rich cultural heritage and history of India

News Reports

‘Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra’: Ajmer’s oldest mosque stands over the ruins of a Sanskrit pathshala with Hindu and Jain temple features

Anurag - 19 May, 2022

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra Mosque was built on a Sanskrit College and Saraswati Temple site. It used temple materials of around 25-30 Hindu and Jain temples

News Reports

‘Remnants of old Hindu temple clear inside Gyanvapi, Shringar Gauri, Sheshnaag, lotus structures found’: Former court-appointed survey commissioner Ajay Mishra’s report

OpIndia Staff - 19 May, 2022

Ajay Mishra in his report has submitted that the survey was done by him on May 6 and May 7 and the Muslim side had gathered a mob of over 100 people during the survey to hinder their work.

News Reports

Idol of Lord Narasimha and devotee Prahlada, said to be 1200 years old, identified in Qutub Minar complex: Here is what an archeologist said

OpIndia Staff - 18 May, 2022

Archaeologist Dharamveer Sharma identifies idol in Qutub Minar complex as that of Narasimha and Prahlad

News Reports

Former ASI regional director says Qutub Minar was built as ‘Surya Stambh’, an ancient Hindu observatory to study astronomy

OpIndia Staff - 18 May, 2022

Former ASI regional director Dharamveer Sharma has stated that Qutub MInar was actually Surya Stambh and it was built by Emperor Vikramaditya.

Political History of India

Did you know: Indranarayana Swamy Temple built by the Rashtrakuta King Indravallabha was converted into Deval Masjid during Tughlaq rule

Siddhi Somani - 17 May, 2022

Today, the idol of Lord Indranarayan Swamy (the Keshava murti) is positioned in the Shri Keshava Seva Samithi along with the idol of Bharat Mata and the idol of Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Kundakurti village

OpIndia Explains

Gyanvapi exclusive: The layout of the old Vishveshwar temple and what British historians have said about the disputed structure

Suyash - 17 May, 2022

With the placement of the Shivlinga in the centre, the plan of the old temple seems to be a one-of-a-kind arrangement for a Hindu temple; while the conventional design demands a linear progression of activities planned from Mandapa to the Garbhagriha.

OpIndia Explains

Scratch a ‘vivadit dhancha’, find a Mandir: A list of Hindu temples destroyed over centuries of Islamic rule where masjids and dargahs stand now

Anurag - 17 May, 2022

In 1990, Historian Sita Ram Goel released a book named 'Hindu Temples: What Happened To Them' in which he mentioned over 1,800 Muslim structures that were built on Hindu Temple sites and/or used materials from destroyed temples.

World

Operation Paperclip: How the USA helped Nazi criminals from WWII evade justice to advance its own military ambitions

Sanghamitra - 11 May, 2022

After defeating the Nazis in Germany, the USA went to great lengths to bring some of the most prominent Nazis home and spent a considerable amount of money and efforts to rehabilitate them, because they wanted the Nazis' weapons and their expertise.

News Reports