In 1026, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni raided the Hindu temple of Somanatha (Somnath in textbooks of the colonial period). The story of the raid has reverberated in Indian history, but largely during the ra
The Mauryan period witnessed the rise of the first subcontinental empire which required administration appropriate to a changing political economy, communication adequate to a subcontinental territory, and new ideological attempts to draw support from a multicultural population. This book provides a fresh interpretation of the history of early India and its linkages with later developments. It discusses the history of the Mauryas with a special emphasis on the reign and activities of A?oka. The author focuses on sources, socio-economic conditions, administration, Dhamma, foreign relations, and the decline of the Mauryas. This new edition includes a Pre-word, updating the research on the subject.This book is an important reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students and teachers, as well as researchers of ancient Indian history. It will also interest the informed general reader.
This book discusses the period from 1000 BC to the end of the sixth century AD. Divided into five thematic sections, the first section discusses questions like perceptions, historical consciousness, a
It has long been maintained that the only concept of time known to early India was cyclic. This in part accounts for the Indian denial of history, since a sense of history is based on linear time.This
This is a set of four volumes aimed at bringing together the best research by Romila Thapar to showcase her academic contributions to the understanding of history and historiography in India. The four
The figure of Sakuntala appears in many forms throughout South Asian literature, most famously in the "Mahabharata" and in Kalidisa's fourth-century Sanskrit play, "Sakuntala and the Ring of Recollect
The figure of Sakuntala appears in many forms throughout South Asian literature, most famously in the "Mahabharata" and in Kalidisa's fourth-century Sanskrit play, "Sakuntala and the Ring of Recollect
In 1026, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni raided the Hindu temple of Somanatha (Somnath in textbooks of the colonial period). The story of the raid has reverberated in Indian history, but largely during the ra
The claim, often made, that India--uniquely among civilizations--lacks historical writing distracts us from a more pertinent question, according to Romila Thapar: how to recognize the historical sense
Nations need identities. These are created from perceptions of how societies have evolved. In this, history plays a central role. Insisting on reliable history is therefore crucial to more than just a
Talking History is the eighth title in the OUP series of Ramin Jahanbegloo's conversations with prominent intellectuals who have influenced modern Indian thought. This volume excavates the life and ca
