Why were Indians putting mithuna sculptures on the sacred walls of temples exactly 1000 years ago?

This is an old debate with various theories. UPSC asked a question in GS1 on features of Chandel temple sculptures, and everyone just thought of erotic ones.

I anyway wanted to discuss this topic for quite some time. And this seems to be a good opportunity given by the almighty UPSC....

So, I will be coming soon with a detailed discussion on mystery behind the erotic sculptures at Khajuraho.

Nikhil

"Politics in society is like the toilet in the house. You cannot showcase it, but you cannot avoid it either."

This is what Golwalkar Guruji used to say about the role of politics in society. This was generally the approach of RSS' old generations towards politics since its foundation in 1925.

This attitude started to change gradually after 1970s, during the tenure of Balasaheb Deoras, the third Sarsanghachalak. And today, after 100 years, the things are very different.

Kalay Tasmai Namaha.

Earlier, he had said that India and Pakistan are fighting for thousands of years... now he is saying that Communism is failing for thousands of year...

What else is a thousand years old, Mr. President? The United States of America? No. It is Jahiliyat. Jahiliyat is thousands of years old.

Download the latest updated history optional PYQ book. There are many new elements added.

Take a print out. Use it daily. Its your Bible and Geeta.

Link:
https://www.levelupias.com/upsc-cse-history-optional-pyqs/

Finally the long awaited episode is out in the public.

A detailed and extremely insightful discussion with Anirudh Kanisetti on the history of mighty Imperial Cholas.

Their empire building, Naval raids, temple building, religious policy, nataraja, great administration, local self government, all the dimensions we anyway study for the exam are discussed here, with some new info or different angle.

Enjoy.

(PS: Some of the opinions expressed there are solely author's. Carry discretion before judging... :p)

https://youtu.be/P5WH8-V6WME

#akhyandiaries

Hello,

This is a new initiative from my side - Akhyan Diaries. Its a series of podcasts with scholars and authors. Anirudha Kanisetti is the second in the series.

I, as a teacher, got little bored with regular classroom teaching. And thus I wanted to do something new, fresh and engaging. So, we started this podcast for expanding the horizons of History for upsc aspirants.

The topics here are going to be useful for upsc aspriants, but not in the regular run-of-the-mill format. We will engage with interesting people and enrich our understanding beyond typical notes and textbooks.

It adds to knoweldge, and it is fun. For you, I am deeply interested in knowing what do you think. Any and all genuine feedback is most welcome in the comment section.

Also, apart from the feedback, if you have any guest scholar/author in mind, do let us know. We will try to get him/her on board.

Nikhil

Today's session will be the next in our series of Gamification of History Optional answer writing. The previous workshop had been very interesting and helpful... the feedback encouraged us to come with one more... and with more questions.

Both Vishal sir and Me will conduct a workshop today at 2 PM. Bring your pen-paper, come to the class for action-packed drama...

Please note that it will be OFFLINE only. The earlier poster mistakenly said offline as well as online. but it is really impossible to conduct it for both groups at the same time. We will definitely try to bring its Online version soon.

Nikhil

Today, UPSC Chairman wrote this on the completion of 100 years of UPSC.

Are you all tuned in? Are you all going to attend his Youtube Live event today? It is going to be on DD's youtube channel.

The UPSC chairman is going to personally and directly answer your queries and doubts. Do attend.

Join the Live TownHall (Q&A) with Dr. Ajay Kumar, Chairman UPSC.

Ask your questions live on Twitter / Facebook
#AskChairmanUPSC

Date: Today, 1st October 2025, Wednesday 
Time: 12PM-1PM

https://youtube.com/live/kloc_70pIZk

"We select individuals capable of becoming Formula One drivers. Then we give them rickety Maruti 800s on potholed roads and expect championship lap times."

https://theprint.in/opinion/after-37-yrs-in-ias-i-can-say-upsc-exam-isnt-the-villain-postings-incentives-are/2754708/

Another extremely sad news.

The stalwarts of the 20th century, the people who created the post World War world with their sheer hardwork and intelligence, are passing away. The era is closing.

Ram and Ravana,
A Pahari Painting from Mandi, 18th century.

दसरा सण मोठा, नाही आनंदा तोटा
Happy Vijaya Dashami.

Read the above new item that appeared in Indian Express today.

Private players are now entering the field of heritage conservation. Since the liberalisation of 1991–92, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have gradually become the norm across sectors, with private actors sharing the state’s burden in almost every domain. It was, therefore, only a matter of time before this model extended to the sphere of history and heritage as well.

This trend is also linked to the decline of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The institution has long been in a sorry state, with repeated CAG reports pointing out glaring lapses—sometimes even monuments “going missing.”

Personally, I am not against profit-making. In fact, without a profit motive, many initiatives may not function effectively. But this must never come at the cost of restricting people’s access to their own heritage. Hopefully, that will not be the case.

My only concern is that PPPs in heritage conservation should not create more problems than they solve. If a PPP model goes wrong in, say, passport seva kendras, passports will still be delivered eventually, even if delayed. But if something goes wrong with the conservation of a monument, the damage is often permanent and irreversible.

The ASI may not be doing a stellar job either, but the accountability dynamic is different. When a sovereign body fails, the responsibility is collective; when a private player is at fault, the loss of heritage feels even harder to accept.

Is there really a Swadeshi trend ongoing? I have not noticed it around me at all...

If you have seen at least one shopkeeper or a customer insisting on Swadeshi, please give thumbs up. If you have not come across anyone, give thumbs down.

In Marathi, my generation grew reading books on various scientists in 1990s. Our childhood heroes were Jayant Naralikar (astro), George Washington Carver (crops), Jane Goodall (animals), Ramanujan (maths), Booker T Washington (edu), Vishweswariya (engg)...

I was especially hugely influenced by Carver and his jabardast inventions... and for girls around, career of Jane Goodall was the symbol of what they can achieve in life....

Later, when we started reading English language books, it was but natural to follow it up with Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov and Stephen Hawking.... The first ever English language book that I read in life was Brief History of Time by Hawking... in 2003 or 2004... In college, we would often debate various scenarios of the laws of robotics by Asimov.

Looking back, it seems improbable now. The genre of popular science and science fiction is not talked about these days much.

The passing away of Jane Goodall has brought back all the memories.