Swaveda
Indian history, plainly written.
A short daily post on Indian history — archaeology, genetics, historical linguistics, and the texts. Plus side-by-side translations of public-domain primary works. Plain language; no chest-thumping in either direction.
Plain language
Aimed at any curious reader, not the seminar room. Sanskrit / Pali / Tamil terms get a gloss on first use.
Tradition ≠ evidence
“The Mahabharata describes…” and “the Mahabharata war happened in…” are different sentences, and we don’t silently merge them.
Readers can edit
Sign in to send a correction or addition. If it holds up, it changes the article and credits you. If it’s contested, it’s preserved as a reader note.
Latest articles
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The Wells of Dholavira: How Micro-Stratigraphy of Harappan Stone Reservoirs Challenges Linear Monsoonal Collapse Models
A re-examination of sediment layers in Dholavira's stone-cut reservoirs reveals how Harappan engineers adapted to fluctuating water tables, challenging simplified narratives of sudden climate-driven collapse.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 14, 2026
The Epigraphic Afterlife: What Repurposed Inscriptions Reveal About Temple Construction in Early Medieval Tamil Nadu
Scholars are analyzing how early medieval builders in the Kaveri delta physically reused Sangam-era hero stones and early Chola donor slabs as active building materials in temple renovations.
Devika Menon · Sep 14, 2026
The Iron of Mayiladumparai: What Micro-Stratigraphy and AMS Dates Reveal About South Asia's Earliest Metallurgy
Excavations at Mayiladumparai in Tamil Nadu push the South Asian Iron Age back to 2172 BCE, challenging long-held models of metallurgical diffusion through secure AMS dating of stratified charcoal.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 13, 2026
The Absent Ancestor: Why the Complete Lack of AASI DNA on the Ancient Steppe Challenges the Out-of-India Model
Analyzing peer-reviewed ancient DNA from Rakhigarhi, Shahr-i Sokhta, and the Eurasian Steppe to show how the total absence of indigenous South Indian hunter-gatherer ancestry refutes Out-of-India migration models.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 12, 2026
The Ivories of Chanhudaro: What the Word for Elephant Reveals About Pre-Indo-Aryan Trade
How a linguistic link between the Sanskrit 'ibha' and Ancient Egyptian 'ābu' maps onto Bronze Age ivory trade networks from the Indus Valley.
Asha Naidu · Sep 12, 2026
Recent translations
All texts →Sanskrit
Arthashastra
Chapter 150 · Book 15, Chapter 1: Paragraphical Divisions of This Treatise
Updated Jul 26, 2026
Sanskrit
Arthashastra
Chapter 149 · Book 14, Chapter 4: Remedies against the Injuries of One's Own Army
Updated Jul 26, 2026
Sanskrit
Arthashastra
Chapter 148 · Book 14, Chapter 3: The Application of Medicines and Mantras
Updated Jul 26, 2026
A note on tone
Swaveda is curious, careful, and dry. There’s no civilizational chest-thumping in either direction here — no “Vedic India invented everything,” no “everything came from outside.” If we get something wrong, tell us. We fix it visibly, with a dated note.