July 27, 2026

Heritage

News, articles and Essays on Sanatana Dharma, Hinduism and Indian way of life.

Akhanda Bharath Heritage Indian Legends

Palakkad Rajas: Guardians of Kerala’s Strategic Eastern Gateway

The early history of Palakkad contains a mixture of inscriptional evidence, royal genealogies and regional traditions. After the decline of the Chera Perumals, Kerala became divided among hereditary chiefs and royal houses exercising authority over different nadus or territorial divisions. The prominent powers of the Palakkad region included the Valluvakonathiri of Valluvanad, the Kollengode Rajas of Vengunad and the Sekharivarma Rajas of Palakkattussery.

By Kautilya / July 27, 2026
Art and Culture Heritage

Sarnath Enters UNESCO World Heritage List as India’s 45th World Heritage Site

The achievement comes more than 28 years after the Archaeological Survey of India submitted Sarnath to UNESCO’s Tentative List on July 3, 1998. The long journey from tentative recognition to full inscription involved archaeological documentation, conservation planning, preparation of the nomination dossier and evaluation of the site’s historical significance, authenticity and long-term protection arrangements.

By Kautilya / July 26, 2026
Akhanda Bharath Art and Culture Heritage

Janakpur: Nepal’s Sacred City of Sita, King Janaka and the Divine Marriage of Rama

For generations of pilgrims from Nepal and India, Janakpur represents the maternal home of Sita. Ayodhya is remembered as the kingdom of Rama, while Janakpur is cherished as the city from which Janaki entered the royal household of Raghu. The sacred relationship between the two cities has shaped pilgrimage routes, devotional songs, wedding customs and family traditions across the Himalayan and Gangetic regions.

By Kautilya / July 25, 2026
Art and Culture Heritage Temples and Places

Valayanad Devi Temple: The Zamorin’s Sacred Seat of Shakti in Kozhikode

More than a local place of worship, Valayanad Devi Temple preserves memories of the long rivalry between the Zamorin of Kozhikode and the Valluvakonathiri, the ruler of Valluvanad. Its origin legend connects the shrine with Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy, the tutelary goddess of the Valluvanad rulers, and with the centuries-long contest for political authority over central and northern Kerala.

By Kautilya / July 24, 2026
Akhanda Bharath Heritage Indian Legends

Valluvanad Rajas: The Vellattiri Dynasty and the Struggle for Mamankam

The ruler of Valluvanad appears under several titles and spelling variations in historical records. These include Valluvakonathiri, Valluvakkonathiri, Vellattiri, Vellatiri, Velatra, Velnatera, Arangottu Udayavar and Vallabha Raja. British-era treaties and administrative documents frequently referred to the territory as the kingdom of Vellattiri and used Vallabha Raja as a formal designation for its ruler.

By Kautilya / July 24, 2026
Akhanda Bharath Art and Culture Heritage

Sri Lanka and the Ramayana: Lanka, Ravana and a Living Civilizational Bridge

Archaeology documents Sri Lanka’s ancient settlements, temples, maritime connections and religious institutions. The identification of individual landscapes with particular Ramayana episodes comes primarily through sacred tradition, temple practice, folklore, place memory and pilgrimage literature. Together, these different forms of heritage make Sri Lanka one of the most important countries in the global Ramayana tradition.

By Kautilya / July 24, 2026
Art and Culture Heritage

Gyan Bharatam Portal Records More Than 88,800 Manuscripts, Government Tells Lok Sabha

Paper manuscripts constitute the largest part of the collection, reflecting the widespread use of paper for recording religious, philosophical, literary, scientific, administrative and historical knowledge during different periods of Indian history. Palm-leaf manuscripts represent another major category, especially in regions where palm leaves served as the principal writing material for centuries.

By Kautilya / July 23, 2026
Akhanda Bharath Heritage Indian Legends

Parappanad Rajas: The Malabar Royal House That Shaped Travancore’s Lineage

The name Parappanad referred both to the territory and to the ruling swarupam, or royal lineage. Like several ruling houses of medieval Kerala, the dynasty consisted of different branches residing in separate kovilakams, the palace households through which political authority, property and succession were organised. The collective legacy of these branches reached far beyond the boundaries of their original kingdom.

By Kautilya / July 23, 2026
Akhanda Bharath Art and Culture Heritage

Thailand And The Ramayana: Ramakien, Sanskrit Memory And The Shared Civilisational Light

The Ramakien is Thailand’s national epic and a Thai adaptation of the ancient Indian Ramayana. The story was reshaped through Thai language, Buddhist ethics, local geography, court culture and Southeast Asian artistic imagination, yet its central soul remains connected to the story of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman and Ravana. The version most studied today was completed at the court of King Rama I in the late 18th century, after earlier versions were lost during the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767.

By Kautilya / July 23, 2026