Questions tagged [south-asia]
The southern region of the Asian continent, comprising the sub-Himalayan countries
29 questions
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why did Pakistan choose Islamabad as its capital?
Initially, Pakistan's temporary capital was Karachi -
which made sense as
it was the largest city.
I tried to understand why they moved it to Islamabad of all places.
Here is what I know from my own ...
- 155
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How did the Jats come to own so much land in North West India?
I am interested in history of Jats which live mostly in states of Punjab, Haryana, Western U.P. , Rajasthan. I am not reading from historians of the Jat community as they wrote in Hagiographical Style ...
- 119
5
votes
0
answers
175
views
Who was the PAF aviator nicknamed as "8-Pass Charlie" by IAF in Indo-Pakistan 1965 War?
Indian Airforce veterans who were posted at Adampur IAF airbase make special note of the aviator nicknamed '8-pass Charlie'. He was supposedly given the epithet by the Indians who were apparently ...
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
What irreplaceable manuscripts were lost in the burning of Jaffna Public Library and what history did they contain (and subsequently lost forever)?
Context
The burning of the Jaffna Public Library was a case of ethnic biblioclasm and cultural eradication of Tamil history. At the time of its destruction, the library was one of the biggest in Asia, ...
- 195
-1
votes
2
answers
185
views
When names of these countries were first called
I'd like to know when the first time the name of India in English (Inde in French) was called. What is the name in Latin and if there is one?
Also, I'd like to know the first time the names of Myanmar ...
anon
8
votes
0
answers
170
views
What is the earliest supported example of an African traveling to Southeast/East Asia?
There are quite a few famous cases of Africans who traveled to Asia (voluntarily or involuntarily) prior to 1700s such as Malik Ambar (India), Yasuke (Japan), and Ibn_Battuta (India, Sri Lanka, China, ...
- 181
1
vote
1
answer
116
views
Did Jinnah in 1947 or 1946 forsake his demand for Pakistan on the condition of maximum autonomy for the provinces within the united India?
Is this true that Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the All India Muslim League in 1947 or 1946 accepted the proposal for freedom for a united India if the provinces could be granted maximum autonomy within ...
- 453
2
votes
1
answer
161
views
Why do we study Mughals as part of medieval history of India and European conquest as modern India? [closed]
Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, came to power in 1526. Aurangzeb, the last Mughal ruler (not counting later Mughals), died in 1707.
The Portuguese came to India in 1498 and by 1510 they had ...
- 85
0
votes
1
answer
336
views
Interpreting two recent studies on Aryan Invasion/Migration theory?
Few months ago two studies published here in Cell and Science respectively and lot of authors in both the studies are common.
The science paper starts with
By sequencing 523 ancient humans, ...
- 111
3
votes
3
answers
583
views
What factors explain Indian territorial restraint towards Pakistani occupied Kashmir despite military success against Pakistan?
It would seem that the Indian army managed on three separate occasions to beat its Pakistani opposite, but did not press these advantages by occupying the Pakistani portion of Kashmir.
The three ...
- 453
2
votes
1
answer
174
views
What time zone was used in Sikkim before it became a state of India in 1975?
UTC+5:30 is now used in the whole India including Sikkim. What time zone was used before 1975? According to the geographical location of Sikkim I guess UTC+6 might be used there. I searched online but ...
- 21
5
votes
1
answer
501
views
Why didn't Afghanistan accede to Pakistan in 1947?
The A in Pakistan stands for Afghanistan and dates to at least 1933. When the British were quitting India in 1947 and Pakistan was forming, why didn't the Afghani's join with Pakistan. Afghani's ...
- 161
2
votes
0
answers
118
views
Did Iqbal offer funeral prayers for the killer of someone who wrote a blasphemous book?
In 1929, Ilmuddin killed a man called Rajpal for writing a blasphemous book against Muhammad. He was later hanged by the British government.
According to several sources (like here), the national ...
- 468
2
votes
1
answer
506
views
What prevented the Indian Army to wrest Kashmir from Pakistan despite the UN Security Council's resolutions of 1948-49?
In August 1947, when the British partitioned their Indian colony into two countries of India and Pakistan, the state of Kashmir was being ruled by a Hari Singh one of whose ancestor, named Gulab Singh,...
- 453
4
votes
2
answers
405
views
Why was there calm in Indian-held Kashmir until 1989? What happened in 1989 that triggered the public unrest that still continues to this day?
After the 1947-48 invasion of Kashmir by the Pakistan-backed jihadists and the ensuing military action by India, and the consequent take over of parts of Kashmir by Pakistan and India respectively, ...
- 453
1
vote
1
answer
532
views
Why didn't the Pakistani military try to gain Kashmir from India in 1971 instead of launching an offensive in Rajesthan?
In the 1971 India-Pakistan war, while the Indian Army with the help of the Bengali guerillas were making inroads into East Pakistan, the Pakistan Army launched an offensive through the Rajesthan ...
- 453
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why didn't Pakistan try to wrest Kashmir from India in 1962 but tried to do so in 1965?
In 1962, India and China fought a war in a region east of Bhutan where the two countries shared a border. Am I right? And, in that war, the Indian army was totally outclassed by the Chinese, something ...
- 453
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
During the Chola dynasty how extensive was the use of Sanskrit in government and by the people?
David Shulman in his book "Tamil" notes:
One thing, however, is certain: the Cholas were happy to use Tamil as
an official state language, along with Sanskrit; and they, or the
poets they ...
- 145
3
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Did Aurangzeb issue a farman promising 4 Rs for all males that convert and 2 Rs for females?
I found a reference to this farman at IranicaOnline (first link)
But I can't find the source of the author (or if its authentic). Is it from an akhbar or from a biography of Aurangzeb? Its mentioned ...
- 468
0
votes
1
answer
804
views
What was Babur's attitude upon watching heads of his enemies stacked up forming a tower? [closed]
A lot of websites mentioned that his attitude was one of enjoyment. Even a wikiquote says this.
Are these sources reliable, meaning that this is true? Or are there other sources that impeach or ...
- 468
5
votes
1
answer
742
views
What is the other ancient Indian magic trick described by Adi Shankaracharya?
It is well-known that the so-called Indian rope trick is alluded to by the ancient Hindu philosopher Adi Shankaracharya in this section of his commentary on a Hindu scripture called the Mandukya ...
- 2,544
12
votes
1
answer
4k
views
How voluntary was Sati during the Mughal era?
So the ritual of sati (where a women must throw herself onto the funeral pyre of her dead husband) was widely practiced throughout South Asia in the Ancient era and Middle Ages. In the Mughal era, ...
- 175
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What were Aurangzeb Alamgir's motives for reversing much of the religious tolerance in the Mughal Empire?
Aurangzeb Alamgir's great-grandfather Akbar the Great (1556-1606) was famous for being religious tolerant, for abolishing the jizya tax, and attempting to end the ritual of Sati (where a wife must ...
- 175
12
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What was the size of the Chola Empire's navy under Raja Raja Chola I?
Raja Raja Chola I was an Indian emperor who lived around the 11th century. He created an empire in South India through conquests, including naval campaigns. He was able to conquer Sri Lanka and the ...
- 411
2
votes
1
answer
727
views
When was the term "Dravida" first used and what is the context with which it was presented? [closed]
The term Dravida has been found in many contexts across language, people, architecture, politics, culture etc. While I find various material in various contexts, I am not able to find out the answer ...
- 33
13
votes
3
answers
42k
views
What is the origin of Khans? Is there any link between South Asian Khans and the Mongols?
I live in India where lots of Muslims are Khans. I know about Genghis Khan who was not a Muslim but a Khan. So is their any relation between Khans like Genghis Khan (or Mongols) and current Khans?
2
votes
1
answer
318
views
Did Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the Awami league win any seats in West Pakistan in the 1971 elections? [closed]
The Awami League, the largest East Pakistani political party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory in the national elections in 1970. The party won 167 of the 169 seats allotted to ...
- 2,610
1
vote
3
answers
1k
views
When did the Pakistan army used tank for the first time during the 1971 Bangladesh war?
I would like to know the first recorded case of usage of tank in the Bangladesh war which took place in 1971.
- 229
16
votes
6
answers
3k
views
What is the current state of historical thought on the Aryan invasion/migration theory?
Recent findings in archaelogy and related fields have led some scholars to replace "invasion" with "migration" in the "Aryan invasion" theory. E.g. Romila Thapar in this edition of The Penguin History ...
user86