History of India, in Nine Volumes: Vol. II - From the Sixth Century B.C. to the Mohammedan Conquest, Including the Invasion of Alexander the Great


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A special agency of censors was also organized for the purpose of enforcing the regulations concerning the sanctity of animal life and the observance of filial piety, in the most extended sense. These officers were expressly enjoined to concern themselves with all sects, and with every class of society, not excluding the royal family, while separate officials were charged with the delicate duty of supervising female morals. In practice, this system must have led to much espionage and tyranny] from Chapter VII: Asoka Maurya and His Successors First published in 1906, this classic nine-volume history of the nation of India places it among the storied lands of antiquity, alongside Egypt, China, and Mesopotamia. Edited by American academic ABRAHAM VALENTINE WILLIAMS JACKSON (18621937), professor of Indo-Iranian languages at Columbia University, it offers a highly readable narrative of the Indian people and culture through to the time of its publication, when the nation was still part of the British Empire. Volume II, From the Sixth Century B.C. to the Mohammedan Conquest, Including the Invasion of Alexander the Great, by British scholar VINCENT ARTHUR SMITH (1848-1920), features entertaining and enlightening treatments of: [ the dynasties before Alexander [ Alexanders Indian campaign [ imperial monarch Asoka Maurya [ the Indo-Greek and Indo-Parthian dynasties [ the Gupta Empire and the white Huns [ the reign of Harsha [ the medieval kingdoms of the north [ and much more. This beautiful replica of the 1906 first edition includes all the original illustrations.




Quarterly Bulletin


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Iran and The West


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First Published in 1987, this volume offers a bibliography of biographies, autobiographies and books on contemporary politics by prominent 20th century figures on the topic of Iran.




Colonial Frames, Nationalist Histories


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A common thread throughout the essays in this volume is a focus on new loci of power that emerge either in collision with colonial power structures, or in collaboration with or those that emerge in the wake of decolonization. While the authors recognize the presence of a larger structure of colonial hegemony, they also investigate those centers of power that emerge in the interstices of crevices of colonial power. Interdisciplinary and theoretically innovative, this book offers a global perspective on colonial and national landscapes, rewrites the master creator narrative, examines national landscapes as sites of contestation and views the globalization of processes such as archaeology beyond the boundaries of the national.




PORUS, THE KING WHO DEFEATED ALEXANDER


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We grew up listening to the stories of ‘Alexander the Great’ and watching films dedicated to his valor and magnanimity towards the Indian King Porus. It has been claimed that impressed by Porus’ bravery, Alexander returned his entire kingdom to him but do we also know that Alexander also handed over each territory he subsequently won to Porus. Why? The known history tells us that Porus became richer after this war while the victorious Alexander had to trek back with his army in two groups traversing a desert and the sea losing thousands of men in the process. Why did Alexander take this route? Was he under some pressure? Why did the victorious army not march back triumphantly through their original entry point into India, Taxila? Was it the march of a victorious army or the escape of an army that lost badly to Porus? What I am presenting is not history but the journalistic scrutiny of a historical event as it transpired. History was distorted to reveal selective information and project the legend of Alexander. The history has presented only one view while ignoring completely and without a debate, the other. The sole objective of this journalistic scrutiny is to examine both sides including the circumstantial evidence.