Discovery Of Prehistory Ancient India

Focuses On The Ideas And Work Of Alexander Cunningham And Examines The Contribution Of His Assistants-Beglar And Carlleyle. Examines The Defenitions Of Archaeological Research, The Conflict Between Archaeologists And Scholars And Different Approaches Towards The Conservation Of Historical Monuments. Reconstructs The History Of-Bodh Gaya, Sanchi And Bharat And Amravati. Useful For General Readers Interested In India`S Antiguity, Students And Researchers. Has 10 Chapters Followed By A Useful Bibliography And An Index.

Nationalist and Revolutionary While a high school student, I actively participated in the Mahatma Gandhis 1942 movement Quit India. I felt disappointed because only a few prominent leaders like Gandhi and Nehru were imprisoned. On Sept. 9, 1945, under the patronage of the Dadu District British Collector, the town dignitaries including my grand father and Mr. Tuljaram Nagrani, the principal of the town High school, along with the matriculate students had assembled at the Hindu temple to celebrate the victory of the Allies at the WW II. Sweets were distributed. I threw the sweets on the floor. The reason I did this was not because I sided with the Axis powers. But because Indian soldiers were fighting for Britain, as India was not a free country. Next morning, the Principal got me in his office and whipped me several times on my palms and ordered me to leave the school and come back with my parent. The principal told my father that Jagat to pay a fine of Rs. 5 and threatened that in case of denial I will be rusticketed (expelled from school as a bad character student) and no school would admit me. I am proud of my father that he said that only Jagat to decide. I said that paying fine means admission of the guilt. In my opinion it was not a guilt. I, with recommendation of my class teacher Mr. Chandnani, got admission in the P. H. High School, Dadu, only about 50 miles away from my home town. In 1947 on the eve of partition, there was an accidently bomb explosion in Karachi, suspected of an RSS activity. Several RSS leaders were arrested. A Khalsa police officer secretly alerted my grand father to hide me to avoid arrest. I, along with a few RSS pracharaks, secretly reached Karachi to take a ship for Okha, Gujarat, then train to Baroda. In 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. Because Godse was an RSS member, the whole RSS all over India was banned. I participated in the collective protest against the injustice of punishing the whole RSS organization because of the crime by its only one RSS member. Whole family can not be punished because of the crime of its one member. I was imprisoned in Baroda jail for four months. Thousands of RSS members all over India were imprisoned. Dr. Jagat K. Motwani

This volume is a study of the European discovery of India's ancient past. Two hundred years ago, India was seen as a place with little history and less culture. Today it is revered for a notable prehistory, a magnificent classical age and a cultural tradition unique in both character and continuity. How this extraordinary change in perception came about is the subject of this book. The excitement of unearthing a city twice as old as Rome, the realization that the Buddha was not a god but a historical figure, the glories of a literature as rich as anything known in Europe, the drama of encountering a veritable Sistine chapel deep in the jungle, and the delight of categorizing 'the most glorious galaxy of monuments in the world' fell, for the most part, to men who were officials of the British Raj. Their response to the unfamiliar -- the explicitly sexual statuary, the incomprehensible scripts, the enigmatic architecture -- and the revelations which resulted, revolutionized ideas not just about India but about civilization as a white man's prerogative.

The culture of the inhabitants of the Asian subcontinent during the prehistoric era is graphically introduced by a distinguished archaeologist

Basic Approach Developed as a comprehensive introductory work for scholars and students of ancient and early medieval Indian history, this books provides the most exhaustive overview of the subject. Dividing the vast historical expanse from the stone age to the 12th century into broad chronological units, it constructs profiles of various geographical regions of the subcontinent, weaving together and analysing an unparalleled range of literary and archaeological evidence. Dealing with prehistory and protohistory of the subcontinent in considerable detail, the narrative of the historical period breaks away from conventional text-based history writing. Providing a window into the world primary sources, it incorporates a large volume of archaeological data, along with literary, epigraphic, and numismatic evidence. Revealing the ways in which our past is constructed, it explains fundamental concepts, and illuminates contemporary debates, discoveries, and research. Situating prevailing historical debates in their contexts, Ancient and Early Medieval India presents balanced assessments, encouraging readers to independently evaluate theories, evidence, and arguments. Beautifully illustrated with over four hundred photographs, maps, and figures, Ancient and Early Medieval India helps visualize and understand the extraordinarily rich and varied remains of the ancient past of Indian subcontinent. It offers a scholarly and nuanced yet lucid account of India s early past, and will surely transform the discovery of this past into an exciting experience. Tabel of Contents List of photographs List of maps List of figures About the author Preface Acknowledgements A readers guide 1. Understanding Literary and Archaeological Sources 2. Hunter-Gatherers of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Ages 3. The Transition to Food Production: Neolithic,Neolithic Chalcolithic, and Chalcolithic Villages, c. 7000 2000 bce 4. The Harappan Civilization, c. 2600 1900 bce 5. Cultural Transitions: Images from Texts and Archaeology, c. 2000 600 bce 6. Cities, Kings, and Renunciants: North India, c. 600 300 bce 7. Power and Piety: The Maurya Empire, c. 324 187 bce 8. Interaction and Innovation, c. 200 BCE 300 ce 9. Aesthetics and Empire, c. 300 600 ce 10. Emerging Regional Configurations, c. 600 1200 ce Note on diacritics Glossary Further readings References Index Author Bio Upinder Singh is Professor in the Department of History at the University of Delhi. She taught history at St. Stephen s College, Delhi, from 1981 until 2004, after which she joined the faculty of the Department of History at the University of Delhi. Professor Singh s wide range of research interests and expertise include the analysis of ancient and early medieval inscriptions; social and economic history; religious institutions and patrona≥ history of archaeology; and modern history of ancient monuments. Her research papers have been published in various national and international journals. Her published books include: Kings, Brahmanas, and Temples in Orissa: An Epigraphic Study (AD 300 1147) (1994); Ancient Delhi (1999; 2nd edn., 2006); a book for children, Mysteries of the Past: Archaeological Sites in India (2002); The Discovery of Ancient India: Early Archaeologists and the Beginnings of Archaeology (2004); and Delhi: Ancient History (edited, 2006).

This thoroughly researched firstvolume on the history ofIndiashows that the development of human culture in South Asia can be properly understood only by studying the prehistoric past. The prehistoric phase forms the longest period in human history, covering a few millennia, whereas the knowledge of writingwas acquired by manjust 5,000 years ago. The antiquity of man now goes back to 3.6 million years, and since then man has been progressing against all odds. This book details the systematic excavations that have been carried out and the data that has been scientifically analyzed to show the stages of cultural evolution from food gathering to food producing, including contributions from acknowledged experts in the field. It also places significantemphasis on scientific evidence to demonstrate the role of the environment in the evolution of cultures."

Many spectacular discoveries of archeaological significance have been made in the Indian subcontinent since the first appearance of Raymond and Bridget Allchin's book The Birth of Indian Civilization, for long the most authoritative and widely read text on its subject. Advances in related fields, particularly in geomorphology, palaeobotany and palaeoclimatology, have also radically altered our picture of the emergence of Indian civilisation. In The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan the authors have completely revised and rewritten their earlier work to present an integrated and dynamic account of human culture in South Asia. Drawing primarily upon the archaeological record, and supported by ethnographic, linguistic and historical evidence, the authors trace the origins and development of culture in India and Pakistan from its earliest roots in Palaeolithic times, through the rise and disintegration of the great Indus Civilization to the emergence of regional cultures, and the arrival and spread of Indo-Aryan speaking peoples. They conclude with the early Buddhist period and the appearance of city states right across Pakistan and North India, establishing the pattern of subcontinental unity and regional diversity that was to characterize the country henceforward. The authors have made every attempt to incorporate the results of the most recent research and their book is illustrated throughout with photographs, maps and line diagrams. Offering an original and stimulating perspective on the archaeology of the subcontinent, The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan will be invaluable to students of South Asian culture and early history. It will also appeal to anyone interested in historical geography, world prehistory and archaeology in general.