Thank you so much to the incredible @gregjenner and his team for having me on "You're Dead to Me" and to @kaekurd for being so hilarious and bringing Gilgamesh the restaurant into my life!

Here’s a thread of some of the stuff referenced in the podcast for those interested

The BATTLE OF PAVAN KHIND (13 July 1660)

300 MARATHAS against 10000+ ADIL SHAHI TROOPS

A Sparta style last man stand at a mountain pass which ensured Shivaji Maharaj's safety.

Valour, loyalty and sacrifice!

Baji Prabhu Deshpande was one of the most able lieutenants of Shivaji. He sacrificed his life defending Shivaji in a heroic last stand known as the "Battle of Pavan Khind" in which his force was hugely outnumbered.(1)

In this battle he became a martyr, but managed to halt the enemy forces for several hours, which secured Shivaji’s safety and victory on another front. Without this heroic last stand Shivaji’s glorious career may have been cut short.(2)

Baji Prabhu was senior to Shivaji. In the beginning he opposed Shivaji being from a rival Maratha clan, but realised that Shivaji stood for national resurgence. Henceforth he became a friend and loyal supporter of Shivaji.(3)

In 1660, Shivaji was trapped in the fort of Panhala, under siege and vastly outnumbered by an Adilshahi army led by general Siddhi Jauhar.(4)

#3/thread on Angkor wat

Christianity and islam may be the largest religion of today’s world but Sanatan dharm has the largest religious monument in the world in the form of Angkor wat. It is situated in combodia and spread across over 400 acres / 1.6 km².

It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, which encouraged an international effort to save the complex.
It was originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. In Khmer, the Cambodian language, Angkor means "city" and Wat means "temple grounds".

So Angkor Wat means "Temple City". Its original name was Vrah Vishnuloka or Parama Vishnuloka, meaning the sacred dwelling of Vishnu in Sanskrit.
But, it gradually turned into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century & is still used for worship today.

Angkor Wat was initially designed and constructed in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II, as the king’s state temple and capital city. It was built without the aid of any machinery, as there was no machinery available at that time.

Evidence for these dates comes in part from inscriptions, which are vague, but also from the architectural design and artistic style of the temple and its associated sculptures.

Another aspect is that the five central towers of Angkor Wat symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru,

So. I loved #TheDig. Despite being set in the 30's it evoked a lot of my early fieldwork experience in the 80's and some of the things archaeologists were gushing about are still pay of the experience today. And it also evoked the fantasy that I became an archaeologist to chase>

If you just want to enjoy it, and bask in the glow of archaeologists being happy for once, stop reading here >

Because, being aware of that fantasy, I'm also aware of corrosive elements, things that structure how archaeology works, both practically & in the collective imagination which work against that other fantasy, that my work can 'make a difference' contribute to progressive change>

The primary driver of the story is class & it's connection to skill & to land. EP has the right to the land, the choice to dig, the ownership of the artefacts because she is the landowner. We are meant to cheer along when the coroner decides in her favour>

BB is a man of the land, he literally knows the soil of Suffolk by feel. His skill & sense are central to the story. And they are credited with the discovery, which is the most important part of the process, not the analysis, care or interpretation>

In 1928, the American holdings of IG Farben, the American branches of Bayer Company, General Aniline Works, Agfa Ansco and Winthrop Chemical Company, were organized into a Swiss holding company, the Internationale Gesellschaft für Chemische Unternehmungen AG or IG Chemie in short

The Panch Kedar Mandirs are amongst the most divine pilgrimage sites for followers of Sanatan Dharm. Apart from being Bhagwan Shiv`s abodes, they bear a strong connection to our history. Let`s explore their origins. #Thread

As per legend, the Panch Kedar Mandir relate directly to the Mahabharat and are an important part of our history. At the time of Mahabharat after the Kurukshetra Yudh, the Pandavs committed the sin of “Gotra Hatya” and “Brahmanahatya” by killing the Kauravs and Guru Droṇacarya.

Wanting to repent, Pandavs handed over the control of their kingdom to their kin and left in search of Bhagwan Shiv to ask for his forgiveness. Initially the Pandavs went to Kashi in search of Bhagwan Shiv but couldn`t find him there.

Bhagwan Shiv was furious at the deceit, death and destruction taking place during the Kurukshetra war. He was indifferent to the Pandavs prayers and took the form of a powerful bull and hid in the Gharwal Himalayas.

As Pandavs did not find Bhagwan Shiv in Kashi, after wandering for a bit they went to Gharwal Himalayas. The second eldest Pandav Bhim spotted a large bull grazing near GuptKashi in Kedar Kantha.