Wiki

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Someone should make a well-sourced and systematic effort into doing “ancient India worldbuilding”, that could then be referred to by people making books/films about Indian history or historical fantasy.

Like a detailed illustrated wiki including

• drawings of ancient Indian cities, forts, ports, ships, caravans (from @ilustratedIndia /percy brown/oddcompass/balage balogh), as well as technical sketches
• maps
• various exotic tribes and groups, e.g. vrātyas, paṇi, nāgas, niṣādas, mālavas, and the evolution of theological sects (bhagavata, śaiva, the sūta-originated literature, śramaṇa sects of note)
• technologies present, especially highly-prevalent technologies like hydraulic stuff and military tech
• simple tools, writing materials – also what wasn’t present (don’t show people using telescopes or papyrus scrolls, or abundant glassware)
• clothing and hairstyle depictions, as differing by region and caste
• military clothing/armour/weapons, types of soldiers, approx military compositions of various kingdoms
• exotic yantras (e.g. collapsible palaces, Śataghnī etc) and chemicals described in KAS and other texts
• descriptions of various “institutions” – universities, courtrooms, assemblies in monarchies and republics, guilds, debates – and their activities.
• "a day in the life of [each āśrama/each varṇa/courtesans/the king/…]
• descriptions of economic institutions – guilds and corporations, coin mints, merchant caravans on road and sea – and their activities
• markets and the goods most present in them
• “themes” that people would talk about and think in terms of, also themes from the modern memespace they wouldn’t have talked about.
• examples of plots, magic tricks and superstitions as described by Kautilya

The work is impressive, but Indians shouldn’t be satisfied with re-tellings of the same 2 ancient wars and 2 medieval kingdoms. There must be a film set in the time of Janaka of Mithila, during the great debates, when the first cities were established and far-venturing ascetics settled wild lands in south india and afghanistan. A “pirates of Suvarṇabhūmī” type series (but no retarded twist, the pirates are the bad guys and the Indian explorers are the good guys) about early adventures in Suvarṇabhūmī. Or about the tale of Sanudāsa the prodigal son who took to the seas to repay his family’s debts; plenty of room for artistic creativity to talk about his adventures in Africa/Socotra/Mediterranean/Central Asia. A love story in the time of the Ārya-Nāga enemity, culminating in Janamejaya ending the sarpasatra sacrifice. An intrigue set in late Mauryan times, when the Buddhist Deep State was conspiring with the Greco-Bactrian Buddhists, culminating in Puṣyamitra Śuṅga ending the Mauryan dynasty and putting the traitors to the sword, with the help of Khāravela who had long yearned for revenge for his people (Kaliṅga and Jains). That Buddhist story about the curious young boy who ventured to Rome in order to obtain their superior robot-making technology for India. A Battle of the Ten Kings adaptation but with actual proper intrigue and strategy not just brief boom-bam-victory this is our history kids. And of course, a story on Kautilya whose complexity does justice to the strategic genius he is known for.