Kingship in Northern India


Book Description

The present work relates to the political organization in Northern India during the period from 600 A.D. to 1200 A.D. It describes, in detail, how several Kingdoms emerged and how their rulers claimed divinity, possessed absolute powers over their subjects. The author discusses the culminative effects of the separatist tendencies of the monarchs on Indian Polity which ultimately resulted in their weak resistance to the Muslim invaders from the North-West.The work is based on literary, epigraphic and foreign accounts. It is critical, informative and intelligible. The reader would find it interesting as well as instructive.




Some Early Dynasties of South India


Book Description




The North Indian Peasant Goes to Market


Book Description

Study of the process of adaptation by the agricultural communitites of Phulia Tola Village, Bihar, with the changes in national economy and traditional value system.




The Early Rulers of Khajur (Second Revised Edition)


Book Description

The Candellas of Bundelkhand formed one of the most prominent dynasties that flourished for some centuries before the establishment of Islam as an Imperial Power in this sub-continent. They are known in history not only for their political sagacity, but also for their direct association with the art and architecture that developed in Khajuraho and its neighbourhood. The book deals, in a comprehensive manner, with the history of the early rulers of Khajuraho, in fourteen chapters. Chs. I and II deal with the origin of the Candellas and define their territory. Ch. III traces their history from Nannuka to Harsa. Chs. IV to VII recount the rise of their power under Yasovarman and Dhanga, their struggles with the Muslims under Ganda and Vidyadhara and their conflicts with Cedis under Vijayapala, Devavarman and Kirtivarman. Ch. VIII is devoted to the rulers from Sallaksanavarman to Madanavarman. Ch. IX describes Caha-mana- Candella rivalry and the fall of Mahoba. Ch. X deals with the temporary restoration of Candella power under Trailokya-varman. Chs. XI to XIV give a vivid picture of political, social, eco-nomic, religious and cultural life of Bundel-khand and offer a survey of its magnificent temples and sculptors.




Studies in Mughal History


Book Description

Descendents of two great warriors of Central Asia-Taimur and Chingiz Khan, The Mughals have become a legend in history of the world. Their rule in India heralded a new era of far-reaching socio-political changes making for an enlightenment of a sort that calls for an evergrowing scholarship to grasp its many-faceted significance. The monograph in hand is not just a mere addition to the numerous works on the Mughals and their activities in various fields. Being the result of a deep and critical scholarly study of the various Political and Religious aspects of the doings of the Mughals it comes up as a unique approach to the subject. Here is an attempt to study Mughal history from a new angle.




Lord Mahāvīra and His Times


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The Buddha


Book Description

A warm and stimulating book, this text describes the India into which the Buddha was born, recounts what is known of his life and the development of his teachings, and then follows the course of Buddhism through succeeding centuries in India and Sri Lanka. Far from being a recluse concerned only with an inner mystical experience, the Buddha always involved himself closely in the social and political world of his time. If he preached detachment from many of the things by which ordinary men are tied, he did so as a means of enriching life rather than escaping it. These examinations and more make this a book to reveal the social-revolutionary potential of Buddhism.




Plants of Life, Plants of Death


Book Description

This study examines plants associated with ritual purity, fertility, prosperity and life, and plants associated with ritual impurity, sickness, ill fate and death. It provides detail from history, ethnography, religious studies, classics, folklore, ethnobotany and medicine.




The Ganges in Myth and History


Book Description

No river has kindled Man`s imagination like the Ganges. From its icy origins high in the Himalayas, this sacred river flows through the holy cities and the great plains of northern India to the Bay of Bengal. In a country where the red heat of summer inspires prayer for the coming monsoon, the life-giving waters of the Ganges have assumed legendary powers in the form of the Hindu goddess Ganga, the source of creation and abundance. Pilgrims flock to her shores to cleanse and purify themselves, to cure ailments, and to die that much closer to paradise. Steven Darian writes of the human experience and the legendary myths that surround the Ganges. While collecting material for this book, Dr. Darian lived by the Ganges, explored her shores, and was a pilgrim to the Ganga Sagar festival at Sagar Island off Calcutta where the sacred river and the ocean merge.




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