India #

Aryan settlers, nomadic cattle-herders arrived via the Kush Mountains from Persia and central Asia around 1200 BCE, establishing their towns and cities in the Ganges Valley.

Mahabharata, one of the two Sanskrit epic poems of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana).

The Mahabharata is an important source of information on the development of Hinduism between 400 bce and 200 ce and is regarded by Hindus as both a text about dharma (Hindu moral law) and a history (itihasa, literally “that’s what happened”).

Appearing in its present form about 400 ce, the Mahabharata consists of a mass of mythological and didactic material arranged around a central heroic narrative that tells of the struggle for sovereignty between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra, the descendant of Kuru) and the Pandavas (sons of Pandu).

The Mahabharata story has been retold in written and oral Sanskrit and vernacular versions throughout South and Southeast Asia. Its various incidents have been portrayed in stone, notably in sculptured reliefs at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom in Cambodia, and in Indian miniature paintings.

“The Mughal Empire, a broad political and territorial phenomenon in South Asia between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. In 1504, Babur was a Central Asian warlord, set out to explore opportunities south of his native land.

An adroit military commander, Babur captured Kabul by the end of October 1504. He was immediately impressed with its vibrant bazaars, which annually attracted 20,000 merchants who sold slaves, white cloth, refined sugar, and aromatic roots. Merchants earned a whopping 300 percent profit or more on items sold. As the principal depot for Hindustan, Babur noted that goods from Khurasan, Iraq, Anatolia, and China could be found at Kabul.

In 1525-6, Babur marched some 12,000 troops into northern India.