On this day: Madras in 1865

The Barque “Wallaroo” Arriving at Madras 6th June, 1865. The painting is by British artist Frederick Tudgay.

Madras, in India, is now known as Chennai.

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On this day: the bombing of the Kashmir Princess

The Kashmir Princess, an aircraft operated by Air India, was bombed and sank into the South China Sea on the 11th of April, 1955.

Of the nineteen people on board, sixteen died.

Zhou Enlai in 1946

It emerged that the target of the bombing was China’s first Premier, Zhou Enlai, though he was not on the flight. More recently it has emerged that he might have known about the assassination attempt and so did not board the plane, even though he claimed to have been delayed due to surgery.

The aeroplane was supposed to have travelled from Bombay, India to Hong Kong and then on to Jakarta, Indonesia.

While China accused the United States’ CIA for the bombing, America has always denied the claims. Evidence points to Kremlin-backed Chinese nationalist party Kuomintang as the likely bombers.

On this day: the Kangra earthquake

On the 4^th of April, 1905, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in northern India’s Kangra Valley. More than 20 000 people were killed, and some 100 000 buildings were destroyed.

On this day: the theft of the Peacock Throne

On the 22nd of March, 1739 Nader Shah of Persia (Iran) sacked the Indian city of Delhi and stole the jewels of the famous Peacock Throne. The seat of the Mughal emperors who ruled the north of India, the throne was never seen again.

Nader Shah

A replacement throne was made, and existed until a rebellion in 1857.

On this day: the Shri Swaminarayan Temple

The Shri Swaminarayan Temple, Ahmedabad in India was established on the 24th of February, 1822.

The temple, as it appeared in an 1866 book:

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On this day: the University of Calcutta is established

The University of Calcutta was established on the 24th of January, 1857. The proposal for a university in India was first tendered by a British man named Dr Fredrick John. The first proposal failed, but a second was accepted in 1854.

Calcutta University, photographed in 1870.

The first Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of the Calcutta University were Governor General Lord Canning and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Sir James William Colvile, respectively.

Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning, photographed in the 1840s.