This podcast focusses on the history of Orissa from the first millennium BC to the 16th century AD. For large periods of time, Orissa was ruled by independent local rulers. Some important dynasties included the Mahameghavahana, Bhauma Kara, Somvanshi, Eastern Ganga and Gajapati dynasty. The region developed a distinct Kalinga style of architecture which can be seen in some of the best preserved temples from the era. Under the Eastern Gangas and Gajapatis, their rule at various time periods extended across the Eastern coast of India from Ganga to Godavari rivers, with brief forays into Tamil la ..read more

Vijayanagara empire, one of the most important South Indian empires of the medieval era, ruled for over 3 centuries from the 14th to the 17th centuries and one of the last large Hindu kingdoms in an era of Islamic rule in India. They are noted for their great religious tolerance, development of South Indian literature and building temples across South India, with the peak of the architectural brilliance at their Capital in Vijayanagara or Hampi ..read more

The Cholas were one of the most important kingdoms in the history of India, ruling from 3rd century BC to 13th Century CE. Beyond the rule in India, they are probably the only Indian kingdom to exert control over SE Asia. In addition to geograhical extent and the longevity of the empire, their contribution to development of silk weaving and metal craft, as also to art and architecture is immense ..read more

The Pallavas were a prominent South Indian kingdom, with their capital at Kanchipuram, which ruled for over 600 years between the 3rd and 9th centuries. Their contribution to the development of scripts of a number of languages, including large number of SE Asian languages and the development of the Dravidian architecture is immense ..read more

The Satavahanas was an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan and ruled for 3 to 4 centuries, till about the 3rd century AD. Contemporaries of the Kushans and the Western Satraps, they were instrumental in expansion of agriculture under their rule, as also developed some of India's most famous caves like the Ajanta caves ..read more

The Pandyan Empire, one of the 3 earliest empires of Tamilkam, was in existence for atleast 2000 years, with three distinct eras of dominance. Ruling from their ancient capital City of Madurai, they had a great influence over the development of Tamil language and literature. They were patrons of all religions - Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism and are credited with building some of the most important temples of India ..read more

The Rashtrakutas ruled over large parts of India for over 2 centuries from 8th to 10th century AD. They were contemporaries of Palas and Gurjara-Pratiharas and defeated both of them multiple times. The Rashtrakuta rule was also a golden age for religious harmony, literature and architecture in the medieval era ..read more

The Palas were one of the most important empires in India from the 8th to the 12th century AD. A Bengal based empire, they ruled over large parts of Northern India during their rule and were contemporaries of the Rashtrakutas and the Gurjara-Pratiharas. The most important contribution of the Palas is towards the spread of Buddhism across SE Asia and Tibet, as also the Buddhist universities like Vikramshila and Nalanda, which flourished during their rule ..read more

This episode covers the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty that ruled over North India for around 300 years from 8th to 11th century AD. They were instrumental in pushing back the arab invaders, as also were great patrons of temples, a style that is epitomised by famous temples such as the Khajuraho and Somnath temples ..read more

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