Well exam season and massive work to do was a thing, anyway... Greetings, readers, and welcome to the next Dev Diary for After the End – Old World! This week, we take a bit of a detour to the far East – the land of India, more specifically.
India has endured in one form or another for over five thousand years, and great though the chaos and turmoil of the Event was, it was merely one more disaster among a lengthy history. Though much has changed, much yet remains the same.
Faith and Fire
India is a land with a rich history, but it is not a history without division, the most notable, enduring, and vicious of these being the division between native and non-native religions. Despite the loss of much information over the course of centuries, the ancient animosities between Islam and non-Muslim religions in the subcontinent have been remembered well, and with the breakdown of the international order that kept such animosity (somewhat) constrained, warfare between them has become the norm. As it is impossible to understand India without understanding its religions, we will now provide you with an overview of these.
The Ways of Dharma
The entity sometimes called “Hinduism” has never been a single religion in the sense of the Abrahamic faiths, instead being an umbrella term for a broad variety of traditions and schools with many shared beliefs. This has not changed in the 26th century, as the faiths of India morph and alter themselves to accommodate new realities. By the year 2555, these changes have resulted in two dominant currents in Hindu thought and practice. While these currents are still very broad, and multiple schools and differences of opinion exist within each, for game purposes these streams of thought are treated as different overarching religions.
The Flower of Bharat
In the years leading up to and following the Event, debate raged over the question of what it meant to truly “be an Indian”. Was it sufficient to be of Indian lineage? Was it possible for a foreigner to become Indian? Was culture or blood the determining factor? Most crucially, was it necessary for him to follow a Vedic religion? Different answers were proposed to each of these questions by different teachers, but the school of thought known as Bharatva was born out of those who answered with a triumphalist, majoritarian response. Bharatva maintains many of the traditional Vedic beliefs (in reincarnation, in dharma, Brahma and Atman, etc), but adds to these an extremely rigorous and combative attitude towards unbelievers and a firmly literalist interpretation of Hindu scripture. Bharatvists believe that all Indians ought to be united under a single Great King, and that “foreign” religions have no place there. As a result, they are by far the most aggressive of the Dharmic religions, and harbour particular hatred for Abrahamic religions. Other “Dharmic” religions such as Sikhism and Jainism are tolerated, but are considered inferior to the way of Bharatva. In addition, Bharatva schools face controversy by their insistence on the importance of the caste system, which many other schools and currents of thought were eager to discard.
Bharatva contains within it a multitude of schools of thought, such as:
-Aryasamajists, monotheistic proselytisers who boost conversion strength
-Savarkari, who focus on Indian culture rather than religion per se, and receive Learning bonuses
-Bharata Gandhists, who believe that the legendary Mahatma was the reincarnation of King Bharat. They are even more aggressive than standard Bharatvists, advocating for the expansion of the Hindu State far beyond the borders of India.
Other schools familiar from the basegame version of CK2 will also be present, such as Vaishnavism and Shaivism.
Neo-Vedantic
The term “Neo-Vedantic” was not one chosen by its own practitioners, for it implies that they are not “really” a Vedantic religion, but merely a monstrous, second-hand knockoff of such. Indeed, that is the very purpose of the term, for it was first used by Bharatvist polemicists to insult and demean Hindus who disagreed with their doctrines. Nonetheless, the term has stuck, and it is by this label that they are referred to in-game.
Neovedantics vary widely in their beliefs, and are to some degree defined by their opposition to what they see as the excesses and disgraces of the Bharatvists, their most bitter enemies. In fact, Bharatvists and Neovedantics despise each other so bitterly (each seeing the other as a deep perversion of true Dharma) that not only can they declare Holy Wars on each other, Neovedantists can only declare traditional Holy Wars on Bharatvists, and have to settle for Minor Holy Wars against heathens!
Neovedantism still holds most of the traditional, distinctly-Indian religious beliefs and practices, but they also incorporate beliefs and practices from India’s long subjugation under the fabled British Empire, of which only legends remain. Most notably, most Neovedantics do not believe in the necessity of the caste system, regarding it either as a relic fit only for a previous era or an outright corruption introduced by Brahmins in the Middle Ages. There are a variety of schools of thought, such as the Brahamo (monotheists who reject Hindu mythology in favour of a rational faith), the Ramakrishnas (another branch of monotheists who focus on missionary work, and are one of the few Indian religious branches enthusiastic about preaching to heathens), and the Vaishnava Gandists (followers of a school of Vaishnavism that holds that the legendary Mahatma, venerated as a Sant by nearly all Indians, was in fact an Avatar of Vishnu. Their special focus is on synthesis, syncretism, and religious peace). Other schools more familiar from vanilla CK2, such as Shaktism and Smartism, are also still present.
The Land of Five Rivers
The north-western part of India has always been a place of many faiths, and the Event did little to change that. The region is dominated by two primary powers – in the North, Maharaja Raavi Singh rules over the ancestral holy land of the Sikh people.
They face a somewhat precarious position, surrounded by realms of different religions. Fortunately for them, their most powerful neighbour, the Neo-Vedantic Mishra Kingdom, cannot declare Holy Wars on them. However, their other neighbors can, including the Afghan Emirs, the Bharatvist warlords of Rajasthan, and possibly their most severe threat, the Indari Sultanate to their south, who claim descent from the rulers of the mythic land of Pakistan.
Will the words of Guru Grant Sahib continue to guide people to salvation? Or will the Second Sikh Empire be destroyed like its predecessor?
The Sacred Valley
The largest Kingdom of ancient India, Uttar Pradesh is the fertile heartland of Indic civilisation. The Gangetic floodplain supports agriculture strong enough to feed millions, though nothing like the surely-mythical yields that are said to have been possible to the pre-Event civilisation. The terrain and high populations of the region have resulted in much conflict, which has finally resolved itself in the form of three ruling dynasties; the Mishras, the Guptas, and the Anands. The conflict has grown ever more intense with the interference of the Nepali kingdom, whose Buddhist rulers find it prudent to keep their southern neighbours eternally feuding with each other.
The Guptas were once minor landholders in Delhi, but rose to power in a coup against a King seen as weak and corrupt. Known adherents of the extremist Barata Ganda school, they set out to purge India from what they viewed as ‘impure’ influences. This was followed by a horrific campaign of persecution and violence against Muslim minorities within the Guptas’ realm. This earned them the especial ire of the Mishras, who were famous for their protection and even patronage of Muslims within their own lands, even the unorthodox and highly persecuted Ahmadiyya. Believers in the Vaishna Ganda school, they were firm believers in freedom of religion, and were disgusted that the Guptas could be so blasphemous as to slaughter Muslims in the name of the Mahatma. A fierce war ensued, which resulted in a bloody stalemate, during which many members of religious minorities fled across the Ganges and settled in Mishra territory. Both attempt to consolidate their power in anticipation of final victory in Uttar Pradesh. The Guptas have done this by annexing and absorbing smaller warlords south of the River, while the Mishras have made formal alliances of marriage with the Anand dynasty of Bihar.
Religious map
Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharastra
The western parts of India are fractured and often violent, with Kingdoms rising and falling in the span of a single generation. The Rajput peoples have no clear leader after the death of the Yunani conqueror Laskandar, with multiple Rajas struggling for a position of supremacy. Meanwhile, Gujarat, led by the Republic of the ancient Mohdey dynasty, struggles to fend off both Rajput raiders and the tentative efforts of the Desai kings, who, despite purporting to follow the way of ahimsa, are eager to find a way to reclaim the Jain holy places of Gujarat.
The Yunani were once a minor population descending from a country to the far west known as Hellene. While they do not remember much of this land, they still follow it's old faith, the Orthodox Christianity of their ancestor. Still, they were a minor group until only a few years ago. Then, the great Yunani conqueror Laskander Mumbaikar rose to prominence, and Rajput was all united... until his untimely death. This left his generals to contend the kingdom, as his now defenseless young son watches from a minor throne he may not keep.
Meanwhile, Gujarat is the seat of a government unheard of in the subcontinent, even if similar to that of other parts of the world. The so called Oligarchic Republic is a unique form of rulership that vassals and councillors to elect the heir of the Emperor from amongst themselves and his sons. Ruling from cities rather than Castles, the Oligarchic Republic is less protected, but far more rich than any of it's neighbours.
Jainism has been a minority religion in India for many centuries. However, in the late 24th century, a great holy man named Neeraj Karmarkar initiated a revival of the way of ahimsa in western Maharastra. Possessed of apparently-miraculous powers and claiming to be a reincarnation of the Mahatma himself, Neeraj founded the religious order known as the Neeraji, who have made the spread of the faith throughout all of India their main goal. Neeraji mystics and philosophers travel the subcontinent, engaging in debate, supporting the Jina and establishing monastic communities. Their success varies, sometimes accomplishing little, at other times sparking widespread conversions to Jainism, or even converting the rulers of entire realms. Some rulers attempt to clamp down on them, some embrace them genuinely, and others still tolerate them for the economic and technological benefits that they and their monasteries bring. In 2555, the Desai Raj is the only realm to officially follow Jainism, but the efforts of the Neeraji may change that yet.
Finally, there are two small, seemingly-insignificant vassals of the Desai, who nonetheless are very interesting: first, the line of House Bom, rulers of Goa, and followers of the faith of the Christ-beyond-the-seas:
Secondly, the house of Yadzgir, rulers of the prosperous city of Mumbai, descended from refugees from antique Persia, and one of the few remaining practitioners of the faith of Ahura Mazda:
Karnataka and the Deccan Plateau
The people of southern India have always been a little different from their northern cousins. The geography of the Deccan Plateau makes it difficult for outsiders to exert control over the region, but also makes it troublesome for rulers to expand beyond its borders. In 2555, most of Deccan has been unified underneath the Purandara Empire, a large realm that is ringed on all sides by smaller coastal powers. However, despite its size, the Empire is in a perilous position – the previous Emperor died young, with his one-year-old son his only heir. A regent rules the realm for now, but powerful and ambitious vassals vie for power, threatening to destabilise the Deccan. Purandara is a unique entity, a Confederation of lords, rather than a Feudal Empire. This means, among other things, that if the Emperor dies his successor will be elected amongst his vassals, and while for now they appeared content to choose the last of the Purandaras, this may not be true for long.
To the South, the resurgent Ramachandrans of Sri Lanka look hungrily for more land to expand to, bringing with them the oldest Buddhist school, the Theravada. Should the Purandaras fall apart, they may yet seek to replace them, and return Buddhism to a position of prominence in the land of its origin. However, the recent civil war in the last Theravada domain might spell it's doom.
A most unique realm in found in Chera Nadu, southwest of the Purandaras. This realm, Villarvattom, is ruled by people who call themselves Nasranis, known to Europe of old as the St.Thomas Christians. These people claim to have been brought the Faith by the Apostle Thomas over twenty-five centuries ago. Though they have long since lost communication with the rest of the Christian world, they have not forgotten their ancient faith, which has acculturated itself well to the Indian mind and sentiment. Over the centuries they have been vassals of the Purandaras, but the recent decline in Purandara power has left them more or less independent. Will they return to servitude to protect themselves from the ravages of the Buddhists and Brahmins? Or will they carve out their own Christian kingdom in the Tamil Nadu?
To the east lies the great alliance of merchant princes known as the Tamil Confederation (currently ruled by House Vairamuthu). This loose collection of city-states makes their living trading spices, ivory, and other luxury goods along the coasts of the subcontinent. They have always enjoyed the protection and patronage of the Purandaras, but with said power waning, they face new threats from Sri Lanka and the north - and there’s always the possibility that their benefactor could become unhappy with them.
The Jungles of The East
The eastern lands of Orissa and Gondwana were never prioritised as highly by the Ancients, and as such remained poorer and less developed, retaining in many parts a tribal way of life. However, this situation in some ways benefited them when the Event came, for they were better prepared for the post-Event world and the chaos which followed.
The Rajas of these areas are highly unusual, for many reasons. Firstly, and most notably, they follow a strange religion quite dissimilar from the ‘civilised’ traditions of India. The Maunaxites, as they are called, reject the idea of reincarnation and the caste system, which they regard as evil ideas created by the dark spirits, known as the “Lords of the Land”, to enslave and deceive the people. They worship Maushiva, the Scarlet King (identified with Shiva by many Hindus), whom they believe returns at appointed times throughout history to destroy the corrupt and wicked rulers and uplift the poor. They maintain that the Event was his judgement upon the wicked and corrupt Empire of India, which cared little or nothing for the poor and often persecuted them, and indeed were scarcely better than the wicked British which he liberated them from previously. The Maunaxites are extremely isolationist and usually only venture outside of their homelands to engage in raids, which are feared throughout Bengal and Karnataka for their ferocity.
Bengal, Land of Gold and Green
Bengal, also known as Bangla or Bangladesh, has always been a tumultuous country. A Muslim-majority area surrounded by non-Muslims, the societal collapse in the wake of the Event caused chaos and violence to escalate in the region. Petty kingdoms rose and fell, and the Bengal Delta changed hands between Muslim and Hindu several times. The current watchful peace in the area was established by Mansif Chowdhury, a powerful general of the then-King of Bengal. Attacked during a time of civil war and instability by an alliance of three Hindu kings from the west, only Mansif’s quick thinking and genius saved the realm. At the Battle of the Raging Waters, his numerically inferior force broke and drove back the combined armies of the kings, earning him the nickname ‘Hindu-Hammer’. Mansif was near-unanimously pronounced King by popular acclaim, overthrowing his old liege and establishing the Chowdhury dynasty. His reign is regarded as a golden age, lasting over fifty years until he died a natural death at the ripe age of eighty-one. Currently, his grandson Shahabuddin rules the realm and its tributaries, remaining the foremost power in the region – at least for the time being.
The Peoples of God
To the north of Bengal, in the jungles of Nagaland, a powerful Kingdom resists the advances of the Chowdhury Sultans and the Tibetan Kings both. Here, the tribesfolk were long ago catechised by missionaries from a foreign land. Because they accepted faith in Jesus Christ through baptism, they readily accepted the name of Baptists, and among them, traditional Assamese names such as Alisha, Darpak, Eeshan, and Divyesh sit side-by-side with names like Matthew, Mary, Christopher, and John.
Currently, the Liangmai dynasty rules, and have been so far successful in defending their homeland from the predations of the Bengal Sultans, ambushing their armies in the densely-forested hills and valleys of Nagaland. Yet, Maharaja John looks outward, a little uneasy. Defending one’s homeland is good, yes, but the Scriptures clearly teach that Christians must preach the Gospel to the whole world. Were not they themselves only saved because devout men and women from across the ocean were so aflame for the faith that they travelled to the dangerous lands of Assam, facing derision and hardship? How then can they, who are closer by distance, blood and culture to the peoples of India, fail to work for evangelisation also? Only time will tell, however, what will come of this sentiment.
Realm of the Dragon Emperor
To the north of Assam, on the border of ancient Tibet, lies a secretive and mystical realm. Known to some ancient scholars as “Bhutan”, the Thunder Dragon Empire claims dominion over a small realm, nestled in the mountains. Isolationist and mistrustful of outsiders, few enter or leave the Realm of the Dragon Emperor, but legend says that it was one of the only places completely spared the wrath of The Event, protected by their divinely-favoured monarchs. Though small, the Empire is extremely wealthy, with highly developed cities and temple complexes flourishing throughout its borders. There is much to say about their government, so much so that another DD entirely is uniquely dedicated to this land of survivors.

Followers of Tibetan Buddhism, the Wangchuck Emperors strive to maintain their unique way of life, free from the threat of Indian or Tibetan domination. But some wonder if the Dragon-Emperor should truly remain behind his walls forever. Would it not be better, some argue, to spread his enlightened rulership to more people? The present Emperor does not wish for this, but all it would require is for one of his heirs to be less peaceloving.
It Came From The Far Continent
Ancient legends tell of the distant past, when the mythical British Empire dominated the whole of the land of India, imposing their foreign ways and plundering the riches of the land. To most Indians of the 26th century, such stories were entertaining, and perhaps believed, but hardly considered relevant to their own everyday lives. The British, if they ever really did exist, were long gone, swept away by history. They were excellent sources of villains for works of fiction, and little more. All that changed a few decades ago. A party of foreign ships, looking rather ragged and their crews worse for wear, took refuge in the western port of Mumbai, where their pale complexions and outlandish clothing stirred up a storm of curiosity about them. They had managed to obtain the services of several Persian and Egyptian translators who were capable of intermediating between them and the natives, and it soon became clear that they desired to purchase land in India. Though they were initially permitted to stop in Mumbai, their arrogance and contempt towards local customs quickly earned them the ire of the locals. The ships fled following a brief struggle, but mere days later a larger fleet appeared on the horizon. However, the Desai Maharaja had not ignored the threat, and had already mustered his own sizable fleet to do battle with the invaders. Apparently unwilling to risk such a battle, the foreign fleet turned away and sailed south. However, the influence of the Purandara Empire made it impossible for them to make any serious attempt at landing in southern India. At last, having circled around almost the whole subcontinent, they made landfall in Kolkata. The local Raja, weakened by a recent defeat in battle against the Bengal Sultanate, was unable to put up much resistance, and within a few months the nearby countryside had been pacified. The new rulers announced their loyalty to the Great Queen, who had conquered this land ages ago, and for whose glory they were to reclaim it. The British had come again.
Now, James Crowhill faces a daunting but eminently worthy struggle. Though for now their position is relatively secure, they are, as expected, fairly unpopular in these lands. They brought with them a sizable contingent of soldiers from the Home Islands, enough to stand against even the Bengal Sultanate in an open fight. But these troops cannot be replenished, and if they are whittled down, it is unlikely that the natives can be convinced to give their lives for The Queen. Famed and feared though the British are, establishing their rule over such a huge land will be difficult. But if they were to succeed, what glory it would bring, to the Queen!
And what glory it would bring to his own house, also…
Conclusion
Whew! That sure was a heck of a journey! We hope you’ve enjoyed this look into the Indian subcontinent. It took a lot of time to make, due to its sheer size, coupled with the fact that none of us are naturally familiar with India, so it required a fair bit of research to ensure that our end product at least felt like India (and of course helped a lot the work of our Indian dev Darkstorm). Still, thank you for reading!