Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain


Book Description

This Book Discuses The Ancient Historical Geography Of The Lower And Middle Sections Of The Ganga Plain. Its Basis Is A Field-Study Of The Distribution Of Archaeological Sites In The Region. This Extremely Significant Work Of Scholarship Has Detailed Maps And A Large Plate Section.




Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain


Book Description

Illustrations: 24 Figures, 11 B/w Illustrations, 4 Maps Description: Based on archaeological field-work for six seasons (1999-2001, 2002-5), this book examines the problems of ancient political units, urban centres, and routes of the upper Ganga plain between Pratapgarh in the South and the foothills of Uttaranchal (Uttarakhand) in the north. Summary: This book demonstrates how it is possible to gain insights into the ancient historical reality of a region by going over the modern ground with a feel for the land, historical understanding, and the scholarship to back it. This is a path-breaking effort in Indian archaeology.




Geographical Thoughts in India


Book Description

This book deals with roots of Indian geographical thoughts with reference to its historical base, cultural context and visionary message. As a consequence of long cultural history the resultant lifeworld in India converges like a drama and dance of space-time function with transference and transformation. In the passage of time emerged a metaphysical frame of thought, the varieties of heritagescapes, and simultaneously grown the senses to heritage ecology. Of course, attempts have been scanty but the richness always portrayed in literature and literary geography. Historical and cultural geographies in India have not caught that much attention in the academia; however on micro-level distinct attributes are interpreted in the recent literature. Going back to the ancient notions of nature theology, religioscapes and rituals have developed a complex network of belief systems in the Hindu traditions. In these traditions the motherly river Ganga serves as symbol, system and metaphor in the Indian culture. Continuity of cultural manifestations is actively maintained and continued in the Indian villages, where lives three-fourths of India’s population, and serve like a ‘place ballet’. India’s catastrophic march on the road of development and technology is entangled with obstacles and socio-spatial gaps that need to be re-considered in the light of cultural background and historical legacy. All these issues are examined, emphasising dualistic and complimentary perspectives in the West and the East. Contents: Viewpoints on the book: v-viii; List of Tables, List of Figures: xi-xvi; Foreword: Prof. Martin J. Haigh (Oxford Brooke University, UK): 1-8; Preface, Acknowledgements: 9-21, 1. Metaphysics and Sacred Ecology: Cosmos, Theos, Anthropos: 23-57, 2. Lifeworld, Lifecycle and Home: 58-97, 3. Landscape as Text: Literary Geography and Indian Context: 98-128, 4. Historical Geography of India: Trends in the 21st century: 129-162, 5. Cultural Geography of India: Trends in the 21st century: 163-195, 6. Geographic Milieu and Belief Systems: An Appraisal: 196-226, 7. Sacred space and Faithscape: 227-266, 8. The Ganga River: Images and Symbol of India: 267-302, 9. Indian Village: A Phenomenological Understanding: 303-350, 10. Heritagescapes of India: Appraising Heritage ecology: 351-393, and 11. Development in India: Appraising Self Retrospection: 394-422; index: 423-430; author 431.




Archaeology and Religion in Early Northwest India


Book Description

This book explores the ways in which past cultures have been used to shape colonial and postcolonial cultural identities. It provides a theoretical framework to understand these processes, and offers illustrative case studies in which the agency of ancient peoples, rather than the desires of antiquarians and archaeologists, is brought to the fore.




Ashoka in Ancient India


Book Description

In the third century BCE Ashoka ruled in South Asia and Afghanistan, and came to be seen as the ideal Buddhist king. Disentangling the threads of Ashoka’s life from the knot of legend that surrounds it, Nayanjot Lahiri presents a vivid biography of an emperor whose legacy extends far beyond the bounds of his lifetime and dominion.




Urbanisation in Bengal


Book Description

This volume presents a comprehensive study of the urbanization of Bengal from ancient to postcolonial times. It analyses the notion of urban space, examines the institutions which constitute the ‘urban’, and explores the crises brought about by the Partition. The book highlights the key features of urbanization in colonial Bengal––the print culture, institutions of Western education and Western medicine, and the census as a ‘modern form of knowledge’. It also looks at the refugee movement and discusses the contribution of Partition refugees in urbanizing Bengal. Rich in archival sources, this book will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of urban history, urban studies, Indian history, colonial history, postcolonial studies, partition studies, and South Asian history, particularly those interested in Bengal.




Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks


Book Description

This exploration of early paths for Buddhist transmission within and beyond South Asia retraces the footsteps of monks, merchants, and other agents of cross-cultural exchange. A reassessment of literary, epigraphic, and archaeological sources reveals hisorical contexts for the growth of the Buddhist saṅgha from approximately the 5th century BCE to the end of the first millennium CE. Patterns of dynamic Buddhist mobility were closely linked to transregional trade networks extending to the northwestern borderlands and joined to Central Asian silk routes by capillary routes through transit zones in the upper Indus and Tarim Basin. By examining material conditions for Buddhist establishments at nodes along these routes, this book challenges models of gradual diffusion and develops alternative explanations for successful Buddhist movement.




Crisis on the Coast and Hinterland


Book Description

This contributed volume assesses the state and future of India’s East Coast through a wide variety of chapters grouped by methodology and approach. Part I: Assessment through Geomorphological Approaches describes geomorphological diversities of the eastern shorelines of India, Coastal Modelling System- SMC and morphodynamics of Odisha coast, Paleo shorelines and beach ridge chenier formations of Subarnarekha delta, seasonal sediment budget of Chandrabhaga beachdune system, Beach stage and dune stage modelling Mandarmoni coast, drainage characters of South Andaman Islands, coastal foredune morphology and sediment of Odisha and West Bengal, Geo-archaeological pieces of evidence of ancient coastal environment, coastal sediment characters, beach ridge formation in the chenier coast, and geomorphological changes of ancient ports and harbours in the shoreline of West Bengal. Part II: Assessment through Environmental Approaches addresses various environmental assessment techniques of mangrove sensitivity to the sea level rise process in the Sundarban, land degradation of the hinterland drainage basins, the riparian environment of the coastal drainage basins, agricultural adaptability in response to climate variability in the coastal areas of West Bengal, forest degradations of the lateritic upland tracts, coastal tourism potentialities in Odisha and West Bengal, Climate variabilities and agricultural modifications in the hinterland areas of West Bengal districts, the tidal flat environment of Sagar Island, landforms and Geomorphosites for the promotion of Geotourism in South Andaman Perils of Premature Reclamation of Sundarban, marine litter in the coastal regions of West Bengal and Odisha on flora, fauna and humans, Ground water contamination due to saline water encroachment in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Spatio-temporal changes in the Hugli estuarine environment and coastal hazards and flood risk of southwestern Sundarban. Part III: Assessment through Remote Sensing & GIS Approaches uses the aforementioned techniques in service of exploration of monitoring health of Mangrove forest, Geomorphological analysis of the coral fringed coasts of Andaman, hydrological and morphological variations of Ichhamati Tidal estuary, multivariate analysis of coastal vulnerabilities, geography of tourism resources in Andaman group of islands, tourism climate index with application geospatial techniques, diversity of landscape ecology in the coastal blocks of Purba Medinipur, overwash vulnerability in Odisha coast, livelihood security index of the coastal communities, managing coastal squeeze response and wetland loss in the estuarine coastal tract of West Bengal, environmental effects of historical land reclamation process in the Sundarban, and emerging environmental problems of coastal urbanization in Digha, Kanthi, and Haldia.




Historical Dictionary of Ancient India


Book Description

India's history and culture is ancient and dynamic, spanning back to the beginning of human civilization. Beginning with a mysterious culture along the Indus River and in farming communities in the southern lands of India, the history of India is punctuated by constant integration with migrating peoples and with the diverse cultures that surround the country. Placed in the center of Asia, history in India is a crossroads of cultures from China to Europe, as well as the most significant Asian connection with the cultures of Africa. The Historical Dictionary of Ancient India provides information ranging from the earliest Paleolithic cultures in the Indian subcontinent to 1000 CE. The ancient history of this country is related in this book through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on rulers, bureaucrats, ancient societies, religion, gods, and philosophical ideas.




Buddhist Landscapes in Central India


Book Description

The “monumental bias” of Buddhist archaeology has hampered our understanding of the socio-religious mechanisms that enabled early Buddhist monks to establish themselves in new areas. To articulate these relationships, Shaw presents here the first integrated study of settlement archaeology and Buddhist history, carried out in the area around Sanchi, a Central Indian UNESCO World Heritage site. Her comprehensive, data-rich, and heavily illustrated work provides an archaeological basis for assessing theories regarding the dialectical relationship between Buddhism and surrounding lay populations. It also sheds light on the role of the introduction of Buddhism in changing settlement patterns.This volume was originally published in 2007 by the British Association of South Asian Studies.