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
All articles →
The Northern Black Polished Ware Horizon of Kampilya: Archaeobotanical and Stratigraphic Tests of Panchala's Epic Capital
Systematic excavations and archaeobotanical finds at Kampilya contrast the grand descriptions of Panchala in the Mahabharata with a distinct early first-millennium BCE Gangetic settlement profile.
Vikram Joshi · Nov 9, 2026
The Stratigraphy of Sinauli: Radiocarbon Dates, Timber Cores, and the OCP Boundary at the Yamuna-Ganga Doab
Direct radiocarbon dates from timber grave goods at Sinauli ground the Yamuna-Ganga Doab timeline in physical trench profiles, testing whether the site belongs to Late Harappan horizons or Ochre Coloured Pottery traditions.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Nov 8, 2026
The Village Community and the Handloom: How 19th-Century Colonial Economics Reinterpreted the Indian Artisan
Nineteenth-century European economic theorists relied on British administrative dispatches to build models of the Indian village, but modern economic historians use textile records to test those early theories.
Kavya Sharma · Nov 8, 2026
The Persistence of Mughal Minting: How Princely States Retained Persian Inscriptions and Standard Weights After Empire's Decline
Numismatic archives reveal how 18th-century regional Indian states preserved Mughal silver standards and Persian inscriptions to maintain trade stability and political authority long after imperial authority faded.
Dr. Anil Patel · Nov 8, 2026
The Monsoon's Deep History: How a 140,000-Year Ocean Hydrography Study Maps the Baseline of Indian Ocean Trade
A 140,000-year paleoceanographic study reconstructs upper-ocean stratification in the western equatorial Indian Ocean, framing the long-term hydrographic baseline behind seasonal monsoon currents and historical trade networks.
Devika Menon · Nov 8, 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.