Indian History - A journey of rediscovery and redemption

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Hi Forumers,

This is the first thread I am starting here and the purpose of this thread is to follow the historians and scholars of our country and their tireless efforts in rediscovering the secrets of ancient India and rewriting our history text books.

A country that is home to one of the oldest, richest and greatest civilizations has somehow failed to attract the attention of her 1 billion plus human souls whenever she attempts to convey about the richness and eclectic nature of her past. Somehow the people of this country seem to still remain under the spells of the colonial brainwashing and nothing much has changed in the history books even 65 years after mother India's wings have been set free. In the midst of ignorant state and central governments and their lack of interest in rediscovering and redeeming the past, a handful of historians and scholars are working tirelessly in stealth to pay careful attention to the whispers of mother India. Unfortunately it still remains in whispering mode, without enough amplification through financial, motivational and committed support from the state and the center. Often times, no one talks about these historians and scholars and their contributions towards steering India into the 21 century and beyond, by reminding her of the past glory and making sure she carries it forward.

Let us salute these soft powers of our country for their work and at the same time, let us get educated with the different viewpoints that exists today among the scholars and historians of our country on the past events of this nation through the writings,video lectures, conferences and talks of these people. Hope you would appreciate this effort and participate in contributing more to this thread.

Thank you.

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Professor Arvind Sharma

Biography

Arvind Sharma's career falls into four clearly discernible chronological periods associated with distinct geographical theatres.

India (1940-1968)

He was born at Varanasi in India and had his early education at Modern School in New Delhi. After obtaining a Bachelor's degree from Allahabad University, he joined the Indian Administrative Service (or I.A.S. for short) in 1962 and served in the state of Gujarat until 1968. His last posting was as the District Development Officer (or D.D.O.) of Ahmedabad, where he had also served earlier as the managing director of the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation.

U.S.A. (1968-1976)

After six years as a public servant, he resumed his academic career in 1968 when he joined the University of Syracuse, in upstate New York. He obtained a Master's in Economics in 1971 from that university, after completing a Master's dissertation on: The Hindu Scriptural Value System and India's Economic Development. His thesis signaled a shift in his academic interests towards religion and he went on to obtain a Masters in Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School in 1974, concentrating on comparative religion. He then joined the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies at Harvard University, finally obtaining his Ph.D. in 1978. His doctoral work focused on Abhinavagupta's commentary on the Bhagavadgītā. He also subsequently translated the commentary into English.

Australia (1976-1987)

He was appointed Lecturer in Asian Religions at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia in 1976 and subsequently to a similar position at the University of Sydney in 1980. When the International Association for the Study of Religions (IAHR) met in Sydney in 1985, he organized a special event to commemorate the bicentennial of Bhagavadgītā's translation into English in 1785. The appearance of two books also marked the occasion: his The Hindu Gita and Eric J. Sharpe's The Universal Gita.

Canada (1987- )

He was appointed Associate Professor in the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada in 1987, where he is now the Birks Professor of Comparative Religion. Two books edited by him while at McGill are widely used in teaching comparative religion: Women in World Religions (1987) and Our Religions (1993). He was instrumental in recently convening a global congress on World's Religions After September 11 which met at the Palais des Congress in Montreal from September 11-15, 2006.


Professor Sharma has replaced Wendy Doniger (The most controversial sex starved indologist) in Microsoft Encarta as the chief of Indic studies.

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Dr. Romila Thapar

Romila Thapar

Photo of Romila ThaparSeptember - November 2006

Dr.Romila Thapar was born in India and comes from a Punjabi family, spending her early years in various parts of India. She earned her first degree from Punjab University and her doctorate from London University. She was appointed to a Readership at Delhi University and subsequently to the Chair in Ancient Indian History at the Jawaharial Nehru University, New Delhi where she is now Emeritus Professor in History. In 1983, she was elected General President of the Indian History Congress and in 1999 a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy.

Among her publications are Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, Ancient Indian Social History: Some Interpretations, From Lineage to State, History and Beyond, Sakuntia: Texts, Readings, Histories and Cultural Pasts: Essays on Indian History, as well as a children’s book, Indian Tales.

The right wing of our country should just shut up and listen to what she is saying and look at the evidences, instead of bashing her with just their emotions.

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Purāṇas as a Source of Hindu History

Dr. Arvind Sharma

Most of us have been trained, as students of history, to virtually disregard the Purāṇas as a source of Indian history. The underlying reason seems to be the fanciful accounts in which they abound, which compromise their credibility as a source of sober history. It seems the time is now ripe to reassess the situation for several reasons. When early Western scholars set about the task of reconstructing Indian history, they preferred to rely on the extra-Indian sources for the history of India, as Hindus were not believed to possess a sense of history. Recent researches have shown that this might be a case of confusion between effect and cause. Scholars have argued that those parts of India which either escaped Muslim rule (Nepal) or remained on the fringe of it (Orissa) have a healthy tradition of maintaining dynastic history, very much along the lines of the Purāṇic lists. In Kashmir this tradition even survived the assaults of neighboring states. What is being suggested is that loss of Hindu political ascendancy may have also resulted in the loss of its archival record. Thus if the idea that Hindus had no sense of history needs to be revisited, the Purāṇas also need to be revisited as a source of it.

Western scholars relied on records of foreign observers in reconstructing ancient Indian history along with archeological, epigraphic and numismatic evidence, presumably in the belief that these foreign observers displayed a greater sense of history. However, if the accounts of the Greeks about India were translated into Sanskrit, they will read just like a Purāṇa. We are glad Faxian visited India, but despite the reputation of Chinese as a nation steeped in historiography, he does not even mention the name of the king through whose empire he passed. Xuanzang is richer in historical detail but his account, like that of Faxian, is full of accounts of Buddhist miracles, just as the Purāṇas are full of Hindu miracles. It is his account of Harṣa which is considered historical timber, and, among the Greek accounts, it is the account of Alexander’s invasion which is supposed to approximate history[1] and not everything the Greeks say. Similarly, it is the sections of the Purāṇas which deal with the record of dynasties in the Kaliyuga which we must turn to. Here too, as in the case of Greek or Buddhist accounts, we have to look for the right thing in the right place.

A third reason has also been proposed for turning, or returning, to the Purāṇas as a source of Hindu history. In the past, Vedic philosophical material had been given precedence over Puranic traditional material, although according to the Hindu tradition itself the Vedas should be treated as ahistorical and the Purāṇas as historical. One would not wish to press this point too far but it does suggest that ‘further progress in revising ancient Indian history could be expected from a study of Itihāsa-Purāṇas, rather than from an analysis of the ṚgVeda. One may ask rhetorically, by way of providing a parallel: what kind of reconstruction of Ancient Israel’s history could be done on the basis of the study of the Psalms, leaving out Genesis and Kings, or what reconstruction of European history is possible based upon a study of the earliest Rituale Romanum?’

Finally, the concept of history itself needs to be somewhat broadened and we come back to the general point of looking for the right thing at the right place. “Rabindranath in an essay called ‘Bharatvarsher Itihasa’ wrote that those who say that there is no history but only political history, go to find an eggplant in a rice field. Not all fields yield the same crop, it is those who can appreciate that that are wise.”[2]

[1] Even here some evidentiary conflict is evident, see R.C. Majumdar, The Classical Accounts of India (Calcutta: Firma KLM Private Ltd, 1981) p. xxi.

[2] Dhruba Chakravarti, in News India Times, September 25, 1998. p. 55.

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Rajeev Malhotra

Rajiv Malhotra, (born September, 1950) is an Indian-American philanthropist, public speaker and writer on current affairs, world religions and cross-cultural encounters between east and west. A physicist and computer scientist by training, his career until his early retirement at age 44 spanned the corporate world as a senior executive, strategic consultant and a successful entrepreneur in the information technology and media industries. In 1995, he founded the Infinity Foundation, seeking to foster a better understanding of the dharma religious traditions of India (most notably Hinduism and Buddhism) both in the US and on the subcontinent. The Foundation has given more than 400 grants for research, education and community work. Since he established his foundation, Rajiv has organized and led numerous conferences and scholarly events to address the challenges and opportunities arising from the growing encounters of civilizations east and west; his articles, blogs and books have a wide audience, and he is frequently interviewed and invited to deliver keynote addresses.

Rajiv’s work compares and contrasts the Abrahamic and dharma worldviews, and examines what the latter can bring to the future of the human family. He argues that the dharma offers a complex, open and multi-dimensional social and religious paradigm that fosters a genuine win-win dialogue among diverse peoples rather than a zero sum game. The key themes of his work include: globalization as a parochial imposition of Western universalism; limitations of the Abrahamic framework in addressing social and environmental conflicts; importance of the feminine dimension to the evolution of cultures; concerns about the future of the west; and the integration science and religion.

Rajiv is at the center of a growing network of diverse collaborators, including scholars, academics, public intellectuals and activists, who draw inspiration from his example and benefit from his support. He is the first ever recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Association of Vedic Studies (2010) and of the Thomas Jefferson Award from the Indian American Civic Forum (2000). He sits on the board of a number of institutions of higher education, such as serving as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the India Studies program at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. He was appointed to the Asian-American Commission for the State of New Jersey, where he served as the Chairman for the Asian Studies Education Committee. He is a senior advisor to the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, founded in 2002, which is the apex body for representing the major Hindu traditions, providing leadership, guidance and a collective voice for Hindus worldwide.

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India's past and present- Dr. Romila Thapar

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Invading the Sacred

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Ramesh Chandra Majumdar

Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1888-1980) Doyen of Bengali historians, was born on 4 December 1888 at Khandarpara in Faridpur district. Son of Haladhar Majumdar and Vidhumukhi he graduated with Honours in History in 1909 from Presidency College and MA from Calcutta University in 1911.

He started historical research under the supervision of MM haraprasad shastri. In 1912 he was awarded premchand roychand studentship for his dissertation Andhra-Kusana Period. He started his career in 1913 in Dacca Teachers' Training College. In July 1914, he was appointed a lecturer in the History department of Calcutta University.

In 1919 Calcutta University published Majumdar's PhD thesis, Corporate Life in Ancient India.

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Corporate Life in Ancient India- By Dr. R.C. Majumdar

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The history of Bengali Language - Dr. V.C.Majumdar

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An interview with Dr. R.C.Majumdar

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Hard Talk with Dr. Romila Thapar

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Abbakka the Brave Queen (C 1540-1625 CE)-by Dr. Jyotsna Kamat

About the Author : A Ph.D. in History, Dr. Jyotsna Kamat is the winner of Karnataka Literary Academy Award 1988, Rajyotsava Award 1991 and Best Kannada Woman Writer of 1995-96, Dr. Kamat was Honorary President of Karnataka History Congress (2001). Dr. Kamat has also been a teacher and broadcaster with All India Radio. She has more than 100 articles, research papers, and invited lectures in English, Kannada and Konkani Languages to her credit. Source

Like Chennabhairadevi of Gerusoppa and Chennamma of Keladi, Abbakka, the queen of Ullal has a glorious record of fighting the enemy under adverse circumstances. Though local sources do not throw much light on her defeating the Portuguese fleet, which had surrounded her small coastal principality, she had attained international celebrity! Arab & Portuguese sources mention about this incident. Pietro Della Valle, the famous Italian traveler who toured India's westcoast between 1621 to 1624 CE, had met the Persian emperor Shah Abbas, prior to his trip to India. Shah Abbas was full of praise of Abbakka's feat. Pietro made it a point to meet the courageous Queen during his trip to India. We owe to Pietro Della Valle, eye-witness record of the Queen who happened to be as benevolent as brave and as farsighted as she was firm.

Spain and Portugal were the most powerful maritime empires of the world at that time. They had conquered the American continent and had become very rich by their indiscriminate looting and killing. Portuguese in India were no exception. In addition they had specialized in piracy over Arabian sea and offered tough competition to Arab traders who had continuous trade link with India's various kingdoms, prior to Christian Era. Finally Spain and Portugal joined with marital ties to pose that theirs was the invincible empire in the whole world.

R.S. Naidu/Kamat's Potpourri
Pietro Della Vale Meets Queen Abbakka
Pietro Della Vale Meets Queen Abbakka
Illustration by R.S. Naidu based on Italian originals

It was at this juncture, that Abbakka made name in Arabia and Persian world, by defeating the Portuguese fleet, which had planned to occupy her harbor town and capital, Ullal.

Mangalore, Bhatkal and Honavar were international ports in Vijayanagar times. Well-bred Persian & Arab horses were imported which, were most essential force for battles of by gone days. Indian spices including black pepper, cloth, rice, medicines, jaggery, sugar etc. were in great demand in Europe and Mediterranean countries. These were produced in abundance in all the coastal belt. More than a dozen chiefs ruled in this region whose area at times, did not exceed more than 100 – 200 villages! Prominent among them were Santras (Bairaras) of Karkal, Bangas of Bangadi (Nandavar), Sawants of Mulki, Choutas of Mudbidri & Ullal, Ajilas of Venur, and Tolahas of Sura!. These chiefs fought among themselves and with local administrators of Vijayanagar, most of the time, to become independent or for reduction fee in tributes and subsidies. But the strong Central Government of Vijayanagar had kept them under control, with overall supervision of Nayakas of Keladi.

But the battle of Rakkasatangadi dealt a death blow, to Vijayanagara in 1565 CE. Each subordinate governor tried to become an independent king and minor chieftains tried to become free rulers. Venkatappa Nayaka of Keladi who had annexed Gerusoppa at the time was slowly trying to have hold in the entire region, which was “infested” with Portuguese pirates, looters and marauders at sea.

Abbakka, Queen of Ullal was married to Lakkarasa, Banga prince of Bangadi. It was more a marriage of convenience than conviction. Lakkarasa was pro-Portugese and depended on sops offered now and then by these foreigners. Abbakka was against the monopolization of the Portugese trade of pepper and other goods at the low price they offered, which was sheer exploitation. She took the custody of their three children as per matrilineal custom (Aliya-santana Kattu) prevalent in the region and lived in Ullal. Banga ruler remained in Bangadi. After some time he married Mula Noble's daughter, Tankaradevi. Abbakka & Lakkarasa separated. Lakkappa also developed animosity with Keladi rulers and the latter were waiting for an opportunity to teach him a lesson. Abbakka had good diplomatic relations with Keladi as also with Zamorin of Calicut. Unheedful of warning of Portuguese, Abbakka sent spices and other goods to Middle East with Zamorin's help. The Portuguese captured the ship in mid-sea. Angered Abbakka attacked Mangalore fort where the Portuguese had built a factory. The Portuguese were bidding time to attack Ullal.

In 1618, Venkatappa seized Banga capital and proceeded to Mangalore. Guessing, Ullal & near by region were unprotected, the Portuguese surrounded Ullal with their naval fleet at sea, and waited for proper opportunity.

It was dark-moon night. At midnight a band of fearless Mogers (fishermen) and Moplah soldiers got into country boats as instructed by Abbakka, approached Portuguese warships, and at a signal, threw burning coconut torches hundreds of them in a moment. The sails caught fire and ships started burning. Those who wanted to save their lives jumped into the sea, only to be killed by waiting Abbakka's soldiers. Two hundred Portuguese soldiers were killed and two warships sank according to Portuguese sources. The Portuguese navy returned with big loss.

When Pietro Della Valle reached Mangalore, he made way for Ullal to meet Abbakka who had become famous by then. When he arrived, he learnt that the Queen had gone to Manel, a village near by to supervise some irrigation work. He went by boat to Manel, and while waiting for the queen, he was told by the interpreter (whom he had engaged) that the queen was returning to camp. He joined the group of people who were greeting the queen with folded hands.

Accompanied by 8-10 soldiers, carrying shields and swords, he saw Abbakka walking barefoot in the middle. A servant was holding a palm-leaf umbrella over her head as protection from Sun. The queen had dark (brown?) complexion and she was clad in an ordinary cotton sari with another cloth covering her head and upper body. “In brief, her aspect and habit represented rather a kitchen-woman or a laundress than a delicate and noble queen”. Wrote Pietro, disappointed.

Being greeted by a foreigner, the queen enquired whether anybody knew Pietro's language. The interpreter came forward and Abbakka addressed Pietro right on the road, amidst the crowd. Pietro introduced himself as a non Portuguese, and had come form the land of great Pope. He had so far seen several countries, and people, including Emperor of Persia, and others.

After getting more details, the queen asked, "After seeing The Great Turk, Persian Emperor, Mogul Emperor and Venkatappa Nayaka, what is there to see in this wilderness?"

"I came only to see you, Your Majesty. You are so well-known in my part of the world!" -- Pietro informed.

The queen looked pleased and after making arrangements for Pietro's comfortable stay, She told him, that she will give audience later. With motherly concern, she had enquired Pietro, who would care and nurse him if he fell ill in his lone wanderings in a strange country. Pietro replied that it was his God in whom he had immense faith.

But Abbakka never sent for him though Pietro waited for three more days. However her teen-age son entertained him at his residence, served Indian food of which Pietro has left a vivid description. He has also described the matrilineal custom, prevalent in Kerala and Tulunad.

There were other chieftains in western coast like this smalltime queen. But Pietro Della Valle has given account only about Abbakka. He states that she was a noble queen who loved her subjects, personally supervised welfare measures and settled disputes in evenings. He has compared her to Persian Emperor Shah Abbas as a benevolent ruler, besides being extraordinarily courageous.

Source

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Alberuni in India

In 1017 A.D., at the behest of Sultan Mahmud of Persia, Alberuni (a.k.a. Al-Biruni) traveled to India to learn about the Hindus, "and to discuss with them questions of religion, science, and literature, and the very basis of their civilization". He remained in India for thirteen years, studying, and exploring.

Alberuni's scholarly work has not gotten the great recognition it deserves. Not for nearly eight hundred years would any other writer match Alberuni's profound understanding of almost all aspects of Indian life [1].

Alberuni was a true genius -- he was renowned as a mathematician, and an astronomer prior to his India mission -- and has successfully captured the the time and meaning of India in his writings. For instance he gives the Hindu's concept of God in Chapter II of his Tarikh al-Hind (History of India) which is astonishingly faithful to the complex definitions the Hindus believe in.

Alberuni not only studied Sanskrit literature, but also met many a Indian mathematicians and philosophers. It is rather ironic that some of the the most comprehensive study of India of the middle ages is performed by an Islamic scholar. In his notes we not only find elaborate descriptions of travel tales, but also discussions of divinity, literature, and mathematical equations.

References

[1] Edward Sachau (Translator), Ainslie Embree (Editor), Alberuni's India, Norton, 1971External Link
[2] Alberuni's India, 1988

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Timeline of India

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Technology of Spirituality

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Where is India in the eagle's eye?

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Status of Women in Medieval Karnataka







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Sarees for men in ancient India

Once upon a time, the saree was a unisex clothing in India. Dr.(Mrs.) Kamat wonders if reverting to genderless attire will equate the fields for women.

In the hope of equating themselves with men, modern women imitate them in all walks of life, including dress and decoration. But there was a time in India when nobles and commoners were wearing sarees in order to look as attractive as the fair sex.

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Changing Interpretations of Indian History by Prof. Romila Thapar

This is a very interesting presentation by a distinguished Indian historian.