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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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
The Dwaraka Excavations: What Marine Archaeology Shows About the Submerged City of the Mahabharata
A comparison of the textual description of Dwaraka's submergence in the Mahabharata with the archaeological findings of stone anchors and structures off the coast of Gujarat.
Vikram Joshi · 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.