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 Potters of Champa: What Microscopic Analysis and Ceramic Slips Reveal About Northern Black Polished Ware at Chandraketugarh
Microscopic and archaeometric analyses of Northern Black Polished Ware from lower Bengal explain how ancient potters manipulated iron oxides, extreme kiln temperatures, and organic slips to craft luxury tableware.
Kavya Sharma · Oct 15, 2026
The Coins of the Yavanas: What Roman Denarii Hoards Reveal About Sangam-Era Maritime Finance in the Palghat Gap
Catalogued Roman denarii hoards from Karur and Pollachi show early imperial silver operated as weighted bullion in ancient South India, regulated by local merchant guilds along the Palghat Gap trade route.
Devika Menon · Oct 15, 2026
The Ashes of Burzahom: What Soil Stratigraphy and Radiocarbon Dates Reveal About Kashmir's Northern Neolithic Pit Dwellings
Micro-archaeological analyses and radiocarbon profiles at Burzahom challenge colonial assumptions about Neolithic pit dwellings in Kashmir, replacing romantic subterranean tropes with a complex record of seasonal land use.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Oct 14, 2026
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
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.