A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, From the Stone Age to the 12th Century by Upendra Singh, 2nd Edition - Pearson

Established as a classic in its first edition, the second edition of Upinder Singh’s A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, incorporates the latest discoveries, research, and insights in the field. Drawing on a vast array of textual, archaeological, and visual sources, it weaves together discussions of politics, economy, society, religion, philosophy, art, and ideas into a seamless narrative. The book reveals the complex and dynamic history of the regions of the subcontinent across millennia by focusing on macro-level changes as well the everyday lives of ordinary people. Widely acclaimed as an excellent introduction to the subject for general readers as well as the most comprehensive and authoritative textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate students, this classic maintains its reputation of offering a lucid, detailed, and balanced exposition, equipping readers with skills to critically assess historical evidence, arguments, and debates. The book is a reader’s delight, with excerpts from original sources and a wealth of images and illustrations of India's diverse and rich historical heritage, making an exploration of the past a truly exciting journey. About Pearson Title Page Dedication Brief Contents Contents Photographs Maps Figures Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgements to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Acknowledgements to the First Edition A Reader’s Guide Introduction: Ideas of the Early Indian Past The Main Physiographic Zones of the Subcontinent Ways of Dividing the Indian Past Changing Interpretations of Early Indian History New Histories, Unwritten Histories Chapter 1: Understanding Sources Reading Ancient Texts from a Historical Point of View Ancient palm leaf manuscripts The classification of textual sources: language, genre, and content The Vedas The two Sanskrit epics: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana Archaeology and the Mahabharata The Puranas Dharmashastra Theory and practice in the Dharmashastra Buddhist texts Songs of Buddhist nuns Jaina texts Sangam literature and later Tamil works The stories of the two Tamil epics Early Kannada and Telugu texts Other ancient texts, biographies, and histories Banabhatta and his royal biography The nature of ancient indian historical traditions Accounts of India from outside the subcontinent Al-Biruni on the writing of the Hindus Archaeology and the Early Indian Past Letters from Alexander Cunningham to J. D. M. Beglar H. D. Sankalia: Born for archaeology Scientific techniques in archaeology Radiocarbon dating Interpreting archaeological evidence Ethno-archaeology The social and cultural aspects of technology Protecting sites Epigraphy: The Study of Inscriptions Ancient and early medieval scripts Deciphered and undeciphered scripts Languages of ancient and early medieval inscriptions Dating the inscriptions How to convert ancient era dates into modern ones The classification of inscriptions Memorializing death in stone Inscriptions as a source of history An ancient theatre, an ancient love story Numismatics: The Study of Coins A brief history of indian coinage Coins as a source of history Counter-struck coins of the Kshatrapas and Satavahanas Visual Sources Conclusions Further Readings Chapter 2: Hunter-Gatherers of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic The Geological Ages and Hominin Evolution What does it mean to be human? Hominin Remains in the Indian Subcontinent Palaeo-Environments Classifying the Indian Stone Age The Palaeolithic Lower palaeolithic sites Typical lower palaeolithic tools Isampur: a centre of stone tool manufacture Middle palaeolithic sites Attirampakkam The Levallois technique Upper palaeolithic sites Upper palaeolithic tools Palaeolithic art and cults Ostrich eggshell beads The life-ways of palaeolithic hunter-gatherers Food resources—now and then The Mesolithic Mesolithic sites Microliths Animal bones at mesolithic sites Graves, subsistence, and settlement patterns The journey to get chalcedony Prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the Sri Lankan rain forests The magnificence of mesolithic art Conclusions Further Readings Chapter 3: The Transition to Food Production: Neolithic, Neolithic–Chalcolithic, and Chalcolithic Villages, c. 7000–2000 BCE The Neolithic Age and the Beginnings of Food Production Why Domestication? The Identification of Domestication and Food Production in the Archaeological Record The analysis of ancient plant remains The Transition to Food Production in the Indian Subcontinent The earliest village settlements, c. 7000–3000 BCE The north-west The Vindhyan fringes, middle Ganga plains, and other areas Plant and animal remains from neolithic Lahuradeva Neolithic, neolithic–chalcolithic, and chalcolithic communities, c. 3000–2000 bce The north and north-west Did people actually live in the Burzahom pits? Rajasthan The Malwa region The western Deccan The middle Ganga plain and eastern India South India The mystery of the ash mounds Community feasting at neolithic Budihal The Life of Early Farmers Changes in Cultic and Belief Systems Female figurines—ordinary women or goddesses? Conclusions Further Readings Chapter 4: The Harappan Civilization, c. 2600–1900 BCE Civilization and Urbanization: Definitions and Implications The 10 characteristics of cities, according to Childe Recent Discoveries and Changing Perspectives Harappan, Indus, or Sindhu–Sarasvati Civilization? Origin: The Significance of the Early Harappan Phase The Relationship Between the Early and Mature Harappan Phases The General Features of Mature Harappan Settlements Profiles of Some Harappan Cities, Towns, and Villages The Diversity of the Harappan Subsistence Base The rhinoceros and the Harappans Animal bones at Shikarpur Harappan Crafts and Techniques Sculpture in stone and metal The making of long carnelian beads Networks of Trade Sources of the stone and mineral artefacts found at Harappa Shortughai—a Harappan trading post in Afghanistan The Nature and Uses of Writing Religious and Funerary Practices Man, god, or goddess? The ‘fire altars’ The Harappan People How healthy were the Harappans? What exactly did the Harappans eat? The Ruling Elite Defining a state A priest-king? The Decline of Urban Life The Significance of the Late Harappan Phase Conclusions Further Readings Websites Chapter 5: Cultural Transitions: Images from Texts and Archaeology, c. 2000–600 bce Perspectives from Texts Using the vedas as a historical source Who were the Indo-Aryans? The culture reflected in the family books of the Rig Veda Samhita Tribes and wars The Hymn to arms (Rig Veda Samhita 6.75) Lineage, clan, tribe Pastoralism, agriculture, and other occupations Varna in the Rig Veda Women, men, and the household The family and the household Religion: sacrifices to the gods Hymn to Indra (Rig Veda 2.12) The soma plant and its juice The historical milieu of later vedic texts Aspects of everyday life The emergence of monarchy The invention of the war elephant The ceremony of the jewel offering The varna hierarchy The Purusha-sukta (Rig Veda 10.90) Gender and the household Religion, ritual, and philosophy Creation (Rig Veda 10.129) The sacrificial arena The atman, according to Uddalaka Aruni Popular beliefs and practices Atharva Veda spells Science and mathematics in Vedic texts Archaeological Profiles of Different Regions of the Subcontinent, c. 2000–500 BCE Neolithic–chalcolithic and chalcolithic cultures The north-west and north Mythological motifs on Cemetery-H pottery The Indo-Gangetic divide, the upper Ganga valley, and the doab The Sanauli cemetery The enigma of copper anthropomorphs Black and Red Ware Western India The middle Ganga valley Eastern India The North-east Early agriculture in Nagaland The cultural sequence in central India The chalcolithic farmers of the Deccan The Daimabad bronzes Food, nutrition, and health among the people of Inamgaon Goddesses with and without heads Neolithic–chalcolithic sites of South India Images and soundscapes in neolithic rock art Sanganakallu From copper to iron: early iron age cultures of the subcontinent A clarification about the Indian megaliths The north-west Megaliths in the north-east Living megalithism, landscapes, and memory The Indo-Gangetic divide and the upper Ganga valley: the Painted Grey Ware culture Painted Grey Ware The evidence from Rajasthan The middle and lower Ganga valley Central India The Deccan South India The enigma of the megalithic anthropomorphs From the neolithic to the iron age at Kadebakale The impact of iron technology The Problem of Correlating Textual and Archaeological Evidence Conclusions Further Readings Chapter 6: Cities, Kings, and Renunciants: North India, c. 600–200 bce The Sources: Textual and Archaeological Panini and his Ashtadhyayi Northern Black Polished Ware The 16 Great States The state and violence The identification of Taxila The Ganas or Sanghas The conflict between the Sakyas and Kosalans Vassakara seeks the Buddha’s advice on how to defeat the Vajjis The Forest Tribes Political Conflicts and the Growth of the Magadhan Empire Ajatashatru’s visit to the Buddha The Persian and Macedonian Invasions The storming of the Malla citadel Land and Agrarian Expansion Archaeological and Textual Profiles of Early Historic Cities The North and North-west Site catchment analysis of Semthan The Indo-Gangetic divide, the upper Ganga valley, and the doab The middle and lower Ganga valley Central India and the Deccan Sri Lanka and South India Urban Occupations, Crafts, Guilds, and Money The New Social Elites: The Gahapati and Setthi Trade and Traders Class, Kinship, Varna, and Jati Activities in times of adversity Varna and jati Gender, Family, and Household Marriage, according to the Grihyasutras The Renunciatory Tradition The Samannaphala Sutta The Ajivikas Early Buddhism The life of the Buddha The Buddha’s teachings The analogy of the raft The Buddhist sangha and the laity The social implications of the Buddha’s teachings The Ambattha Sutta Buddhism and women Patachara’s song The eight conditions imposed on nuns The seven kinds of wives Early Jainism The Jaina tirthankaras, Vardhamana Mahavira The Jaina understanding of reality The Jaina discipline The liberated man On not killing earth bodies The social composition of the Jaina sangha and laity The true Brahmana Malli or Mallinatha? Conclusions Further Readings Chapter 7: Power and Piety: The Maurya Empire, c. 324–187 bce The Date of the Arthashastra The Major Sources for the Maurya Period Ashoka’s inscriptions The Mahasthan and Sohgaura inscriptions The categories of Ashokan inscriptions and their location Megasthenes’ Indica The Greeks on Megasthenes Archaeological and numismatic evidence The message in the landscape The Maurya Dynasty Legends of Ashoka Stone portraits of Ashoka at Kanaganahalli Textual and Archaeological Profiles of Settlements Pataliputra and the palace, according to Arrian and Aelian The Nature and Structure of the Maurya Empire The life of a king, according to Megasthenes (via Strabo) Rock edict 6 (Girnar version) Ashoka and Buddhism Minor rock edict 1 (Rupnath version) Ashoka’s Dhamma The 5th pillar edict (Delhi–Topra pillar) The 13th rock edict (Shahbazgarhi version) Ashoka’s assessment of his success: the Shar-i-Kuna Greek–Aramaic inscription Sculpture and Architecture Ancient and modern quarries at Chunar The medieval and modern histories of Ashokan pillars An Ashokan stupa at Deorkothar The Parkham yaksha, then and now The Decline, Legacy, and Memory of the Maurya Empire Conclusions Further Readings Chapter 8: Interaction and Innovation, c. 200 bce –300 ce The Kautilyan State The Natyashastra The Gatha Sattasai The Political History of North India The Shungas The Besnagar pillar inscription of Heliodorus The Indo-Greeks Coins of the Indo-Greeks Äi Khanoum: A Hellenistic city in Afghanistan The Indo-Scythians (Shakas) and Indo-Parthians (Pahlavas) The Kushanas The Rabatak inscription The Shaka Kshatrapas of Western India A lake, a storm, and a king The Mahameghavahanas in Eastern India Epigraphic dialogue in the Hathigumpha inscription The Satavahanas in the Deccan The royal portrait gallery in the Naneghat cave Kings and Chieftains in the Far South: The Cheras, Cholas, and Pandyas The royal drum Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions Sri Lanka Villages and Cities Plant remains from Sanghol Cities of the north-west The Indo-Gangetic divide and the upper Ganga valley Finding children in the archaeological record The middle and lower Ganga valley and eastern India Chandraketugarh Central and western India Cities and towns of the Deccan and Andhra Cities of the far south Madurai in the Maduraikkanchi Crafts and Guilds Guilds as bankers Trade and Traders Ancient travellers Long-distance trade Kaveripattinam in the Pattinapalai Trade with East and South-east Asia Trade with the Mediterranean region Periplus Maris Erythraei (The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea) Dramatic discoveries in Hoq cave, Socotra A Greek play set on the Malabar coast Excavations at Arikamedu Pattanam: the ancient Muziris? The wider roles of trade and traders Aspects of Social Change in North India and the Deccan The Jatakas as a source of social history Society in Early Historic South India An ancient Tamil love poem A heroic death Philosophical Developments The Bhagavad Gita Looking at the History of Religions Beyond the Framework of ‘Isms’ The worship of yakshas and yakshis, nagas and nagis Goddesses, ‘votive’ tanks, and shrines Vedic rituals Puranic hinduism Shaivism The formation of the Vaishnava pantheon Krishna and Balarama on Agathocles’ coins Shakti worship The emergence of Mahayana Buddhism Monastic and lay practices in texts versus inscriptions Buddhism in Sri Lanka The Digambara–shvetambara schism in Jainism Religious Architecture and Sculpture Early Hindu temples and sculpture Buddhist architecture and sculpture The Modern Histories of Ancient Buddhist Relics Stupa-monasteries of the north-west Central Indian stupas—Sanchi and Bharhut Stupas of South India and Sri Lanka Satavahana Kings in Kanaganahalli Sculptures Early relief sculpture at Buddhist sites Buddhist caves in the Western Ghats Jaina and Buddhist remains in eastern India The Gandhara school of sculpture Early stone sculptures from Vidisha and Mathura Terracotta art The patronage of religious establishments Gifts of water pots from ancient Gandhara The Archaeology of Forests Conclusions Further Readings Chapter 9: Aesthetics and Empire, c. 300–600 ce Faxian’s Fuguo ji Political History The Gupta dynasty Ramagupta—did he exist? The inscription of Chandra and the legend of the unsteady pillar The Vakatakas of the Deccan A queen’s grant Mansar Other contemporary dynasties The Royal Ideology and Administration of the Gupta and Vakataka Kingdoms The Varaha relief at Udayagiri An ancient panchayat? Revenue Resources of States Land Ownership Types of Land, Land Measures, and Land Tenure Royal Land Grants The terms of the Vakataka grants Patterns of Urban History The lifestyle of the nagaraka Craft Production, Guilds, and Trade Sanskrit inscriptions at Vo-canh and Kutei Aspects of Social Structure: Gender, Forms of Labour, Slavery, and Untouchability Patterns of Religious Developments Hari-Hara in the Badami caves The emergence of Tantra The evolution of the Vaishnava pantheon Shaivism Mahadeva in the Elephanta cave The worship of the great goddess The worship of other deities Buddhism Kumarajiva (343–413 ce) Jainism A Classical Age of Art? Developments in architecture Sculpture The Sigiriya paintings and the poems on the Mirror Wall Vakataka sculpture Textual Production The cloud messenger Teaching politics through animal stories Astronomy and Mathematics Ancient mathematical and medical manuscripts Medical Knowledge The ideal hospital, according to Charaka The Bower Manuscript Conclusions Further Readings Chapter 10: Emerging Regional Configurations, c. 600–1200 CE Textual and Archaeological Sources Kshemendra’s satires Kamban’s Iramavataram Wang Xuance’s missions to India Political Structure and Political Narrative The image of the ideal king in inscriptions of Odisha The Deccan The Aihole inscription of Pulakeshin Betel-bag bearers in royal courts The far south The Chola expedition against Srivijaya Religious and political symbolism in the Thanjavur temple North India: the Pushyabhutis, Harshvardhana The life and travels of Xuanzang Eastern India Some origin myths of the dynasties of Odisha The Rajput clans The Tomaras and Delhi in legends and inscriptions Kashmir and the north-west Didda Royal Land Grants Brahmana beneficiaries The nature of Brahmadeya settlements Kara-shasanas and kraya-shasanas The impact of Brahmana settlements on agrarian relations Land grants as part of larger social and cultural processes Rural Society Popular agricultural sayings of early medieval Bengal Urban Processes Historical Processes in South India The nature of south Indian states The segmentary state, according to Southall and Stein Administrative structures Rural society The history of a Karnataka village Agriculture and irrigation Irrigation devices in early medieval Tamil Nadu Urban processes Weavers and weaving in early medieval Tamil Nadu Trade and traders Gifts by South-east Asian rulers at Nalanda, Nagapattinam, and Bodh Gaya Aihole and Ayyavole The Religious Sphere Buddhism in early medieval India A letter from Xuanzang to Prajnadeva Ratnagiri Tara The Buddhist heritage of the Maldives Major centres of Jainism The colossal image of Gommateshvara at Sravana Belagola Ritual death in the Jaina tradition Jainism in the religious landscape of Mathura Shankara and Advaita Vedanta The Hagiographies of Shankara The Hindu Sects Vaishnavism and Shaivism The ‘Durga’ temple at Aihole The worship of the great goddess The Goddess as slayer of the demon Mahisha South Indian bhakti: the Alvars and Nayanmars Songs of the Nayanmar saint Appar Andal’s songs Karaikkal Ammaiyar—her life and songs The philosophical underpinnings of South indian bhakti and later developments The vachanas of Basavanna Inter-religious dynamics Patronage to temples Temple women in Chola inscriptions Islam and Muslim communities Architecture and Sculpture The Nagara, Dravida, and Vesara styles of temple architecture The sacred geography of Jageshwar Western India and the Deccan Artists’ signatures at Pattadakal The Pallava kingdom Playful Ambiguity and political authority in the Mamallapuram relief The Chola temples Chola metal sculpture Archaeometric analysis of Nataraja images Early mosques in the subcontinent Mosques in Sindh and the Swat valley Conclusions Further Readings A Note on Diacritics Glossary References Index Credits Copyright