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 Etched Granite of Edulabad: Prehistoric Signs on the Musi River
A recurring, undeciphered pictograph repeated 66 times on granite in Edulabad presents a regional puzzle, offering a window into how early Telangana communities marked their riverine landscape.
Kavya Sharma · Oct 10, 2026
The Mercenaries of Megasthenes: What Greek Accounts and Archaeology Reveal About Mauryan Recruitment and the Nanda War
Greek recruitment aided Chandragupta Maurya in the northwest, but classical texts and archaeology show regional alliances and native elephant warfare were key to defeating the Nanda Empire.
Dr. Anil Patel · Oct 10, 2026
The Stones of Kashi: What Epigraphic Reuse and Deccan Scripts Reveal About Medieval Pilgrimage Networks
While political debates focus on demolition, the ASI’s documentation of Telugu, Kannada, and Grantha inscriptions at Gyanvapi reveals a complex story of medieval southern pilgrims and patrons in Varanasi.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Oct 9, 2026
The Skeletons of Roopkund Lake: What Biomolecular Degradation and Pathogen Screening Reveal About the Medieval Himalayan Mortuary Event
By studying biomolecular degradation and pathogen DNA, scientists are reconstructing the distinct timelines and preservation histories of the diverse human skeletal remains at Roopkund Lake.
Dr. Anil Patel · Oct 9, 2026
The Sanskrit of Sriksetra: What Pyu Epigraphy and Pali-Sanskrit Bilingualism Reveal About Early Southeast Asian Lexical Exchange
A re-evaluation of Pyu inscriptions at Sriksetra reveals how early Southeast Asian scribes adopted Sanskrit administrative titles alongside Pali liturgies across fifth-century brick monuments.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Oct 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.