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
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Latest articles
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The Grammar of Neutrality: What the Bilingual Treaty of Betrawati Reveals About Sino-Nepalese Diplomatic Sanskrit
An analysis of the 1792 Treaty of Betrawati's bilingual Sanskrit and Tibetan text reveals how Gorkha court scribes used classical legal terminology to negotiate peace with the Qing dynasty.
Meera Iyer · Sep 3, 2026
The Black-and-Red Ware of Adichanallur: What the Iron Age Kiln Stratigraphy at Mound B Reveals About Southern Pyrotechnology
Excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India at Adichanallur's Mound B reveal well-preserved Iron Age kilns, shedding light on the complex firing techniques behind black-and-red ware.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 2, 2026
Pit Dwellings at Burzahom: How Neolithic Kashmiris Built Below Ground — And Why
Pit dwellings weren't caves. They were deliberate structures—postholes, hearths, storage pits—dug into earth floors. See what Burzahom's archaeology reveals about early Neolithic shelter design.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 2, 2026
The Diet of the Deccani Soldier: What Archaeobotanical Remains from Tipu Sultan’s Forts Reveal About 18th-Century Rations
Archaeological excavations at late 18th-century South Indian forts reveal how military diets shifted from traditional dryland millets to state-rationed rice during the Anglo-Mysore wars.
Kavya Sharma · Sep 2, 2026
The Rice-Husk Temper of Kunal: What Early Harappan Pottery Fabric Reveals About Neolithic Continuity
A re-examination of early ceramic fabric at Kunal, Haryana, reveals that Neolithic organic-tempering techniques persisted long into the Early Harappan sequence, showing gradual regional adaptation.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 1, 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.