Founded in 1644, Fort St George is the first fort built by the British in India. It was around this fortress that the modern city of Madras grew over the years. The construction of the Fort became the reason for further settlements that enhanced trading activity in an area that was originally looked down upon and widely considered ‘no man's land’.

Having entered India around 1600 for trading purposes, the East India Company realised the need to make a base in the southern part of India. It had already established its licensed trading at Surat, but spice being The East India Company’s ...

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Vijayawada (also known as ‘Bezwada’), the third largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, is a verdant and ecofriendly city located on the banks of the River Krishna surrounded by low-lying hills. The Krishna (named after Goddess Krishnaveni), is India’s fourth largest river after the Ganga, Narmada and Godavari. It lies 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) across the Deccan Peninsula, quite like a Kuchipudi dancer’s long braid.

There are many tales behind the origin of the name of the city of Vijayawada. Legends have it that Arjuna was blessed with the ‘Pasupathastra’ by Shiva, on ...

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Akar Prakar and WelcomHotel Sheraton New Delhi have put together the Meera Mukherjee show as a collateral event of India Art Fair 2012. The show is on till 4th February 2012.

After a very long gap, Delhi viewers have the privilege of seeing a series of remarkable sculptures that Meera Mukherjee had conceived and fashioned in mostly bronze, but also ceramic and terracotta. Mukherjee's sculptures are famed for their strength of form and for the way they communicate the artist's vision to all who see them.

Meera Mukherjee's bronze images have been admired by artists and ...

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Combining myth and modernity

"In my search for identity and roots - an identity that is free of Western impact - I have turned to mythology. I wanted to paint on subjects that belong to me and were a direct source of inspiration."

Early in the morning with Harshringar flowers strewn on grounds, with magical change in the quality of light and with the autumnal equinox, the season evokes a festive atmosphere. From this week everywhere in Delhi and in fact, all over India, the usual performance of Ram Lila with its enactment of the Ramayana will take place ending with ...

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I visited Tansen’s grave at Gwalior some years ago. His small shrine is dwarfed by the large tomb of his mentor, Shaikh Mohammed Ghaus, a 16th-century fakir revered by people of all faiths. Located in a traditional Mughal-style garden, along with other graves stand these two mausoleums. An ancient tamarind tree stands next to Tansen’s grave and despite the passing of time, the belief remains, that anyone who eats the leaves of this special tree, will be blessed with a melodious voice and the ability to sing like`Sangeet Samrat' Mian Tansen, the celebrated singer of Gwalior.

Mohammed ...

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