Latest news with #Mughal-era
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Their museum, my sighs
When Clive of India was recently spotted in Wales Family holidays are invariably hard work for those with an archaeologist or historian in the family. There's no basking in the sun with a book and a Margarita, no lie-in or breakfast in bed. The days follow a regular 9-5 routine. Endless aisles of Louvre are navigated, shoes are worn out at Smithsonian, and the mummies of British Museum are practically on first-name terms. There's always an exception to everything – something that breaks the pattern. A recent visit to Powis Castle in Wales to see the Clive Collection was one such outlier. Yes, Robert Clive – or Clive of India – who laid the foundation of the British East India Company's reign of Bengal. When he left India, it was with a cool personal fortune of £31mn (today's value), amassed at immeasurable human cost. That was just the cash and doesn't include the priceless artefacts that visitors are privileged to see. An impressive collection of Mughal-era artefacts is on display at Powis. It assembles items amassed by two generations of the Clive family: his son Edward served as the governor of Madras. It's also a reminder of the stealth, guile and deceit of East India Company. But that is history and one shouldn't quarrel with history. The most stunning display is one of the finials detached from the throne of Tipu Sultan of Mysore – a dazzlingly well-made tiger-head in solid gold, studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. Other objects that stand out include the ornately carved palanquin of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last Nawab of Bengal, and the elegant chintz cotton tent that Tipu used during his battles. The multitude of exquisite pieces, both on display and in storage, outnumbers any collection in national museums across South Asia. Each object was examined with an intensity the visitors didn't know they possessed. It was as if their own history lay bare among the ivory-hilted daggers and swords, curved gold-brocaded shoes, and elaborate paintings. The experience was like peering into a time gone by – an epoch otherwise encountered only in school textbooks and dry, one-dimensional history lessons. The affinity they felt towards the objects was difficult to make sense of – like trying to remember the details of a vivid but elusive dream. Nevertheless, standing among Clive's loot that morning, they heard the echo of battle cries, the neigh of horses and the stomping of hooves. The Indian visitors left Powis with the spectre of Robert Clive trailing behind them. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
NMC launches plan to restore historic Gandhi Gate in Mahal
1 2 Nagpur: In a major push to preserve Nagpur's historical identity, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has unveiled plans to restore and redevelop Gandhi Gate — also known as Jumma Darwaza — one of the city's oldest surviving Mughal-era gateways nestled in the heart of Mahal. Steeped in centuries-old history and deeply tied to India's freedom struggle, Gandhi Gate stands as a silent testimony to both the rise of Nagpur and sacrifices of revolutionaries during the 1857 uprising. According to historians, built by Chand Sultan, the son of Gond King Bakht Buland Shah, the gate was once part of a sprawling palace complex constructed after Raghuji Maharaj-I declared Nagpur his capital in 1735. This complex stretched from Kotwali police station to DD Nagar Vidyalaya, featuring palatial residences, temples, and administrative structures. Much of it was destroyed in 1818 during British annexation, including a fire that reportedly raged for six months. Yet, Gandhi Gate withstood the devastation. The initiative, conceptualised by municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, aims to both conserve the physical structure and highlight its forgotten legacy. NMC executive engineer (project) Ashwini Yelchatwar told TOI that the civic body is inviting proposals from qualified project management consultants (PMCs) with experience in heritage conservation. The scope of work includes preparing a detailed project report, architectural redesign, structural assessments, and conservation techniques tailored to historical sites. Its most poignant chapter came during the First War of Independence in 1857. As the rebellion spread across the subcontinent, the British executed nine local revolutionaries at this gate — Nawab Qadir Khan, Siddiq Ali Khan, Akbar Ali Khan, Vilayat Ali Khan, Bunyad Ali Risaldar, Yusuf Khan, Uniform Major, Moinuddin Husain Jamadar, Inayatullah Khan, and Maratha soldier Waghle Jamadar. Their bodies were left hanging for three days to deter further resistance. Their remains now lie at the Nine Gazi Memorial on Sitabuldi hill. Today, Gandhi Gate sits amid the narrow lanes and vibrant commercial hub of Mahal — surrounded by colonial-era schools, old stone-walled homes (wadas), and temples — but suffers from neglect and encroachment. NMC's effort is not just about physical conservation, but about reviving public memory and civic pride. "This is about reintroducing Nagpurians to their own history — stories that never made it to school textbooks," Yelchatwar said. The final DPR will be developed following a pre-bid meeting and technical evaluations. Once the PMC is selected, the budget for the project will be finalised. For a city rapidly reshaping itself with modern infrastructure into a smart city, the Gandhi Gate project stands out as a rare acknowledgment of the past — and perhaps, the first step toward restoring many more heritage sites hidden across Nagpur.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Sambhal violence: HC grants bailto president of Mughal-era mosque
1 2 Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has granted bail to the president of Sambhal Jama Masjid, Zafar Ali , who was arrested after the violence, which took place during the survey of the Mughal-era mosque in November last year. Zafar Ali, who is also a lawyer, was arrested in March 2025 after violent protests in November 2024 linked to a controversial mosque survey that resulted in four deaths. He was accused of being involved in the violence during the survey at Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal. The single bench of Justice Sameer Jain passed the above order on Thursday. An FIR was lodged in this connection at Kotwali Sambahl against Samajwadi Party (SP) member of Parliament (MP) from Sambhal Zia ur Rahman Barq and Sambhal's SP MLA Iqbal Mahmood's son Sohail Iqbal. Later, the HC stayed the arrest of Barq but refused to quash the FIR against him. During the course of hearing, it was argued on behalf of the applicant that the mosque's head Zafar Ali's name was not included in the first information report (FIR) lodged in this connection. However, the police arrested Zafar Ali during the investigation on March 23, 2025, on the charges of inciting violence during the survey. Zafar Ali is lodged in Moradabad jail. This Sambhal mosque gained attention when unrest occurred in the district on Nov 24, 2024, following a survey of this Mughal-era mosque by a team led by an advocate commissioner under local court orders. The violence, where protesters opposing the survey of the Jama Masjid clashed with security personnel, resulted in the deaths of four persons. The protesters torched vehicles and pelted the police with stones while the security personnel used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob. Later, the UP govt constituted a three-member judicial commission, comprising retired Allahabad HC judge Devendra Kumar Arora, retired IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad and retired IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain to inquire into the incident.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Arab News
Pakistan to nominate five new sites for UNESCO World Heritage status
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will nominate five culturally and historically significant sites for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday, in a bid to preserve the country's rich archaeological legacy and promote global recognition of its heritage landscape. The proposed sites include the ancient Karez water management system in Balochistan, the Mughal-era Hiran Minar in Punjab, the Buddhist ruins of Ranigat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two prominent locations in Sindh, the historic Port of Banbhore and the Nagarparkar cultural landscape. 'If accepted, these nominations would raise Pakistan's total number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites from six to eleven, marking a significant milestone in cultural preservation and heritage tourism,' the report said. Pakistan currently has six UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include Mohenjo Daro and the Makli necropolis in Sindh; Taxila, Rohtas Fort, and the Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore in Punjab; and the Buddhist monastic complex at Takht-i-Bahi along with the remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The nomination of the five new sites aligns with Pakistan's broader efforts to highlight its pre-Islamic and Islamic-era heritage, attract cultural tourism, and strengthen international partnerships in heritage conservation. Many of the proposed sites reflect architectural, hydrological or religious traditions that span centuries, from Buddhist Gandharan ruins to sophisticated ancient irrigation systems. If approved, the addition of the Karez system, an underground aqueduct irrigation technique still in use in some parts of Balochistan, would represent the first such nomination from Pakistan in the category of traditional water management. Similarly, the inclusion of the 16th-century Hiran Minar complex near Sheikhupura would highlight Mughal-era hunting lodges and water structures not yet recognized internationally. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee reviews nominations annually based on criteria such as historical value, cultural significance and preservation status.
News18
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
7 Pawan Kalyan Films To Watch Before Hari Hara Veera Mallu
Here are 7 must-watch films of Pawan Kalyan to get you excited for his warrior avatar in the Mughal-era epic.
