Category Social Sciences

          The greatest battle fought by Alexander in India was at Jhelum. The Indian infantry attacked with 20,000 men and 130 elephants. The trumpeting, ferocious elephants were defeated by Alexander, but he suffered great losses, too.

          Porus, King of the Punjab, led the final elephant charge in person. He lost more than 12,000 troops and both of his sons were also killed in battle. Porus was finally captured and brought to meet Alexander. Porus was a magnificent figure of a man, tall and handsome. His bearing had lost none of its pride, and his air was of one brave man meeting another. He was a king, who was in the presence of another king with whom he had fought honourably for his kingdom. Alexander asked Porus whether he had any request. Porus replied that he only wished to be treated like a king. His answer so impressed Alexander, that he returned Porus’ kingdom to him.

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          Alexander the Great was the King of Macedonia in Ancient Greece. His father, King Philip, was a brilliant military commander and politician. He had built up a strong army, and dreamt of invading Persia. Philip was assassinated on the eve of his invasion of Persia. His son, Alexander, took over the reins of both his father’s army and kingdom when he was just nineteen! He carried out his father’s invasion plans at once.

          Schooled in war and politics by his father and in everything else by the legendary Greek philosopher Aristotle, Alexander was filled with knowledge of the world, and ambition for conquering it. In 331 BC, he defeated the Persian King Darius, and conquered Persia. However, Alexander was not satisfied. He wanted to conquer the world, and moved towards India. He entered India through the Khyber Pass. Astonishingly enough, Alexander brought with him a flotilla of war boats to cross the Jhelum River and his determination to succeed brought him victory after victory.

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          The Ajanta caves in Maharashtra are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BC. They are famous for their magnificent paintings and sculptures that are considered masterpieces of Buddhist art.

          The paintings of Ajanta are vibrant with life, and are richly coloured. These paintings show the everyday life of the people as well as kings and courts, animals, birds, musicians and warriors. It is believed that highly skilled monks made these paintings to spread the teachings of Buddha, and to guide people in a righteous way.

          Do you know how these caves were discovered? Way back in1819, a party of British army officers was on a tiger hunt in the forest of the Western Deccan. They suddenly spotted their prey, on the far side of a loop in the Waghora River. The hunting party saw the tiger, silhouetted against the carved facade of a cave. On investigating, the officers discovered a series of carved caves, each more dramatic than the other. There are 29 caves in all. Five of them were temples and 24 were monasteries, thought to have been occupied by some 200 monks and artisans. The cave complex was continuously built until about AD 650. Today, the Ajanta caves have been recognized by UNESCO as one of the world’s greatest historical monuments.

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          The oldest university in the Indian subcontinent was Takshasila, or Taxila. It was the capital of the Budhhist kingdom of Gandhara and was located west of Rawalpindi in what is now Pakistan. The University of Taxila was a great centre of learning in the ancient world. Scholars came from all over the world to study here.

          It was famous for its schools of Brahminical studies, Buddhist philosophy, medicine, sciences and arts. Great scholars like Panini, Charaka, and Kautilya are believed to have taught there. Many of its students became great leaders, thinkers and scientists. The university came under Persian rule, and in 326 BC, it was surrendered to Alexander the Great. King Ashoka made it an important Buddhist centre in BC 261. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 5th century AD.

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          You must have read tales known as the Jataka Tales. The Jatakas are the tales about the former lives of the Buddha. Before he attained enlightenment, Buddha had been born as Bodhisattva. It is said that he was born again and again 547 times, sometimes in a human form, and sometimes as a bird or beast or fish.

          The Jataka deals with these lives of Buddha. These tales always begin with an incident in the life of the Buddha, usually a sermon he is giving, which he illustrates with a story from one of his previous lives. The Jatakas are primarily moral tales, illustrating the wisdom and goodness of the Bodhisattva figure.

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          All religions have their sacred scriptures upon which their doctrines are founded. For example, Christianity has the Bible, Islam, the Koran, and Hinduism, the Vedas.

          The sacred scriptures of Buddhism are the Tripitakas. They are written in the Pali script, and are made up of three parts, which are referred to as ‘baskets’. In fact, the very word ‘Tripitakas’ means ‘three baskets.’ One part is called the Abhidhamma Pitaka or the Basket of Dharma. It explains the principles of Buddhism. Another part is called Vinaya Pitaka or the Basket of Discipline. It deals with the rules to be observed by the monks. The largest and most important part is the Sutta Pitaka, or the Basket of Stories. It consists of the sermons and sayings of Lord Buddha. The number of volumes in the Tripitaka, which were compiled at various times differs, and is without parallel in any other religion.

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