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.
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Latest articles
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The Soapstone Sculptors of Belur: What Signed Hoysala Statuary Reveals About Medieval Deccan Artisan Guilds
Inscriptions on the 12th-century soapstone sculptures of Belur reveal named sculptors like Dasoja and Chavana, documenting trade guilds and hereditary artisan lineages under Hoysala royal patronage.
Kavya Sharma · Oct 14, 2026
The Grammar of Grain: Philology, Microbotany, and the Harappan Agricultural Vocabulary in Rigvedic Sanskrit
Microbotanical starch grain analysis at Harappan sites like Farmana sheds new light on Rigvedic Sanskrit yava, resolving translation debates across Griffith, Doniger, and Jamison-Brereton.
Meera Iyer · Oct 14, 2026
The Currency of Orthodoxy: What Shah Jahan's Coinage and Epigraphy Reveal About Imperial Religious Policy
Shah Jahan's silver rupees restored orthodox Islamic formulas while imperial mints and imperial edicts mediated fiscal ties with Jain and Hindu institutions.
Devika Menon · Oct 14, 2026
The Sailor's Stone at Pattanam: What Inscribed Ceramics Reveal About Malabar Maritime Networks
Tamil-Brahmi ceramic graffiti and Mediterranean amphorae at Kerala's Pattanam site show how Dravidian sailors and foreign traders shared a maritime vocabulary in the early Indian Ocean trade.
Asha Naidu · Oct 14, 2026
The Iron of Kodumanal: What Megalithic Trappings and Epigraphy Reveal About Sangam Elite Warfare
Excavations along the Noyyal River offer physical evidence of Iron Age metalworking and elite grave goods, illuminating how early South Indian warfare compares with Sangam literary traditions.
Vikram Joshi · Oct 14, 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.