Our New Book Released
Our New Book Released.
Hu-Minu – Tipu Sultan’s Forgotten Fish | Echoes from Kundapura
In 1800–1801, Francis Buchanan surveyed Mysore, Malabar, and Canara. While at Kundapura, he was informed by Col. Williams about a unique freshwater fish called Hu-minu, found in a lake reserved exclusively for Tipu Sultan. This fish was a royal delicacy, now believed to be extinct. With the help of local villagers, I traced the exact location of this […]
The Crucible Steel Legacy of Channarayanadurga
In 1801, the Scottish physician and botanist Francis Buchanan undertook a remarkable journey through the Mysore region, documenting the agricultural, rich natural, and cultural landscapes he encountered. Retracing his route from Nagara to Hiriyur provides a fascinating glimpse into the historical, agricultural, ecological, and social mosaic of the region over two centuries ago. This article […]
Jaggery Making at Pandavapura
In 1800, Francis Buchanan documented the art of jaggery making in Channapatna using the traditional method, where a bullock-powered mortar and pestle was used—now replaced by machines. This video compares the jaggery output of today with that of the 1800s.
Random Observations on Bengaluru, 890 CE to 1854
Beginning with early inscriptions, this short piece looks at some interesting facets ofBengaluru’s history and geography. Read here
Buchanan, George Gunton and a Divergent View of the Great Divergence
George Gunton proposed a demand-centric theory to explain the root cause for the divergence between countries. Effectual demand that arises from social wants becomes the precondition for capital investment and growth in real wages. While social wants in the West and East were almost on par until the thirteenth century, the advent of free towns […]
Retracing Buchanan’s Journey
It is almost two decades now that we began retracing Francis Buchanan’s Journey. Although we are far from having completed the entire route, the experience so far has been fascinating, persuading us to study history in ways that we might have otherwise missed. In this lecture delivered at the Bangalore International Centre, Dr. Sashi Sivramkrishna […]
A Long Morning
In February 1800, Dr. Francis Buchanan, on his survey of southern India had visited Honnavar, a small coastal town in the present-day district of Uttara Kannada in the state of Karnataka. He had recorded the importance of fishing as a commercial activity but had little to say about the lives and livelihoods of the fishers. […]
A Life at Sea
In February 1800, Dr. Francis Buchanan, on his survey of southern India had visited Honnavar, a small coastal town in the present-day district of Uttara Kannada in the state of Karnataka. He had recorded the importance of fishing as a commercial activity but had little to say about the lives and livelihoods of the fishers. […]
A comparative study of the forests of Savandurga, Karnataka, between 1800-01 and the present
Research undertaken by Murali Sreenivasa Ecologist and Coordinator. The primary goal of the project was to retrace Buchanan’s route in Magadi and surrounding environs to note and document the faunal characteristics and composition. You can read our report here
