Humanism

A term coined in the nineteenth century to describe philosophical doctrines that originated in thirteenth and fourteenth-century Italy that emphasised individual and collective human interests and endeavours founded on reason, logic and ethics. It has been a dominant strand in the evolution of modern educational and political systems.

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Kharoshthi

An ancient writing system used in parts of present-day central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India for official documents and commercial…

Upanishad

A body of texts written in Sanskrit and considered to be the latter part of the Vedas. They cover issues…

Domingo Paes

Domingo Paes (b. n.d.; d. n.d.) was a Portuguese horse trader who visited Vijayanagara, the capital of the Vijayanagara empire,…

Shaivite Upanishads

A body of fourteen Upanishadic texts dedicated to Shaiva traditions and practice, which expound on the worship of the Hindu…

Sangha

A monastic order comprising bhikkhus (monks) and bhikkhunis (nuns), it is one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism. From the…

Karma

A philosophical concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, and a spiritual principle of cause and effect wherein the actions…

Nayanar

A group of sixty-three Shaivite poet-saints in Tamil Nadu between the third to eighth century CE. Belonging to diverse castes,…

Padshahnama

The illustrated official history of the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Compiled in the mid-seventeenth century, it contains…