The History of India Illustrated, 30 August 2010
by Kenneth Pletcher (Editor)
Edition: Illustrated
See all formats and editions
Sophisticated societies have risen and fallen in India for more than four millennia, from the urbanized Harappa culture to today's Republic of India, the world's largest democracy. Because of its natural wealth, India has long been a tempting prize for invaders, yet foreign forces such as the Mughal Empire and the British did not destroy India's vibrant spirit. Rather, external influences often became absorbed into the mix of different peoples, languages, religions, and regional traditions, creating a lasting culture of great depth. This book recounts the history of India and much of present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as the factors that have contributed to India's epic economic successes in recent times. Memorable images texture the narrative and vividly animate the story of this unique nation.
====
Rosen Education Service
Publication date
2010
=====
CONTENTS
Introduction 14
C 1: T B I' H 21
From the Paleolithic Period to the Decline of the Indus Civilization 24The Early Prehistoric Period 24 The Indian Paleolithic 25 Mesolithic Hunters 26The Earliest Agriculturalists and Pastoralists 27 Neolithic Agriculture in the Indus Valley and Baluchistan 27 Developments in the Ganges Basin 29 Earliest Settlements in Peninsular India 29 Earliest Settlements in Eastern India 30The Rise of Urbanism in the Indus Valley 30 Extent and Chronology of Early Harappan Culture 30 Principal Sites 31 Subsistence and Technology 31 Culture and Religion 32
Indus River
33The Indus Civilization 33 Character and Significance 33 Chronology 34 Extent 35 Planning and Architecture 35 Important Sites 37 Mohenjo-Daro 37 Harappa 40 Kalibangan 40 Lothal 42 Other Important Sites 42 Population 43 Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 43 Communications 45 Craft and Technology 45 Trade and External Contacts 47 Language and Scripts, Weights and Measures 48 Social and Political System 49 Art 50 Religion and Burial Customs 51 The End of the Indus Civilization 52
223844
71
Post-Harappan Developments 52 The Post-Urban Period in Northwestern India 53 The Appearance of Indo-Aryan Speakers 53 The Late 2nd Millennium and the Reemergence of Urbanism 54 Peninsular India in the Aftermath of the Indus Civilization (c. 2000–1000 ) 55
C 2: T D IC . 1500 300 56
Traditional Approaches to Indian Historiography 56Trends in Early Indian Society 57From c. 1500 to c. 500 59 Early Vedic Period 60
Vedic Religion
61The Beginning of the Historical Period, c. 500–150 BCE 62 Pre-Mauryan States 62 Location 63 Political Systems 64 Economy 65 Religion 65
Jainism
66 Magadhan Ascendancy 67 Campaigns of Alexander the Great 68 The Mauryan Empire 68 Chandragupta Maurya 69 Bindusara 69 Ashoka and His Successors 69 Financial Base for the Empire 70 Mauryan Society 72 Mauryan Government 72 Ashoka
’
s Edicts 73 Mauryan Decline 75 The Concept of the State 76From 150 BCE to 300 CE 77 Rise of Small Kingdoms in the North 77 Indo-Greek Rulers 77 Central Asian Rulers 78 Oligarchies and Kingdoms 79 The Shunga Kingdom 80 Kalinga 80 The Andhras and Their Successors 81
7074
Southern Indian Kingdoms 81 Contacts with the West 83 Society and Culture 85 Guilds 85 Finance 85 Impact of Trade 86 Religious Patronage 86 Literature 88 Assimilation of Foreigners 89
C 3: D 300 . 1200 90
From 300 to 750 CE 90 Northern India Under the Guptas 91 Successor States to the Guptas 93 The Deccan 94
Deccan
95 Southern India 97 Society and Culture 98From 750 to c. 1200 101 Northern India 101 The Tripartite Struggle 101 The Rajputs 103 The Coming of the Turks 105 The Deccan and the South 105 The Cholas 106 The Hoysalas and Pandyas 107 Society and Culture 107 The Economy 109 Social Mobility 109 Religion 110 Literature and the Arts 111
CHAPTER 4: N I E M P 115
The Delhi Sultanate 115 The Turkish Conquest 117 The Early Turkish Sultans 118
Slave Dynasty
119 Consolidation of Turkish Rule 120 The Khaljīs 122 Centralization and Expansion 123 Taxation and Distribution of Revenue Resources 123
8688114
Expansion and Conquests 124 The Urban Economy 125 The Tughluqs 126 Reversal and Rebellion 127 Society and the State Under the Tughluqs 128 Decline of the Sultanate 131The Post-Delhi Sultanate Period 132 The Rise of Regional States 132 Struggle for Supremacy in Northern India 133
C 5: S I E M P 134
The Muslim States of Southern India, c. 1350–1680 134 The Bahmani Sultanate 135 Bahmani Consolidation of the Deccan 135 External and Internal Rivalries 139 Vizierate of Mah·mu¯d Ga¯wa¯n 140 Bahmani Decline 142 Successors to the Bahmani 143The Vijayanagar Empire, 1336–1646 146 Development of the State 146
Vijayanagar
147 Consolidation 148 Wars and Rivalries 149 Decentralization and Loss of Territory 150 Later Dynasties 151 Reconsolidation 152 Growth of Power 153 Renewed Decentralization 155 Relations with the Muslim States 156 Decline of Vijayanagar 156 Military Policies 156 Loss of Central Control 157 Breakup of the Empire 158 Administration of the Empire 159
C 6: T M E, 1526–1761 162
The Significance of Mughal Rule 162The Establishment of the Mughal Empire 163 Bābur 163 Conquest of Hindustan 163 Ba¯bur's Achievements 164
138145147
Humāyūn 164 Sher Shah and His Successors 165 Restoration of Humāyūn 166The Reign of Akbar the Great 166 Extension and Consolidation of the Empire 166 The Early Years 166 Struggle for Firm Personal Control 168 Subjugation of Rajasthan 168 Conquest of Gujarat and Bengal 169 The Frontiers 170 The State and Society Under Akbar 170 Central, Provincial, and Local Government 170 The Composition of the Mughal Nobility 171 Organization of the Nobility and the Army 172 Revenue System 172 Fiscal Administration 173 Coinage 173 Evolution of a Nonsectarian State 174 Akbar in Historical Perspective 175The Empire in the 17th Century 175 Jahāngīr 177 Loss of Kandaha
¯
r 177 Submission of Mewar 177 Developments in the Deccan 178 Rebellion of Khurram (Shah Jaha¯n) 178 Maha¯bat Khan's Coup 179 Shah Jahān 179 The Deccan Problem 179 Central Asian Policy 180
Taj Mahal
181 War of Succession 182 Aurangzeb 182 Local and Peasant Uprisings 182 Assessment of Aurangzeb 183Mughal Decline in the 18th Century 184 The Sikh Uprisings 184 Cracks in the Core 185 Struggle for a New Power Centre 186 The Emperor, the Nobility, and the Provinces 186 Nādir Shah’s Invasion 188 The Afghan-Maratha Struggle for Northern India 189 Political and Economic Decentralization During the Mughal Decline 190
165169181
C 7: R S, . 1700–1850 191
The Marathas 191 Early History 192 Rise of the Peshwas 192 Subordinate Maratha Rulers 194 Mughal Mystique in the 18th Century 195 The Case of Mysore 195 Challenge from the Northwest 196The Afghan Factor in Northern India, 1747–1772 197The Sikhs in the Punjab 198 Early History 198 From Banda Singh Bahadur to Ranjit Singh 200Rajasthan in the 18th Century 202
Sikhism
203The South: Travancore and Mysore 205Politics and the Economy 207Cultural Aspects of the Late Precolonial Order 209
C 8: E I 1498–. 1765 210
The Portuguese 211The Dutch 212The British 1600–1740 213
Kolkata
217The French 217The Anglo-French Struggle, 1740–1763 218European Military Superiority 220Revolution in Bengal 221The Period of Disorder 1760–1772 225
C 9: T B , . 1765–1856 228
The Company Bahadur 228The Company and the State 230 Relations with the Marathas and Mysore 233The Ascent to Paramountcy 236 The Government of Lord Wellesley 236 The Government of Lord Minto 238 The Government of Lord Hastings 239 The Settlement of 1818 240Organization and Policy in British India 241 Organization 241
204215223
The Determination of Policy 244The Completion of Dominion and Expansion 246
Ranjit Singh
248The First Century of British Influence 251 Political Effects 251 Economic Effects 252 Social Effects 253 Cultural Effects 254
C 10: B I M W W I 256
The Mutiny and Great Revolt of 1857–1859 256 Nature and Causes of the Rebellion 257 The Revolt and Its Aftermath 259Climax of the Raj, 1858–1885 260 Government of India Act of 1858 261 Social Policy 261 Government Organization 263 Economic Policy and Development 264Foreign Policy 266 The Northwest Frontier 266 The Second Afghan War 267 The Incorporation of Burma 268Indian Nationalism and the British Response, 1885–1920 269 Origins of the Nationalist Movement 269
Sir Surendranath Banerjea
270 The Early Congress Movement 272 The First Partition of Bengal 273 Nationalism in the Muslim Community 275 Reforms of the British Liberals 276 Moderate and Militant Nationalism 277
C 11: B I W W I 1947 279
World War I and Its Aftermath 279 India’s Contributions to the War Effort 279 Anti-British Activity 281 The Postwar Years 282 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 284 Gandhi’s Strategy 285
Satyagraha
286
244262275
311307283
Prelude to Independence, 1920–1947 287 Constitutional Reforms 287 The Congress’s Ambivalent Strategy 289 Muslim Separatism 292 The Impact of World War II 294 British Wartime Strategy 296The Transfer of Power and the Birth of Two Countries 297
C 12: T R I 301
The Nehru Era, 1947–1964 301 Government and Politics 302 Foreign Policy 304 Economic Planning and Development 306Post-Nehru Politics and Foreign Policy 307 The 1965 War with Pakistan 308 Indira Gandhi’s Impact 309
Indira Gandhi
310 The Bangladesh War 311 Emergency Rule 312 The Janata Interlude and the Return of Indira Gandhi 314 Sikh Separatism 315India Since the Mid-1980s 316 The Premiership of Rajiv Gandhi 316 Foreign Policy 317 V.P. Singh’s Coalition—Its Brief Rise and Fall 318 Congress Government of Narasimha Rao 320 The First and Second BJP Governments 321 Return of the Congress 323
C 324
Glossary 326For Further Reading 328Index 330
CONTENTS
Introduction 14
C 1: T B I' H 21
From the Paleolithic Period to the Decline of the Indus Civilization 24The Early Prehistoric Period 24 The Indian Paleolithic 25 Mesolithic Hunters 26The Earliest Agriculturalists and Pastoralists 27 Neolithic Agriculture in the Indus Valley and Baluchistan 27 Developments in the Ganges Basin 29 Earliest Settlements in Peninsular India 29 Earliest Settlements in Eastern India 30The Rise of Urbanism in the Indus Valley 30 Extent and Chronology of Early Harappan Culture 30 Principal Sites 31 Subsistence and Technology 31 Culture and Religion 32
Indus River
33The Indus Civilization 33 Character and Significance 33 Chronology 34 Extent 35 Planning and Architecture 35 Important Sites 37 Mohenjo-Daro 37 Harappa 40 Kalibangan 40 Lothal 42 Other Important Sites 42 Population 43 Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 43 Communications 45 Craft and Technology 45 Trade and External Contacts 47 Language and Scripts, Weights and Measures 48 Social and Political System 49 Art 50 Religion and Burial Customs 51 The End of the Indus Civilization 52
223844
71
Post-Harappan Developments 52 The Post-Urban Period in Northwestern India 53 The Appearance of Indo-Aryan Speakers 53 The Late 2nd Millennium and the Reemergence of Urbanism 54 Peninsular India in the Aftermath of the Indus Civilization (c. 2000–1000 ) 55
C 2: T D IC . 1500 300 56
Traditional Approaches to Indian Historiography 56Trends in Early Indian Society 57From c. 1500 to c. 500 59 Early Vedic Period 60
Vedic Religion
61The Beginning of the Historical Period, c. 500–150 BCE 62 Pre-Mauryan States 62 Location 63 Political Systems 64 Economy 65 Religion 65
Jainism
66 Magadhan Ascendancy 67 Campaigns of Alexander the Great 68 The Mauryan Empire 68 Chandragupta Maurya 69 Bindusara 69 Ashoka and His Successors 69 Financial Base for the Empire 70 Mauryan Society 72 Mauryan Government 72 Ashoka
’
s Edicts 73 Mauryan Decline 75 The Concept of the State 76From 150 BCE to 300 CE 77 Rise of Small Kingdoms in the North 77 Indo-Greek Rulers 77 Central Asian Rulers 78 Oligarchies and Kingdoms 79 The Shunga Kingdom 80 Kalinga 80 The Andhras and Their Successors 81
7074
Southern Indian Kingdoms 81 Contacts with the West 83 Society and Culture 85 Guilds 85 Finance 85 Impact of Trade 86 Religious Patronage 86 Literature 88 Assimilation of Foreigners 89
C 3: D 300 . 1200 90
From 300 to 750 CE 90 Northern India Under the Guptas 91 Successor States to the Guptas 93 The Deccan 94
Deccan
95 Southern India 97 Society and Culture 98From 750 to c. 1200 101 Northern India 101 The Tripartite Struggle 101 The Rajputs 103 The Coming of the Turks 105 The Deccan and the South 105 The Cholas 106 The Hoysalas and Pandyas 107 Society and Culture 107 The Economy 109 Social Mobility 109 Religion 110 Literature and the Arts 111
CHAPTER 4: N I E M P 115
The Delhi Sultanate 115 The Turkish Conquest 117 The Early Turkish Sultans 118
Slave Dynasty
119 Consolidation of Turkish Rule 120 The Khaljīs 122 Centralization and Expansion 123 Taxation and Distribution of Revenue Resources 123
8688114
Expansion and Conquests 124 The Urban Economy 125 The Tughluqs 126 Reversal and Rebellion 127 Society and the State Under the Tughluqs 128 Decline of the Sultanate 131The Post-Delhi Sultanate Period 132 The Rise of Regional States 132 Struggle for Supremacy in Northern India 133
C 5: S I E M P 134
The Muslim States of Southern India, c. 1350–1680 134 The Bahmani Sultanate 135 Bahmani Consolidation of the Deccan 135 External and Internal Rivalries 139 Vizierate of Mah·mu¯d Ga¯wa¯n 140 Bahmani Decline 142 Successors to the Bahmani 143The Vijayanagar Empire, 1336–1646 146 Development of the State 146
Vijayanagar
147 Consolidation 148 Wars and Rivalries 149 Decentralization and Loss of Territory 150 Later Dynasties 151 Reconsolidation 152 Growth of Power 153 Renewed Decentralization 155 Relations with the Muslim States 156 Decline of Vijayanagar 156 Military Policies 156 Loss of Central Control 157 Breakup of the Empire 158 Administration of the Empire 159
C 6: T M E, 1526–1761 162
The Significance of Mughal Rule 162The Establishment of the Mughal Empire 163 Bābur 163 Conquest of Hindustan 163 Ba¯bur's Achievements 164
138145147
Humāyūn 164 Sher Shah and His Successors 165 Restoration of Humāyūn 166The Reign of Akbar the Great 166 Extension and Consolidation of the Empire 166 The Early Years 166 Struggle for Firm Personal Control 168 Subjugation of Rajasthan 168 Conquest of Gujarat and Bengal 169 The Frontiers 170 The State and Society Under Akbar 170 Central, Provincial, and Local Government 170 The Composition of the Mughal Nobility 171 Organization of the Nobility and the Army 172 Revenue System 172 Fiscal Administration 173 Coinage 173 Evolution of a Nonsectarian State 174 Akbar in Historical Perspective 175The Empire in the 17th Century 175 Jahāngīr 177 Loss of Kandaha
¯
r 177 Submission of Mewar 177 Developments in the Deccan 178 Rebellion of Khurram (Shah Jaha¯n) 178 Maha¯bat Khan's Coup 179 Shah Jahān 179 The Deccan Problem 179 Central Asian Policy 180
Taj Mahal
181 War of Succession 182 Aurangzeb 182 Local and Peasant Uprisings 182 Assessment of Aurangzeb 183Mughal Decline in the 18th Century 184 The Sikh Uprisings 184 Cracks in the Core 185 Struggle for a New Power Centre 186 The Emperor, the Nobility, and the Provinces 186 Nādir Shah’s Invasion 188 The Afghan-Maratha Struggle for Northern India 189 Political and Economic Decentralization During the Mughal Decline 190
165169181
C 7: R S, . 1700–1850 191
The Marathas 191 Early History 192 Rise of the Peshwas 192 Subordinate Maratha Rulers 194 Mughal Mystique in the 18th Century 195 The Case of Mysore 195 Challenge from the Northwest 196The Afghan Factor in Northern India, 1747–1772 197The Sikhs in the Punjab 198 Early History 198 From Banda Singh Bahadur to Ranjit Singh 200Rajasthan in the 18th Century 202
Sikhism
203The South: Travancore and Mysore 205Politics and the Economy 207Cultural Aspects of the Late Precolonial Order 209
C 8: E I 1498–. 1765 210
The Portuguese 211The Dutch 212The British 1600–1740 213
Kolkata
217The French 217The Anglo-French Struggle, 1740–1763 218European Military Superiority 220Revolution in Bengal 221The Period of Disorder 1760–1772 225
C 9: T B , . 1765–1856 228
The Company Bahadur 228The Company and the State 230 Relations with the Marathas and Mysore 233The Ascent to Paramountcy 236 The Government of Lord Wellesley 236 The Government of Lord Minto 238 The Government of Lord Hastings 239 The Settlement of 1818 240Organization and Policy in British India 241 Organization 241
204215223
The Determination of Policy 244The Completion of Dominion and Expansion 246
Ranjit Singh
248The First Century of British Influence 251 Political Effects 251 Economic Effects 252 Social Effects 253 Cultural Effects 254
C 10: B I M W W I 256
The Mutiny and Great Revolt of 1857–1859 256 Nature and Causes of the Rebellion 257 The Revolt and Its Aftermath 259Climax of the Raj, 1858–1885 260 Government of India Act of 1858 261 Social Policy 261 Government Organization 263 Economic Policy and Development 264Foreign Policy 266 The Northwest Frontier 266 The Second Afghan War 267 The Incorporation of Burma 268Indian Nationalism and the British Response, 1885–1920 269 Origins of the Nationalist Movement 269
Sir Surendranath Banerjea
270 The Early Congress Movement 272 The First Partition of Bengal 273 Nationalism in the Muslim Community 275 Reforms of the British Liberals 276 Moderate and Militant Nationalism 277
C 11: B I W W I 1947 279
World War I and Its Aftermath 279 India’s Contributions to the War Effort 279 Anti-British Activity 281 The Postwar Years 282 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 284 Gandhi’s Strategy 285
Satyagraha
286
244262275
311307283
Prelude to Independence, 1920–1947 287 Constitutional Reforms 287 The Congress’s Ambivalent Strategy 289 Muslim Separatism 292 The Impact of World War II 294 British Wartime Strategy 296The Transfer of Power and the Birth of Two Countries 297
C 12: T R I 301
The Nehru Era, 1947–1964 301 Government and Politics 302 Foreign Policy 304 Economic Planning and Development 306Post-Nehru Politics and Foreign Policy 307 The 1965 War with Pakistan 308 Indira Gandhi’s Impact 309
Indira Gandhi
310 The Bangladesh War 311 Emergency Rule 312 The Janata Interlude and the Return of Indira Gandhi 314 Sikh Separatism 315India Since the Mid-1980s 316 The Premiership of Rajiv Gandhi 316 Foreign Policy 317 V.P. Singh’s Coalition—Its Brief Rise and Fall 318 Congress Government of Narasimha Rao 320 The First and Second BJP Governments 321 Return of the Congress 323
C 324
Glossary 326For Further Reading 328Index 330
