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 Bronze of Brahmagiri: What Lead Isotope Ratios Reveal About Early Deccan Metallurgy
Archaeometallurgical analysis of Western Deccan bronzes challenges old assumptions of southern Indian resource self-sufficiency, revealing complex medieval trade networks for copper and tin.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Aug 23, 2026
The Clay of Harappa: What Mineralogical Fingerprinting of Red Slip Pottery Reveals About Early Kot Diji Trade Networks
Petrographic analysis of Kot Diji-phase ceramics reveals that early Harappan potters bypassed local silts to source specific alluvial clays, mapping a highly organized trade network that predates the urban era.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Aug 22, 2026
The Rice of the Burial Urns: What Phytoliths at Adichanallur Reveal About Early Iron Age Cultivation
Microscopic silica analysis of organic residue inside Adichanallur's burial urns provides direct evidence of domesticated rice, shedding light on Early Iron Age agricultural transitions in South India.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Aug 21, 2026
The Glass of Pattanam: What Chemical Fingerprinting of Monochrome Beads Reveals About Early Indo-Roman Maritime Trade Logistics
Chemical and typological analyses of Indo-Pacific monochrome glass beads from Pattanam, Kerala, provide physical evidence of local South Indian manufacturing using imported raw material from the Roman world.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Aug 20, 2026
The Denarii of Karur: What Roman Aurei and Drachmae Reveal About Chera Port Networks
An analysis of Roman gold and silver coin hoards along the Amaravathi riverbed, contrasting archaeological find-spots with descriptions of Yavanas in Sangam literature.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Aug 19, 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.