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 Neolithic Fire-Heaps: How Soil Chemistry and Archaeology Settled the South Indian Ashmound Debate
Prehistoric Deccan ashmounds, once attributed to volcanoes or mass pyres, are confirmed by soil chemistry to be vitrified cattle dung, revealing a complex seasonal ritual of early Southern Neolithic pastoralists.
Meera Iyer · Oct 8, 2026
The Scaffolds of Thanjavur: How Medieval Chola Engineers Lifted the Eighty-Ton Capstone of Brihadeeswara
A deep dive into the geotechnical and structural engineering debates surrounding how 11th-century Chola builders hoisted a massive granite cupola to the top of the Brihadeeswara Temple.
Kavya Sharma · Oct 7, 2026
The Seal-Cutters of Harappa: What Stratigraphy and Clay Sealings Reveal About the Birth of Indus Writing
Excavations at Harappa’s lowest stratigraphic levels show how Indus signs evolved gradually from early potters' marks, fueling debate over whether they represent true language.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Oct 6, 2026
The Dwaraka Excavations: What Marine Archaeology and Sediment Core Data Reveal About the Submerged Structural Remains
An analysis of underwater structural debris, stone anchors, and Holocene sea-level data off the coast of Gujarat, comparing classical textual accounts of Dwaraka’s submersion with marine archaeology findings.
Vikram Joshi · Oct 6, 2026
The Bronzes of Chidambaram: How Local Intermediaries Shaped the Global Market for Chola Art
How a network of local dealers, metalworkers, and French-speaking Indian intermediaries in early twentieth-century Tamil Nadu curated and commodified Chola bronzes for Western collectors and museums.
Devika Menon · Oct 5, 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.