u/Own-Albatross-2206

May this Navratri usher a new era of blessings for all the members of r/Babhan and their loved ones

And may the almighty bless everyone ❤️

He won the Bronze medal in India's Javelin throw alongside Compatriot Yashvir Singh who won a silver in absence of Neeraj Chopra

Purvanchal is an outliner when it comes to gender equality in Uttar Pradesh , although a long way to go but surely something appreciable

Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming: Completed on August 30, 2026, by finishing the 48-km Manhattan Island loop

The triple crown of open water swimming refers to the crossing of Manhattan loop , English channel and Catalina Channel

She is also the youngest and fastest in the world to successfully swim across the English Channel from 21st to 28th Jul 2024 The daughter of Madan Rai, MC-at-Arms II of the Indian Navy, Jiya accomplished this solo swim, covering a distance of 34 kilometers in 17 hours and 25 minutes. Remarkably, in the 150-year history of Channel swimming, Jiya is the first girl with Autism Spectrum Disorder to achieve this feat

In March 2022, she had created a new world record for the fastest swim across the Palk Strait, crossing the 29 km stretch in 13 hours and 10 min. She has also won wide acclaim for her swimming prowess, including the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

The Ramnagar Ramlila is a famous 31-day epic folk theatrical performance held annually in Ramnagar, near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Initiated in the 19th century by the Maharaja of Banaras (Kashi Naresh).more

May God bless you all on this Janmashtami and the day when Aadi Shakti also took her avtar

The First Muslim Invasion of Banaras (1034) and the Story of Brahmins Becoming Soldiers from Teachers

Presented by Arvind Roy

People have always known Kashi as a city of religion. But when did Kashi become a military city? There is a definite year for this — 1034 CE. It was in this year that the Brahmins of Kashi’s agraharas first realized that, along with books, a stick was also necessary.

1. When and by Whom Was the First Attack Carried Out?

In history, this event is known as the Sack of Benares (1034).

Sack of Benares (1034) | Mas'ud I, Ahmad Niyaltigin | Kalachuris of Tripuri, Gangeyadeva | Ghaznavid victory

In 1034, Governor Ahmad Niyaltigin made a daring attack on Varanasi but immediately withdrew back toward the Punjab region with the plunder.

At that time, Banaras was not under the Pratiharas of Kannauj, but under King Gangeyadeva of the Kalachuris of Tripuri. Gangeyadeva himself was a powerful king, but Kashi was an open pilgrimage centre, not a fortified capital.

Niyaltigin had not come to rule. He came to plunder and fled with the loot. He did not send his share of the plunder to Ghazni. It was over this rebellion that Mas'ud had him killed by his Hindu general, Tilak Rai.

2. Bayhaqi’s Eyewitness Account

The most reliable witness to this attack was Abu'l-Fadl Bayhaqi. He recorded it in his work, the Tarikh-i Bayhaqi.

“The contemporary historian Bayhaqi recorded the first attack on Benares conducted by a Turkish army, carried out in 1033 by the Ghaznavid governor.”

Bayhaqi’s account makes three things clear:

First — an unarmed city:

When Niyaltigin arrived, the Brahmins, scholars, and merchants were engaged in their everyday activities. Vedic recitation was going on, the markets were open, and gold and silver were kept in the moneylenders’ shops. There was no preparation in the city for an attack.

Second — plunder by afternoon:

He suddenly came along the banks of the Ganges, looted the main market and the bullion market by afternoon, and immediately returned toward Punjab with the booty.

Third — the end of the temples:

After this plunder, no major temple of Kashi survived in its original form. Today, the Kardameshwar Mahadev Temple in Kandwa village, near BHU, is considered the only temple that survives in its original form from the pre-Muslim period.

3. The Arming of the Brahmins in Banaras

Since the Gupta period, agraharas had been established around Kashi. The Brahmin of an agrahara was ayachaka. He did not ask for alms; he performed worship and religious duties and cultivated his own land.

He had scriptures, not weapons.

The plunder of 1034 shattered this illusion. It was realized for the first time that without weapons, no one could protect the agraharas, temples, and fields.

It was from here, according to this narrative, that the journey of the ayachaka Brahmin of Banaras toward becoming a soldier began.

4. What Did the Gahadavalas Do?

About fifty years after the 1034 plunder, around 1089, Chandrdeva Gahadavala reconquered Kashi. He established the foundation of the Gahadavala dynasty of Kannauj.

“He defeated Gopala, then formed an alliance with the Gahadavala king named Chandradeva. After Mahmud’s departure... Chandradeva seized the throne of Kannauj.”

Chandrdeva did two things:

A) Restoration of the Agraharas

The Chandravati grants of 1093 CE and 1100 CE mention the granting of villages to 500 Brahmins each.

These were the same Brahmins who had become armed after 1034. They were now given land along with the responsibility of protecting it.

B) The Turushkadanda Tax

The Gahadavala inscriptions mention a new tax called Turushkadanda.

“The Gahadavala king levied a tax named Turushkadanda on the people to make annual tribute payments to the Sultans of Ghazni.”

There is disagreement among historians about its meaning. Some say it was an annual tribute paid to Ghazni, while others say it was a tax for maintaining an army to fight the Turks, because in Sanskrit danda can mean both tax and army/force.

Whatever its exact meaning, the point is the same — Kashi now had to bear permanent military expenses.

Conclusion

The attack on Banaras in 1034 was not merely a raid. It marked the end of an era.

On that day, the ayachaka Brahmin of Kashi was found unarmed for the first time. That insecurity turned him into a landowner, then a zamindar, and ultimately a soldier.

Kashi did not abandon its scriptures, but it learned, from 1034 onward, to carry weapons alongside its scriptures.

Credit Arvind Roy fb

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During the Quit India Movement, eight freedom fighters from Lakhisarai were killed by British forces on 13 August 1942 while protesting against British rule and advancing with the national flag.

The martyrs were Baijnath Singh, Gujju Singh, Jhuri Singh, Julmi Mahto, Banarsi Singh, Mahadev Singh, Parshuram Singh, and Daro Singh. Their sacrifice is commemorated at the Shaheed Dwar in Lakhisarai, established after independence in their memory.

Also to Commemorate their sacrifice 13th August is celebrated as the Lakhisarai Martyrs day in Bihar

The so called Thekedar of Bhumihar community aka the larpers know that they don't represent the community at all ( even if they claim to do so )

Janki Sharan Ji Maharaj, also known as Jhanki Baba, was a renowned saint of Ayodhya who belonged to a Bhumihar Brahmin family from Bihar. He worked to educate people in the discipline of Yoga. His well-known work on Yoga is Shri Vaishnav Hatha Yoga Darshan. He also had Jhanki Ghat constructed, which was the first permanent masonry ghat of Ayodhya in its time. Similarly, Siyaram Kila was also constructed under his patronage.

1. Siyaram Kila

2. Jhanki Ghat

3. Yoga Darshan