Viscount Valentia at Shivala Palace, 1803: The Tattered Mughal House in Varanasi
How Lord Wellesley rewrote royal protocol at the Shivala Palace, marking the definitive shift from Mughal sovereignty to British supremacy.
Contemplations on the Eighth Anniversary of the Dharma Dispatch
On the eighth anniversary of The Dharma Dispatch, here is a brief retrospect of our sacred civilisational journey so far.
Merchants of Muscat: How Hindu Traders Dominated Oman’s Economy for Centuries
From the Sindhi and Kutchi Bhatiyas to the Portuguese siege and royal patronage—discover the thrilling, three-century saga of how Hindu merchants built an economic empire in the heart of the Arabian Gulf.
When the Sahib Hated Holi: Viscount Valentia’s 1803 Varanasi Journal
A colonial traveller’s disdain for spring festivities, Mughal pomp, and the cultural disconnect that shaped modern Indian attitudes.
The Battle of Buxar Through British Eyes: Lord Valentia’s 1803 Bihar Travelogue
Decades after the decisive 1764 Battle of Buxar, an English aristocrat’s 1803 journey through Bihar captures the forgotten aftermath of British expansion in India.
From Pushpapura to an Opium Cantonment: Valentia’s Day in Bankipur
How the East India Company turned the Mauryan capital’s ground into a depot for China’s addiction and Britain’s gunpowder