The Penguin history of early India : from the origins to AD 1300

This definitive work by Romila Thapar, the world's leading authority on her subject, brings to life thousands of years of Indian history: its prehistoric beginnings; the cities of the Indus civilization; the emergence of the great dynasties such as the Mauryas, Guptas and Cholas; the writing of the heroic epics of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana; the formation of the case system; the various sects of Hinduism as well as the religious cultures of Buddhism and Islam; and the development of states that are the foundation of India today. Romila Thapar has completely rewritten her previously acclaimed History of India volume, incorporating a generation of extensive research to bring us a whole new perspective on India's past. The Penguin History of Early India will now become the standard work on its subject. From the Origins to AD 1300 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 9 Preface 10 Acknowledgements 12 Note on the Bibliographies 13 Chronology 14 Introduction 18 Perceptions of the Past 32 Landscapes and Peoples 68 Antecedents 100 Towards Chiefdoms and Kingdoms 129 States and Cities of the Indo-Gangetic Plain 168 The Emergence of Empire: Mauryan India 205 Of Politics and Trade 240 The Rise of the Mercantile Community 276 Threshold Times 311 The Peninsula: Emerging Regional Kingdoms 357 The Peninsula: Establishing Authorities and Structures 394 The Politics of Northern India 436 Northern India: Distributive Political Economies and Regional Cultures 473 Maps 522 Glossary 541 Select Bibliographies 547 General Bibliography 573 Index 576 End Maps 589 India,History Incorporating the vast changes in knowledge developed during her lifetime, the author tells the story of this great civilization - one based on diverse, often warring sources - and the buildings and beliefs that are its legacy Tells the story of the Indian civilisation - a civilisation always based on diverse, often warring sources and that left the astounding buildings and beliefs that still fill India.