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 Grammar of the Temple Spire: What the Word ‘Kūṭa’ Reveals About Medieval Indian Architectural Manuals
How did medieval Indian temple architects balance geometric rules with creative designs? Philological analysis of the word 'kūṭa' reveals how a simple Sanskrit noun transformed into a complex architectural module.
Meera Iyer · Oct 1, 2026
The Potsherds of Alagankulam: Re-evaluating Sangam-Era Stratigraphy and Maritime Exchange
Excavations at the Vaigai estuary site of Alagankulam reveal early maritime networks operating independently of Roman imperial initiative, challenging old chronological assumptions.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 30, 2026
The Munich Devī: How a Bavarian Royal Collection Shaped the European View of South Asian Bronze Art
Archival records from Munich's Museum Fünf Kontinente reveal how 19th-century German curators and collectors shifted South Asian metalwork from bizarre curiosities to masterworks of fine art.
Kavya Sharma · Sep 30, 2026
The Bhitari Pillar of Skandagupta: What Imperial Epigraphy and Omitted Names Reveal About the Gupta Succession Wars
The monolithic sandstone pillar at Bhitari and later imperial genealogies reveal a bitter, mid-fifth-century civil war that fractured the Gupta dynasty's golden age from within.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 29, 2026
The Scepter of Heliodorus: What Epigraphic Prakrit and Besnagar’s Pillar Stratigraphy Reveal About Early Foreign Converts
How a 2nd-century BCE Greek pillar inscription in Besnagar and its underlying soil stratigraphy verify the early adoption of Bhagavata Vaishnavism by foreign envoys, contrasting with Sanskrit epic traditions.
Vikram Joshi · Sep 29, 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.