Latest Episodes
The mystery of the hidden faces of Shiva at Elephanta Caves
Every signboard at Elephanta calls it the Trimurti. Scholars say it is something else. This episode walks the island from the ferry at the Gateway of India to the Grea...
How a Small Mosque in Pulicat Told Its Town the Time Using Only the Sun
A town needs to agree on the time before it can pray together. In Pulicat, the answer was a shadow. At Chinna Pallivasal, one of the town’s main mosques, a sundial ins...
The Lighthouse Built to Keep Ships Away: The Lost Port of Pulicat
Most lighthouses bring ships in. The one at Pulicat, north of Chennai, was raised to warn them away. This episode tells the story of the lagoon port behind it. It appe...
India Was Rome’s Most Important Trading Partner: The Ancient Trade That Connected Tamil Nadu to the Mediterranean
In 77 CE, Pliny the Elder calculated that India was draining Rome of 50 million sesterces of gold every year. Roman coins bearing the profiles of Augustus and Nero hav...
Damascus Steel Was Not From Damascus: The Indian Metal That Armed the Medieval World
The Crusaders called it the most terrifying metal they had ever encountered. When the armies of the First Crusade arrived in the Holy Land in 1099 CE and met the force...
