Acknowledgements
Preface
1. The Antecedents
The discovery of India; changing approaches to Indian history; the
archaeological background
2. The Impact of Aryan Culture
Sources of evidence; The political organizations of the Aryan
tribes; caste and other social institutions; Vedic relgion
3. Republics and Kingdoms c. 600-321 B.C.
Evolving political patterns; the rise of the kingdom of Magadha;
the rule of the Nandas; North-western India and contacts with
Persia; the growth of towns; the rise of heterodox sects; Jainism
and Buddhism
4. The Emergence of Empire 321-185 B.C.
The Mauryan kings; Mauryan contacts with neighbouring states;
society and economic activity; Mauryan administration; Ashoka and
his policy of Dhamma; the decline of the Mauryan empire
5. The Disintegration of Empire c. 200 B.C.-A.D. 300
The political fragmentation of the sub-continent: the Shunga
dynasty, King Kharavela of Kalinga, The Indo-Greek kings, The
Shakas, The Kushanas, The Satavhana dynasty, South Indian Kingdoms;
trade routes and communications
6. The Rise of the Mercantile Community c. 200
B.C.-A.D.300
Guilds; Roman trade with south India; interation of Indian and
Hellenic ideas in northern India; India's contacts with China and
south-east Asia; changes in society; education and literature;
Buddhist art and architecture; Mahayana Buddhism; developments in
Hinduism; the coming of Christianity
7. The Evolution of the "Classical" Pattern c. A.D.
300-700
The rule of the Guptas; Hun invasions; some post-Gupta dynasties;
the reign of Harsha; changing agrarian relations; trade; the
pattern of living; education and learning; Hindu art and
architecture; development in Buddhism; changes in Hinduism;
philosophical schools; Indian contacts with China and south-east
Asia
8. Conflict in the Southern Kingdoms c. A.D. 500-900
The Chalukya, Pallava, and Pandya conflicts; political organization
and administration; the Agrarian system; the status of the brahman;
the philosophy of Shankara; the growth of Tamil literature; the
Tamil devotional cult; mural painting in the Deccan; temple
architecture
9. The South in the Ascendant c. A.D. 900-1300
The rise of the Cholas; Chola administration; the village in the
Chola economy; trade; the role of the temple in Chola society; the
development of the languages of the peninsula; popular cults and
sects; the philosophy of Ramanuja and Madhva; architecture and
sculpture
10. The Beginnings of Regional States in Northern India c. A.D.
700-1200
Political struggle between the Rashtrakutas, Pratiharas, and Palas;
the arrival of the Arabs in Sind; rise of new kingdoms; growth of
Raiput power; campaigns of Mahmud of Ghazni; the Afghan army;
Muhammad Ghuri
11. Feudalism in the Regional States c. A.D. 800-1200
Beginnings of regional loyalty; emerging pattern of agrarian
relations; social structure; literature in Sanskrit and in the
newly developing languages; temples and sculpture; changes in
Hinduism, the devotional cult, and the Tantric sects; decline of
Buddhism; the arrival of the Sufis
12. The Re-alignment of Regional Kingdoms c. A.D.
1200-1526
Source material on the Delhi Sultanate; the Slave dynasty and the
Khalji dynasty; political organization; the Tughluq dynasty;
relations between the rulers and the ruled; the Sayyid and Lodi
dynasties; the kingdoms of Gujarat, Mewar, Marwar, and Bengal
13. Assimilation on Trial c. A.D. 1200-1526
Trends in the impact of Islam on India; balance of power between
king and theologian; administrative structure of the Sultanate; the
economy; the social framework; religious expression as seen in the
Bhakti movement and the Sufis; new languages and literatures;
miniature painting; Islamic architecture
14. The South Conforms c. A.D. 1300-1526>/b>
The rise of the Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms in the Deccan;
changes in the socio-economic background; trade; religion
Chronological table
Glossary
References to quotations
General bibliography
Bibliographical note on sources
Index
Romila Thapar is Emeritus Professor of History at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
Ask a Question About this Product More... |