Based on the reports of Damis, a native of Mesopotamia, who was linguist and diarist, we have a detailed report of the life of Gondophares, an Indo-Parthian king in Taxila.

Damis’ diary informs us that the court of Gondophares was remarkably simple. The Greek philosopher, a follower of Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school, was pleased no end with the lack of display, a pleasant contrast to the pomp he had seen in Babylon and Persia. Damis tells us that the palace showed no “extraordinary magnificence, and was just like the house of any citizen of the better class”. There were no guards, a few servants and three or four persons waiting to speak with the king.
The guest waited as the king finished his business with the persons already in audience. Then sat down with the travellers and following the preliminaries Apollonius asked him about his “mode of life”. The king explained that as a vegetarian and a keen gardener, he grew his own vegetables and fruit. Damis does not say so, but it seems as if the visitors were given a glimpse of the garden, which might have been right outside the audience hall. One wonders if the king also tried his hand at the now barely remembered sungtara orange that grows to this day in the last surviving sungtara orchards just a kilometre from the king’s palace.
As for drinking, he drank most abstemiously. This temperance was an old Taxilian tradition for we hear from those who came here with Alexander that the people of Taxila frowned upon drunkenness. We are told that folks did appreciate a local rice wine, but were rarely found intoxicated. Taxilian society was evidently very cultured back then and we could surely learn a few things from it if we were to study it in any detail. But again I digress. [In the throne room of Gondophares via India Archaeology]

Gondophares, who ruled while Jesus Christ was alive, is also mentioned in early Christian texts, especially in connection with St. Thomas. Romila Thapar writes that, according to tradition, Thomas arrived at the court of Gondophares from eastern Mediterranean. John Keay notes that the word referred in the Acts of St Thomas was actually ‘Gudnaphar’ and it bears coincidental resemblance to Gondophares, the name found in the coins. John Keay also says that if this Thomas was really the Apostle or if he reached Punjab is really open to doubt.
References: Early India : From the Origins to AD 1300, India: A History

Subhash Kak has a new article in Rediff which, based on the findings of an Oxford University scholar Stephen Oppenheimer, says that

Oppenheimer concludes with two extraordinary conclusions: ‘First, that the Europeans’ genetic homeland was originally in South Asia in the Pakistan/Gulf region over 50,000 years ago; and second, that the Europeans’ ancestors followed at least two widely separated routes to arrive, ultimately, in the same cold but rich garden. The earliest of these routes was the Fertile Crescent. The second early route from South Asia to Europe may have been up the Indus into Kashmir and on to Central Asia, where perhaps more than 40,000 years ago hunters first started bringing down game as large as mammoths.’
This synthesis of genetic evidence makes it possible to understand the divide between the north and the south Indian languages. It appears that the Dravidian languages are more ancient, and the Aryan languages evolved in India over thousands of years before migrations took them to central Asia and westward to Europe. The proto-Dravidian languages had also, through the ocean route, reached northeast Asia, explaining the connections between the Dravidian family and the Korean and the Japanese.
Perhaps this new understanding will encourage Indian politicians to get away from the polemics of who the original inhabitants of India are, since that should not matter one way or the other in the governance of the country. Indian politics has long been plagued by the Aryan invasion narrative, which was created by English scholars of the 19th century; it is fitting that another Englishman, Stephen Oppenheimer, should announce its demise. [The cradle that is India]

To see an animated version of human migration, visit the site of the Bradshaw Foundation. The theory that India was the cradle for all non-African people will be pretty hard to digest for many people.

When Huen Tsang visited India in the 7th century, he wrote about a king in Maharashtra who was able to ‘treat his neighbors with contempt’. He called the king ‘Pu-lo-ki-she’ aka Pulakesin II. According to Huen Tsang, even Harsha could not put a dent in his ambitions.
Pulakesin II belonged to the Chalukya dynasty which hailed from Karnataka and within a few generations had established a kingdom with its capital at Vatapi (now Badami). To celebrate their successes, they built a series of temples. One of the temples built at Aihole had the date equivalent to 636 AD, making it one of the oldest dated temples in India.
Another one, the Jogulamba Devi temple at Alampur was attacked by Muslims in 1390 AD. The local people put a good resistance, killed the invaders and moved the idol to a nearby temple, but the temple was razed to the ground. Now, after 615 years that temple has been reconstructed.

The Jogulamba temple was reconstructed at the same place where it stood. The temple was rebuilt in the same way it was described in the `Rasaratnakaram’ of Nityanatha Sidha of 12th century AD. Sankaracharya was believed to have installed `Sri Chakra’ at Jogulamba temple, which is not available now.
Since the Alampur temple complex was declared a heritage site, the supporters of Jogulamba temple had a difficult time to convince the Archaeological Survey of India and the State Government to revive the temple.
The temple was designed to match the Chalukyan architecture so that the new temple would fit into the group of temples.[Jogulamba Devi temple at Alampur rebuilt after 615 years via IndiaArchaeology]

Related Links: Pictures from Alampur

More news from Mahabalipuram. As per mythology there were seven temples in that area out of which only one is visible now. But the naval diving team helping the Archaeological Society of India has made some more discoveries related to that.

As the killer tsunami waves receded, it also gulped the sand deposits only to unveil a line of rocks 500 metres from the Shore temple. The neat arrangement of rocks with man-made features could turn out to be another cave temple of the Pallava era (8th century). The naval diving team, assisting the Archaeological Society of India, also discovered another structure $(Ope(Brhaps a temple 100 metres north-east.
Commander A K Sharma of Indian Naval Command Diving team claims that the structures have striking resemblance with the legendary painting of the seven pagodas (or seven temples). “We know for sure that a temple is going to emerge from the excavation site. We have found another temple close to the shore and also located a slab believed to be the pedestal on which the deity was placed,” he said.
Says commanding officer of INS Ghorpad, Lt Commander Satyendra Vaidya: “We have recovered prominent objects of archaeological importance. A temple-shaped structure has been discovered during one of the dives. Then came a square structure resembling a sanctum sanctorum. It is covered with marine growth and the centre is buried under silt.”
The INS Ghorpad team also found some artifacts belonging to the temple site. Carved relics depicting lions and elephant were exposed by the tsunami further down south of the excavation site. These rocks were visible earlier too, but not as clearly as now, showing sharp carvings. [Tsunami unveils ‘seven pagodas’ via IndiaArchaeology]

One of the treasures thrown up by the tsunami in Mahabalipuram was a Buddha statue (picture) which Archaeological Survey of India now says could belong to the 17 – 18th century. The other treasure was a granite lion which Volker Thewalt in an e-mail says was seen in 1980. He also has photographs to prove it.
The tsunami has also revealed some ancient relics.

Carved out of single rock, the exposed stone remains have engravings depicting animal figures and characters from Hindu scriptures.
“When water was receding, it has taken away some of the monuments de-silted the entire area. As a result we have found three more bas-reliefs belonging to Pallava period, dated about 700 A.D. They are all bas-reliefs cut by the Pallava kings,” said Sathiyamurthy. [Tsunami waves uncover ancient temple relics near Chennai]

While writing about the shore temple at Mahabalipuram which survived the
tsunami, we mentioned about the mythology about six other temples which were
destroyed and also about the marine archaeology discoveries in the region. Now the tsunamis have unearthed some priceless historical artifacts in Mahabalipuram.

“The sea has thrown up evidence of the grandeur of the Pallava dynasty. These have been buried for centuries,” the archaeological body’s superintending archaeologist, T. Sathiamoorthy, said late on Thursday. “We’re all very excited about these finds.”
Among the tsunami “gifts” found in Mahabalipuram, 70 kilometers south of Madras, are the remnants of a stone house and a half-completed rock elephant, archaeologists say. There are
also two giant granite lions, one seated and another poised to charge. The statues are each carved out of a single piece of granite stone, testifying to the carver’s skill. The archaeologists
are also excited about a report from locals that just before the waves struck on December 26, the sea withdrew a great distance baring the sea bed on which lay a temple structure and several rock sculptures. “We’ll
be exploring the sea bed to document these Pallava relics,” Sathiamoorthy said, adding the Archaeological Survey of India would dispatch a team of marine archaeologists next month to the area.
Experts are examining as well a 15-centimeter tall bronze Buddha found inside a bamboo basket attached to a raft to determine its age and origin. The figure with Myanmarese writing on its back is seated lotus style and holds a begging bowl on his lap. [Tsunamis reveal ancient Indian sculptures via Zinken]

Subhash Chandra Bose, after death seems to have become the Indian version of Elvis Presley. His death remains a mystery to date with many people suspecting that he did not die in that plane crash in Taipei in 1945. After that there have been many theories – he was a Soviet prisoner of war, he lived as a Hindu monk named Bhagwanji etc.
Recently Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Shaharyar Khan wrote about any eye-witness account of Bose’s death based on the statement of Brigadier Habib-ur-Rehman.

“They had boarded the aircraft at Saigon and after a refueling stop, the plane was flying over Northern Taiwan when one of the engines began to sputter.
“The plane rapidly lost height but the pilot managed to bring it down on a clearing where it crashed into heavy undergrowth. The occupants were severely injured, some dying instantly, others escaping with injuries.
Habib himself had been thrown clear as the plane plunged into a thicket because he was sitting near the tail of the aircraft,” Khan wrote.
“Though bruised and groggy, Habib found he could still move and ran immediately towards the burning aircraft to see if he could rescue his leader and others who may have survived. When he reached, he saw the charred body of Bose lying beside the aircraft. Bose had seemingly died because…his suit had caught fire and burnt his body beyond recognition,” Khan wrote in his book. [I saw Netaji dying: Pak Brigadier]

This indeed is a fascinating story, but for one small problem. According to the Taiwanese, there was no air crash in Taipei between August 14 and September
20, 1945. This information was revealed to Justice M K Mukherjee, heading the
one-man commission of inquiry into Netaji’s disappearance. The commission has
been asked to wrap up and submit its report by May 2005 and hopefully we will
get a treasure trove of conspiracy theories.

Less than 2 km away from Taj Mahal is Agra Fort, which was the first building project of Akbar. Built between 1565 and 1575, this fort contains the famous Diwan-i-Khas (private court) and Diwan-i-Am (public court). This was also the fort in which Aurangazeb imprisoned Shahjahan. The fort has two gates, the Delhi Gate and Amar Singh Gate. Now workers in the fort have discovered two new gates.

Workers engaged in the fort’s repair discovered the hidden ‘Water Gate’ and the ‘Haathi Gate’ during their restoration work. Historians say that the British who set up their military bases here and made alterations to the fort’s architectural structure had sealed the gates for their own convenience.
Hathi Gate forms one of the four main entrances to the fort, whereas the Water Gate lies hidden between the fort’s wall and a ditch.
“When work was being done from Amar Singh gate to Haathi Ghat gate, all the undergrowth and bushes surrounding it was being cleared. Then two gates namely the water gate and hathi ghat gate were revealed,” said Amarnath Gupta, Conseravation Assistant.
Trade was mainly conducted through the Hathi Gate whereas the existence of the Water Gate has also been acknowledged in historical texts.
It is believed that the gate was operated in times of water crises. Moreover it was also the gateway, which the queens used for boating. [Hidden gateways discovered in Agra fort]

Rajiv Malhotra in an e-mail notes that the History of Science and Technology has a new volunteer and the site has been updated with new articles.

A Ganesh idol was unearthed on Thursday during excavations at a mosque in Jambusar in Bharuch district, about 60 km from Vadodara, police said. Bharuch’s Superintendent of Police G S Malik said the idol has been kept separately for people to offer prayers. This idol was discovered during excavations at the 150-year-old mosque in a predominantly Hindu area. A large number of Hindu devotees flocked to the mosque to have a glimpse of the statue, he added. Security has been beefed up in the area as a precautionary measure, Police Sub-Inspector V R Patel said. [Ganesh idol recovered during excavation at mosque]

At this point the mosque was not demolished considering the fact that this was the only mosque in a predominantly Hindu area. The idol was handed over to Hindus who then placed it in a nearby temple and life continued as normal.