Writing ancient history is a very difficult task. To know what truly transpired, one must examine numerous records such as contemporary inscriptions, palace records, various texts, literature, popular perceptions, oral narratives, and traveler accounts. Even within these, one must detect whether elements of falsehood exist. This is because some kings might have created records to praise themselves, or the enemies of a particular king might have composed literature to slander and vilify him. Therefore, information must be verified from diverse sources. Furthermore, if subsequent research proves that ‘what we have known until now is not true,’ we must remain ready to change our opinion.
Our textbooks have ruined this methodology. Most of our textbooks teach as if they are absolutely certain of the facts, stating, ‘such a person was exactly like this, did exactly that, and this occurred in this precise manner.’ Those who read them remain unaware of other research. This approach is unscientific. At the very least, information about alternative research should be provided at the high school level. History is not a storybook meant to narrate a singular story-line.
Take, for example, Emperor Ashoka. Not everything stated about him in most of our textbooks is based on precise evidence. Our textbooks state: “Ashoka was a messenger of peace. After invading the kingdom of Kalinga, he was shattered by the immense casualties of the war. He converted to Buddhism and became a pacifist.” Does this imply that prior to that, he was an adherent of a religion that preached violence? It is often portrayed in a manner that suggests exactly that!
It is written in some Buddhist texts that he was initially cruel. Those texts claim that he seized power after having his 99 half-brothers killed. It is said that Ashoka even had the nickname ‘Chanda-Ashoka’ (Fierce Ashoka). It is unknown how much reliance can be placed on those specific Buddhist texts. Missionaries might have had an underlying objective to proclaim that “Ashoka became a good human being because of Buddhism.” Did Ashoka truly change after converting to Buddhism? He attacked the kingdom of Kalinga in 262 BCE. According to records, he had converted to Buddhism two years prior to that! This means there is no basis to suggest that he became a Buddhist upon witnessing the violence of Kalinga. According to experts who have conducted research on Ashoka (e.g., Sanjeev Sanyal), Ashoka had converted even before the Kalinga war. No religion was responsible for his actions.
Why did he convert specifically to Buddhism? A precise answer is unavailable. At that time, setting aside the Sanatana Vedic religion, faiths like Jainism, the Ajivika sect, and Buddhism were growing. Other atheistic sects also coexisted. There was rivalry among all the new faiths. Since India possessed a religiously open environment, people used to study various faiths. Ashoka’s grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya, had taken refuge in Jainism in his old age. His son Bindusara (Ashoka’s father) was drawn toward the ‘Ajivika’ sect. By Ashoka’s time, the propagation of Buddhism had begun in earnest. Experts state that he had been in contact with Buddhism for several years before declaring himself a Buddhist. Sanyal notes that since an Ajivika environment existed in the palace, one can hypothesize that Ashoka secured the cooperation of the Buddhists, who were competing with the Ajivikas, to capture power. The exact reason remains unknown. This is precisely why it was stated that textbooks must present all facets of research.
The decimal numeral system originated in India. It is customary among us to refer to the numerals (scripts-symbols) currently used everywhere to write numbers as ‘English numerals.’ Some people also harbor the misconception that these numerals are one of the contributions of the Roman Empire. However, Europeans such as the Romans and the English are not the originators of these numerals. They learned to write them from the Arabs. Consequently, they called them ‘Arabic Numerals.’ But the Arabs themselves are not the inventors of these numerals either. They have stated this explicitly. The true originators of these numerals are the Indians! Ancient manuscripts and inscriptions exist to demonstrate this.
The Arabs explicitly identified these numerals as ‘Hindsa’ (Hind means India) – the numerals of India. According to an old Arabic text titled Tabaqat al-Umam, a team of Indian experts arrived in the city of Baghdad (now the capital of Iraq) from India in 771 CE. This team included an astronomer named ‘Kanaka.’ He had brought a vast collection of Sanskrit scientific texts to Baghdad. Among these texts was Surya Siddhanta, a famous ancient Indian astronomical treatise. Along with it were texts written by ancient astronomers and mathematicians Aryabhata and Brahmagupta. The Arab historian Al-Qifti states that the Caliph (Muslim Emperor) was so captivated by the wealth of knowledge in these texts that he immediately ordered them to be translated into Arabic. Subsequently, an expert named Al-Fazari, who became renowned as an Arab astronomer, is said to have translated these texts into Arabic. In the 9th century, Arab mathematicians Al-Kindi and Al-Khwarizmi popularized this system. They wrote explicitly that ‘these are Hindu numerals.’ This repository of mathematical and astronomical knowledge became popular under the name ‘Sindhind’ and reached Spain. From there, it gradually spread throughout Europe. It was translated into Latin in 1126 CE. The practice of using the new numerals instead of the highly lengthy Roman numerals became customary in Europe. The original Indian numerals, ‘Hindsa,’ underwent slight modifications and curves in Europe. The Indians who learned them in British schools in India unknowingly termed them ‘English numerals!’ Today, they are referred to as ‘Hindu-Arabic’ numerals in many textbooks worldwide.
Historical narratives have diverse facets. An introduction to all of them is necessary. For instance, consider the story of discovering the source of the Nile River. It is the longest river in the world, the lifeline of the African continent, and the vital artery of ancient Egypt. Flowing through 10 countries across 6,650 km, the origin of this river remained unknown for a very long time! Many strived for centuries to locate the birthplace of the Nile. In the 18th and 19th centuries, numerous expeditions were undertaken to find the source of the Nile. Yet, the secret remained elusive. Eventually, a British explorer named John Hanning Speke (1827–1864) arrived directly at a massive lake in Africa, named it ‘Lake Victoria’ after the British Queen, and declared it to be the source of the Nile! A massive controversy erupted. Ultimately, Speke’s argument was accepted as the truth!
Richard Burton, the leader of the Nile exploration team, had maintained that Lake Tanganyika was the source of the Nile. Speke disagreed and argued that Lake Victoria was its true source. How did Speke come to know about Lake Victoria and that it was the source of the Nile? According to the late researcher Dr. Navaratna Rajaram, what aided him in tracking the river’s source was the geographical information found in the Hindu Puranas, and the insights provided about it by a scholar in Kashi (Varanasi). The ancient Hindus referred to the Nile River as ‘Nila.’ The Bhavishya Purana contains descriptions regarding its birth and course.
Scholars reportedly informed him that “according to the Puranas, the true source of the Nile is a lake larger than Tanganyika. It is a mountainous region with two peaks called Somagiri.” That is precisely the ‘Mountains of the Moon’ in Central Africa! In Sanskrit, Soma means Moon and Giri means Mountain. Speke mentioned this in an edition of his 1863 book, Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile (which underwent multiple revisions), and an ancient map is also said to exist. Speke had reportedly utilized a map prepared based on the geographical descriptions provided in the Hindu Puranas for his exploration. In that map, the course of the river was described, detailing that the Maha Krishna River (Nile, the black river) of Kushadvipa (Africa) flows in such-and-such paths from the region of the moon!
The history of firecrackers is equally intriguing. According to some of our ‘historians,’ Indians learned the practice of bursting firecrackers from Europeans. According to others, from the Mughals! However, according to records, firecrackers existed in ancient India. Mentions are found in texts like Shukraniti, Nitiprakashika, and Rajalakshmi Narayana Hrudaya. However, details regarding the specific type of firecracker are not found. A long time ago, fireworks existed where cloth was wrapped around the tips of arrows, smeared with oil, set on fire, and shot into the sky. Similarly, a mention of an ‘Agnichurna’ (fire-powder) akin to gunpowder, used to create smoke and confuse adversaries on the battlefield, is found in Kautilya’s Arthashastra. Firecrackers were also used in China more than 2,000 years ago. Records exist of China sending firecrackers to other countries from the 7th century onward. In the 13th century, the manufacture of gunpowder firecrackers began in Arab nations as well. It was manufactured in India too. Firecrackers became popular in Europe in the 15th century. To whom do you accord credit here? All dimensions must be taught, must they not?
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