Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
International Conference on Indian History
ICIH 2009, January 9‐11, 2009
पु र ाणिमितवृत्त माख्याियकोदाहरणं
धमार् थ र्श ास्तर्ं चे त ीितहासः ।।
SOUVENIR VOLUME
Edited by
Om Prakash
Prashant Bhardwaj
Kosla Vepa
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Defeatist Spirit Must Go……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Welcome……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
The Pernicious effects of the Misinterpreted Greek Synchronism in Ancient Indian History…… 11
Listing of Abstracts submitted before deadline ..................................................................... 46
Curriculum Vitae………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 83
Thanksgiving ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………97
Appendix
Programme Schedule…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………99
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DEFEATIST SPIRIT MUST GO
SIR C. V. RAMAN’S ADVICE TO YOUTH
(ASSOCIATED PRESS OF INDIA, PATNA, NOVEMBER 28, 1941)
Appeared in the Hindu December 1, 1941
“You, our young men come to the Universities and leave them to face the world—a world
which may seem to be an unsympathetic harsh world. I would like to tell the young men
and women before me not to lose hope and courage. Success can only come to you by
courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you and there is nothing worth in this
world that can come without the sweat of our brow. We have abundant human material
in India. Speaking as teacher of twenty‐four years experience, I can assert, without fear
of contradiction, that the quality of the Indian mind is equal to the quality of any
Teutonic, Nordic or Anglo‐Saxon mind. What we lack is perhaps courage, what we lack is
perhaps the driving force which takes one anywhere. We have, I think, developed an
inferiority complex. I think what is needed in India today is the destruction of that
defeatist spirit. We need a spirit of victory, a spirit that will carry us on to our rightful
place under the sun, a spirit which will recognize that, we as inheritors of a proud
civilization, are entitled to a rightful place on this planet If that indomitable spirit were
to arise, nothing can hold us from achieving our rightful destiny.”
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WELCOME ागतम
Bien Venue Herzliche Willkomen
Sri Jagmohan, Professor Braj Bhasi Lal, Professor Shivaji Singh, Distinguished Scholars,
I extend a hearty welcome to you on behalf of all the volunteer members of the ICIH 2009,
and the ISF. I greet you in the same manner as we done from time immemorial with a
Namaste
It is indeed a privilege and a signal honor to welcome you all to the International Conference on
Indian History (ICIH 2009) the first of what we hope to be many future conferences that will
allow us to discuss issues freely and fearlessly, and explore the rich and varied tapestry that
forms the major part of the Indic History and Civilization. There is clearly buried within my
innermost self the desire to tilt at windmills, just as the hero Don Quixote de la Mancha, in the
classic tale by Miguel de Cervantes’ felt the need to do just that. The reason I say that is, our
goal remains the changing of the content of the text books worldwide and especially in the
English speaking countries that deal with the Indic civilization in so cavalier a fashion. Our
estimation is that a significant proportion of the Indic Diaspora has experienced, the demeaning
condescension that many English historians have bestowed on India and the Indics, starting from
James Mills to Sir Penderel Moon. I mention this to emphasize that this is a problem, not just of
a particular geography, but a large part of the World.
There are some, I concede, that feel our Civilizational History, provided that it is correctly
depicted, is indeed a closed book and nothing more needs to be said about Indian History and
that for a host of reasons, any attempt to correct it is futile and would lead nowhere. I beg to
disagree. Even a cursory look at the current History books would disabuse us of such a notion. A
typical book of Indian history would deal with the entire history of India prior to the Common
Era within the space of 20 to 100 pages, and would spend the next 100 pages for the less than
200 years of Mughal rule, and another 100 pages on the British colonial period which lasted just
a tad under 200 years. If my remarks suggest that such a cavalier treatment is only extended to
the ancient era that is clearly not the case. The Vijayanagar Empire which is a relatively recent
occurrence is vouchsafed the same degree of neglect, even though it lasted longer than the
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Mughal Empire; see for instance, the book by John Keay 1 which devotes a scant 3 pages to the
Vijayanagar Empire. Assuming such weight‐age results from lack of knowledge of our past, this
merely reinforces my point that much work is yet to be done in deciphering the Indic past. But if
such neglect of our Ancient era has been a deliberate act to minimize the contributions of the
ancient Indic, it is a far more serious matter indicating lack of integrity.
This pattern is strikingly similar in a large number of books. If we make the generalization that
this applies only to books written by Englishmen, a quick look at what is there in other countries
reveal to us that, alas the picture is no better, such as for example when one looks at a book
written for German readers by Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund. Clearly,
notwithstanding the great rivalry that the Germans exhibited towards the British during much of
the 19th century, the overwhelming feeling you get when you read Kulke and Rothermund is one
of empathy for the British for assuming the burden of civilizing the natives of India. There is the
customary obfuscation and omission of many egregious acts committed by the Colonial Overlord
during their tenure as a self appointed guardian of the Indic peoples. To those millions who died
in the seventy famines that occurred during the Colonial era, such a sanitized narrative is not
only a mockery of the truth but a grotesque perversion of history. There are exceptions to be
sure, such as the monumental work done by Will and Ariel Durant but they are rare. To be
charitable, and this is not an instance where charity is warranted, we will assume Napoleon’s
dictum to be true, that we should attribute not to malice that which is more easily attributable
to incompetence.
Even the most painstaking effort at the Historical narration of a people is a process which often
reduces the multifaceted civilization to a much lower dimension, where if care is not taken, we
come away with the feeling that the only important feature of a land was the chronology of the
Kings and the buildings and monuments that they left behind. In reducing the historical narrative
to the printed word, we may not experience the vibrancy of events as they first unfolded and the
fact we are almost certainly witnessing a large scale titanic shift in paradigms, and values, that is
the essential ingredient of the Shiva Tandava, the quintessential Hindu metaphor that represents
the daily rhythms of birth, life and of death. Why is this? In my view this is so because for the
most part the modern treatment of Indian history in the hands of the occidentals and their
parampara in India is so banal and is often reduced to the prevailing mores of political
correctness. This is the case, even when the narration is free from egregious errors. When there
is little attempt at authenticity, and every issue becomes a test of loyalty to a political dogma,
the situation is far more dire. All pretence at maintaining the accuracy of the narrative is
abandoned, and the sole criterion is preserving this extraordinary degree of political correctness.
There are exceptions to this vast ocean of banality, as exemplified by the work of a few, among
whom we count the Chairman and the inaugural speaker. The gifted historian will have the talent
to bring alive with vivid colors the tempo of the lives of ordinary folk, their hopes and fears and
will take a stab at describing what a typical day is like.
The state of knowledge in various fields such as Physics, Genetics, biology, chemistry, and
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forensics, is such that they can now be brought to bear on the questions that arise in the
decipherment of history. No longer is one forced to guess, at least in an increasing number of
cases, the dates when an event took place, as did the colonial overlord
We will begin at the beginning and ask ourselves why we would study history at all.
The traditional discipline of History is one that tries to answer the following questions:
What was said?
What was written?
What was physically preserved?
The earliest oral record of a history is that of the Vedas (the terminus ante quem we believe is
4000 BCE) and the earliest written record is the Cuneiform of 3400 BCE.
Why study history? The answer is because we virtually must, to gain access to the laboratory of
human experience. When we study it reasonably well, we acquire some usable habits of mind, as
well as some basic data about the forces that affect our own lives and as a result emerge with
relevant skills and an enhanced capacity for informed citizenship, critical thinking, and simple
awareness. In short the history of a people is akin to the DNA of the human species. It contains
within it all the collective experiences and wisdom of a people. People, who ignore their own
history, do so at their own peril and will often be forced to repeat it. The real question is, can we
afford not to learn our history. As opposed to our viewpoint, which we take as a tautology,
notice the fear of the study of history in some quarters, exemplified by the following statement:
“The uncontested ascendancy of history has dangerously narrowed the possibilities of dissent in
our times and nowhere is this more evident than in India” 2. In other words, the study of history
is ipso facto, dangerous and should presumably be at a minimum, not encouraged.
If we do not write our own history somebody else will (they will have no compulsion to be true
to our history). They will write it from their perspective an account favorable to their
civilization.
We are pleased to present to you in the next two and a half days a cross section of the rich
intellectual tradition that forms the tapestry of Indian civilization. It is indeed a humbling
experience when one is confronted by the grand panoply of the Indian literary tradition, the
epigraphic and numismatic data, and the archaeological evidence, to realize how little we know
of the Indic past. I would consider the conference a success if we come away overwhelmed with
the feeling that we have lot to learn.
We hope that the conference will once again ignite the curiosity of young minds. These will in
turn initiate an era of scholarship in order to give rise to a new generation of historians who
2 Lal, Vina y “The Hi stor y o f H i stor y” . Ox for d Uni ver si ty Press, Del hi, 2003 , N ew Del hi
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will do justice to this narrative, the History of the Indic Peoples and their civilization.
We ask all of you to make following pledge: “Let it resound in the distant regions of this
planet, whether there are those that wish us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any
burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival of the
cherished values and traditions of the Hindu”
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Where the mind is without fear
Where the mind is without fear
And the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been
Broken up into fragments by narrow
Domestic walls;
Where words come out from
The depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its
Arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason
Has not lost its way into the dreary
Desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by
Thee into ever‐widening thought and action…
Into that heaven of freedom, my
Father, let my country awake.
Rabindranath Tagore
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PROGRAM SCHEDULE
(see Appendix)
Presidential Address
ICIH 2009
Contending paradigms of
Indian history: What’s the way out?
Professor Shivaji Singh
National President,
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Kosla Vepa PhD
It was F E Pargiter, who introduced the notion of a Synchronism in Indian Historiography, in one
of the first such works to appear in a European language, which lent credulity to the Puranic
texts, he was the first to analyze them in detail and publish his findings in a book. 3 Even so,
Pargiter had fallen prey to the propensity of the colonial overlord to tamper with the data
instead of reporting on it in a dispassionate manner with Vairagya and Viveka. In so doing he
follows the pattern of British Indian civil servants, who with literally dozens of domestic servants
to relieve them of daily chores and ample time and a security enabled through palatial and
sumptuous salaries at the cost of the impoverished Indian, were able to indulge in the favorite
pastime of rewriting and reinterpreting Indian History in a form more palatable to the European
audience. But Pargiter exhibits a degree of adherence to the evidence not evident in most other
writers from the Occident. Despite his scholarship, the constant contact with Indians who were
mostly in a subordinate role and generally obsequious in their behavior to most Occidentals, had
taken its toll on objectivity and there is palpable condescension in the narrative that he spins
and like other English historians, he does not seem to have sought the opinion and review of
Indic Pundits.
The concern about synchronism was a natural one and stemmed from the need for understanding
the relationship between various overlapping dynasties that spanned a millennial time frame.
Hailing as they did, from a small island, they were not used to seeing the sheer plethora of
dynastic families that ruled over the different parts of the subcontinent during the millennia.
More importantly, the tendency to disbelieve any dates or the absolute chronology was so
strong, that they were looking for external synchronisms, especially with respect to an
Occidental. The difficulty was that there was not much of a civilization in the Occident during
the millennia prior to 1000 BCE, with the exception of the countries surrounding the eastern
Mediterranean. As a result, there is no record that is accessible to us even of travelers from
3 Pa rgi ter , FE, “ Ancient India n H i stori ca l T ra di ti o n” Ox fo r d Univer si ty Press, Lo ndo n, 1922 , Cha pter XII,
page 139 .
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Greece or Babylon during the time frame in question. This is not to say that absence of evidence
is evidence of absence. It is just that more work needs to be done to see if there were other
travelers to India during the time period under consideration
The real pioneer of European Indology was Sir William Jones (1746‐April 27, 1794), reputedly a
scholar, gifted linguist and founder of the Royal Asiatic Society and by all accounts a man of
superior intellect. It appears he was a confidante of Warren Hastings (1732‐1818). Jones
ostensibly became an ardent admirer of India. He wrote, “I am in love with Gopia, charmed with
Crishen (Krishna), an enthusiastic admirer of Raama and a devout adorer of Brihma (Brahma),
Bishen (Vishnu), Mahisher (Maheshwara); not to mention that Judishteir, Arjen, Corno
(Yudhishtira, Arjuna, Karna) and the other warriors of the Mahabharata appear greater in my
eyes than Agamemnon, Ajax and Achilles appeared when I first read the Iliad” 4.
Above Sir William learning Sanskrit from the Pundits
Brief Highlights in the life of Sir William Jones
Studied at Harrow School
Entered University College, Oxford 1764
Admitted to the Temple September 19, 1770
Called to the Bar, 1774
Fellow of the Royal Society, 1776
Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Fort St William, 1783
4 Mukhar ji, S.N., Sir William Jones: A Study in Ei ghteenth Century Br itish Attitudes to India, Orient
Lo ngma n, 19 87
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Authored The Chronology of the Hindus, The Indian Zodiac, The Lunar year of the Hindus
Died of inflammation of the Liver 1794, when he was shy of 50
This is the story we are told. What is the truth of the matter? He remained true to the Biblical
dogma of Genesis which he took to be a literal account. His chronology for ancient India,
including the dating of Chandragupta Maurya to the period of Alexander’s invasion of India was
dictated at least in part by the Biblical dogma. Jones may not have had an ulterior motive in
doing this, since these were the times prior to the advent of Charles Darwin. All the same, his
disinclination to go against his scriptures renders his conclusions suspect. In 1786, while
delivering his third lecture, Sir William made the following statement which aroused the curiosity
of many scholars and finally led to the emergence of comparative linguistics. Noticing the
similarities between Sanskrit and the Classical Languages of Europe such as Greek and Latin he
declared:
“The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of wonderful structure; more perfect than
the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to
both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than
could possibly have been produced by accident; so strong indeed, that no philologer could
examine all three of them, without believing them to have sprung from some common source
which, perhaps, no longer exists; there is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible, for
supposing that both the Gothic and the Celtic, though blended with a very different idiom, had
the same origin with the Sanskrit; and the old Persian might be added to the same family...” 5
There is cognitive dissonance in this stance of Sir William, who on the one hand praises the
Sanskrit language as a significant work of the human intellect while at the same time not inviting
a single Indian to participate in the deliberations of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal. What is
more they were effectively barred from participating in the meetings.
He had a good understanding of Vedanta as exemplified in the following quote:
“The fundamental tenet of the Vedanta school to which in a more modern age 6, the incomparable
Sankara was a firm and illustrious adherent, consisted not in denying the existence of matter,
that is, of solidity, impenetrability, and extended figure (to deny which would be lunacy), but in
correcting the popular notion of it, and in contending that it has no essence independent of
mental perception; that existence and perceptibility are convertible terms.” These words
adequately express the compatibility of empirical reality and transcendental ideality. 7
6 It must be noted tha t the curr ent co nventi o nal da ti ng o f Adi Sa nkara whi ch puts hi m i n the ei ghth centur y
CE, ( a da ting tha t pro mpted Sir Willi am to use the ter m ‘mo der n a ge’ i s no t bor ne o ut b y the resul ts o f
Astr o no mica l da ti ng carr ied o ut b y Prof Nara ha ri Achar . See fo r i nsta nce the Pro ceedi ngs o f the Dalla s
confer ence on Distor tions in Indian Histor y, ti tl ed Astronomical Da ti ng and Select Vi gnettes from Indian
H istor y, pub lished by the Indi c Studies Fo unda ti o n and a vailable a t lulu.com, and edited by me. T he mo re
pla usible da te is 509 to 477 BCE during the r eign of Ha la Sa ta va ha na , with whom he ha d a n a udi ence
7 Sir Will ia m Jo nes On the Philosophy of the Asia ti cs (“ Asiati c Researches”, vol. iv, p, 164 ),
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One must understand the milieu of the times, to fathom the motivations of the individuals and
nuances of what happened. Who were these people who came to India so eagerly? What
motivated them to do so? Prodosh Aich has documented the real story behind the study of
Indology, the subject that Sir William was credited with initiating. There are many questions that
he answers in the book Lügen mit Langen Beinen (Lies with Long Legs) 8. For example the
preponderance of individuals who served in the upper echelons of the British East India company
were awarded the title Sir (or a Knighthood) before being sent to India, we presume to impress
the Indians. A gentleman with the title Sir in front of his name was a Knight of the British
Empire, reminiscent of the Knights of King Arthur. A Knight did not belong to the hereditary
nobility, except on rare occasions. In order to become a Lord and sit in the House of Lords, one
had to own a substantial estate and land was scarce in England and hence, while it was possible
to impress the Indian by awarding a Sir, it rarely resulted in being elevated to the Peerage. We
mention this to emphasize that the vast majority of official who came to India came from modest
circumstances and only became wealthy after their stay in India. In other words, the instances
where the individual was famous or a scholar before he came to India was rare indeed. So it was
in the case of Sir William, whose primary motivation in coming to India was to achieve wealth, at
a greatly accelerated pace, than he could hope to achieve in England.
As far as his mastery of languages is concerned, there appears to be considerable exaggeration
when he is credited with knowing 32 languages. He apparently knew Greek and Latin and had
learned Arabic and Persian. In fact so great was his ignorance of Indic languages that he was
unable to distinguish any of the languages spoken in Bengal when he arrived in Calcutta in 1782.
When he was advised by Charles Wilkins to learn Sanskrit, he is quoted as saying ‘Life is too
short and my necessary business too long for me to think at my age – he was then 38‐ of
acquiring a new language, when those which I have already learned have such a mine of curious
and agreeable information.
Thus began the study of Indo European languages as one family. Such a study falls under the
rubric of a field known as Philology. Wikipedia defines Philology as “Philology is the study of
ancient texts and languages. The term originally meant a love (Greek philo‐) of learning and
literature (Greek ‐logia). In the academic traditions of several nations, a wide sense of the term
“philology” describes the study of a language together with its literature and the historical and
cultural contexts which are indispensable for an understanding of the literary works and other
culturally significant texts. Philology thus comprises the study of the grammar, rhetoric, history,
interpretation of authors, and critical traditions associated to a given language. Such a wide‐
ranging definition is becoming rare nowadays, and “philology” tends to refer to a study of texts
from the perspective of historical linguistics.
Inadvertently Sir William set in motion a chain of events beginning with the search for a Proto
Indo European Languages or PIE for short. The puzzling observation here is that it never occurred
to him, as far as we are aware that possibly, Sanskrit itself could be the grand ancestor to all the
languages of the Indo European languages. Till then Europeans had assumed that the oldest
language related to the European languages was Hebrew. Given the anti Semitic feelings that
were always simmering underneath the surface in Europe, there was general relief that the roots
of their heritage lay elsewhere than in Hebrew, but Sir William may have realized that the notion
of the unwashed millions of the subject peoples of India possessed the linguistic technology (in
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Panini‘s Ashtadhyayi) to explain the grammars of their own language would perhaps be equally
unacceptable. Whatever the case may be, there are two major disservices that he did to the Indic
Civilization. One was the possible misdating of Chandragupta Maurya by several centuries and
the other was postulating the assumption of a PIE, which implied an Urheimat (an ancestral
home) from where the Indo Europeans fanned out to the four corners of the Eurasian landmass.
By so doing he laid the seeds for a fractured historical narrative for the Indics, which was not
supported by any Indian legend or folklore. In short he saddled the Indics with perpetually
having to refute dual falsehoods, a false chronology and an imposed ‘Aryan Invasion or what has
been light heartedly called the Aryan Tourist theory.
When it came to synchronisms, the only significant data that could be utilized by Sir William for
a synchronism was the invasion of Alexander. This was the earliest date that he could come up
with, and the data he had was the notes kept by Megasthenes, the ambassador sent to India by
Seleucus Nicator, one of the generals of Alexander who broke away from the main Alexandrian
empire to spin of his own Kshatrapy ( Sk. For Regional Kingdom)
We will assume for the moment that the accepted date of the invasion when he was in the Indus
valley is indeed 326 BCE. There are severe difficulties with this dating, but unless we make the
assumption that this is a correct date we will not be able to proceed. Nevertheless, at the outset
it must be stated, in all candor, that the name of Alexander does not appear in any literary text
in India and that therefore this is hardly a judicious choice for a synchronism. In this instance it
is appropriate to recall the ancient adage that ‘Fools will barge in where Angels will fear to tread
and one cannot fault Sir William for expressing great joy in his discovery that Megasthenes was
the ambassador of Seleucus Nicator to the Maurya Empire. We quote Sir William.
Sir William Jones, President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, gave his tenth anniversary discourse
on February 28, 1793. The topic was, “Asiatic history, civil and natural,” and it was published in
the fourth volume of the Asiatic Researches, first printed in 1807, reprint 1979. This was his
third attempt to destroy the culture and the history of Bharatvarsh by mutilating the historic
dates. It bears mentioning that Indians were not allowed to be members of the Royal Asiatic
Society and it was not until a hundred and forty years later that they would be allowed to
participate
Jones says in his speech,
“I cannot help mentioning a discovery which accident threw in my way, (I) thought my proofs
must be reserved for an essay which I have destined for the fourth volume of your Transactions.
To fix the situation of that Palibothra which was visited and described by Megasthenes, had
always appeared a very difficult problem.”
“…but this only difficulty was removed, when I found in a classical Sanscrit book, near 2000 years
old, that Hiranyabahu, or golden‐armed, which the Greeks changed into Erannoboas, or the river
with a lovely murmur was in fact another name for the Son itself, though Megasthenes, from
ignorance or inattention, has named them separately. This discovery led to another of greater
moment; for Chandragupta, who, from a military adventurer, became, like Sandracottus, the
sovereign of Upper Hindostan, actually fixed the seat of his empire at Pataliputra, where he
received ambassadors from foreign princes; and was no other than that very Sandracottus who
concluded a treaty with Seleucus Nicator; so that we have solved another problem, to which we
before alluded, and may in round numbers consider the twelve and three hundredth years before
Christ.” (pp. xxv to xxvii)
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He tells us in his speech that he has found a classical Sanskrit book of about 2,000 years old. The
other thing he says is that Chandragupta was no other than the very Sandracottus who is
described by Megasthenes to have made a treaty with Seleucus around 312 BC; and, to establish
that that Chandragupta belonged to the Maurya dynasty, he mentions about some poem by
Somdev which tells about the murder of Mahapadma of the Nanda dynasty and his eight sons by
Chandragupta in order to usurp the kingdom. In this way Jones created a fictitious connection
between Chandragupta Maurya and Sandracottus. He says in his speech,
“A most beautiful poem by Somadev, comprising a very long chain of instructive and agreeable
stories, begins with the famed revolution at Pataliputra, by the murder of King Nanda with his
eight sons, and the usurpation of Chandragupta; and the same revolution is the subject of a
tragedy in Sanscrit, entitled the Coronation of Chandra.” (p. xxviii)
These were the basic points of his speech that was called the Discovery of the identity of
Chandragupta Maurya as Sandracottus. But the problem is that such a formulation was
completely erroneous in all aspects and there are several hypotheses that he makes that are no
longer valid. What are these Hypotheses?
Who was ruling in India during the visit of Megasthenes?
In order to examine these hypotheses we must digress to the characterization of Megasthenes by
Greek Historians such as Arrian, Strabo and Diodorus. Megasthenes (ca. 350 BC ‐ 290 BC) was a
Greek traveler and geographer from Ionia in Asia Minor or present day Turkey. He became an
ambassador of Seleucus I of Syria to the court of Sandracottus (mistakenly believed to be
Chandragupta Maurya) of India, in Pataliputra. However the exact date of his embassy is
uncertain. Scholars place it before 288 BC. Arrian explains that Megasthenes lived in Arachosia,
with the satrap (Sk. Kshatrap) Sibyrtius, from where he visited India:
“Megasthenes lived with Sibyrtius, satrap of Arachosia, and often speaks of his visiting
Sandracottus, the king of the Indians.” Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri [ 1 ]
We have more definite information regarding the parts of India which Megasthenes visited. He
entered the country through the district of the Pentapotamia of the rivers of which he gave a full
account (thought to be the five affluents of the Indus, forming the Punjab region), and
proceeded from there by the royal road to Pataliputra. There are accounts of Megasthenes
having visited Madurai (then, a bustling city and capital of Pandya Kingdom), but appears not to
have visited any other parts of India. His observations were recorded in Indika, a work that
served as an important source to many later writers such as Strabo and Arrian. He describes such
features as the Himalayas and the island of Sri Lanka. He also described India’s caste system.
Surviving text of Indika
The problem from an Indic perspective is that very little of the Indika survives intact today and
we are left with second hand accounts by the aforementioned Greek Historians. In fact McCrindle
in “Ancient India as described by Megasthenes and Arian “says that the Greek writers such as
Megasthenes were not highly regarded and were prone to lying. Strabo was of the opinion that
Megasthenes simply created fables and as such no faith could be placed in his writings. In
Strabo’s own words: “Generally speaking the men who have written on the affairs of India were a
set of liars. Deimachos is first, Megasthenes comes next.” Diodorus also held similar opinions
15
about him.
So who and what should we believe? It was Dr. Schwanbeck 9, who we are told again, had
collected all the fragments that were extant at that time, and who finally comes to the
conclusion that Megasthenes can be largely vindicated of the charge of mendacity (that was
leveled at a host of other Greek historians).
The Greek records mention Xandramas and Sandrocyptus as the kings immediately before and
after Sandracottus. These names are not in any way phonetically similar to Mahapadma Nanda
and Bindusara, who were the predecessor and successor of Chandragupta Maurya, respectively.
However, if Sandracottus refers to Chandragupta “Gupta”, Xandramas reckons to be his
predecessor Chandrashree alias Chandramas (the last of the main dynasty of Andhra Satavahana
Kings) and Sandrocyptus to be Samudragupta. The phonetic similarity becomes quite apparent
and also, with the assistance of other evidence, confirms the identity of Sandracottus to
Chandragupta Gupta. The ancient Greeks like the Occidentals of today were either incapable of
pronouncing Sanskrit names or refused to make the necessary effort to do so.
What does the Puranic evidence tell us
The Puranas are the main means by which the transmittal of Hindu tradition took place and form
the central core of the literature through which the values of the civilization are transmitted to
successive generations. In fact we are told in the Mahabharata that, ‘the Veda is afraid of him
who has not studied the Epics and Puranas, for he would indeed kill it with his ignorance of its
truth propounded in them.’
Characteristics of the Puranas
The Puranas are a class of literary texts, all written in Sanskrit verse, whose composition dates
from the time of Veda Vyaasa, who lived at the time of the Mahabharata. The Puranas are
regarded by some as the Veda when studied under a magnifying glass. The word “Purana” means
“old” and in fact Panini assigns the meaning “complete”( cognate with purna) Generally they are
considered as following the chronological aftermath of the epics, though sometimes the
Mahabharata, which is generally classified as a work of Itihaasa (history), is also referred to as a
Purana. Some Occidental scholars, such as van Buitenen10, are inclined to view the Puranas as
beginning around the time that the composition of the Mahabharata came to a close. Certainly,
in its final form the Mahabharata shows puranic features, and the Harivamsa, which is an
appendix to the Mahabharata, where the life of Krishna or Hari is treated at some length, have
sometimes been seen as puranas. The special subject of the Puranas is the powers and works of
the gods, and one ancient Sanskrit lexicographer, Amarasinha, regarded by some as a Jain , and
by others as a Buddhist who was reputed to be a courtier of Vikramaditya circa 80 BCE , defined
a Purana as having five characteristic topics, or Pancalaksana in the Amarkosha thusly “(1) The
9 Anci ent India a s Described by Megasthenes a nd A rrian by Megasthenes, E. A. Schwanbeck, Arrian. A translation of
the frag ments of the Indi ka of Megast henes, coll ect ed by Dr. Schwanbeck and of the fi rst part of I ndi ka by Arrian
10 Dimmitt, Cornelia; J. A. B. van Buitenen (1978). Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the
Sanskrit Puranas. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. pp. 373. ISBN 8170305969.
16
creation of the universe, Sarga; (2) Its destruction and renovation, Prati‐sarga; (3) The genealogy
of gods and patriarchs, Vamsa; (4) The reigns of the Manus, forming the periods called
Manavantaras; (5) the history of the Solar and Lunar races of kings, Vamsanucharita.”
sargascha prathisargascha vamsamanvantharAni cha I
VamsAnucharitam chaiva purAnAm panchalakshanam II
No one purana can be described as exhibiting in fine (or even coarse) detail all five of these
distinguishing traits, but sometimes the Vishnu Purana is thought to most closely resemble the
traditional definition.
Vyasa composed the Puranas in 400, 000 “Grantha”. A Grantha is a stanza consisting of 32
syllables. Of these the Skanda Purana alone accounts for 100, 000. It is perhaps the world’s
biggest literary work. The remaining 17 Puranas add up to 300, 000 Granthas. Apart from them
Vyasa composed the Mahabharata, which comprised also nearly 100, 000 Granthas.
Each Purana is devoted to a particular deity. There are Saiva, Vaisnava and Sakta Puranas. The 18
Puranas : Brahma Purana (Brahma), Padma Purana (Padma), Narada Purana (Naradiya),
Markandeya Purana, Visnu Purana (Vaisnava), Siva Purana(Saiva), Bhagvata Purana, Agni Purana
(Agneya), Bhavisya Purana, Brahma‐Vaivarta Purana, Linga Purana, Varaha Purana (Varaha),
Skanda Mahapurana, Vamana Purana, Kurma Purana (Kaurma), Matsya Purana (Matsya), Garuda
Purana (Garuda) and Brahmanda Purana.
In the Puranic and other literature, there is no allusion anywhere to an invasion or inroad into
India by foreign peoples up to the time of Andhra kings; and the only person who bore the name
similar to Sandracottus of the Greeks, and who flourished at the time of Alexander, was
Chandragupta of the Gupta dynasty, who established a mighty empire on the ruins of the already
decayed Andhra dynasty and existing 2811 years after the Mahabharata War, corresponding to
328 B.C. His date is currently placed in the fourth century A.D., which obviously does not stand.
It is also interesting to note that the accounts in the life of Sandracottus of the Greeks, and the
political and social conditions in India at that time, match those of in the era of Chandragupta
Gupta. With this observation, it is therefore the case that the Greek and Puranic accounts
unanimously agree on the issue of the identity Chandragupta Gupta and Sandracottus.
To provide a complete picture of the Dynastic lists and the names of the individual Kings of the
Magadha Empire, we have added the lists until the end of the Gupta empire in appendix C.
According to Puranic evidence, there had expired 1500 years after Parikshit, when
Mahapadmananda was coronated. Between Parikshit and the Nandas, there were 3 royal
dynasties, namely the Brihadratha, Pradyota and Sisunaga families
The ten kings of the Sisunaga dynasty ruled for 360 years, beginning from 1994 B.C. and ending
with 1634 B.C. At this time, an illegitimate son, Mahapadma‐Nanda, of the last Sisunaga
emperor, Mahanandi, ascended the throne of Magadha. The total regnal period of this Nanda
dynasty was 100 years. After this, with the assistance of Arya Chanakya, Chandragupta Maurya
17
ascended the throne of Magadha, and that is in the year 1534 B.C. This date can be arrived and
confirmed using many independent accounts. The Mauryas ruled for a total of 316 years, and
were replaced by the Sungas. The Kanvas who succeeded the Sungas were themselves
overthrown by the Andhra, who in turn ruled for a period of 506 years. Then followed the reign
of the Sri Guptas for a period of 245 years, also referred to as the (last of the) Golden ages of
Bharata. It was Samudragupta of the SriGupta dynasty, who was known as Asokaditya
Priyadarshin. The inscriptions of Asoka belong to this Gupta emperor and not to the Asoka
Maurya who came to power 218 years after the Buddha. Narahari Achar of Memphis University
has confirmed many of the dates including that of the Buddha, using Planetarium software, the
algorithms in which are based on Celestial Mechanics, has established that the Puranic dates are
correct based on the sky observations that were recorded by the ancients. This must be regarded
as an independent verification since the principles of celestial mechanics were unknown to the
ancient Indic.
The Hypotheses of Sir William Jones
He made the following inferences from the work of Megasthenes, which were in retrospect
colossal errors:
1. That the puranic chronology was completely erroneous
2. That the Sandracottus mentioned in Megasthenes’ Indika was Chandragupta Maurya. He
based this on two observations of Megasthenes
3. That Pataliputra 11 was situated at the confluence of two rivers which he wrongly inferred
to be the Sone and the Ganges. There are two wrong inferences in this statement.
We are indebted to Sunil Bhattacharjya for bringing this to our attention. 12 We quote the
following passage from his paper:
“Even though Megasthenes had specifically mentioned Sone separately yet Sir Jones conveniently
stated that Megasthenes mentioned about Sone negligently. But there was none in those days to
protest against such horrendous accusation hurled at Megasthenes. Present day well ‐informed
historians know that there was indeed the city of Pratisthanpur at the confluence of Ganga and
Yamuna, which was also mentioned by the great poet Kalidasa of the 8th century BCE in his
drama “Vikramorvashia”. The city of Pratisthanpur was destroyed completely about one thousand
11 Pa tal iputr a is no t mentio ned i n the Pura na s a nd di d no t enter the pi cture until the r ei gn o f Aso ka . T he
capital o f the Maga dha Ki ngdo m wa s al wa ys Ra ja gri ha .al so kno wn in the Ma ha b hara ta a s Giri vra ja
12 Sunil Bha ttachar jya “T he do tted recor d a nd its effect o n the Ancient India n chro nolo gy, including the
a ntiqui ty o f the V e da a nd the Bha ga va d Gi ta” Paper p re se nted a t the H i story sessio n a t the W AV ES
co nfer ence , 2008 , Flo ri da
18
years ago by a devastating fire and from that time onward that city has been known as Jhusi (or
Jhunsi), a name derived from the Hindi word Jhulasna or to burn. Megasthenes stated that in
those days all the buildings / houses near the rivers and the sea were made of wood and
Palibuthra, being at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna, was no exception and that the
structures with brick and clay were built only in places far away from the rivers and the sea. Thus
it appears possible that the fire destroyed all the traces of the ancient wooden structures, if any
of these at all survived till the time of the devastating fire. Jhusi is located towards the east of
Allahabad, just across the river Ganga. Archaeologists have found grains and other artifacts in
the mounds of Jhusi, which dates back to before the 4th century BCE. The Asoka pillar found in
Jhusi had inscriptions of Samudragupta and it was shifted to the Allahabad Fort and the emperor
Jahangir also made his inscriptions on that. There is also inscription of Asoka in that and it was
of Samudragupta after he was converted to Buddhism and he assumed the name of Asokaditya.
All the Gupta kings had their second names ending in “‐aditya”.
After Sir William, Max Mueller anointed the identification of Sandracottus with Chandragupta
Maurya and proceeded to announce the sheet anchor of Indian History was Alexander’s invasion
and the subsequent visit of Megasthenes, neither of which events have great significance in
Indian history. M. Troyer did not agree with this conclusion and noted this fact in the
introduction to his translation of Rajatarangini of Kalhana. He even communicated his views to
Prof. Max Mueller in a letter but did not receive a reply from him. Max Mueller ignored the
objections of Troyer and others such as Colebrook.
What does Megasthenes say about the Kings who ruled at that time
He calls Sandracottus the king of the Prassi and he mentions the names of Xandramus as
predecessor and Sandrocyptus as successor to Sandracottus. There is absolutely no resemblance
in these names to Bindusara (the successor to Chandragupta Maurya) and Mahapadma Nanda,
the predecessor.
He makes absolutely no mention of Chanakya or Vishnugupta, the Acharya who helped
Chndragupta ascend the throne.
He makes no mention of the widespread presence of the Baudhik or Sramana tradition during the
time of the Maurya Empire.
13 Pa ndi t Bhagava d D a tta “ Bhara tva r sh ka Bri ha t I ti ha a sa “ , Par t I , D elhi , 19 51 (i n Hindi )
19
He claims the capital is Palimbothra or Palibothra, and that the city exists near the confluence of
the Ganga and the Eranaboas (Hiranyabahu). But the Puranas are clear that all the 8 dynasties
after the Mahabharata war had their capital at Girivraja (Rajagriha) 14, located near the present
day town of Rajgir. There is no mention of Pataliputra in the Puranas. So, the assumption made
by Sir William that Palimbothra is Pataliputra has no basis in fact and is not attested by any piece
of evidence. If the Greeks could pronounce the first P in (Patali) they could certainly have
pronounced the second p in Putra, instead of bastardizing it as Palimbothra. Granted the Greeks
were incapable of pronouncing any Indian names, but there is no reason why they should not be
consistent in their phonetics.
The empire of Chandragupta was known as the Magadha Empire. It had a long history even at the
time of Chandragupta Maurya. In Indian literature, this powerful empire is amply described by
this name but it is absent in the Greek accounts. It is difficult to understand as to why
Megasthenes did not use this name and instead used the word Prassi which has no equivalent or
counterpart in Indian accounts.
The Colossal Error in Indian Historiography
This is indeed a remarkable tale even when viewed from the different perspectives of the Indic
and the Occidental. That a person with such a scant knowledge of Sanskrit, would have the
audacity to rewrite the entire history of the Civilization based merely on the scraps and
remnants of a travelogue written by an individual who is not even highly regarded by the revered
Greek historians is astonishing and bespeaks a degree of hubris that matches the grandeur of the
Himalayas. In fairness to Sir William, it must be said that he himself may be utterly surprised at
the seriousness with which his speculations have been subsequently anointed. This is in addition
to the great weight that is given to Greek historians writing about India despite their atrocious
bastardization of Sanskrit terms. This is a gentle reminder to the Occidental that he would do
well to do in Rome as the Romans do and learn to pronounce and spell Sanskrit words accurately
before pontificating on the merits of ancient Indian scholarship.
Even if Sir William believed he had good cause to stand by his conjectures, what of the Indics of
the modern era? Have the Indics taken leave of their senses? Surely such a sloppy conjecture
would be reason enough to fail a candidate for the PhD qualifying exam. The Indics should have
14 Raja griha R aj ag rh a (Sa nskri t) T he a ncie nt c a pi ta l o f Ma ga dha , fa mous fo r i ts c o nver sio n to Buddhi sm i n
the days o f the Buddhi st kings. It wa s the ro yal r esi dence fr o m Bi mb i sara -ra ja to Aso ka , a nd the sea t o f the
fir st Synod or Buddhist Co unci l held 510 BC. T he famo us Sa ptapar na ca ve, in which the Buddha's select
circle of ar ha ts were initia ted, was in this famo us city. Rajgir is the current na me of the city and a no ti fied
ar ea i n Nala nda di stri ct in the Indian state o f Bi har . The ci ty o f Ra jgir (a nci ent Ra ja gri ha or Rā ja gṛha ; Pa li :
Rājaga ha ) was the fir st capi tal o f the ki ngdo m o f Magadha , a sta te tha t woul d eve ntual ly e vo lv e i nto
the Ma ur ya Empir e. Its da te o f origin is unkno wn, altho ugh cera mi cs da ti ng to ab o ut 1000 BC ha ve been
fo und i n the ci ty. T he epic Mahabharata calls it Gir i vra ja a nd r eco unts the stor y o f its king, Jara sa ndha , a nd
his ba ttle wi th the Pa ndava brother s a nd the ir alli e s Kri shna. It is al so mentioned
i n Buddhist and Jain scri ptures, which gi ve a series of place-na mes, but without geogra phical contex t. The
attempt to locate these places is ba sed largely on reference to them and to other lo ca tions in the works
o f Chinese Buddhist pilgrims, particularly Faxian a nd X ua nza ng. It is o n the ba si s o f X ua nza ng i n par ticul ar
tha t the site is di vi ded i nto O l d a nd N ew Ra jgir . T he for mer li es wi thi n a vall ey and i s surr o unded b y l ow-
l yi ng hi ll s. It i s defi ned by a n ear then emba nkment (the Inner For ti fica tio n), wi th which i s asso cia ted the
O u ter For ti f ica ti o n, a co mpl ex o f cycl opea n wal l s tha t r uns (wi th large b rea ks) alo ng the crest o f the hi ll s.
N ew Ra jgir is defined by a nother , lar ger, emba nkment ou tside the northern entr ance of the valley and next to
the moder n town.
20
cringed when they were told that the undecipherable scrap of paper left of the Indika was more
credible than the Puranas written in a language with very little ambiguity, but such are the
depths to which the Indic has sunk 15. He is apt to believe the words of a conqueror who has zero
accountability to tell the story accurately, and who is himself insisting it is a conjecture, than the
words of the Great Rishis of yore, who wrote in the precise language of Sanskrit. There is a
palpable sense of frustration when we see that more than 50 years after Independence we still
teach the chronology that was erroneously derived from the torn fragments of Ta Indika.
British Colonial Indology (1780 CE – 2000 CE)
In reality this field of study was dominated by German scholars. Interest in Indology only took
shape and concrete direction after the British came to India, with the advent of the discovery of
Sanskrit by Sir William Jones in the 1770’s. Other names for Indology are Indic studies or Indian
studies or South Asian studies. Almost from the beginning, the Puranas attracted attention from
European scholars. But instead of trying to understand the Puranas and the context in which they
were developed, the Occidental went about casting doubts on the authenticity of the texts, and
in fact altering the chronology which they could find in a particular Purana.
The extraordinary level of interest by German scholars in matters Indic is a very interesting
narrative in its own right and we need to reflect upon the highlights of this phenomenon. The
German speaking people experienced a vast increase in intellectual activity at about the same
time that Britain colonized India. We do not understand the specific factors that came into play
during this time, other than to remark on the tremendous intellectual ferment that was running
concurrently during the French revolution, and the keen interest that Napoleon showed in
matters scientific including the contributions of the orient. Clearly the remarks that Sir William
made about Sanskrit as well as the high level of interest that he provoked in the Sanskrit
language, contributed to the overall sense of excitement. But why was it Germany and not
Britain, the center of research on the Oriental contributions. The answer lies in the intense
search for nationhood that was under way in Germany during that period. When Sanskrit was
discovered, and it dawned on the Germans that the antiquity of Sanskrit was very great, and that
Sanskrit and German were somehow related, the Germans suddenly had an answer to the
question of their own ethnic and linguistic origins. Sir Henry Maine an influential Anglo Indian
scholar and former Vice Chancellor of Calcutta university, who was also on the Viceroys council,
pronounced a view that many Englishman shared about the unification of Germany.
“A NATION HAS BEEN BORN OUT OF SANSKRIT”
From the beginning, the great interest that Germany showed in Sanskrit had more to do with
their own obsessions and questions regarding their ethnic and linguistic origins. It had very little
or at least far less to do with the origin of the ancient Indic, about whom they had considerably
less interest. And yet, that does not stop the proponents of the AIT in India, whose knowledge of
European history appears to be rudimentary at best, from asserting that AIT is an obsession of
nationalistic Hindus. Such is the fate and the perversion of history that conquered nations can
15 Sreedharan, E.,”A text book of Historiography 500 BC to AD 2000” Orient Longmans,
Hyderabad (AP) , India,2004
21
aspire to. Different aspects of this fascinating chapter, on the postulation of an Aryan race and
its corollaries the Indo European, and Indo German people are described for instance by various
authors Trautmann 16, Rajaram 17 and Arvidsson 18 and very recently by Prodosh Aich 19. The
interesting but curious aspect of this phenomena is that while the concept of the Aryan race has
been well nigh discarded by most of the modern generation of the Occidental world, it lingers on
in the narrative of Indian History, a relic of the heyday of Europe’s dominance on the world
scene, when racist theories were abundant to explain this dominance as being a consequence of
their heritage as an Aryan people.
In contrast to the Germans and the French, whose interest in matters Indic was catalyzed by
their observance of the ubiquitous presence of the Indic civilization in South East Asia, the
British had a particular reluctance to study the nature and extent of the Indic civilization. First
and foremost amongst their reasons for this neglect was the reluctance to admit that a subject
people had any worthwhile civilization to speak of, let alone one that was of far greater antiquity
than their own. Britain was the last of the 3 major powers in Europe to have a chair in Sanskrit,
and it was almost 50 years after the death of Sir William that England got around to establishing
a chair at Oxford, the famous Boden chair.
The Pernicious effects of a False history
One of the criticisms leveled at the new breed of Indian historians who wish to uncover the
authentic history of India after the morass of inconsistencies to which it has sunk, is that they
are motivated by political considerations and the further charge is made that they are
‘nationalistic’. While I fail to see any violation of ethics in being nationalist, this is to us a
perplexing charge to make, as it is apparent that political motivations have been always
dominant in the pursuit of Indological studies during the colonial era, right from the outset since
the time of Sir William Jones, when he discovered the existence of Sanskrit. One such political
motivation was the need for the European to define his identity outside the framework of
Semitic traditions which dominated the religious life of Europe. The notion that the North
European Viking owed much of his civilization to the Mediterranean Semite was not palatable to
most of the elite among the countries of Northern lands of Europe for reasons which we do not
have the time to go into now. So, the discovery of Sanskrit was accompanied by a big sigh of
relief that the languages of Europe did not after all derive from Hebrew but from an ancestor
language which was initially assumed to be Sanskrit. In the immediate aftermath of the discovery
of Sanskrit by Sir William Jones, there was a great gush of admiration and worship of the sublime
nature of the Sanskrit texts such as Kalidasa’s Sakuntala. But as the European realized that the
present day practitioners of Sanskrit were not blonde and blue‐eyed (remember ideas of racial
superiority were dominant in 18 t h century Europe despite the advent of the enlightenment and
the renaissance) this was found to be equally unpalatable.
16 Tra utma nn, Tho ma s, “ Ar yans a nd Bri ti sh India” , 1997 , Uni ver si ty o f Cal i for nia pr ess
22
The European Indologist therefore came upon the ingenious explanation that the Sanskrit culture
of the subcontinent was not native to the subcontinent but was impregnated by a small band of
nomadic Viking like marauders who then proceeded to transform themselves within the short
space of 200 years into the intellectual class of India 20. This hypothesis (because that is what it
was) had of course no basis in fact, but it served the purpose and killed several birds with one
stone. It denied India the autochthonous legacy of the dominant culture of the subcontinent, and
helped create a schism in the Indian body politic, and further implied that the native Indic was
incapable of original thought and certainly was not capable of producing a language like Sanskrit.
It filled the obsessive need during those decades that the European had for an ancestor that was
not Semitic in origin. Lo and behold the ancestor did not come from India but from a long lost
Shangri‐La of whom there were no survivors (so that their hypothesis could never be
contradicted). Thus was born the mythical Aryan, whose only qualification was that he should
hail from a land that was anywhere but India, preferably from a region not very densely
inhabited or conscious of their antiquity. Further it gave the excuse for the British to claim that
they were indeed the later day version of the Aryans destined to lord it over lesser, more
unfortunate people by reason of the fact that they were Aryans. See for instance Trautmann 1 4
(1997) or Chakrabarti 21 (1997).
In short, the study of India, during the colonial era has always been accompanied by a healthy
dose of imperialist dogma and by disdain for a people who they felt could so easily be
vanquished in battle by handful of Englishmen. In my view, these attitudes and presuppositions
of the Occident are deeply entrenched in the psyche of the Occidental, fortified as they are by
text books which retain the caricaturized view of the Indic that we elaborate later in this essay.
This is in addition to the normal human tendency to exhibit a degree of the ‘Not Invented Here’
syndrome or the propensity to devalue the acquisition of knowledge by people and civilizations
other than their own. This is a train of thought that needs to be explored further, but we do not
wish to be sidetracked from the main topic. We hasten to add that the fundamental scholarly
impulse and intellectual curiosity that drives most scholars still motivates a substantial section
of the Indologists, regardless of nationality, despite much pressure from European academia to
toe the line and not to stray from the conventional wisdom. But this stream of objective scholars
died out pretty soon after and became almost extinct in the nineteenth century, and in general,
with a few exceptions amongst the French, the European Indologists toed the party line that
Indic contributions were shallow and insubstantial and were a derivative of the work done by the
Greeks.
In fact the British presence in India was steadily increasing long before the Battle of Plassey in
1757 CE, but so great was the insularity of the colonial overlord that it took almost three
hundred years for a relatively well educated scholar like Sir William Jones to show up in India
after Vasco da Gama landed of the coast of Goa in 1492 CE, and notice the similarities between
Sanskrit and the European languages. Prodosh Aich has done extensive research into primary
sources and has come to the conclusion that the vaunted linguistic scholarship of Sir William was
20 I remain agha st at the sheer auda ci ty of this claim, which remains a conjecture, a conjecture that ha s
sur vived o ver 200 year s despi te the ab sence o f a ny tangib le ar chaeo lo gical or o ther pro of, parti cular ly so ,
when the Indi c rega rd the develo pment of the whole edifice of Sa nskritic culture to be the single mo st
impo r ta nt identi fyi ng fea tur e o f hi s civiliza tio n
21 Chakrabarti, D “Colonial Indology , Sociopolitics of the Ancient Indian past” Munshiram
Manoharlal Publishers, P ltd.,New Delhi,1997
23
to put it mildly much exaggerated. We shall examine the background of Sir William especially his
early years to see wherein lay the truth.
The discovery of Sanskrit by Sir William and the coming of the British had a terminally fatal
effect on the conduct of scientific studies in India. It cut off the Indic from his own native source
of traditional learning and replaced it with the traditions of a land far away with which he had no
physical contact, and could not relate; with the result that literacy fell to 6 percent at the turn of
the 20th century. Education was tightly controlled by the government and all support to schools
that did not teach English was summarily stopped, except in states that were ruled by a local
Maharajah such as Travancore Cochin, Baroda and Mysore. India was turned into a vast Gulag
where no ideas other than those of the British were allowed to penetrate and the Indian was
effectively barred from traveling to foreign lands, except on a one way trip to a distant land as
indentured labor, lest they return with the subversive notions of freedom and democracy which
as Churchill remarked on more than one occasion were not applicable to the subject populations
of their Colonies. So great was the travel restriction that the Indic internalized this consequence
of the rule of the Colonial Overlord, to be a characteristic of the assumed native propensity to
aversion of adventure and exploration. There was no money allocated for research and no
encouragement of savants, who had little opportunity to pursue further research. So the steady
supply of Indic scientists which lasted till about 1780 CE finally died out and Indic science was
almost extinguished from the land.
This is not to say that there have been no benefits accrued from the change in the medium of
instruction to English. Indic youngsters were placed in an advantageous situation when it came
to getting admission to graduate studies in North America, in part due to the fortuitous
circumstance, that a substantial part of the new world now spoke English. This coupled with the
investment in higher education made by Jawaharlal Nehru India’s first Prime Minister catapulted
India into the leadership ranks of countries who were players in the new Information
Technology. But the negatives remain. The vast majority of the Indian population is not a
participant in this new bounty, because they do not have the access to the expensive schools
that purvey access to such an education.
The most telling impact of the newly coined endeavor called philology, that was the result of this
unwanted gush of attention, engendered ever since the discovery of Sanskrit, was the manner in
which the Indic was viewed by the rest of the world and even more importantly the
internalization of the British and European view of India by the average literate English educated
Indic. Till then the Indic was widely respected throughout the world and his geographical origin
was synonymous with scholarship. Today, it is commonplace in India to deride somebody who
expresses pride in his tradition and his civilization as being jingoistic. The Colonial overlord went
to extraordinary lengths to undermine the Civilizational commonalities amongst the people of
India by various and diverse means. Anything that had a negative impact was played to the hilt.
The antiquity of Indian history was systematically whittled away and the new dates had to
conform to the notion that India did not contribute anything of value to civilization and that all
she knew in the area of science and mathematics, was learned from the Greeks. The Indian was
uniformly characterized as a shiftless indolent individual with very few redeeming qualities.
So great was the change and so lasting in its effect that today vast numbers of Indian youth have
almost the same opinion of India and Indic traditions that the Colonial overlords had, of India in
the eighteenth and nineteenth century. There has been a massive change in the psyche of the
Indic, much of it for the worse, a fact that was brought out in vivid portrayals by V S Naipaul
when he coined the phrase ‘the wounded civilization’ in his references to the subcontinent.
24
Examples of the internalization of the European views of India abound in India today. Even
eminent Indian historians like RC Majumdar have expressed some of these views in writing
without substantiating how they arrived at such conclusions. We give below a sample. It is ironic
that these viewpoints are usually expressed by Indics rather than non Indics.
The general British view of the Indic during the Colonial Era:
• The Caricaturization of the Indic
• There is a strong undercurrent in the Occident that it is the religious beliefs of the Indic that are
the root cause of his misfortunes.
• The Indic is inherently incapable of adventurous behavior and will not venture beyond the
confines of the Indian subcontinent (Kaalapaani syndrome)
• The Indic is incapable of original, rational and creative ideas. The Indic is incapable of
independent thinking and is unquestioning in his adherence to authoritarian diktats such as those
in the Vedic texts and is only capable of rote learning (presuming it is conceded that the Indic is
capable of learning at all.)
• The caste system is an artifact of the Indic religious belief system, and that the Indic is inherently
opposed to egalitarian ideas and is wedded to the racial and ethnic stratification of his own
society.
• The Indic is especially unique and egregious in the manner in which he exploits his fellow Indics.
• The Indic is fundamentally not tuned to making progress and advancing in the modern world, and
is lost in an ancient mind set.
• Everything good and worthwhile in the Indian subcontinent has been imported by the invaders,
and the only indigenous characteristics are those like caste that are inherent to the Indic
civilization.
• The Indic is fatalistic and will not make an effort to change his destiny which is written in stone
the moment he is born.
• The Indic is lazy and indolent
• The Indic has no sense of history and is even poorer at keeping records of his historical past.
• As a consequence of the above the Indic is socially backward, possibly morally corrupt and
perennially hence dependent upon Westernization to reform the current problems in Indian
society.
From such a viewpoint it was indeed a short step to assume as Karl Marx did, that the Indic was
destined to be ruled by others. The germ of such a vast change in psyche was the goal of Thomas
Babington Macaulay and he would have been rather pleased to see the consequences of his
minute on education where he proposed changing the medium of instruction to English in the
1830’s in order to produce a class of Brown Englishman who would occupy positions
intermediate between those of the Colonial overlords and the unwashed masses of the
subcontinent. In the same vein, HH Wilson, the first occupant of the Boden Chair in Sanskrit,
wrote as follows,
“From the survey which has been submitted to you, you will perceive that the practical religion
of the Hindus is by no means a concentrated and compact system, but a heterogeneous
compound made up of various and not infrequently incompatible ingredients, and that to a few
ancient fragments it has made large and unauthorized additions, most of which are of an
exceedingly mischievous and disgraceful nature. It is, however, of little avail yet to attempt to
undeceive the multitude; their superstition is based upon ignorance, and until the foundation is
taken away, the superstructure, however crazy and rotten, will hold together.”
25
Power over a vast area like India does strange things to people, one of which is the loss of
‘common sense’, not to mention the loss of humility, and one can see the process of creating the
mythological Indian has already begun as early as 1833, the process of remaking the Indic
mindset had commenced in earnest. There is an immense irony in this state of affairs and that is
that India is well on its way to becoming the largest English speaking nation in the planet. If
present trends continue the number of English speaking people residing in India will exceed that
of the Unites States within 20 years 22. The implications are enormous. For instance, India will
become the largest producer of English books in the planet, a state of affairs that may already be
true because of the huge market of South and South East Asia.
Conclusion
It is obviously not our contention that the Greek synchronism by itself was responsible for the
terrible shape the Indic found himself in, at the start of Independence, but there is no question
that the erroneous conclusions that Sir William made while he was in search of an external
synchronism, played a major role in the subsequent transformation of the Indic from a self
confident individual to a mass of contradictions. In particular he could not bring himself to admit
that the genealogical tables in the Puranas, had the sanction of millennia of tradition. From such
a diagnosis certain remedies suggest themselves.
One such remedy is to develop a new set of curricula along with a University for training the
future leaders of Bhaarat. The curriculum should be a blend of the traditional Veda Patashala
and other subjects such as Latin and Greek with sufficient emphasis on Linguistics. Such an
individual will be equipped with a Box of tools or a tool kit, albeit one that encompasses a
sophisticated ensemble of subjects, epistemologies and technologies to tackle the problems of
society. Such an individual would feel equally at home whether she was chanting the Veda, or
confronting world leaders equipped with a formidable array of Epistemes. Unless the Indics are
proactive, there is a very real danger that the Vedic episteme will wither away as is happening
now and we will read about our past in illustrated coffee table books whose only knowledge of
the wellsprings of the Indic civilization is restricted to Cows, Curry and Caste. But again I wish to
caution the reader that the main motivation for such a Vishva Vidyalaya is not merely to
preserve the superficial accoutrements of Vedic knowledge such as chanting, but to apply the
episteme to find solutions to a wide variety of societal problems
While this may take a certain period of time, it is essential to set the stage for a new breed of
Indic leadership that adheres to a minimum set of universally accepted Core Values (see
appendix A for an example). We are emphatic that it will take a single minded individual like
Kautilya to make such a reality happen but that should not daunt the Indic from such an
endeavor. The alternative to the creation of such a leadership will eventuate in the slow decay of
the Indic civilization until it only resides in Museums and illustrated coffee table books and will
encourage the Occidental Indologist to enter the fray once again with the same disastrous
consequences that have brought us to such a precarious state today. The objective is not to
prevent others from studying the Indic civilization but we should never again be in a situation
where the Occidental or any individual with scant knowledge of the civilizational ethos becomes
22 I mentio n thi s i mpo r ta nt ar ti fact no t in glee or i n a dula tio n o f Lor d Macaulay, no r even in ala r m, b ut
merely to reflect on the co nsequences. Our preference woul d have been the gr adual introducti on of English
a nd cer ta i nly no t a s a ma nda to ry requireme nt, w hi c h resul te d a s w e sha ll see shor tl y i n dir e co nse quence s
26
the main interpreter of our past.
We conclude, with a call to action and an exhortation reminiscent of a recent American
President:
“Let it resound in the distant regions of this planet, whether there are those that wish us well
or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,
oppose any foe to assure the survival of the cherished values and traditions of the Hindu.”
27
SAGE YAJNAVALKYA ( याज्ञव )
Yajnavalkya married two women. One was Maitreyi and the other Katyayani. Of the two, Maitreyi
was a Brahmavadini (one who is interested in the knowledge of Brahman and more inclined
towards the pursuit of higher knowledge). When Yajnavalkya wished to divide his property
between the two wives before starting for the fourth Ashrama of his life (sanyasa), Maitreyi
asked whether she could become immortal through wealth. Yajnavalkya replied that there was no
hope of immortality through wealth and that she would only become one among the many who
were well‐to‐do on earth. On hearing this, Maitreyi requested Yajnavalkya to teach her what he
regarded as the higher knowledge. Then Yajnavalkya elaborately described to her the sole
greatness of the Absolute Self, the nature of Its existence, the way of attaining infinite
knowledge and immortality, etc. This immortal conversation between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi is
recorded in the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad.
The Upanishad is one of the older, primary (mukhya) Upanishads commented upon by Shankara.
...
“All things are dear, not for their sake, but for the sake of the Self. This Self alone exists
everywhere. It cannot be understood or known, for It alone is the One that Understands and
Knows. Its nature cannot be said to be positively as such. It is realized through endless denials as
'not this, not this'. The Self is self‐luminous, indestructible, and unthinkable”.
The central theme of the discourse is the nature of Brahman in the Vedantic (and subsequently
Yogic) forms of Hinduism. Brahman is the signifying name given to the concept of the
unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality that is the Divine Ground of all being in
this universe. Sanyasa symbolizes the conception of the mystic life in Hinduism where a person is
now integrated into the spiritual world after wholly giving up material life. Thus, it is the
consensus that the Wisdom of Yajnavalkya is revealed to a greater extent in the Brhadaranyaka
Upanishad where he imparts his teachings to his wife Maitreyi and King Janaka.
He also participates in a competition arranged by King Janaka to select the great Brahma Jnani
(one who knows Brahman) and wins after defeating several learned scholars and sages. This
forms a beautiful chapter filled with lot of philosophical and mystical question‐answers in the
Brhadaranyaka Upanishad. In the end, Yajnavalkya took Vidvat Sanyasa (renunciation after the
28
attainment of the knowledge of Brahman) and retired to the forest. The Brhadaranyaka is the
prime Upanishad among the many Upanishads written in ancient India, known very widely for its
profound philosophical statements. ... In Ancient India, Janaka was the King of the Mithila
Kingdom.
Yajnavalkya was one of the greatest sages ever known. His precepts as contained in the
Upanishads (The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad) stand foremost as the crest‐jewel of the highest
teachings on knowledge of Brahman. His knowledge of the skies and the periodicities of the
planets was far ahead of his time. It is possible that reading his works may give us clues as to the
identity of the person who conceptualized the Sunya.
Appendix A
Each set of core values, while containing many that are regarded as universal should also
contain, those that are specially suited to the Gunas of the individual, the point being that each
individual should customize them according to his strengths and weaknesses. These are placed
here merely for illustrative purposes
1. Integrity (1) Sattwa, Suddhi. A hankering for the truth is essential in this kind of endeavor (or any field of
endeavor). Truth is conceptualized in many ways. What is the real truth? What is the ultimate truth? What is
metaphysical truth or, what lies beyond? In seeking answers to all these questions, what is stressed upon is
that one should be true to oneself, not just when interacting with another outside the Self.
The study of History (or any other endeavor) must be accompanied by a hankering for the truth. Such a
narrative must have few if any inconsistencies and none which are major.
2. Celebration of Diversity (ability to synthesize opposing viewpoints, inability to do so is a sign of weakness
and a sign of Avidya where one falls prey to Ahankara). “Ekam sat Vipraa, bahudha vadanti.” “Truth is one,
the wise call It by various names.”
For many if not the vast majority, diversity signifies primarily if not exclusively diversity of ethnicities or races.
But such a viewpoint ignores the very real diversity that exists in differing ideologies, opinions, experiences
regardless of ethnic or class diversity. We maintain that the real test of being completely at home in a diverse
environment, lies in synthesizing diverse viewpoints , while not necessarily agreeing with them.
Celebration of Diversity or at least the recognition of such diversity and its enthusiastic acceptance must remain
a fundamental obligation of all nation states and the responsibility of all the individual citizens of a nation state
and not just those of its citizens who are deemed to belong to a majority. Those who view themselves as a
minority have to bear such an obligation in equal measure and cannot shirk such a responsibility with a plea
that they are a minority and hence do not have to shoulder the same responsibilities as the rest of the populace.
At the same time celebration of diversity does not mean that one should tolerate the intolerant.
3. Courage(dhairya, dhiratva) to think outside the box and adopt new paradigms (Viswakarma), to admit
mistakes, show remorse and apologize where applicable and move on to persevere in the face of great odds
and to fight against evil (Thithiksha). This also includes a reverence for the traditions of our ancient civilization
and the courage to defend such traditions against tyranny and terrorism. We should be explicit in stating in a
fashion reminiscent of an American President,
29
“Let it resound in the distant regions of this planet, whether there are those that wish us well or ill, that we shall
pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival of
the cherished values and traditions of the Hindu
4. Detachment or Vairagya; when faced with the consequences of one’s action, Hinduism asks the individual to
stand aside and become a witness (sAkshI bhAva). Rather than respond with extreme excitement or deep
depression, the Dharma teaches the individual to ponder the consequences without intervention, with a certain
detachment. Whether in victory and failure, one must reflect, understand, and inquire. The nature of our
thoughts influences our approach to life and helps us motivate ourself without external aids. Vairagya is a core
value which is perhaps emphasized to a greater degree than it is in the Occident
5. Viveka, to discriminate between what is good and what needs to be discarded. To preserve enduring
traditions and values and discard those which are no longer relevant using Viveka
6. Compassion for those who need help and who cannot help themselves and those who are disadvantaged in
society and who need a helping hand. The value of giving, lies not merely in the fact that we may of help, but
also because recognizing the divinity in others, accelerates our quest to know our Real Self.
7. Reverence for all life forms in particular human life is a central core value. The taking of a human life is a
grave matter and is permitted to societies (and nations) only under conditions of extreme provocation, such as
self defense. To wage war to reclaim lost territory or to avenge past wrongs becomes highly problematic under
the prevailing charter of internationally acceptable behavior. It is all the more imperative that when one is
forced into war that the fight be fought with valor, courage and single minded determination to win, since the
alternative could be very costly, as India has learned from past experience.
8. Tolerance for Ambiguity. Contrary to Einstein, the world and the events that take place in this world are not
deterministic. One can only describe certain phenomena in a probabilistic paradigm. The certainty in ones
belief system may be a luxury only Prophets can afford. For, the rest of us we have to rest content with a
degree of belief and tolerate the inherent ambiguities of many facets of life.
9. Respect for the individual and his/her individuality. We thank Ishwara for blessing the human species with the
gift of diversity and we believe in dealing with each individual based on his/her actions and behavior and not on
the basis of their status or class or Varna in society
10. It is our belief that a study of history in general and the history of the Indic civilization in particular has
lessons to teach us. We make no apology therefore for our emphasis on history in our studies, and our quest to
unravel an account of Indic history that is accurate. It behooves us therefore to study history in order to cull
those actions, policies, principles and values that have stood the test of time, while at the same time learning
from those instances deemed generally to be failures. In short the purpose is not so much to dwell on the
‘glories’ of the past but to learn and continue to be inspired so as to aspire to reach even greater heights.
11. Reverence for Knowledge, both Para and Apara Vidya and a determination (Thithiksha) to pursue the studies
of the ancient knowledge in Samskrtam. The manuscript wealth of India exceeds over 5 million; about a million
of these have been catalogued. These staggering numbers indicate that there is much that we are not cognizant
of when it comes to the knowledge of the ancients.
12. It is our strong belief bolstered by extensive studies of our ancient scriptures, and vetted by the stringent
requirements of Logic, that the single greatest gift that the Sanaatana Dharma bestows upon us is the freedom
to be our Self and the freedom to exercise choices (Free will). Freedom however is accompanied by
responsibilities, the responsibility to ‘Know thyself’ and to be accountable for our actions.
30
Appendix B
GEOLOGIC EVENT. WE ARE IN THE MELTING OF GLACIERS. THERE ARE
WARMING HALF CYCLE BETWEEN BELIEVED TO BE VARIOUS CYCLES,
GLACIAL ERAS SHORTEST BEING 40,000 YEARS
GEOLOGICAL EVENT FORMATION OF RIVER VALLEY 8000 BCE
CIVILIZATIONS
ERA. THE BEGINNING OF RECORDED THE VEDIC ERA. THE TEN MANDALAS OF 7000 TO 4000 BCE
HISTORY IN ORAL TRADITIONS. THE RIG WERE COMPOSED OVER A
(SRAUTIC PARAMPARA) PERIOD OF 500 YEARS
ERA SARASVATI SINDHU MEHRGARH CULTURE, EARLY PHASE 7000 BCE
CIVILIZATION
WAR DASARAJNA WAR, THE BATTLE OF THE 7000 BCE
TEN KINGS
DYNASTY THE IKSHVAKUS AND THE RAMAYANA 6000 BCE
23 We include thi s tabl e to r emi nd o ur selves o f the vast hi stor y that awai ts o ur r esear ch, a nd which the
Occi dental usually di smisses wi thin a few pa ges, less space tha n he wo ul d al lo ca te to the Moghal Empire
whi ch la sted less tha n 2 centuri es
31
ERA KALI YUGA 3102 BCE
32
WRITINGS KALIDASA I 1158 BCE
33
DYNASTY PALA EMPIRE 750‐1174 CE
34
Appendix C
There is no attempt at completeness here and this list or lists are not exhaustive by any means.
But the dynastic lists available to us are far more complete, than our English Language text books
would have you believe. So when Indian History Books written by Englishmen, studiously avoid
mentioning dynastic lists, methinks they have a reason and that being the need to indulge in and
foster the illusion that the Indic had no sense of history. Our response is what is the gold
standard for the respective eras we are talking about? How many accurate Dynastic lists do we
have in the world going back to 3000 BCE and earlier?
DESCENDANTS OF THE KURU PANDAVAS (FROM 3067– 1634BCE)
YUDHISTIRA PARIKSHIT
JANAMEJAYA SATANEEKA
ASHWAMEDADATA ADHSEEMA
KRISHNA
NICHAKNU USHNA
CHITRA RATHA SUCHIRATA
KRUSHNIMANTA SUSHENA
SUNEETHA NRUPEGAKSHU
SUKHIBALA PARIPLAVA
SUMAYA MEDHAVI
RIPUNJAYA URVA
TIGMA BRUHADRADHA
KASUDANA SARANIKA II
UDAYANA KIHINARA
DANDAPANI NIVAMITRA
KSHEMAKA
35
TABLE FROM DATING IN INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY
Problems and Perspectives, Bharateeya Itihaasa Sankalan Samiti, T P Verma Ed.
36
IMPERIAL GUPTA 77 327 TO 82 BCE 245 3055
PUNWAR OR PRAMARA 24 82 BCE TO 1193 1275 4330
CE
TOTALS 206 3136 BCE TO 4330
1193 CE
BRIHADRATHA DYNASTY
BEGINS KALI
SERIAL REGNAL
NAME OF KING ERA KE OR
NO. PERIOD
YUGABDA BEGINS BCE
37
SATYAJIT 83 802 2300
BEGINS KALI ERA
SERIAL NO. NAME OF KING REGNAL PERIOD BEGINS BCE
KE OR YUGABDA
PRADYOTA OR
23 23 970 2132
BALAKA
PALAAKA OR
24 24 993 2109
PAALAKA
25 VISAKHAYUPA 50 1017 2085
JAMAKA OR
26 21 1067 2035
SURYAKA
27 NANIVARDHANA 20 1088 2014
TOTAL 138 970‐1108 2132‐1994
REGNAL BEGINS KALI ERA
SERIAL NO. NAME OF KING BEGINS BCE
PERIOD,YEARS KE OR YUGABDA
28 SISUNAGA 40 1108 1994
29 KAKAVARMA 36 1148 1954
30 KSHEMADHARMA 26 1184 1918
OR KSHEMAVARMA
31 KSHEMAJIT 40 1210 1892
32 VIDHISARTA OR 38 1250 1852
BIMBISARA
33 AJATASATRU 27 1288 1814
34 DARSAKA OR 35 1315 1787
VAMSAKA
35 UDAYANA OR 33 1350 1752
UDASINA
36 NANDIVARDHANA 42 1383 1719
OR
KAKAVARDHANA
37 MAHANANDI 43 1425 1677
TOTAL 360 1108‐1468 1994‐1634
38
THE NANDA DYNASTY
BEGINS
REGNAL KALI ERA
NAME OF KING BEGINS BCE
PERIOD,YEARS KE OR
YUGABDA
38 MAHAPADMANANDA 88 1468 1634
39 SUMALYA ETC, 9 12 1556 1546
BROTHERS
TOTAL 100 1468‐1568 1634‐1534
REGNAL BEGINS KALI ERA
SERIAL NO. NAME OF KING BEGINS BCE
PERIOD,YEARS KE OR YUGABDA
40 CHANDRAGUPTA 34 1568 1534
MAURYA
41 BINDUSARA 28 1602 1500
42 ASOKA 36 1630 1472
REGNAL BEGINS KALI ERA
SERIAL NO. NAME OF KING BEGINS BCE
PERIOD,YEARS KE OR YUGABDA
52 PUSHYAMITRA 60 1884 1218
53 AGNIMITRA 50 1944 1158
54 VASUMITRA 36 1994 1108
55 SUJYESHTA 17 2030 1072
39
56 BHADRAJA OR 30 2047 1055
ANDHRAKA
57 PULINDAKA 33 2077 1025
58 GHOSHAVASU 3 2110 992
REGNAL BEGINS KALI ERA
NAME OF KING BEGINS BCE
PERIOD,YEARS KE OR YUGABDA
62 VASUDEVA KANVA 30 2184 918
63 BHUMIMITRA 24 2223 879
40
S.NO NAME OF THE KING REGNAL REIGN IN KALI ERA PERIOD OF REIGN
PERIOD,YEARS (SOLAR TROPICAL BCE (BEFORE THE
YEAR) COMMON ERA)
REGNAL BEGINS KALI
SERIAL NO. NAME OF KING BEGINS BCE
PERIOD ERA KE OR
CHANDRAGUPTA I OR
99 7 2775 327
VIJAYADITYA
SAMUDRAGUPTA OR
100 51 2782 320
ASOKADITYA
CHANDRAGUPTA II OR
101 36 2833 269
VIKRAMADITYA
KUMARAGUPTA I OR
102 42 2869 233
MAHENDRAADITYA
SKANDAGUPTA OR
103 25 2911 191
PRATAPADITYA
NARASIMHA GUPTA 5 2936 166
104
BALADITYA 35 2941 161
KUMARAGUPTA II
105 44 2976 126
KRAMADITYA
Source: Chronology of Ancient Hindu History Part 1. author and publisher ¡§ Bharata Charitra
Bhaskara¡¨,¡§Vimarsakagresara¡¨
Pandit Kota Vankatachela paakayaaji Kali 5058, AD 1957‐ Arya vignana Grantha Mala , Publication
No 23
Appendix D
Historians and philosophers have been contemplating the meaning of history since, well, since
the beginning of history! A simple definition of history is” remembering the past “or Knowledge
of what has happened from the start until the present. It is also the knowledge of the past since
record keeping was initiated. The purpose of studying history in school is to teach the student
42
understanding of what has taken place so that we may build upon and understand how a nation
functions and how it came to be. We also study the history of other nations and how their
histories interact with our history. A greater awareness of history results in a more enlightened
and educated citizenry. Knowledge of our past helps us understand the present and prepare for
the future. Knowing the history of the world helps the individual respect and appreciates one’s
own form of government and society as well as become better informed about differences in the
Civilizational ethos of other peoples of the world
“The word history comes from Greek ἱ στορία (istoria), from the Proto‐Indo‐European *wid‐tor‐,
from the root *weid‐, “to know, to see”(this is a hypothesis). This root is also present in the
English word wit, in the Latin words vision and video, in the Sanskrit word veda, and in the Slavic
word videti and vedati, as well as others (The asterisk before a word indicates that it is a
hypothetical construction, not an attested form.)
The original meaning of Itihaasa had a more precise sense than the word History. The etymology
attested to by Panini indicates itiha to mean ‘thus indeed, in this tradition’ 24. One of the earliest
references to Itihaasa in the literature of antiquity is in Chanakya’s Arthashastra. Our
investigations lead us to believe that the Maurya empire for which he was the preceptor began in
1534 BCE. He defines Itihaasa, in the context of the syllabus prescribed for training of a Prince,
with the following words;
ु मााियकोदाहरणं धमा थ
प रु ाणिमितो र् श
र् ा ं च त
े ीितहासः।
PURAANA (THE CHRONICLES OF THE ANCIENTS), ITIVRTTA (HISTORY), AKHYAYIKA (TALES),
UDAAHARANA (ILLUSTRATIVE STORIES), DHARMASHASTRA (THE CANON OF RIGHTEOUS CONDUCT),
AND ARTHASHASTRA (THE SCIENCE OF GOVERNMENT) ARE KNOWN BY (COMPRISE THE CORPUS OF
ITIHAASA ) HISTORY
KAUTILYA’S ARTHASHASTRA, BOOK 1, CHAPTER 5
Thus, History (Itihaasa) in this definition takes on the meaning more akin to the sense of
Historiography and is perhaps even more eclectic and appears to indicate a superset of political
science and History as we use them today. We feel vindicated therefore in calling this a
conference on Indian History, since we seem to ascribe the same broad meaning that Kautilya did
3 millennia ago.
In the Mahabharata, which is itself considered Itihaasa, is the following verse in Adi Parva
1.267,268, that knowledge of the Itihaasa and Purana is essential to the proper understanding
the Veda
43
tathA hi mahAbhArate mAnavIye ca – itihAsa-purANAbhyAM vedaM
samupabRMhayet
तथ ् िह महाभारत ॆ मनिवऎच
“इितहास प रु ाणाभ्य़ां व थ ॆ ्
ॆ ं सम पु िॄंह य त
िबभ ु ाथ व थ
ॆ अौ त ॆ ो माम अय ं ूतिरित”
इित प ूर णात ् प रु ाणाम इित चऽ ।
न च व ॆद ॆन ा व ॆद ॅमणम सवित
न ए अपिरप ून ु ा प रु ाणम
र् कनक वलय ऽप ण ु तॆ ।
THIS IS WHY THE MAHABHARATA (ADI‐PARVA 1.267,268) AND MANU‐SAMHITA STATE, “ONE SHOULD
COMPLEMENT ONE’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE VEDAS WITH THE HELP OF THE ITIHASAS AND THE
PURANAS.” AND ELSEWHERE IT IS STATED, “THE PURANAS ARE CALLED BY THAT NAME BECAUSE
THEY ARE COMPLETE.”
The quintessential quote is that of Kalhana in the Rajatarangini, who is regarded as a modern in
Indian parlance
Clearly there is an emphasis on the traditions and on the utilitarian aspect of History, embedded
in the etymology of Itihaasa. The reason we draw emphasis to the ambiguity in the use of the
word History is that, in our usage in this conference, while we adhere to the broader usage of
the word History, we have separated the Civilizational aspects in distinct sessions. There is
another reason why we bring attention to the definitions of History and Itihaasa. As we have
pointed out in the caricaturization of the Indic, there is a widespread misperception amongst
44
present day Indics that India does not have a well defined sense of History. In fact in a paper
titled ‘Concept of History in Vedic Rituals’ presented at the ICIH 2009 in Delhi, the author argues
that “The Vedic ritual texts refer to words like purana, Itihasa, upakhyàna, etc. Some of these
words are used in the sense of `history’ in modern Indian languages. It would be anachronistic to
interpret these words from the Vedic texts in this modern sense. In this paper an attempt has
been made to understand the concept of history in the Vedic ritual texts and their
weltanschauung”.
This is but a summary of what we believe to be a more rational view contradictory to the
situation described above, that by the time of the Brahmana and Upanishada (which are
considered an appendix to the Veda) and certainly by the time the Itihaasa and Purana were
written, there was a well defined sense of history, so much so that the Mahabharata cautions us
(as in the quote from the Mahabharata above) that the Veda are afraid of those who would read
the Veda without a prior acquaintance of the Itihaasa and Purana. We are also not comfortable
with the implication that the Veda is merely a book of ritual. Such a reductionist argument was
initiated by the British who for the most part did not understand the contents of the Veda. Max
Mueller exemplified this ignorance 25 in his estimation of the Veda Clearly there was sufficient
reason for the caution that was expressed in the Mahabharata.
25 “Large number of Vedic hymns are childish in the extreme; tedious, low, commonplace.”“Nay,
they (the Vedas) contain, by the side of simple, natural, childish thoughts, many ideas which to
us sound modern, or secondary and tertiary.
“...this edition of mine and the translation of the Vedas, will hereafter tell to a great extent on
the fate of India and on the growth of millions of souls in that country. It (the Rig Veda) is the
root of their religion and to show them what the root is, I am sure, the only way of uprooting all
that has sprung from it during the last three
45
1
Towards a Strategic Intent for the Indian Millennium
Indians are strangely diffident about their civilization and its achievements. If the coming Asian
Century is to be turned into the Indian Millennium, Indians have to recognize their tremendous
heritage of being world leaders in many fields, notably in innovation and intellectual property.
This was seen most vividly in such diverse sectors as steel‐making and in the invention of such
concepts as context‐free grammars and the basics of the calculus. India is not a developing
country, but a RE‐developing, RE‐emerging nation. Mostly because of innovation and the
generation of intellectual property, India was consistently at the top of the world in economic
terms up until the mid‐18th century CE, after which the deleterious impact of colonialism and a
systematic dismantling of the economy impoverished the country. For India to realize its full
potential, Indians must develop a strategic intent – a well‐articulated, simple and clear set of
objectives that can enthuse the citizenry – to be the world’s best in field after field of endeavor.
A study of Indian history is crucial to realize how India is capable of being the once and future
leader. This paper considers how history can be used to develop the outlines of India’s long‐term
strategic intent. [200 words]
2
New Findings on Harappan Metrology and Town‐Planning: A Case for Continuity
with Historical Times.
MICHEL DANINO
80, SWARNAMBIKA LAYOUT RAMNAGAR, COIMBATORE – 641 009, (TAMIL NADU) INDIA
Dholavira’s elaborate town‐planning rests on the conscious use of specific proportions for its
successive enclosures. Those proportions combined with the city’s dimensions allow us to
calculate precisely the unit of length used for the fortifications, to relate it to the Lothal ivory
scale, and to work out potential subunits. Both proportions and units receive overwhelming
confirmation from structures of Dholavira and other Harappan sites. Units are finally refined to a
dhanus of 190.1 cm and an angula of 1.76 cm, the former being 108 times the latter. The
Dholavirian scheme of units is then shown to be related to historical unit systems in several
ways; in particular, the Arthashastra’s scheme of linear measures conclusively has Harappan
46
roots. Finally, the paper attempts to outline some of the abstract concepts underlying
Dholavira’s geometry, taking a peep at a hitherto neglected component of the Harappan mind.
[143 words]
3
bharatgupt@vsnl.com
Associate Professor, CVS, Delhi University,
Founder member and Trustee, International Forum for India’s Heritage.
PO Box 8518, Ashok Vihar, Delhi 110052 INDIA.
mobile: +91 98100 77914, phones: +91 11 2724 1490,+91 129 404 4590
http://personal.vsnl.com/bharatgupt
My main research has been to show that the Greeks, who have been appropriated by the post
Europeans as their predecessors, were actually closer to Indians than Europeans. I have done an
exhaustive study in the area of classical Greek and Indian theatre to demonstrate this. I believe
that many such studies can be done in other areas.
As a continuation to that work, I am now writing essays about Indian aesthetic situation to show
how in last hundred years European notions of art have been foisted upon the Indians and how
they have internalized it. [97 words]
4
Indian Strategic Tradition and Culture: A Unique Mix of Idealist
and Realist Thinking
RAJIV GANDHI CHAIR PROF IN CONTEMPORARY STUDIES
Allahabad University, Allahabad (UP, India) 211002
Phone (0532) 2462257; Cell: 09936077686
I shall try to clear two contradictory misperceptions about Indian strategic culture: one which
47
believes that Indian thinking and history has always been violent (except the Buddhist and Jainist
thinking); another which believes that Indians have always been romantic idealists out of touch
harsh realities of the world. [48 words]
5
History: Epics And Purânas
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune‐4.
Mob: 09822912081.
The archaic epics and purànas contain some information, which can be used for the sake of
literary, social, cultural, religious and philosophical history of ancient India. They contain some
references which can be prima‐facie useful for political history also. It will be however highly
risky to draw any definite conclusions on the basis of this literature regarding the chronology or
political affairs in ancient India. In spite of all the care conclusions on the political history will
remain tentative only. Therefore this literature should be used with a lot of discrimination and
only as a secondary source of information. [99 words]
6
Concept of History in Vedic Rituals
PHONE:09225649340.
The vedic ritual texts refer to words like puràna, itihàsa, upakhyàna, etc. Some of these words
are used in the sense of `history’ in modern Indian languages. It would be anachronistic to
interpret these words from the vedic texts in this modern sense. In this paper an attempt has
been made to understand the concept of history in the Vedic ritual texts and their
weltanschauung. [65 words]
26 Prof Thite is joint author with Maitreyee Deshpande , among others of” Problems in Vedic
and Sanskrit Literature”
48
7
Relevance of Upanishada Thoughts on Nature and Its Relation to Science
BHANDAKAR ORIENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, PUNE, MAHARASHTRA,
PRESENTLY, MEMBER OF EXECUTIVE BODY OF BORI.
FORMELY, SCIENTIST‐DY DIRECTOR NCL PUNE
EMAIL:GTPANSE@GMAIL.COM
PHONE NO.:‐ +919822256443
Origin of universe and creation of nature follows certain pattern of law. The understandings of
these laws on the basis of mind, soul and body with the help of scientific instrumentation are
distinctly two different processes. Advances in experimental sciences have shown importance to
ancient wisdom and modern scientific research. The areas such as i) Origin and nature of ever‐
expanding universe ii) genetic make‐up of species and iii) Vedic knowledge and practices for
education, peace and harmony are relevant to historical development at global level. A critical
view involving above three areas with examples of research projects will be presented to trigger
thought process and experimental evidence. [107 words]
8
Reference to India and the Indians in a Greek source: Testimony of Herodotus;
The Histories
EMAIL:ISHA@KLN.AC.LK
PHONE: +94112910338
Cultural and civilizational amalgamation between the subcontinent and Europe has already been
the topic of discussion in the past decades. This paper explores the same in relation to the
earliest historical composition of Europe, Herodotus’ the Histories, which throws substantial
light on India and the Indians. [46 words]
49
9
At the cross‐roads called Yugantar
EMAIL: LEENA.MEHENDALE@GMAIL.COM
Yugantar means a Paradigm shift across the whole world. While tracing the history from our
Ancient Literature we find that while for an individual, his/her Activities shift from one Ashram
to other, but the societal importance has shifted from one Varna to other.
What is the reason behind the paradigm shift and how does it happen smoothly? In earliest days
called Satyayug, Knowledge had to be gathered and spread. What values were needed that could
facilitate such a spread? When it was spread enough among the scholars, it also led to
applications whereby it went to the hands of common household practitioner. This further led to
creation of Art and Property, and their Protection became important. As it became much more of
applied knowledge, Commerce became important. And eventually the service sector will become
prime. These are signified through the Varnashram. In Geeta, it is claimed that 4 Varnas are
created based on GUNA and KARMA not birth; but this concept seems to have remained utopia.
The caste system became dependent on Birth as earlier it was the best way to read Applied
Knowledge. Later it became rife with discrimination.
What kind of knowledge was obtained by our forefathers throughout past several millennia?
What proficiencies? How the Quest of “What after death” has taken us to different heights in our
achievements?
The supremacy of each of 4 Varnas by turn in each emerging YUG of Satya, Treta, Dwapar and
Kali is a natural process. But what are the preconditions of a major paradigm shift that signifies
a complete transition – the Yugantar? They are, to my mind, Research and HRD, Research has
enabled mankind to explore new horizons. But its assimilation and application requires MAN to
develop. New values, new attitudes, new skills need to be inculcated. What values did we persue
in past and have they been replaced by new set of values – more needed to cope up with new
realities? What were they and through which process? If any Yugantar has to be brought NOW do
we have a methodology? What developments in MAN will lead to a smooth paradigm shift or
make a Yugantar occur? [357 words]
10
The historicity of Vikramaditya and Salivahana: A Golden Era Ignored by British
Historians –An intrigue exposed by Kota Venkatachalam
Kalikivayi Mahankali Rao PhD.,
A-13,’C’ BLOCK GULMOHAR APARTMENTS 15, CHEVALIER SIVAJI GANESAN ROAD, T.NAGAR, CHENNAI 600
017.
50
EMAIL: SUJATARAOBJP@YAHOO.COM
The Vikrama and Salivahana Eras begin with 57 B.C and 78 A.D. respectively. A controversy has
been raging regarding the founders of these two Eras contradicting their historicity. V.A.Smith
writes that the popular belief, which associates the Vikrama Era of 57 BCE with a Raja
Vikramaditya of Ujjain is erroneous. There is no such person then. It was probably invented by
the astronomers of Ujjain. This paper intends to highlight the glaring disparity in assigning
correct timing of this period espoused by Kota Venkatachalam. He drew his conclusions based on
the source material from Bhavishya Mahapurana. This paper brings out the internal evidence
available aplenty in Bhavishya Purana to prove the Historicity of the Golden eras named after
Vikramaditya and Salivahana. [121 words]
11
Ancient India
VASU MURT I
EMAIL: VASUMURTI@NETSCAPE.NET
A letter writer to my local newspaper claims that because “intellectually enlightened Western
European Christians came to America 400 years ago,” America does not “resemble Laos, India,
Ethiopia or Iran,” but instead possesses “the cities and the institutions that are the envy of the
world.” This statement appears to be based more on prejudice than on fact.
There have been numerous civilizations throughout history; many were learned in the arts,
sciences, humanities and metaphysics. Athens, for example, was a democracy devoted to human
excellence in mind and body, to philosophy, and to the cultivation of the art of living. While
Christianity kept the West in the Dark Ages for over a millennium, the civilizations in Asia were
flourishing.
Hindu historian S. Kalyanaraman supports this observation by citing evidence from the principle
Hindu scriptures, known as the Vedas, as well as the testimony of Megasthenes, who journeyed
from the Greco‐Roman world to India during the 3 r d century BC. Kalyanaraman finds a great deal
of political freedom and equality in ancient India, where social mobility was acknowledged.
The Vedas describe numerous saints and sages who were of low birth, but were considered by
their virtue to have been raised to the highest status. The Greek Megasthenes observed: “The
law ordains that none among them under any circumstances be a slave; enjoying freedom, they
shall expect the equal right to it which others possess...All Indians are free and not one of them
is a slave. The Indians do not use even aliens as slaves; much less a countryman of their own.”
The earliest moral and legal codes (Dharma‐sastras and Niti‐sastras) originated in India, as did
the earliest representative institutions (Sabha and Parishad). A modern Western text, India:
Yesterday and Today, also says, “the four orders...of Hindu society...were classes in the Western
sense rather than castes in the Indian manner.”
Long before Columbus’ era, India had a reputation throughout the world for its opulence. “The
part of India known as Malabar,” wrote Marco Polo, “was the richest and noblest country in the
51
world.” Kalyanaraman writes that Egypt traded ivory, precious stones, gold and sandalwood with
India, while Rome traded Indian spices—mostly cinnamon and cassia. The Puranas mention
sandalwood from Malaysia. Ancient India’s epic poem, the Mahabharata, even compares the
women of the Mediterranean to the goddesses of the higher worlds.
The Rig Veda, one of four Vedas, refers to metallurgy. The Vedas also refer to mining iron ore,
copper, brass and bronze. By the 6 t h century AD, India was far ahead of Europe in industrial
chemistry. The Hindus were masters at calcinations, distillation, sublimation, steaming, making
anesthetics, soporific powders, metallic salts, compounds and alloys. India was producing steel
during the era of Alexander. Centuries later, steel would be introduced to Europe by the
Muslims.
Jivaka (6 t h century BC) was adept at surgical operations such as trepanning of the skull,
abdominal openings to cure hernia, etc. Panini’s classical work on grammar, the Ashtadhyani
contains a comprehensive list of parts of the body (human anatomy) as well as rare and common
diseases. He further describes ligaments, sutures, lymphatics, nerve plexus, adipose and
vascular tissues, mucous and synovial membranes with astonishing accuracy. Susruta dealt with
surgery, obstetrics, dieting, baths, drugs, infant feeding, personal hygiene and medicinal
education. He also understood the process of digestion and the functions of the stomach and
liver.
Bhavamisra, in 1550, detailed the circulation of blood in a book written on anatomy and
physiology, a century before the West. Susruta described cataract surgery, hernia, cesarean
section, the dissection of cadavers and the use of skin grafts to repair a torn ear. Rhinoplasty
(fixing a broken nose) was a common practice. A drug called “sammohini” was used as an
anesthetic. Ancient Indians were experts in plastic surgery until the 18 t h century. They knew the
importance of taking a pulse. They were aware that mosquito bites transmit diseases as far back
as the 6 t h century BC.
Square roots and cube roots and the “Pythagorean” theorem are mentioned in the Sulva Sutras
of Baudhayana. (700 BC) Baudhayana also calculated the areas of triangles, circles, and
trapezoids and determined pi = 3.14136 when measuring and constructing temple altars.
Aryabhata (5 t h century AD) drew up a table of Sines and provided India with a system of
trigonometry more sophisticated than that of the Greeks. Ancient mathematical texts such as
the Jyotisha Vedanga dealt with geometry, fractions, quadratic and cubic equations, algebra,
permutations and combinations.
In the West, we have been taught to call our base‐ten system of numeration (which replaced
Roman numerals) “Arabic numerals.” India gave the world the base‐ten numerical system, our
modern numerical script, and the concept of zero as a placeholder and a numerically recorded
quantity. Indian mathematics came to the West through the Arabs. The Arabs themselves called
mathematics “Hindisa,” or “Indian art.”
Centuries before Newton, Bhaskara (1150 AD) was well‐acquainted with the principles of
differential calculus and the concept of infinity. Astronomers such as Vachaspati (800 AD)
anticipated the foundations of solid coordinate geometry centuries before Descartes. They also
explained the movement of celestial bodies in terms of the earth’s rotation and motion about
the sun. Charaka, a physician from the 7 t h century BC, described the wave motion of light, had a
calendar of 12 lunar months and classified stars into zodiacal constellations.
52
India had rockets in the late 18 t h century; they were even used in military battles against the
British. This generated interest in rocket technology in England. The Indian people built “iron
forts and thousand pillared halls” and were described by observers as adorning themselves in
silk, wool, linen and cotton.
For thousands of years, India has enjoyed music, orchestral bands, dance, song, stage acting and
all the other fine arts. A. Kalyanaraman writes that in comparison to other parts of the world,
slavery was virtually nonexistent. There did exist various forms of indentured servitude, but
none as brutal as in the West. Kalyanaraman further insists that the whole of Southeast Asia
received most of its culture from India. India gave the world rice, cotton, sugarcane, spices and
chess. Indian philosophy and metaphysics can be found in Pythagoras, Plato, Plotinus, Emerson,
Thoreau, and Schopenhauer.
History must not be written from a Western, colonialist perspective. These are just some of
India’s contributions to humanity. [1043 words]
12
EMAIL: MINSKHIST@YAHOO.COM
The identity and self‐identity is the central problem for any people and even any person: this is
the ancient global positioning system and our modern set of basic constants. The existing
academic definition of Rigvedic Arya is based on the Old Testament concept of ethnos. This
situation has been got worse with the following to Aristotle’s logic and classification principles,
which should not be applied to Rigvedic worldview. Rigvedic Arya identity pointed out in Rigveda
does not match Torah’s goy (ethnos) after 3 of 5 key indications: origin from common ancestor
(genus founder), common resident territory and mutual language. So, Arya should not be
described as ethic or ethnic based, however it showed identity of the same level and can be used
simultaneously with ethnic identity. [126 words]
13
Saffron Archeology and the Media
EMAIL: YVETTEROSSER@GMAIL.COM
It is archaeologists who have been at the forefront of this saffron movement. It is important for
the public to know that the same archaeologists — and they are a minority — who spun the tale
about an ‘84 pillar temple’ under the Babri masjid 1 have created this ‘Aryan Harappans’ myth. 2 ‐‐
53
‐ Shireen Ratnagar
The newspapers jumped in to report about this particular excavation site. Shortly, Prof. K.N.
Panikkar, Prof. K.M. Shrimali, Prof. Harbans Mukhia from JNU and Prof. Irfan Habib from Aligarh
Muslim University, D. N. Jha from Delhi University, and numerous other Indian academics who
often chime in to condemn the Indo‐centric paradigms, issued a statement 4 that accused the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of acting irresponsibly by excavating the ruins of this Jain
temple citing the dig as an example of “saffron archeology”. 5
These critics accused the ASI of “communalizing archeology”. They claimed that the ASI was
excavating this site because they wanted to prove that Muslims had destroyed the Jain temple.
The historians also contended that the archaeologists at the ASI twist their data, releasing
information before it was entirely analyzed, and manipulating the popular media. Many
historians have recently assumed that they are more able to understand the nuances of
archaeological data than are trained archaeologists whose interpretations are now considered to
be tainted by saffron. Harbans Mukhia, a medieval historian, explained during our interview,
Archaeology is a discipline that requires a tremendous amount of patience, you dig up things,
don’t start announcing your conclusions, be patient, fill out your report, and then, reach
whatever conclusions. They don’t have the patience, they want to get into the newspaper head
lines immediately so usually it starts from there, announcing headlines.. which headlines?
Usually provocative headlines… for example, their evidence of Aryan settlements. Now that leads
to a reaction and a counter denunciation etc. If there was patience… they haven’t bothered to
publish reports for 25 years not to speak of the ones last year, but suddenly you get these
screaming headlines. They don’t have the patience. [452 words]
14
The Pernicious effects of the Greek Synchronism on the Indic Weltanschuung
EMAIL: KOSLA.VEPA@INDICSTUDIES.US
It was F E Pargiter, who introduced the notion of a Synchronism in Indian Historiography[1] in
one of the first such works to appear in a European language, which lent credulity to the Puranic
texts. He was also the first to analyze them in detail. Even so, Pargiter had fallen prey to the
54
propensity of the colonial overlord to tamper with the data instead of reporting on it in a
dispassionate manner with Vairagya and Viveka. In so doing he follows the pattern of British
Indian civil servants, who with literally dozens of domestic servants to relieve them of daily
chores and ample time and a security enabled through palatial and sumptuous salaries at the
cost of the impoverished Indian, were able to indulge in the favorite pastime of rewriting and
reinterpreting Indian History in a form more palatable to the European audience. But
Pargiter exhibits a degree of adherence to the evidence not evident in most other writers from
the Occident. Still, the constant contact with Indians who were mostly in a subordinate role and
generally obsequious in their behavior to most Occidentals, had taken its toll on objectivity and
there is palpable condescension in the narrative that he spins
The concern about synchronism was a natural one, seen from the perspective of an Occidental,
and stemmed from the need for understanding the relationship between various overlapping
dynasties that spanned a millennial time frame. Coming from a small island, they were not used
to seeing the sheer plethora of dynastic families that ruled over the different parts of the
subcontinent during the millennia. More importantly, the tendency to disbelieve any dates or
the absolute chronology was so strong, that they were looking for external synchronisms,
especially with respect to dynasties and rulers in the Occident. The difficulty was that there was
not much of a civilization in the Occident during the millennia prior to 1000 BCE, with the
exception of the countries surrounding the eastern Mediterranean. As a result, there is no
record that is accessible to us of travelers from Greece or Babylon during the time frame in
question. However this is not the final word on the subject and more research needs to be done
on this topic.
Sir William Jones, President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, gave his tenth anniversary discourse
on February 28, 1793. The topic was, “Asiatic history, civil and natural,” and it was published in
the fourth volume of the Asiatic Researches, first printed in 1807, reprint 1979. This was his
third attempt to destroy the culture and the history of Bharatvarsh by mutilating the historic
dates. It bears mentioning that Indians were not allowed to be members of the Royal Asiatic
Society and it was not until a hundred and forty years later that they would be allowed to
participate
27 See for i nstance Muralidhar Pa hoja “Need to correlate a nd Ra tio nal ize Alexa ndri a n, Sa ssa nian, Ro man,
a nd Indic Chro nolo gy” Presented a t H EC, Dalla s, 2007 a nd co mpil ed b y Ko sl a Vepa i n ‘Astro nomi ca l Da ting
o f Events a nd Sel ect Vi gnettes fr o m Indi an H i stor y” ,2008 , (a vai labl e a t a mazo n.com)
55
We quote Sir William.
“I cannot help mentioning a discovery which accident threw in my way; (I) thought my proofs
must be reserved for an essay which I have destined for the fourth volume of your Transactions.
To fix the situation of that Palibothra, which was visited and described by Megasthenes, had
always appeared a very difficult problem.”
“…but this only difficulty was removed, when I found in a classical Sanscrit book, near 2000 years
old, that Hiranyabahu, or golden‐armed, which the Greeks changed into Erannoboas, or the river
with a lovely murmur was in fact another name for the Son itself, though Megasthenes, from
ignorance or inattention, has named them separately. This discovery led to another of greater
moment; for Chandragupta, who, from a military adventurer, became, like Sandracottus, the
sovereign of Upper Hindostan, actually fixed the seat of his empire at Pataliputra, where he
received ambassadors from foreign princes; and was no other than that very Sandracottus who
concluded a treaty with Seleucus Nicator; so that we have solved another problem, to which we
before alluded, and may in round numbers consider the twelve and three hundredth years before
Christ.” (pp. xxv to xxvii)
He tells us in his speech that he has found a classical Sanskrit book of about 2,000 years old. The
other inference he makes is that Chandragupta was no other than the very Sandrocottus who is
described by Megasthenes to have made a treaty with Seleucus around 312 BC; and, to establish
that that Chandragupta belonged to the Maurya dynasty, he mentions some poem by Somdev
which describes the murder of Mahapadma of the Nanda dynasty and his eight sons by
Chandragupta in order to usurp the kingdom. In this way Jones created a fictitious connection
between Chandragupta Maurya and Sandracottus. He says in his speech,
“A most beautiful poem by Somdev, comprising a very long chain of instructive and agreeable
stories, begins with the famed revolution at Pataliputra, by the murder of King Nanda with his
eight sons, and the usurpation of Chandragupta; and the same revolution is the subject of a
tragedy in Sanscrit, entitled the Coronation of Chandra.” (p. xxviii)
These were the basic points of his speech that was called the discovery of the identity of
Chandragupta Maurya as Sandracottus.
But the problem is that such a formulation was completely wrong in all aspects and there are
several hypotheses that he makes that no longer withstand close scrutiny. What are these
Hypotheses?
[1] Pargiter, FE, “Ancient Indian Historical Tradition” Oxford University Press, London, 1922,
Chapter XII, page 139.
[1099 words]
15
Legacy and Fabrication of Indigenous Law in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century
56
British India
This paper is an interdisciplinary approach of history and law, to trace an understanding of
indigenous law before they encountered the western notions of law. The numbers of rudiments
of Indian Law, before coming of the British rule, were much advanced and effective. The system
of trials in private and public laws, which was practiced during ancient and medieval time was so
advanced that it’s more or less similar to some contemporary Medico Legal Examinations.
Besides this, the role of the village Panchayat, the system of subordinate courts, judicial
procedures and role of judges during the ancient time and cock‐and‐bull dramatization of the
same during colonial rule will be the ingredient of script.
Thus this paper comprises of two fold objectives; to establish the legacy of Indigenous Law with
special reference to Hindu Law and how the Indian laws were taunted, slanted and fabricated
during the colonial rule. [155 words]
16
Medieval India Revisited and Revised: Reviled or Rectified?
Email: yvetterosser@gmail.com
In the first years of this millennium there was a heated controversy regarding the history
textbooks published by the NCERT. The authors of the earlier NCERT textbooks became the most
vocal opponents of the new history books. They called many press conferences and wrote
innumerable newspaper articles and published several pamphlets decrying the new NCERT
history textbooks. Though there was much hoopla about the issue, there was no serious
comparison of the textbooks. This paper compares two NCERT textbooks for class eleven:
Medieval India, by Satish Chandra, first published in 1978 and revised in 1990 and Medieval
India, by Meenakshi Jain, first edition published in November 2002.
Satish Chandra’s Medieval History textbook, published by NCERT in 1990, begins the discussion
of eighth century India far removed from the Subcontinent, with a lengthy analysis of feudalism
in medieval Europe. This textbook, specific to medieval India, begins with the fall of the Roman
Empire and the rise of Christianity, and spends most of the first section explaining surfs,
fiefdoms, lords, and manors‐‐all in Europe.
The 2002 NCERT textbook Medieval India by Dr. Meenakshi Jain begins the narrative in the
middle of India, not in medieval Europe. She dispenses with the dense description of feudalism
found in earlier versions of the NCERT textbooks. Her introduction, “India after Harsha: An
57
Overview”, provides an illuminating summary of the historical period. Dr. Jain introduces the
“interregnum between the death of Harsha in the mid‐seventh century A.D, and the rise of the
Delhi Sultanate nearly six hundred years later”.
“Yet, the polity remains dynamic and is notable for the assimilation of new groups into the
system. The realms of culture and religion are enriched by intense creativity, and overall, this is
a time of considerable accomplishments in the fields of language, aesthetics, and spirituality.”
This opening statement, that brings the focus immediately to India’s achievements, finds no
parallel in the first few chapters of the Satish Chandra textbook. This positive approach to Indian
culture highlights the basic difference between the two books. Jain’s paints a vivid picture of
life, religion, literature, onto the geography of India during the eighth century. Chandra finds
decay.
Both historians discuss the Bhakti movement. Chandra describes the efforts of Ramanuja, who
“tried to assimilate Bhakti to the tradition of the Vedas”, arguing that “the path to Bhakti was
open to all, irrespective of caste”. He explains “that [Ramanuja was] a bridge between the
popular movement based on Bhakti and the upper caste movement based on the Vedas”‐‐again
highlighting caste divisions. Meenakshi Jain describes the “powerful bhakti movement [that]
developed … in the Tamil region … and spread… to north India and Bengal”. She writes that
Ramanuja gave “a new impetus to the movement by reconciling metaphysical speculation with
popular bhakti”. She manages the commentary without Chandra’s many references to upper or
lower castes that characterize the usual NCERT treatment, thereby revealing a selection process,
the prerogative of the interpreter. This paper presents in depth comparison of these
two Medieval India history textbooks. [502 words]
17
Director, Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth 285 Old Westport Road Dartmouth, MA 02747
Email: bsingh@umassd.edu
Under Indic traditions, events are not man‐made rather a reflection of a journey of individuals,
society, and universe. Many times man misunderstands happenings around him to be his creation
when in reality one is just responding to circumstances created by usually unknown forces.
Similar to scientific examination of matter, ideas, thoughts, philosophies, traditions, cultures, all
have a fixed half‐life, and changes are inevitable. Humans do have freedom to understand and
act accordingly. One of the ancient ways to explain events over a long period of time is variation
in the strengths (practice) of Dharma, the universal force that is eternal. Yuga concept of Indic
traditions describes the changing contours of Dharma during different periods of time. This
presentation will attempt to link many seminal global events beginning with Mahabharata times
to present with commentary on how Yuga cycle has shaped the events, and what one can expect
in the future.
58
[150 words]
18
Portrayal of women in Deccan: An Epigraphical substantiation
India is an ancient land with a living and unbroken tradition of diverse religions, cultures and
customs. Women have always played a vital role in espousing this link from the days of the
Sindhu‐ Saraswati Civilization to the current President of our country, Honorable Mrs. Pratibha
Patil.
When one makes an effort to appreciate the women of historic ancient India, it is realized that
customarily the position of women in ancient India is judged by analyzing the famous female
protagonists depicted in the literary works produced by stalwarts or relying on the norms laid
down in scriptures of different times, thus overlooking the ‘real’ women. Their patronages,
contributions and personal achievements to the making of the Indian society were rarely brought
to light.
Epigraphy is the study of written matter recorded on hard or durable material. It is perhaps the
most precise and trustworthy source of history in general and India in particular. There is no
aspect of the life, culture and activities, not reflected in inscriptions.
However inscriptions were seldom utilized as a source to reconstruct the history of women in
ancient India. Contrary to the general belief that only queens and princesses would appear in the
inscriptions and that too with minimal numbers, hundreds of laywomen, Hindu, Buddhist and
Jain, Devadasi’s and even the courtesans did find mention in the inscriptions.
Most of the inscriptions studied are religious or donative in character which however, does not
impede them from revealing socio, political and economic information in great details.
Deccan is a large plateau bounded on both the sides by Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, which
are the modern states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in India.
On the economic front, merchants from Deccan flourished considerably due to the sea borne
trade with the Ptolemaic and Greco‐ Roman Empires through the ports lined on the Arabian
coast. One of them was Kalyan, adjacent to Mumbai. This was the time when Mumbai was
centuries away to rise to fame as an international port.
The fragrance of the spices and the viscosity of the Muslin and silk dragged the European traders
to the shores of Arabian coast with gold bullion. During the early centuries of the Christian era,
Deccan’s flourishing overseas trade with Europe had a lasting impact on the social, economic and
religious life, especially Buddhism. It thus becomes important to identify the role women played
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in shaping the society of Deccan in these vibrant fourteen centuries.
The continuity of beliefs, traditions and religious practices can be seen very clearly in these
inscriptions. Inscriptions exemplify the munificence made by the women on a large scale towards
the religion they adhered to.
Inscriptions reveal that female donors were not only free to choose a religion of their choice but
could also donate funds, whatever they could afford, for the cause of religion they upheld. There
are many instances where the donor woman is a devotee of the great masters like Buddha and
Mahavira while the rest of the family followed the Hindu traditions. Even the courtesans could
exercise this right.
Women participated in different religious practices, at times became a part of various social
customs themselves, cared for the poor and needy in the society and showed concern for the
nature. They rightly understood the importance of education and made provisions for the
establishment and management of the educational institutions in ancient Deccan.
Many queens actively participated in the administration and defence of their country. Women
seemed to be aware of their financial rights as they could buy and sell their landed property and
made donations as they desired with the help of money accrued there on.
They were also engaged in different professions. Inscriptions throw light on prostitution and
practices like Devadasi and the donations that they made while being in the constraints of the
traditions.
An anthology of more than one thousand women hitherto unknown to history and belonging to
different social, religious, economic and political background has been unfolded. The world of
women like Naganika the queen, Lota, the palace servant, Paliyakka, the Jain courtesan, Lavanika
the lay patron of Buddhism, Koti, the Buddhist Nun, Huliyabijakke the Jain nun etc. will be
unfurled.
This information will help to create a profound understanding of the glorious tradition of capable
and confident but hitherto lesser known real women of ancient Deccan. [740 words]
19
Traditional Knowledge System among the ethnic groups in Rajasthan
OM PRAKASH
Assistant Professor in History and Public Policy,
School of Policy Sciences
National Law University, NH‐65, Nagaur Road
Mandore, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
60
Email: omprakashnlu@gmail.com
The tribal and other primitive groups in India have been generally understood as the illiterate
and uncivilized people. However, this study will focus that how the tribal in Rajasthan are expert
in various branch of medicine. The type of drugs they use and practices they follow are
marvelous. Their ethno‐medical remedies for diseases like joints pain, arthritis, asthma, snake
bite, piles, dysentery, liver, eye and hair problems etc. are remarkable. Their expertise in animal
diseases and the use of medicines for the same are interesting to look into. The use of plants in
creation of material culture and useful items of the day is another aspect which this paper would
like to discuss. The paper also discuss about the use of animal part in traditional healthcare
system being practiced by these ethnic groups since ages in Rajasthan. There are various plants
which are quite poisonous in nature and being used for variety of medicines by these peoples.
Such command on the botanical knowledge is a distinct and unique feature of the traditional
knowledge system of various ethnic groups including tribal in Rajasthan. [182 words]
20
Overlooked Clues of Ancient History
N MAHALINGAM
Email: santhri@yahoo.com
A person with Telugu as mother tongue found himself as an alien in Tamilnadu and searched for
his roots. He found it as a town by name Santhri in Haryana. This search revealed the whole
community might have had its origin in Indus valley region.
Further Search indicated their presence in the Kingdom of Arrapha in the ancient Mesopotamia.
As a bonus the ancestry of Nagarathar and hence Tamils traced to ancient Nagar now known now
as Tel Brak in Syria. Incidentally the family names (surnames?) indicated the ancestral places of
three Rishis of Sapta Rishi Mandala. In addition the ancestral place of Kautilya Chanakya could be
identified by the same technique.. He cannot help but to touch the Aryan question, prevalence of
place names with the word Rama and its variants distributed throughout the world. Sami is a
popular name of persons in southern states of India. The existence of a tribe by that name in
Scandinavia and about 75 places with the name as Sami spread over the globe has to be pointed
out. This article is similar to a FIR of a police station and the clues have to be investigated
further by specialists.
[197 words]
21
Indus Seals, Human Evolution
N MAHALINGAM
61
Email: santhri@yahoo.com
All humans receive sometimes receive unsolicited communications, without asking for it or without
expectation. These could be communications from persons, information gathered by occasional reading
of News Papers or magazines of different types and books chosen at random. Only a few recognizes that
they are special communications directed towards them, to think over them and react. The first part of
this article is the result of two such communications received spaced several years apart. The second
part of this article is based upon an unexpected event of acting as a patient‐volunteer in a trial of
personalized therapy for allergic rhinitis of which the author is suffering from his childhood.
The first communication from an engineering consultant who met the author, about a decade ago, at a
gathering of consultants who later sent the details of his experiment to prove that humans can lead a
normal life by just on water and ingesting vegetables from time to time. The second communication on
Indus seals was sent to this author by Mr. Egbert Richter Ushanas, Indologist, last year. The first
communication was instinctively preserved by the author. It is generally accepted by the molecular
biologists that genes may become inactive over the years due to environment, lifestyle and food.
Perhaps by activating the dormant genes it could be possible to survive on water as is proved by
experiments of some persons.
The personalized therapy gave protection against allergic rhinitis for almost two decades. Similar studies
could be extended to evaluate its effectiveness on other ailments of humans.
[255 words]
22
K. RAMASUBRAMANIAN, PHD
EMAIL: KRAMAS@IITB.AC.IN
Turning an expression into an infinite series is indeed a brilliant achievement that has played a pivotal role in the
advancement of science and technology. Usually Newton (1642–1726 CE) is considered to be the pioneer in this
field. However, if one were to historically track the foremost practitioners of this field, it turns out that the
contributions of Kerala mathematicians are indeed remarkable. While Newton lived in the later part of the 17th
century, starting with Madhava (c.1340 ‐1425 CE) of Sangamagrama, the astronomers and mathematicians of
Kerala during the medieval period (13th ‐16th cent.) have made significant contributions to the development of
power series expansion of the sine and cosine functions, the development of infinite series (and fast convergent
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approximations) for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, and so on.
Besides this, the Kerala mathematicians also present a careful analysis of how successive partial sums of these
infinite series give better and better approximations, thereby displaying a sophisticated understanding the notion
of limit. Today it is too well known that the notion of zero, infinity and limit are tied together as a bundle, and it is
in untying this bundle that the flower of calculus unfolds itself. The mathematicians of Kerala in the context of
presenting a proof of the expression for one‐eighth of the circumference of a circle, which is given by them in the
form of an infinite series—which is known today as the Gregory‐Leibniz series for π / 4 have made clever use of
the binomial expansion which brings in spectacular simplification in the expression. They not only express a certain
binomial expression in terms of an infinite series, but also mention the condition under which it converges. During
the lecture we will give an overview of these contributions and also demonstrate how the same things are
discovered by different traditions in different contexts in startlingly different ways. [317 words]
Paper will be changed to "Evolution of Planetary Models: Aryabhata to Nilakantha" (per
email from author 12/4, awaiting complete4 abstract
23
Re‐evaluation of the sheet anchor in the light of data from Indian sources
Email: mhpahoja@hotmail.com
European writers of the 18th and 19th centuries identified Sandracottus of the Alexandrian
narratives with Chandragupta of the Maurya dynasty and fixed Indian chronology based on this
identification. As a corollary of this synchronization, the chronology of both Buddha and Mahavir
had to be advanced by sixty years.
Buddhist sources place Chandragupta in 162 of Buddha Nirvan Era. The epoch of this era is
placed at 2557 kali, so that Chandragupta is placed in 2719 kali. Ashoka’s coronation is said to
take place either in 218 BE (i.e. 2775 kali) or 228 BE (2785 kali)
Jain sources on the other hand, place Chandragupta in 155 Mahavir Nirvan era starting from 2574
kali. By this reckoning, Chandragupta is placed in 2729 kali. He is a contemporary of Bhadrabahu.
Jain sources say Mauryas came to power in 215 ME i.e. 2789 kali.
In effect the Buddhist and Jain sources both consider Ashok Maurya to be contemporary with
Alexander.
Working on the above hypothesis and analyzing Alexander’s history, positive results are
obtained. The Yona kings mentioned in Atoka edicts can be more rationally identified. More
importantly, the adversary in the Kalinga war can also be identified. The Maurya chronology is
more firmly placed at about 60 years earlier. The chronology of Shunga dynasty is realigned
63
accordingly. ( 232 words)
24
Perception of Indian history in the Mahabharata
Sanskrit Department, Delhi University, Delhi
Email: ashagargi@rediffmail.com
The Mahabharata is an epic chronicle of the Historical event of the war fought between the two
clans of ancient India. It has been acclaimed as the National Epic of India in importance next only
to the Rig‐Veda, and from Olden times has been treated as a Historical treatise as authentic as
the Vedas. Moreover, its authorship in three recensions Viz., Jaya, Bharata and Mahabharata is
itself suggestive of the fact that the great epic is construed on the Historical nucleus relating to
a family feud between the two scions of the Bharata clan. Similarly the very name
“Mahabharata” If derived as “Bhaarataanaam mahajjanma ... that it is so called as it narrates the
great doings of the glorious scions of the ancient king Bharata known as the Bharatas” itself
entitles the work as a Book on Indian History (Cf.Mbh.1.5.6.31); and also since Panini (VI.2.38.1)
takes the word Bhaarata as signifying the battle of The Bhaaratas , or the History(itivrita) of the
Bhaaratas , the work should be deemed as an authentic work of Indian History. Besides the
internal evidence from the Epic Itself (Ibid.1.1.52;56.16,18,19) proves its Historical nature.
But, it is a sad state of affairs that on account of the much distorted and mutilated character of
the narrative, its Historicity has been diluted. Hence, the main objective of this paper is first two
collate the vital references from the Epic which bear perceptions of Indian History and
then subject these to the proper interpretation in order to trace the hidden meanings with an
unbiased mind.
Summing up, it may be professed that the Epic chronicles relating the Battles between the two
groups of the ruling kings as well as the Teerthayatras, and the Digvijaya descriptions provide
enough Indian Historical substratum in the form of the social strata; Geographical background of
the sites and ethnographic substratum of the Mahabharata era covering a vast knowledge of the
proto‐Indian tribes and castes who occupied various regions of India during that remote period’.
[327 words]
25
SUDHEER BIRODKAR
Email: technicalwritersudheer@rediffmail.com
Mathematics represents a high level of abstraction attained by the human mind. In India,
64
mathematics has its roots in Vedic literature, which is nearly 4000 years old. Between 1000 B.C.
and 1000 A.D. various treatises on mathematics were authored by Indian mathematicians in
which were set forth for the first time, the concept of zero, the techniques of algebra and
algorithm, square root and cube root.
As in the applied sciences like production technology, architecture and shipbuilding, Indians in
ancient times also made advances in abstract sciences like Mathematics and Astronomy. It has
now been generally accepted that the technique of algebra and the concept of zero originated in
India. But it would be surprising for us to know that even the rudiments of Geometry, called
Rekha‐Ganita in ancient India, were formulated and applied in the drafting of Mandalas for
architectural purposes. They were also displayed in the geometric patterns used in many temple
motifs. Even the technique of calculation, called algorithm, which is today widely used in
designing soft ware programs (instructions) for computers was also derived from Indian
mathematics. In this chapter we shall examine the advances made by Indian mathematicians in
ancient times. [196 words]
26
Vice President, BISS
Department of Sanskrit
Utkal University, Vanivihar
Bhuvaneshwar
Phone: 0674‐2580862, Mob. 9937310754
Though a lot of effort has been done to decipher and interpret the archeological findings of the
Indus valley civilization, no effort has been done to determine who the rulers of the great
civilization were. It is because of the erroneous assumption about the mythical Aryan invasion
and wrong dating of the battle of Kurukshetra of Mahabharata.
According to the Panchang or Ponjika still widely in use in all parts of India, the battle took place
36 years before Kaliyug, i.e. in 3138 B.C. Astronomical verification using Planetarium soft ware
shows the date to be around 3070 BC. The difference can be attributed to the subsequent
corrections of the Indian calendar by Varahamihir, Aryabhata etc. and corrections of the Julian
and Gregorian calendars. It means that during the upper Indus valley period, the descendants of
King Parikshit ruled over the area.
This paper tries to correlate the period with the ruling dynasties of the period after the battle of
Kurukshetra. A critical examination of the decline of the Indus valley civilization with the drying
of river Sarasvati shows how the influence of the rulers declined and came to an end with the
conquest from the east (Magadha rulers).
27
65
Identification of the Historical dates from Puranic Sources
According to the modern Indian history books Lord Buddha is believed to have been born in the
Sixth century B.C. and Chandragupta Maurya is believed to have been the ruler of Magadha
Empire soon after the invasion of Alexander in the year 327 B.C. There is a common
misconception among the laymen as well as the historians that these and the other dates given
in the official version of Indian history are proven facts.
However, a careful and critical examination of the sources from which these dates have been
derived show that these dates may be only as true as the creation of the universe in (or around)
the year 4006 B.C.
Most people, including the historians, believe that the dates mentioned above and the other
dates of Indian history have been derived mainly from archaeological evidences, inscriptions of
stone pillars and accounts of the foreign travelers. But no complete history, whether correct or
incorrect, can be written from such discontinuous sources. If writing of history from such
sources were possible we could have got a complete and detailed history of the great Druid
civilization of England which built the Stonehenge, the great Mayan and Inca civilizations of
America.
History has to be written primarily from historical accounts. The modern pioneers of Indian
history namely Sir William Jones, Professor Max Muller, Professor Wilson and the other
orientalists of early nineteenth century knew this and the first sources they looked for Indian
history were the scriptures known as Itihaasa and Purana such as Mahabharata, Bhagavata
Purana, Vishnu Purana, Vayu Purana, Matsya Purana and Bhavishya Purana.
The Puranas give the dates of the historical events in Kaliyugabda, Vikram Samvat, Shalivahan
Sakabda and other Indian eras still in use at present. From these narrations it is possible to get
the dates of all important historical events in the Christian era.
This paper gives the chronology of ancient Indian history for the important events calculated
precisely in this manner. [326 words]
28
F U L L BR I GH T S CH O LA R
66
E M A IL : JAG AT M O TW A N I@ YA H OO. C O M
I am writing this to rebut the politically triggered postulate that Sri Ram didn’t exist, and that he
was a mythological god, by irrefutable historical evidences given by various historians, mostly
non‐Indian. There has been political uproar over two the inter‐twined issues – the reality of the
life of Sri Ram, and protecting Ram Setu (Setu Samudram) as a national monument. A few
politicians are saying that Sri Ram didn’t exist; hence there is no question of Ram Setu. The space
images taken by NASA reveal a mysterious ancient bridge between Sri Lanka and India. Its unique
curvature and composition suggest that it is man‐made. In the Ramayana epic, there is mention
of a bridge, which was made by Ram’s army to be able to cross over to Sri Lanka to fight Ravana.
No other historical purpose for the bridge has been found documented.
I don’t know, and for me there is no use to know, what the political motive is to oppose making
it a national monument. Let the readers guess. Every body knows that in most cases, politics in
India is hot, when there is fear of losing minority votes. I don’t care if Ram Setu is considered as
a national monument. But, I, like millions of Hindus on the planet, would feel pain if Sri Ram is
considered as a myth.
I am not giving my sentimental beliefs. My paper will contain only a bit – not even 20 percent of
what has been historically documented about Lord Rama and his amazing global colonization,
particularly Africa, Egypt, Mesopotamia, South America, and Afghanistan.
Stephen Knapp, in “Proof of Vedic Global Existence” (2000, p.107), writes that Lord Rama, after
defeating Ravana, gave each son – Lava and Kush (or Cush) – .half of the planet each to rule.
The paper will give details of the territories colonized by Sri Rama, as historically documented by
various scholars. [329 words]
29
PARAMESWARAN MURTHIYEDATH
Email: geomet9@gmail.com
As an appraisal of the cosmological contents of the .Rig‐Veda, in particular, and by comparing with the
corresponding concepts that emanated from the Brˉahmanaˉ, Aranyaka, Upanisadˉa and the puraana a
(BAUP), in general, certain inferences as to the passage of a considerable time between these periods
are being drawn. How the earlier notions went unnoticed by the later and how altogether much
different notions came into existence are being evaluated. How this indicated a large span of time
between the two and how these two periods could not be contiguous is being studied, of course very
briefly. The author’s acquaintance with the Vedic text is actually very small and is limited to an enquiry.
[116 words]
67
30
There was no race called “Arya”
Qr. No. 5R9, Forest Park, Unit‐1,
Bhubaneswar, Orissa, 751009
EMAIL: INDULATADAS@YAHOO.CO.IN
Confirmation or denial of the theory of “Aryan invasion” can be accomplished only if it is backed
by the minimum proof that there was ever a race called “Arya”. And the whole gamut of
literature of ancient India miserably fails to provide a single proof in favor of the same although
the word “Arya” is profusely used in the hoary literature.
The word “Arya” has been defined as a person who accomplishes his moral duties and abstains
from activities forbidden by human ethics. The grand historical duo Ramayana and Mahabharata
do not provide any allusion directly or indirectly that “Arya” meant a particular race. No
Dharmasastra prescribes any code of conduct for the Aryan race although the same has been
prescribed for all classes of people in the society.
“Arya” in simple terms is a person with noble qualities. “Arya” is also used as an address meant
to show one’s profound reverence to the person in context. The father in law is addressed “Arya”
by the daughter in law and the husband is called “Aryaputra” (son of Arya) irrespective of their
caste or lineage.
Moreover Arya is not a word which is exclusively used for human beings only. Examples are not
lacking where the word has been used for lower animals or birds. For example “Jatayu” which
was a vulture was addressed “Arya” in Ramayana. Hanuman has been called Arya. Tara, the
female monkey and the wife of Bali has also been called Arya.
Besides, the word “Arya” is not always used to mean a corporeal being. There are instances
where the word has been used as an adjective of abstract things like the mind (Abhijnana
Sakuntalam of Kalidasa). In Ramayana the word “Arya” has been used as an adjective not of a
person but of the nature of a man (Aryasvbhavavanam).
Had “Arya” been the name of a race a person who is an “Arya” must have remained “Arya” all the
time. But there is example when the same person is addressed “Arya” and “Anarya” according to
his good and abominable behavior. There is example of brother being called Anarya while the
sister is called Arya according to their respective behavior.
Thus throughout the length and breadth of the ancient literature of the country there is not a
single proof to substantiate that there ever existed a race called Arya. And it is impossible to
conjecture that the huge literature written by none other than the Aryas did not care to mention
a few words about their whereabouts and their historic victory over the land. [426 words]
68
31
Legacy of the Partition of India: An Assessment of the policy of Rehabilitation of
the East Pakistan’s Refugees in India, 1947‐1971.
OM PRAKASH
Assistant Professor in History and Public Policy,
School of Policy Sciences
National Law University, NH‐65, Nagaur Road
Mandore, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
omprakashnlu@gmail.com
The partition of Bengal in 1947 rendered millions uprooted and killed thousands. For Bengal, the
refugee exodus continued for years after partition. It is important to note that while the
Partition of Punjab was a one‐time event with carnage and forced migration, however restricted
primarily to first few years, the Partition of Bengal has turned out to be a continuing process. It
would be important to observe that how these people struggled to reconstruct their lives, and to
what extent their new environment posed a challenge to their existence and culture. What was
their attitude towards the Government policies of relief and rehabilitation? The paper shall also
attempt to look into the various phases of the government policy to resettle these migrants and
will provide a critical appraisal of the government policy; also the attempt will be to find out
what legacy this aspect of partition of India left on the memory and geopolitics of Indian
subcontinent. For a proper analysis and critique of the government policy, we need to depend
upon the government sources, especially of the Ministry of Refugee, Relief and Rehabilitation of
Government of West Bengal and those of the Department of Rehabilitation, Government of India
and the Lok Sabha Debates and West Bengal State Legislative Assembly Debates, Report of the
Indian Planning Commission etc along with other sources. [222 words]
32
The war of God against the Gods: whither Hindus?
Professor Emeritus, University of West Florida
Email: lgoel@uwf.edu
The war of God against the Gods refers to the conflict in history between monotheism
(Christianity and Islam) and polytheism (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, and numerous
native traditions).
Monotheism insists that only a single God exists, known variously as Yahweh, the Lord or Allah.
Other gods are “false” or even demonic. The Monotheistic God is jealous and wrathful. There is
one God, and one correct method of worship. Those who deviate are heretics and may be
punished, tortured or killed. In its exclusive devotion to the worship of one God, monotheism
69
has inspired much ferocity and fanaticism.
Polytheism in contrast is open‐ended and easy going. Many roads lead to the mountain top.
There is a willingness to entertain the idea that there are many gods and many ways to worship
them. A person may choose any path.
Monotheistic religions of Christianity and Islam have spawned much cruelty and mayhem. The
infamous Inquisition lasted 400 years, 1200s—1600s and engulfed all of Europe. The Spanish and
the Portuguese inquisitions in the 16 t h century were especially gruesome. The Church appointed
Control Boards to root out heresy got carried away. Many were tortured, flogged and burned.
Inquisition was used against Protestants, former Jews and pagans. Galileo was imprisoned in a
Florence cathedral for the view that the earth revolved around the sun rather than being the
center of the universe. For merely talking with animals or for being alone in the woods, women
could be charged for the crime of witchcraft. Several million women were tortured and burned
at the stake for witchcraft. Many converted Jews also were tortured and burned because they
maintained unsuspectingly some of their previous Jewish cultural practices.
Then there was the Thirty‐Year War, 1618 to 1648. Protestant and catholic countries fought
each other with much brutality and bloodshed. The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 brought an end
to religious wars. It also brought forth the modern state system. Religion and state were
separated. Gradually religion became a private affair. Secularism took birth as a practical
necessity. Europe could not otherwise survive as a civilization. The Islamic world faces a similar
civilizational dilemma—to reform or to commit suicide in constant warfare.
Christianity has been reformed to some extent. It has become pluralistic and multifaceted.
Instead of one Church headed by the Pope, there are three: Catholics, Protestants and Eastern
Orthodox. In addition, there are smaller sects: Coptic Christians, Armenian Christians, Syrian
Christians (in India), Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Moonies, and others. Protestants are
divided among some 20 separate denominations, such as Baptists, Methodists, and Episcopalians
and so on. Fundamentalists and Born‐Again Christians wish to turn the clock back on pluralism;
they have achieved some success in the United States. Fundamentalists and evangelical
denominations have also spread their tentacles in India.
All however is not well with the world
On 9/11/2001, we were reminded once again about the ferocity unleashed by monotheism.
“The men who hijacked and crashed four civilian airliners were inspired to sacrifice their own
lives, and to take the lives of several thousand ‘infidels,’ because they had embraced the simple
but terrifying logic that lies at the heart of monotheism: if there is only one god, if there is only
one right way to worship that god, then there is only one fitting punishment for failing to do so—
death.” Jonathan Kirsch. The ancient hatreds born of religion have been picked up by Muslims in
contemporary society. The Islamic world is in conflict with all other civilizations.
Whither Hindus?
Hindus have an admirable record in fighting to preserve their civilization. Hinduism survived a
long period of subjugation: 500 years of Islamic rule (1201‐1707 approximately), and 200 years of
British imperialism (1757‐1947 approximately). Contrast the situation in India with what
70
happened to other civilizations. Islam conquered and decimated the civilizations of Persia,
Turkey, Baghdad and North Africa. In less than 100 years after Mohammad’s death, the Islamic
rule stretched from the frontiers of India all the way to Spain. The annals of Indian history are
filled with those who defended national interests: Rana Pratap, Shivaji, Guru Gobind Singh, Rani
of Jhansi, and the numerous freedom fighters.
After having won independence from British imperialism, Hindus have lost it to anti‐Hindu forces
of secularism and minority vote politics. What factors explain these curious phenomena? What
can be done? These and related questions will be discussed in a fuller essay. I will conclude
with a call to action by Hindus to defend their civilization and strategy to accomplish the same.
[750 words]
33
Transmission of Calculus from India to Europe and Transmission of the
Transmission Thesis
C. K. RAJU PHD
EMAIL: C_K_RAJU@HOTMAIL.COM
A sure way to recognize the transmission of information is the epistemic test‐‐those who copy
often do so without adequate understanding, and hence make mistakes. I explain this test with
regard to (a) the transmission of the calculus and (b) the transmission of the very thesis that the
calculus was transmitted. The epistemic test is easier to understand in the latter case. I also
explain, with further examples, how wrong attribution can result in the propagation of a
dangerously incorrect understanding of the original. [116 words]
34
Calculus without Limits: A New Way to Teach Mathematics
C. K. RAJU PHD
Centre for Studies in Civilizations, New Delhi
C_K_RAJU@HOTMAIL.COM
The Western understanding of mathematics was quite different from the traditional Indian one.
Therefore, Europeans had difficulty in assimilating the imported Indian calculus (just as they had
earlier had difficulty in assimilating the imported Indian arithmetic algorithms). The Western
understanding of mathematics as “perfect”, led them to suppose that the calculus requires
71
super‐tasks (an infinite series of tasks). This understanding later evolved into formalism, where
these super‐tasks are metaphysically enabled by set theory, leading to formal real numbers and
limits.
This has made the calculus complex (hence axiomatic set theory, formal reals, and formal limits
are left out of elementary calculus courses). This added complexity does not achieve any
practical end. However, this method of teaching mathematics was enforced in India during
colonialism, and the colonial legacy, gifted by Macaulay, still persists.
A new understanding of the calculus has now emerged using zeroism: a realistic alternative to
formalism. This is close to the traditional Indian way of doing mathematics, hence culturally
easier for Indian students to assimilate‐‐‐especially for those coming from a poor background.
It is here promoted not only for that last reason, but also because of its universal appeal: it
offers greater practical value, and is better suited to present‐day computer technology. On this
basis, an alternative course has been developed on calculus without limits‐‐‐both literally and
metaphorically. This preserves rigor (using a non‐Western philosophy), but avoids the difficulties
of formal limits. I explain the potential of this new constructive alternative to transform the
current process of education. [318 words]
35
Email: mhpahoja@hotmail.com
‘Greece’ as a name of a country never occurs in Eastern accounts. ‘Yunan’ of West Asian accounts
and ‘Yavan’ and ‘Yona’ of Indian accounts are translated as ‘Greece’. It is not clear why in the
Eastern accounts, the name ‘Greece’ is not used if that is what is meant by ‘Yunan, Yavan or
Yona’. This identification with ‘Greece’ raises doubt and needs investigation. Indian references
to Yavan and Yona are such as to indicate their location just outside India. Saka, Yavan and
Kamboja are often mentioned together. Kamboja is known to be within the Indian subcontinent.
By the sequence used, it would appear Yavan lies just beyond the borders while Saka may be
beyond Yavan.
One explanation given by European scholars is that Yavan, Yona and Yunan refer to Ionia on the
coast of Anatolia (modern Turkey). It is quite possible that Ionia is meant. But the next question
will be to determine if Ionia really existed on the coast of Modern Turkey. Many islands, ports
and rivers of Ionia are mentioned in Greek (or Yavan ?) literature. European scholars have
identified them with islands, ports and rivers on the western coast of Turkey. But the strange
thing is that their modern names do not even remotely, resemble the ancient Ionian names
sought to be identified.
This paper points out a number of such anomalies and logically what seem to be unsound
identifications of geographical entities. Alternative identifications are discussed. The same logic
applies to the identification of ancient Countries and States (such as Caria or Phrygia and other
72
so called Ionian States) that are sought to be located in Anatolia (Turkey). Here again, alternative
locations seem to fit better both by phonetic similarity of names and also by description of
geographic features. The process at once opens a new vista and even Countries like Phoenicia,
Libya, Egypt, Syria, and Media, Bactria, Persia find new definitions and locations on the Old
World map. What we obtain is a total break from the present day concept of Old World
Geography. And this is not wishful thinking. There is enough material in ancient Geographical
and Historical writings to not only support but to positively affirm the new identifications.
The ramifications of these findings are manifold. Maps of Europe and Asia are to be drawn
afresh. In fact, Ancient Europe has to now, lie within the boundaries of the present day Asia and
the Ancient Asia must shrinks appropriately. Along with the Countries, major Rivers also find new
identifications and locations. The distances between Countries shrink and are now more
reasonable. The identification and geographical location of Ancient Yunan and Rum is now, made
in sync with ancient writings. Yunan is not the present day Greece, nor is Rum same as Rome.
Rum is a country, not a city. Geographically Yunan and Rum somewhat overlap as is evident also
from ancient references. Because the distances have shrunk, history seems to be more
reasonable and manageable. One does not have to now, wonder at the distances between
Ashoka’s Pataliputra and Yona rajas in Babylon, Syria and Egypt. Historically, the route followed
by Alexander can now, be traced with better precision and certitude and the battle fields can be
better identified. Questions such as what happened to Alexander’s body after his death, can
now, be answered. The claims of Greek and Hellenic culture become questionable. It becomes
now, obvious that ancient Greece was a fabrication in pursuit of a European identity, just as AIT
was fabricated with the twin objectives of i) denying India her pre‐Bharat War history and her
overwhelming influence on world civilizations through Sanskrit, and ii) confusing the Indian
minds about their own identity. [612 words]
36
Myth of Hindu‐Muslim syncretism in medieval India
SAURAV BASU MD
Email: saurav_basu2007@yahoo.co.in
A myth of a so‐called Hindu‐Muslim syncretism in medieval India has been constructed and
perpetuated by self‐styled ‘secularist’ historians in recent decades. Their quest, they claim, is
the ‘de‐communalization’ of Indian history and re‐discovery of a ‘composite’ culture, which
according to them was effaced by the colonial historians having a ‘divide‐and‐rule’ ideology.
They further maintain that this same ideology was appropriated by some Indian historians, whom
they term as ‘nationalist’ historians. However, on critical investigation of the works of the
‘secularist’ historians, we find a consistent effort to artificially construct this idea of a
“composite” culture through constant use of various artifices like massive bowdlerizations, out‐
of‐context quotations, suppression of strong evidence unfavorable to their theses, gross
generalizations, drawing of fictitious parallels, etc. The picture that emerges clearly is that of a
gross manipulation and subversion of all norms of scholarship on the part of the ‘secularist’
historians in order to fraudulently shape the history of medieval India in their own Marxist and
Nehruvian moulds. [164 words]
73
37
Orientalizing Hindu myth and history
Drawing on primary sources, this paper shows how Western conceptions of history, myth and
time have been applied to Hinduism in eighteenth and nineteenth century orientalist and
missionary writings and even in current discourses. There has been a strong tendency among
Western scholars to see myth and history in oppositional categories ‐ myths as fabrications, and
history as dealing with actual events or facts. It is often assumed that only historical events can
have a moral purpose. Hindu myths are seen as ahistorical, amoral and lacking the dynamism and
vitality of historical facts and therefore incapable of leading to any meaningful purpose or of
exercising any ethical influence on the world. It is also held that a cyclical conception of time is
detrimental to economic and social progress and that a linear view of time is conducive to
change and development. This paper problematizes a binary approach which not only leads
to unhealthy essentialisms (tradition and modernity) but also fails to address the complex
nuances of these concepts and the relation between myth and history. (175 words)
38
The Origins of the Nanda and Maurya Rulers of the Magadha Empire
DINANATH SHARMA
Email: dnsharma_60@hotmail.com
The seventh century B.C. in northern India had seen the rise of a number of kingdoms, which
absorbed the smaller independent areas. Of these kingdoms, the most important were Magadha
(south Bihar) and Kosala (Oudha). A few years after Alexander left India in 325 B.C., the Nanda
dynasty was in turn overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya. Little is known of his origins, but one
source refers to him as an illegitimate son of the reigning Nanda King and also the army
commander‐ in‐ chief. His first attempt to win the throne is said to have failed and he fled with
his Brahmin advisor Kautilya, the author of the Arthasastra, an important manual of public
administration. All these things are going to be dealt with in detail with special reference to Jana
literature where they are found. According to Jaina and Bauddha literature Nanda dynasty
belonged to barber caste whereas Brahmanic literature admits it to be Shudra. [157 words]
39
Old Saka Era, Mystery Unraveled
74
MURLIDHAR H. PAHOJA PHD
mhpahoja@hotmail.com
Which Saka era does Varahmihira use in his Pancha Siddhantika? Is it the Salivahana Saka of 3179
kali? The name Salivahana is not used by Varahmihira. Furthermore, Varahmihira states that the
Saka era began 2526 years after Yudhishthira. The Yudhishthira era is equated with the Kali era
by some scholars and they place the Saka Era in 2526 Kali. Others modify slightly and place the
Saka Era in 2551 Kali. Other scholars, especially Europeans prefer to place Yudhishthira in 653
Kali and thus equate the Saka era with Salivahana Saka era.
What is the test of correctness? Fortunately, Varahmihira has given enough data about the Saura
Siddhanta and the kshepas at 427 Saka which can be used to check the validity of the two views.
The 427 Saka starts on a Monday and the kshepa for sun’s longitude is given as 442. This is the
most basic test that must be satisfied. Strangely, none of the three hypotheses satisfies this
condition. The first view which places 427 Saka in 2953 Kali, gives a kshepa of 671 on Thursday.
By the second view which places 427 Saka in 2978 Kali, the kshepa is 446 for midnight on Monday
and 246 for sunrise also on Monday, The third group has 427 Saka in 3606 Kali, the kshepa comes
out to be 42 for midnight on Monday or 642 for sunrise on Sunday. Thus all three views fail the
test. Varahmihira also gives kshepas for moon, moon’s apogee, other planets and Rahu. All of
these should be satisfied by the assumed Saka Era.
The present paper analyses the data given in the Pancha Siddhantika and determines the date for
the start of the Saka Era satisfying the above conditions. The Saura Siddhanta of Varahmihira
specifies a Yuga of 180000 years. At the beginning of this Yuga, all planets were in conjunction at
sunrise, and were at the start of Mesha rashi and Asvini nakshatra. While analyzing Moon’s
longitude it is found that Varahmihira is using the purnimanta scheme of months. [336 words]
40
Stone – Work, Art, Architecture, Style and Dating in Indian Context
K. V. RAMAKRISHNA RAO,
General Secretary, Bharatiya Itihasa Sankalana Samiti (Tamilnadu)
25 (Old.9), Venkatachala Iyer Street, West Mambalam, Chennai – 600 033.
Phone: 98402 92065 (Mobile).
e‐mail: kopallerao@yahoo.co.uk
Ancient Indians have had their Standard books, Manuals and Working Instructions since Vedic
75
period (c.12,500‐3,500 BCE)28 for Art and Architecture. They have produced crores of
monuments throughout the ancient India or Bharat (outside and beyond the 1947‐India). At one
period, definitely, throughout the world, Indian domination was there or the ancient Indians
were living. Donald A. Mackenzie29, Waddell30 and others have provided enormous amount of
evidences to this effect. When the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Arabic and European (all
categories) truth‐seekers, travelers and others heard about India and came to witness the
splendor of India in all aspects, the dating of Indian monuments after them appears to be
artificial. That the Europeans wanted to find a sea‐route to India is a different story, as it has so
many mathematical, astronomical and scientific implications31. When the travelers visited, they
were mainly astonished, bewildered and dumb‐folded to see the architectural and monumental
magnificence of India.
In between, there had been the Iconoclast invasions and rule of Mohammedans, in which lakhs of
Indian monuments suffered heavily. They destroyed lakhs of monuments, demolished equally the
places of worship, mutilated Idols and sculptures, used parts of the temples for construction of
mosques and of course, they converted temples themselves into mosques, by retaining the
structure but demolishing Idols and sculptures. They did not study or analyze the features of
monuments, but considered as the representations of Satan and hence faithfully demolished.
However, the European recordings differ because of their level of understanding, bias and
prejudice32. Here, their psyche worked with religious and racial superiority complex. The
Europeans – Portuguese, Danish, French and British tried their best to enter India. With
28 Di ffer ent a utho rities place Veda s to vari ous da tes ra ngi ng fro m 12 ,500 BCE to 3.500 BCE. In any ca se, a s
Veda s pre-da te, IVC, the interpreta tion woul d be made accordingly. The western scho lars have been biased
in da ting the Veda s, a s they ha ve shi fted their sta nds ma ny ti mes, onl y wi th a n aim to r educe the chro nolo gy
ra ther tha n coming to such r evised da tes a fter a cr itical or professional study.
Bogha s Koi inscription da ted to 14 t h cent. BCE r ecor ds a bo ut a trea ty si gned between the Mi ttani s
and the Hittites, in which the Vedic Go ds Mitrasil (Mitra ), Ar una sil (Ar una ), Indar (Indra ) a nd Na sa ttya (the
twin) ar e mentioned al ong with Teshup and Hepa , their go ds.
T he na mes o f the Mi tta ni Kings are str ikingl y I ndia n - S utar na I (good sun), Pa ra tar na I (Grea t Sun),
Par a shuksha tra (Ruler wi th a xe ), Sa uksha tra (So n of Suk sha tra , the G oo d R uler ), Par a tar na II, Ar ta ta ma o r
Rita dha ma (Abidi ng in Co smi c la w), Sutra na II, Da shratha , Mti vaja or Ma ti wazza (who se weal th i s pra yer ).
This evidence is given to prove the prevalence of Vedic people beyond 1947-India
and also to show how illogical and unhistorical any attempt to date Vedas after 1500 BCE!
29 Donald A. Mackenzie, Pre-Christian Buddhism in UK and Ireland, Blackie & Son Ltd,
UK, 1928.
31 The Longitude problem exposes the claim of European sailors going to different places
by ships and reaching their destinations. And of course, the transmission of Indian
sciences to the European scientists.
76
manipulations, they succeeded to establish their factories first and then power‐centers. When
they started studying Indian material and non‐material culture, tradition, heritage etc., they too
behaved like their predecessors.
The British were so astonished about the Stone Art of India that the British Architects took so
much interest. In 1883 William Simpson33 read a paper “Architecture in the Himalayas” before
the members of the Royal Institute of British Architects, in which he brought to notice that most
of the houses in the hill country between the Sutlej and the Ganges valley were built of wood
and stone; timber being used in alternate layers to bind the courses of stone together.
41
Email: susanthag@hotmail.com
Five hundred years ago, the world outside Europe was subjected to one of the
darkest periods of world history as the Pope‐sanctioned genocidal assault of Iberia
(Spain and Portugal) on non‐European lands began. In Asia, Sri Lanka, Goa and the
Philippines faced the brunt of the assault. The global colonial world followed in
subsequent centuries. Yet within the next thirty years, the world axes return once
again to Asia. The economic shift to Asia is occurring with a global re‐division of
work. There is also a new relocation of brainpower, and a shift in science,
technology and of some of the arts towards the Asian cultural region.
The worlds of ideas were once brought together and packaged in Europe in a
vigorous fresh amalgam. The Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, the
Enlightenment and the great discoveries in the 19th and 20th centuries have been
the resultant outcomes.
Now, a new packaging is possible. A new historical moment has opened up where
Wil lia m Si mpso n, Orig in and Mutation in Indian and Eastern Architecture , India n Ar chitecture,
Tr ansactio ns of the Ro yal Institute of British Architects, 189 1.
77
the world is increasingly being interconnected in a pervasive spread of
globalization but occurring within the shift to Asia. Because of this Asian facet of
globalization, key inputs from different civilizational sources could occur as the
global system opens up to different cultures with new influence. Consequently, the
global model of culture and knowledge is moving away from the classic colonial
mould of center and periphery. This emerging system will suck up cultural
elements from the different global cultural systems, especially from resurgent Asia
and ‘remarket’ them to global niches. The paper identifies the opportunities and
challenges ahead for Asian inputs into the emerging global cultural and knowledge
systems.
The paper documents the role of Asian civilizational knowledge in the manufacture
of aspects of modern science in the last few decades. The examples taken are from
the fields of medicine, psychology, cognitive sciences, Artificial Intelligence (AI),
mathematics and physics. The paper also explores some speculative future
possibilities in Asian inputs including in social theory for new technologies. It
suggests the use of Asian metaphors in theory construction and gives some
estimates of future potentials in the field as well as a rough estimate of the
current Asian civilizational knowledge pool.
42
New information from the French archives concerning the routes to India.
Email: kyrillos.nikolaou@gmail.com,
The British ambition to keep safe the route to India was geopolitically very important
and linked to the control of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. So, in the
middle of the 19 t h century, Britain’s policy in the Eastern Mediterranean changed from
purely commercial and trade interests to more global goals, related to the British Indian
Empire. In India, where already for more than one hundred years, English and French
trading companies had fought one another for supremacy, the transition to formal
imperialism, characterised by Queen Victoria being crowned “Empress of India” in the
1870s was a gradual process.
A secure route to India, “the jewel of the British crown” was essential. Disraeli was
convinced that in Cyprus lay the key to Western Asia and the passage to India. So Cyprus,
as Malta, Gibraltar, Suez, were parts of the British geopolitical projects for India, outgoing
the ambitions of France and Russia. These steps gave Britain a preponderance of power
78
in every direction, as they were directly connected to the entrances of Gibraltar and the
Suez Canal, and then the Indian Ocean and the British Indian Empire.
The acquisition of Cyprus, not only was seen by the British as symbolic memorial
action concerned the medieval kingdom of Cyprus and Jerusalem, but also as a fruit of
Britain’s policy towards India. Disraeli described in the Queen Victoria “in taking Cyprus
the movement is not Mediterranean it is Indian”, and so this island served as threshold to
India. In the same time France was unhappy to see that Victoria, could became “emperor
of India and queen of Cyprus” (“impératrice des Indes, reine de Chypre”).
43
The Rise of the Sena Power in Nepal.
BASUDEVLAL DAS,PH.D.
The Sena dynasty ruled in Bengal after the Pala dynasty until 1205 AD. After the downfall of
their rule in Bengal, their descendants proceeded towards westward. The neighboring area
Mithila was influenced by them, so a branch of the Sena family proceeded towards this and
established their settlement in the land of present‐day Nepal in about the half of the thirteenth
century.
There are names of rulers of many dynasties with SENA suffix. The Sena dynasty of Bengal called
themselves BRAHMA‐KSHATRIYA and claimed to belong to the lunar race. They came from the
Deccan and settled in Bengal. In Bengal, the last Sena ruler was Lakshmanasena, whose rule was
ended by the attack of Khilji.
The Senas of Bengal expanded their territories at different times and in different ways towards
the regions of Kamarupa, Gaya, Magadha, Mithila, Prayag, Kashi etc. These regions are now
within the areas of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India and Nepal. The descendants of the
Senas of Bengal afterwards established their kingdoms in Mandi, Suket, Keonthal and Kishtwar.
These are the areas of present‐day Himachal Pradesh and Jammu.
According to the VALLALACHARITA, the dominion of Vallalasena included Vanga, Varendra,
Radha, Bagdi and Mithila and so Mithila was one of the five provinces of Vallala kingdom.
Lakshmanasena, son of Vallalasena, worked for a long time in Mithila as KUMARAMATYA. This is
the cause that the Lakshmana Samvat was prevailing in Mithila more than that in Bengal.
Traditions have preserved the names of various kings who succeeded Lakshmanasena. After the
downfall of the Sena dynasty in Bengal, the descendants of Senas proceeded towards different
provinces on which they and their ancestors had some influences. Though the historians differ in
opinion that the Sena ruled over Mithila, nevertheless, they show the possibilities that some
minor lines of Senas had something to do particularly with the province of Mithila. Senas
controlled a little portion of the area known as Morang, that is north‐eastern Purnea extending
to the borders of Jalapaiguri in Bengal. In evidence, the Bengal province of Mithila, included the
79
whole of the country, called Morang. Birbandh is said to be the dividing line between the
Karnatas of Mithila and the Senas of Bengal. Morang is at present the name of a district in Koshi
Zone of Nepal. This is situated on the east side of the river Koshi.
There are so many ruins found in the Tarai region of Nepal. The Tarai region is the northern side
of the land on which so many dynasties in different times in history ruled. The Sena kings of
Nepal area used the word RUPANARAYANETYADI in their PRSHASTI (eulogy). Regarding the
eulogy, it is said that this is related with the place Rupanagar (Saptari district,Nepal). This place
was the earliest capital‐seat of the Senas in the Nepalese region.
In fact, a king named Mukundasena, who was a descendant of the Senas of Bengal, settled in the
area of Rupanagar in the first half of the thirteenth century and expanding his rule towards the
area of Magaras, established the seat of Makawanpur. The kingdom of Makawanpur was
expanded towards east and west sides and so the rule of Sena dynasty covered, in course of
time, the area of twentytwo districts of present‐day Nepal. Finally, in eighteenth century, the
rules of the Senas were ended by the new rising power Gorkhalis in Nepal. [580 words]
44
SARVESH TIWARI
EMAIL: SARVESHTIWARI@HOTMAIL.COM
If a survey of the saMskR^ita verses most quoted in the modern times were undertaken, the
following would certainly secure the top rank:
ayaM nijaH paroveti gaNanA laghu‐chetasAm
udAra charitAnAM tu vasudhaiva kuTumbhakam
’This is my own and that a stranger’ – is the calculation of the narrow‐minded,
For the magnanimous‐hearts however, the entire earth is but a family
Along with its short form ‘vasudhaiva kuTumbakam’, this shloka somehow finds a massive
popularity among the modern Hindus. Of late though, the secular variety seems to have
developed quite a fetish for it and the verse has gained a rhetorical note. Apparently it offers
them an aesthetic emblem of multiculturalism and universalism, as well as an authority of yore
to denounce the nationalistic thought as narrow‐minded. Even the most saMskR^ita‐phobic ones
therefore can be seen reciting this shloka on every sundry occasion.
80
Thanks to the rhetoric, the traditional Hindus too seem to have taken to this shloka like a duck
to the water. Vasudhaiva kuTumbakam is often cited by them as an evidence of how ancient
Hindu‐s had set for themselves (and for generations thereafter) the principles of an
unconditional universal brotherhood. It has been generally taken for granted by them that VK is
an unquestionable value, a traditional nIti recommended by wise ancestors of how to deal with
the world.
VK has also become an unchallenged cornerstone of India’s official policy‐making in the last six
decades, and has been officially proclaimed so on several occasions since independence. No
wonder then, that as a symbolic reflection, VK has been literally inscribed in stone, on the walls
of the India’s Parliament House.
However, this prominence to VK in the modern public discourse springs from a superficial or
even a perverted understanding. If we study the original sources which recited it in the first
place, it becomes amazingly apparent that its application in the matters of policy is a height of
ignorance and squarely flawed. That is precisely the objective of this note in which we shall
glean through the original sources, recognize the contexts in which the ancient Hindu‐s uttered
VK, and most importantly, validate whether it was meant by them as a recommendation.
Contrary to the popular myths, the verse is neither located in R^igveda nor in mahAbhArata,
neither in manusmR^iti nor in the purANa‐s. Thus far, we have seen the verse in the following
saMskR^ita sources: hitopadesha, pa~nchatantra, certain compendiums of chANakya and
bhaR^trihari, mahA‐upaniShadam, certain recensions of vikrama‐charita, and finally in the works
of the great kAshmIraka poet bhaTTa udbhaTa. While there might be additional sources of the
verse as well, which we might identify in future, here we shall make an excursion into these texts
identified so far, and understand the proper contexts and true purport of VK in each occurrence.
[473 words]
45
U S Intervention in Kashmir Imbroglio
P C D OG R A
The Kashmir issue seems to have emerged rather prominently in the USA President
designate Obama’s policy frame work. He has to obviously come out with fresh initiatives to
break the dead lock both in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is the brain wave of Ahmed Rashid, an
acknowledged authority on the Taliban‐Afghanistan and Shuja Nawaz author of a book on the
Pakistan Army. The so called ‘grand bargain’ was part of the security strategy review by new US
Cent. Com Commander General David Petraeus with these two security analysts from Pakistan as
consultants. The paper discusses the ever present security threat to India resulting from the
propensity of US Presidents to be generous to Pakistan at the expense of India.
46
81
ORIGIN OF MATHEMATICS IN THE VEDAS
B H U DEV SH A R MA
The current temper being scientific, from intellectual point of view, there is quite
some interest in tracing the history of mathematics and science. The scholarship
has widened from tracing the development to searching the origin of mathematics.
The paper presents: Scholarly views of origin of mathematics in India; Presence of Indian
mathematicians in China; Direct internal evidence from the Vedas, that the numbers 0, 1,
2, 3, ... 9, with 9 as the largest single digit find mention in the Vedas; The Vedas refer to
what in the modern terminology are called ‘sequences of numbers’ and fractions, both
unit and others.
The current scholarly outlook can rightly be called scientific. Therefore contemporary
intellectuals have quite some interest in the history of mathematics and science. The paper
points out how initially proposed theories by European scholars of mathematics, considering
algebra and geometry of Greek and / or Old‐Babylonian origin came to be discarded as studies
expanded to Vedic works like Shatapatha Brahmana and Tattiriya Samhita.
It also brings out some references of Indian mathematicians spending time in China in eighth
century and using Indian mathematics there for calendrical purposes. Further, though it is
universally accepted that the present number system, called ‘Hindu Numerals’ originated in
India. However, there is a lot of speculation as when and where did the so called ‘Hindu
Numerals’ first came to be recorded and used in Indian works.
Going to the very roots, presenting direct internal evidence from Vedas, the paper presents the
following points:
1. The numbers 1, 2, 3, ... 9, with 9 as the largest single digit find mention in the ‘richaas’ and
mantras of the Vedas;
2. There is enough evidence that a method to denote ‘zero’ was known to Vedic seers.
3. The Vedas refer to what in the modern terminology are called ‘sequences of numbers’;
4. That the idea of fractions, both unit and others, has also found clear mention in Vedas. [394
words]
47
(Mis) interpretation of Indian National Movement by the British and
Marxists Historians.
82
SATISH CHANDRA MITTAL PHD
Former Professor of History,
Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra
History is a study of process. It is very much related to the various trends of the history.
During the Post‐independence of India, in its interpretation, two major trends may be
visualized, more particularly, by the British and Marxist historians. New situations have
compelled the British historians claim to offer its solutions. New circumstances gave rise
to new interpretations. The British or the Cambridge historians claim to write new
Cambridge History of India. The most pertinent problem of political development in
India or the Indian National Movement under the British Rule has become the central and
basic theme of their recent historical writings.
The freedom of India was called as the transfer of power. It was said the fulfillment of
the agreement of the British rulers and administrators. It was also claimed as a gift to
India which was presented them after giving the due basic training of political
democracy. To the British historians, there was nothing like nationalism, national
consciousness, mass movement or any all Indian Movements. John Gallagher may be called
as the pioneer of this interpretation. Gallagher and his pupil Anil Seal propagated the role of
the competitors and the collaborators in the Indian National Movement. Anil Seal’s pupil like
D.A. Wash Brooke, C.J. Baker, and Gordon Johnson etc. applied the same approach at
Provincial level. They interpreted the Regional Elites, or local elites or the local
interests are the
dominating factors in the whole Indian National Movement. To them, there was no
nationalism, no unity of India or no national consciousness at any level. They did not find
any role of the ideology. Finally they called it as a `mimic warfare’.
Similarly, the Marxist historians have carried on Marx’s ideas on History. The Indian
National Movement is based on the economic interpretation of history, the economic
determinism and the class conflicts. Lenin and Stalin tried to give it a practical shape, and
were the guiding spirits behind their approach.
M.N. Roy, Rajni Palme Dutt were the early Marxist historians who
interpreted the National Movement of India, while A.R. Desai and S.A.
Dange have made efforts to discuss it economic development. Dr. Bipin Chandra and
Sumit Sarkar form their attention in its economic determinism. D.D. Koshambi has praised
Marx but criticised his views and Indian History.
From the very beginning since 1920, the Marxist historians have denounced the Indian
leadership in a very harsh and undignified manner. However, they shifted their attitude
with the changing interpretation of the USSR. To them the whole movement was the
product of a distrustful national bourgeoisie. All the movements were the bourgeoisie
affairs. The Marxist historians could not gain roots in ‘Indian Society, as
they have consistently misinterpreted Indian Nationalism, the cultural heritage and the
concept of dharma.
So in brief, the British and Marxist historians have misinterpreted the Indian National
Movement. They created more problems then solved. They highlight the conflicts, but
forget the consensus. In fact, it is still a myth, in the writings of British as well as
Marxist historians. [523 words]
83
48
VIBHA TRIPATHI
Department of AIHC & Archeology
Banaras Hindu University
Rigveda, one of the ancient most texts ever conceived by man is not only a religio ‐
spiritual composition but is a gold mine for a student of social and cultural history of its age. It
provides a direct peep into the life of people who occupied the land irrigated by seven rivers (the
Sapta Saindhava Desh).The composers of Rigveda call themselves Arya or the superior ones.
In the recent decades efforts have been made by scholars to identify the Rigvedic Aryans with
Harappans. This has been due to the availability of horse bones, spoked wheels, chariots,
evidence of fire worship in the horizons of Harappan Civilization. It is commonly believed that
these are the characteristic features of the Aryans. Over and above, there are a large number of
sites of Harappan vintage in the Saraswati basin that was also the locale of the Rigvedic people
hence the proposed identification the Harappans with the Rigvedic Aryans.
The Rigvedic composers while asserting their identity as Aryans also refer to several other
clans or communities inhabiting the land who do not seem to follow their ways and look
physically different from them ‐ the non‐Aryans (?). There appears to be a pluralistic social
structure during the Rigvedic Age. It may be worth examining the demographic diversity of the
Early Vedic period. It may be equally important to delve deeper into the inter‐community
relationship during the Age of Rigveda. In the process, we are faced with questions like ‐ who
were the other people mentioned in the text? Do these communities represent intrusive
cultures? Are they culturally, physically, professionally or religiously different? Why have they
been referred to in derogatory terms? What are the causes of animosity among the different
communities living during the period? These are the questions that need to be addressed for a
better understanding of the people and culture of the Rigvedic Age and their relationship with
other contemporary cultures in the subcontinent. It will be equally important to examine the
nature of relationship between the clans and communities mentioned in the Rigveda with a view
to underline their cultural significance in the present context. An attempt will be made here to
take a close look at the archaeological evidence and its echo in the literary data to resolve the
issues raised here. (393 words).
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49
The Vegetarian Food in the Rigveda
SHASHI TIWARI PHD
To have a glimpse of the cultural and materialistic life of the Rigvedic people, a deep semantic
analysis of the Rigvedic words is required. Such a study can reveal the hidden aspects of the
Vedic culture and civilization in its true form. Food is the urgent and recurrent need of an
individual. It dictates their activities in relation to their land at every stage of economical
development. In the paper, an attempt has been made to describe the vegetarian food used by
the Rigvedic people. Economic condition and environment of the area around 'Sapta‐Saindhava’
will also be dealt with to some extent on the basis of the Rigvedic references.
In the Rigvedic verses many words are used in the sense of food such as Bhojan, andhas , sina,
pitu, shravas, vaja, ida ,isha, svadha, urk etc.All these words give hint through etymological
analysis that food is that which gives delight, strength, nourishment and protection in Vedic
view. Among cereals the most important place was occupied by Yava, as it is frequently
mentioned in the Rigveda. The word Dhanya occurs in the Rigveda three times only. This word
means the grain of that name; meaning rice. In the Rigvedic times rice and barley were definitely
the dominating cereals in the list of known grains. The people enjoyed various preparations of
barley and rice in their food. Their food was supplemented by milk (Payas) and its varied
products, such as clarified butter (Ghee) and curd (Dadhi). Each family had a number of cows and
the sages also sought their gifts. The principal meal and sacrificial food were prepared from
barley and rice, in combination with milk products.
Parched grains called Dhana was a meal, prepared with curd, clarified butter, Soma juice or
water or milk. The term 'Saktu' occurs only once in the Rigveda. Purodasa is the name of a cake
in the Rigveda and later works used specially for sacrificial purposes. Flowering and fruit bearing
plants are mentioned in the Rigveda. The word 'Phala' denoting fruit of a tree occurs twice in the
Rigveda. In the vegetables cucumber (Urvaruka) and lotus stalks (Bisha) were known to the
Rigvedic Indians and were used as food.The Rigvedic Aryans laid great stress on the substantial
and healthy food, as is evidenced from their prayers to deities. All cooked food was called Pakva
or Pacata in the Rigvedic verses. Thus we find many important factors of food and food‐habits of
Aryans the Rigveda.
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50
Crisis and Revival in the Study of Ayurveda in Karnataka 19 th and early
decades of 20th centuries
Haleangadi, 574146 Karnataka
The study of the Ayurveda in Karnataka faced crisis and it took place in the middle of the
19 t h century and it continued in the first two decades of the next century. The study of it is
based on the original documents both indigenous and foreign The introduction of it gives a
brief conditions of the Ayurveda in Karnataka on the eve of the advent of the British power
in Karnataka. The next item is the core of the subject i.e. the imperial intervention on the
indigenous medical systems and the nature of confrontation between the Ayurveda and the
Allopathic systems of medicine, The Europeans were also involved in distorting the
Ayurvedic medicines in the countries where they had set up their authority The unequal
cooperation between the two systems of medical systems and the virtual eclipse of the
Ayurveda from the medical field are explained . The crisis turned into the revival of the
Ayurveda and the factors for its revival especially historical research in its field have
been viewed. The establishments of the Ayurvedic centre, its associations of its scholars and
research in the Ayurvedic medicine are noted in the last item of this paper
The crisis in the Ayurvedic medical system, caused by the European medical set up, that
transformed into the revival of the former is worthy of noticing despite vigorous intervention,
the Ayurveda is able to maintain its vigor and vitality. Finally the crisis and the revival of the
Ayurveda led to some sorts of interaction between the Ayurveda and the Allopathic systems
unknowingly occurred. But the collaboration between these two did not take place.
51
The Nanda Dynasty as Mentioned in Jaina Literature
Reader Prakrit Department, School of Languages Gujarat University Navrangpura Ahmedabad‐
380009, Dinanath Sharma<dnsharma_60@hotmail.com >
The seventh Century BC in northern India had seen the rise of a number of kingdoms, which
absorbed the smaller independent areas. Of these kingdoms, the most important were Magadha
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(South Bihar) and Kosala (Oudha). A few years after Alexander left India in 325 BC, the Nanda
dynasty was in turn overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya. Little is known of his origins, but one
source refers to him as an illegitimate son of the reigning Nanda King and also the army
commander‐in‐Chief. His first attempt to win the crown is said to have failed and he fled with his
Brahmin advisor Kautilya, the author of the Arthashastra, an important manual of public
administration. All these things are going to be dealt with in detail with special reference to
Jaina literature where they are found. According to Jaina and Bauddha literature Nanda dynasty
belonged to barber caste whereas Brahmanic literature admits to the Shudra.
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This paper is based on library‐based research to prove that Afghanistan was historically a
part of Vishaal Bharat (Greater India) thousands of years back until 8 t h century A.D.. All
these ‘stan’ or ‘istan’ countries, in north‐west of Bharat – Afghanistan, Baluchistan,
Tadzhikistan (Tajikistan), Turkmenistan, Turkistan or Turkestan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
and Kazakhstan – like Pakistan were once part of Bharat. ‘Sthan’ is a Sanskrit word,
meaning place or land.
The Columbia Encyclopedia (p.164) remarks that the Emperor Asoka (232 B.C.), the
grandson of Chandragupta, “brought nearly all India, together with Baluchistan and
Afghanistan, under one sway for the first time in history.”
Present Kandhar was originally Gandhar, named after Gandhari of Mahabharat, whose
name is mentioned in the Rig Veda. Cunningham writes: “The ancient capital of Gandhara
was Pushkalavati, which is said to have been founded by Pushkara, the son of Bharata,
and the nephew of Sri Rama. It means Afghanistan was originally under the rule of
Bharat, more than six millennia back.
53
ANCIENT INDIAN DYNASTIES
Vishnu Swaroop Misra
Synopsis of book published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
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Political history of ancient India has so far been a comparatively neglected subject. In early
days the normal assumption by the Western historians and their Indian supporters was that
the history of ancient India starts with the invasion of India by the Greek king Alexander.
Later it was modified to some extent by declaring that the ancient period began with 16
Mahajanapadas and Bimbisara, Mahasena Pradyota, Shatanika and Prasenajit were the rulers
of Magadha, Avanti, Vatsa and Koshala respectively and Buddha and Mahavira were their
contemporaries. This obviously meant to convey the message that prior to this India was a
stateless country without any power structure and these empires emerged from the blue.
Many scholars‐ both Indians and Western, have attempted to fill in this vacuum by utilizing
the material available in Vedic literature, Puranas, Buddhist and Jain texts, classical
literature, Archaeological reports etc While pre MahAbhArata war dynasties were more or
less ignored for research, despite considerable efforts in respect of post MahAbhArata war
dynasties little success was achieved the reason being that each scholar tried to present the
political history of India based on the information available in one source or the other
without a critical scrutiny of the material contained therein. In fact many scholars selected a
Purana of their choice and arrived at conflicting conclusions. Efforts to write the political
history of ancient India based on the Vedic literature whose authenticity is not denied even
by the Western historians, had to given up for lack of information as these texts were not
meant to be a store house of historical material. The most surprising feature, however, was
the refusal of the Western scholars to accept the material contained in the Puranas on the
ground that Vedic texts do not certify its authenticity. They ignored the fact that most of the
kings mentioned in the Vedic literature appear in the Puranas
The other objection against utilization of the Puranic material for writing the history of
ancient India is that (a) superficial and distorted material linked with mythology has crept
into the Puranas (b) sometimes individual Puranas conflict with others (c) sometimes the
same Purana makes contradictory statements (d) sometimes one dynasty is tacked on to
another dynasty (e) sometimes collateral successions are described as lineal (f) sometimes
the order of succession is reversed (g) sometimes synchronisms are misplaced due to
similarity or near similarity of the names (h) sometimes even divergent synchronisms have
been recorded (i) sometimes incorrect origins have been assigned to dynasties
The main conclusions emerging from the research done so far are as
follows
It is possible to eliminate the divergence between the dynastic lists as
appearing in different Puranas.
Almost all Puranas present each dynastic list as a continuous
line of successions despite existence of adequate evidence to prove that
these lists comprise a mixture of several branch lines some of which are
even collateral. It is feasible to spot such aberrations and eliminate them.
It is not too difficult to identify instances where a dynasty came to
an end and another dynasty took over but the Puranas merged the two and
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presented a lineal succession of the original dynasty. In some cases the
original dynasty itself was revived after a gap by a descendant of the last
king of the original dynasty.
It is not impossible to reconcile the differences between the
accounts appearing in the Puranas on the one hand and Vedic, Buddhist,
Jain and classical Sanskrit literature on the other.
Major findings are listed in the succeeding paragraphs.
After rationalizing the dynastic lists of the Puranas it is possible to synchronize them with the
testimony of Vedic, Buddhist, Jain and classical Sanskrit literature after carrying out necessary
adjustments since the latter also suffer from identical aberrations caused by the same
environment and conditions which affected the Puranas.
The number of successions between Manu Vaivasvata and Bharata Battle would be
approximately 50 as against 91 mentioned in the existing Puranic texts. Rectified Aila dynasties‐
Purus, Bharatas and Yadus and Kurus also indicate almost the same number of successions.
The dates of Nirvana of Buddha and Mahavira which have been the subject of controversy for
centuries, have been worked out in a manner which satisfies Puranic, Buddhist and Jain
traditions as also the Archaeological evidence. These revised dates are 514 B.C. and 527 B.C
respectively.
After rationalising the post Bharata War reign periods of the kings of Barhdratha dynasty of
Magadha and keeping in mind the dates of Nirvana of Buddha and coronation of Ashok Maurya,
the date of Bharata War has been worked out as 1157 BCE
A weak point of the Puranic texts is the lack of chronological data with solitary exception of post
war Barhadratha dynasty. While the dates of MahAbhArata war and Barhadratha kings, both pre‐
war and post‐ war, have been settled, the same cannot be claimed in respect of other dynasties.
Further research is continuing and it is hoped that use of sophisticated methodology and
additional evidence would produce credible chronological charts of as many dynasties as
possible.
More than 30 major synchronisms have been identified on the basis of evidence contained in the
Puranas, Vedas, Buddhist and Jain texts and classical Sanskrit literature to help reconstruction of
the political history of ancient India.
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Curriculum Vitae
Guest of Honor
JAGMOHAN PHD
Jag Mohan Malhotra [ 1 ] (born 25 September 1927) is a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir in
India. He is also a former member of Lok Sabha. He is a former minister in the central BJP
government. He is a recipient of Padma Shri in 1971 and Padma Bhushan in 1977. He was born in
India on 25th September 1927 and was in government service for many years. During the Indian
Emergency (1975‐1977) promulgated by Smt. Indira Gandhi, he was vice‐chairman of Delhi
Development Authority. Sri Jagmohan undertook the rejuvenation of the Sarasvati. Sri Jagmohan
prefers to use only 1 name,
1980‐81 Lt. Governor, Delhi (two times)
1981‐82 Lt. Governor, Goa, Daman and Diu
1984‐89 Governor, Jammu and Kashmir (two times)
1990‐96 Member (nominated), Rajya Sabha
1996 Elected to 11th Lok Sabha from New Delhi
1996‐97 Chairman, Committee on Energy Member
1998 Re‐elected to 12th Lok Sabha (2nd term) from New Delhi
1998‐99 Member, Committee on External Affairs
Dec. 1998‐ Union Cabinet Minister, Communications
June‐Oct. 1999 Union Cabinet Minister, Urban Development
1999 Re‐elected to 13th Lok Sabha (3rd term) from New Delhi
Oct.‐Nov. 1999 Union Cabinet Minister, Urban Development
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Nov. 1999‐ Union Cabinet Minister, Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation
Sept. 2001‐ Union Cabinet Minister, Tourism; Programme Implementation and Statistics
Nov. 2001‐ 2004 Union Cabinet Minister, Tourism and Culture
BOOKS A UTHO R ED
Rebuilding Shahjahanabad‐Walled City of Delhi;
Island of Truth;
The Challenge of our Cities;
My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir
Chairman of Conference
A scholar of eminence in the field of ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology, Prof. Shivaji
Singh (b. 1934) has experience of postgraduate teaching and research guidance of about four
decades (1956‐1995). He taught first at the Banaras Hindu University and later at the University
of Gorakhpur (U.P., India) where he was professor and head of the department till 1995. He has
completed a major research project on Vedic Horizon in Archaeology sponsored by the University
Grants Commission, New Delhi. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the Indian Council of
Historical Research, New Delhi, where he completed another research project entitled Rigvedic
and Harappan Ethno‐Geographic Configurations. At present, he is engaged in independent
research work in the field of Vedic history and archaeology.
He was at Athens, Greece, for two years (1969‐71), where he was sent by the Government of
India under the scheme of exchange of scholars between the two countries. During his stay at
Athens, he studied Greek language at the University of Athens, participated in the Ancient Greek
Cities Research Project of the Athens Center of Ekistics, and wrote a book on the Neolithic Age in
Greece.
He has made a mark in the field of archaeology too. He supervised excavation work at the site of
Rajghat, ancient Varanasi, (1956). He directed archaeological explorations bringing to light
91
several ancient sites including the hitherto unknown site of Ramagram, the capital of the Koliyas,
a republican people of the time of Gautam Buddha (1963‐65). He has discovered many
archaeological artifacts like copper‐plate inscriptions, hoard of coins, terracotta figurines, and
other antiquities throwing new light on ancient Indian history. He has written a research work on
the Neolithic Age in Greece. He has visited archaeological sites and museums and utilized
libraries at several places in Egypt, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, France, UK and USA.
He has delivered several invitation lectures in top academic institutions. Besides presiding over a
large number of paper‐reading sessions in various national and international seminars and
conferences, he has delivered key‐note addresses and inaugural speeches also in some of these
academic gatherings.
In 2004, he was awarded the Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar National Prize for his outstanding
scholarly contributions in the area of Vedic history and archaeology. Presently he is President
ABISY (Akhila Bharatiya Itihasa Sankalana Yojana).
Inaugural Speaker
BRAJBHASI LAL
Braj Basi Lal (born in Jhansi, India in 1921) is a well‐known Indian archaeologist. He was
the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1968 to 1972, and has
served as President of the World Archaeological Congress. He also worked in for UNESCO
committees. He received the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2000.
He has done excavations in the Indus Valley Civilization with Mortimer Wheeler and other
archaeologists. He has had a spectacularly successful and exemplary archaeological
career spanning more than a half century. He was trained in excavation by the veteran
archaeologist, Wheeler at Taxila, Harappa and other famous sites in the forties of the last
century. Out of his many pupils Wheeler chose Lal to entrust the excavation of the Early
Historic site of Sisupalgarh in Orissa before relinquishing the charge of the Director
General of Archaeology in India in 1947.
The eminent British archaeologists, Stuart Piggott and D.H. Gordon, in their reviews of B.
B. Lal’s classic article on the Copper Hoards of the Gangetic basin (Piggott 1954), and his
Hastinapura excavation report (Gordon 1957), both published in Ancient India, the annual
journal of the Archaeological Survey of India, hailed them as models of research and
excavation reporting. In subsequent years Lal excavated the Mesolithic site of Birbhanpur
in West Bengal, the Chalcolithic site of Gilund and the Harappan site of Kalibangan, both
in Rajasthan, and the Ramayana sites of Ayodhya, Bharadwaj Ashram, Nandigram,
Chitrakut and Shringaverapura in Uttar Pradesh.
For his academic achievements and the high quality of his scholarship Professor Lal has
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53
WORKS
Lal, B.B. The Earliest Civilization of South Asia (1997)
Lal, B.B., (1984) Frontiers of the Indus Civilization.1984.
L AL , B. B., Excavations of Srirngeverpura (New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India, 1993)
L AL , B. B., I N DI A 1947‐1997: N EW L I GH T ON THE I NDUS C I VI LI ZATI ON (New Delhi: Aryan Books
International, 1998)
L AL , B. B., T HE S ARASVATI F LOWS O N : THE C ONTINUITY OF I NDI AN C ULTURE (New Delhi: Aryan Books
International, 2002)
L AL , B. B., Excavations at Kalibangan: Early Harappan (under joint Authorship) (New Delhi:
Archaeological Survey of India, 2003)
L AL , B. B., T HE H OMELAND OF THE A RYANS : E VIDENCE OF R I G VEDI C F LORA AND F AUNA (New Delhi: Aryan
Books International, 2005)
L AL , B. B., Rama : His Historicity Mandir, and Setu (New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 2008)
L AL , B. B., How deep are the Roots of Indian Civilization: Archaeology Answers (New Delhi: Aryan
Books International, 2009)
EXTERNAL LINKS
The Homeland of Indo‐European Languages and Culture: Some Thoughts by Archaeologist B.B. Lal
Why Perpetuate Myths ? ‐ A Fresh Look at Ancient Indian History by Archaeologist B.B. Lal
Let not the 19th century paradigms continue to haunt us! Inaugural Address, by Prof. Lal,
delivered at the 19th International Conference on South Asian Archaeology, 2007
TARUN VIJAY
Tarun Vijay was the editor of the RSS weekly in Hindi, Panchajanya till February 2008,
and is a columnist of the newspaper The Times of India. As of February 28, 2008, he has
taken up directorship of the Dr. Syamaprasad Mookerjee Research Foundation.
MICHEL DANINO
Born in 1956 at Honfleur (France) into a Jewish family recently emigrated from Morocco, from
the age of fifteen Michel Danino was drawn to India, some of her great yogis, and soon to Sri
93
Aurobindo and Mother and their view of evolution which gives a new meaning to our existence
on this earth. In 1977, dissatisfied after four years of higher scientific studies, he left France for
India, where he has since been living.
Michel Danino participated in the English translation and publication of Mothers Agenda (13
volumes, Mothers record of her yoga in the depths of the body consciousness) and several books
by Satprem (Mothers confidant and recipient of Mothers Agenda). Michel Danino also edited,
among other titles, Indias Rebirth (a selection from Sri Aurobindo’s works about India, available
online; first published in 1993, now in its 3rd edition, translated into nine Indian languages) and
India the Mother (a selection from Mothers words, 1998).
Studying India’s culture and ancient history in the light of both Sri Aurobindo’s pioneering work
and archaeological research, in 1996 Michel Danino authored The Invasion That Never Was, a
brief study of the Aryan invasion theory. Intended primarily for the educated non‐specialist
Indian public, the book has also been well received in scholarly circles. A second, extensively
revised and enlarged edition was brought out in 2000; a third is scheduled for late 2003. In The
Invasion that Never Was (2000), he has criticized the “Aryan invasion theory“ and its proponents,
instead opting for the notion of “Indigenous Aryans“
Over the last few years, Michel Danino has given lectures at various official, academic and
cultural forums on issues confronting Indian culture and civilization in today's world; some of
them have been published under the titles Sri Aurobindo and Indian Civilization (1999), The
Indian Mind Then and Now (2000), Is Indian Culture Obsolete (2000), and Kali Yuga or the Age
of Confusion (2001). Delving into the roots of Indian civilization, Michel Danino has argued that
its essential values remain indispensable in today's India and in fact for all humanity in this
critical phase of global deculturization and dehumanization. Many of those lectures and a few
new ones are available on this homepage.
Michel Danino's other fields of activity include Nature conservation; his action for the
preservation of an important pocket of native tropical rainforest in the Nilgiris led to the
creation of Tamil Nadus first watchdog committee in which concerned citizens actively
collaborated with both the Forest Department and local villagers in conservation work, also
involving local teachers and hundreds of students.
In 2001, Michel Danino convened the International Forum for India’s Heritage (IFIH) with over
160 eminent founder members, whose mission is to promote the essential values of India’s
heritage in every field of life.
Works
Sri Aurobindo and Indian Civilization (1999)
The Invasion that Never Was (2000)
The Indian Mind Then and Now (2000)
Is Indian Culture Obsolete (2000)
Kali Yuga or the Age of Confusion (2001)
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L’Inde et l’invasion de nulle part ‐ Le dernier repaire du mythe aryen (2006) Les Belles Lettres.
ISBN 2‐251‐72010‐3
Expertise: Theoretical & Applied Mechanics.
Retired (1998) as Head IT Applications in Engineering.
Experience: (Retired since 1998)
1. (1981‐1998) Escorts Research Centre, Faridabad.
Head, IT Applications.
2. (1972‐ 1981) Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and Delhi.
T eaching & Research in Tractor, Farm Machinery, Applied Mechanics,
Academic:
1. (1972) Ph.D. Theoretical & Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois, USA.
Specialization: Computer Applications.
2. (1966) M.S. Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois, USA.
Specialization: Tractors & Farm Machinery.
3. (1963) B.Tech. (Honors.) Agricultural Engineering, I.I.T., Kharagpur.
Yvette Claire Rosser has a PhD from The University of Texas at Austin. Rosser received a B.A.
(with honors), from the Department of Oriental and African Languages and Literature, from UT
Austin, in 1981 and Teaching Certifications in Secondary Social Studies and Secondary English.
She first noticed the negative and/or dismissive descriptions of Hinduism while teaching World
History in America. She hopes her work can help to overcome the ingrained biased approach
found in textbook level or introductory study of Hinduism. Rosser’s interests revolve around
historical controversies. Her dissertation: Curricula as Destiny: Forging National Identities in
India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh is a discussion of contested historiography found in Social
Studies textbooks used in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Her Master’s Degree is in Asian
Studies, for which she investigated the treatment of India as represented in Social Studies
textbooks used in American high schools: Global Education: India in the U.S. Secondary Social
Studies Curriculum (1997). In this study Rosser worked to eliminate the stereotypes from
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textbooks. For her early work on this theme pointing out common stereotypes found in teaching
about India suggesting corrective pedagogical strategies. See: “Internationalizing Teacher
Education: Preparedness to Teach About India”, Teaching South Asia, ed. Karl J. Schmidt, Project
South Asia, Missouri Southern State College.
Publications
“The Clandestine Curriculum: The Temple of Doom in the Classroom”, Education About Asia,
Volume 6, Number 3, Winter 2001 (Association of Asian Studies).
“Hegemony and Historiography: The Politics of Pedagogy”, Asia Review, Dhaka, Fall 1999.
“Pervasive Pedagogical Paradigms,” SAGAR (South Asian Graduate Research Journal), Vol. 3, No.1
Spring 1996.
Stereotypes in Schooling: Negative Pressures in the American Educational System on Hindu
Identity Formation”, Hindu Diaspora: Global Perspectives, Rukmani, ed. Concordia University,
Montreal, Canada, 1999.
”Globalization Through the Kalpas” published as “Be Indian, Buy Indian” in the newspaper, The
Hindu, Oct 2000.
Director Indic Studies Foundation, California
Kosla.Vepa@indicstudies.us
Kosla Vepa is a member of the Global Indic Diaspora who hails from the state
of Andhra Pradesh in India. He has had the good fortune to have been brought up and have had
his education in various parts of India including, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. He
matriculated from Andhra University in 1955. Among the schools which he has attended are
St.Xavier’s College, Bombay, Karnatak University, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and the
University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. His highest degree is a PhD in the area of Engineering
Mechanics. His professional and technical interests include Mathematical modeling of
Mechanical Devices and Engineering Structures, Identification of mechanical systems, Mechanical
Design Automation with successful research and development engineering experience in the
Information technology, aero‐engine and energy industries. He has worked for various companies
including IBM (from where he retired), Lawrence Livermore Laboratories., General Atomics and
96
Pratt and Whitney.
Currently he has significant interests in a wide variety of subjects including ontological
principles in science and philosophy, Ancient Indian history, Vedas and Vedanta, Mathematical
Sciences in India during antiquity, the growth and evolution of civilizations to name a few. When
he finds time he pursues hobbies of photography and astronomy. Kosla Vepa resides in the San
Francisco Bay Area in the state of California, USA.
PUBLICATIONS AND ESSAYS OF GENERAL INTEREST
What’s in a name
India and US Missile defense
Astronomical Dating of Events & Select Vignettes from Indian History available at lulu.com
Ancient Indic contributions to the Exact Sciences – manuscript in preparation
The Indic Mathematical tradition, The Hindu Renaissance, Vol. IV no. IV, pp. 19‐24
Paper presented at the HEC 2006 in Los Angeles, Ca, Nov. 2006
More at my websites: www.indicstudies.us, www.vepa.us/dir00,
www.kaushal42.blogspot.com
a n d F ul b r igh t Sc h ola r
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
• Taught for 11 years at graduate schools of social work at Kashi
Vidyapeeth Institute of Social Sciences, Varanasi and Baroda
university.
•Retired as Asst. Director of Social Service at the New York University Medical Center, Goldwater
Hospital, New York
•Psychotherapist & family therapist (Private practice, on part time basis).
Writer: Areas of interest – Linguistics, Languages, Ancient History, Indus civilization, and Indian
Diaspora.
PUBLICATIONS
• Several papers for professional journals.
• Chief author of a column on family and youth issues for two Indian weekly papers.
Authored two books:
• America and India: In a ‘Give & Take’ Relationship (2003).
• 5000 Years of Sindhis: Heritage, Religion, Entrepreneurship, Sindhyat and Language (2006).
• Working on two more – Ancient India, and Global Indians
• Chief editor of two books:
1. Global Indian Migration (1989),
2. Global Indian Diaspora: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1993).
Community Activist
•Co‐founder of the India Day Parade, New York.
• Marshal, First India Day Parade (1981) in New York
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• Co‐founder of GOPIO (Global Organization of People of Indian Origin).
•As the representative of the Asian Indians in the USA, appeared before the US Senate Sub‐
Committee on March 23, 1987 to protest against the proposed American sale of AWACKs to
Pakistan. Pakistan did not get AWACKs
• Has visited over 21 countries and met with Indian communities.
• Moderated International Conference on ‘Changing Role of Indian Women Worldwide’ (Mumbai,
1997).
• Has organized and moderated several NFIA family conferences in the USA.
SAURAV BASU
Doctor by Profession Amateur Historian and Socio‐political commentator Associated with the
India Policy Foundation, New Delhi
PUBLICATIONS
The Indian Muslim liberal and the challenge of fundamentalist Islam
Kashmir the finale: secularism Vs Pseudo secularism in the Amarnath debate
The Rise of Totalitarian India
Reservation: The Unmaking of India’s constitution
Amir Khusro and the myth of composite culture
Assam Violence: Congress Party’s great betrayal
India’s ‘Political Islamic terror’ nexus
My Country, My Life by L K Advani: a review and analysis
Trust vote reply: MMS hiding behind charades
Manmohan Singh and the saga of undermining national interest
RAJEEV SRINIVASAN
Rajeev Srinivasan is an Indian journalist, blogger and Hindu rights activist. He was educated at
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Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and at Stanford Business School and works in software
sales and is a marketing professional [1]. He writes a regular opinion column for Indian web
portal Rediff and in India Currents, a magazine catering to the Indian community in the San
Francisco Bay area. He has been featured in Outlook and other magazines.
Rajeev Srinivasan is a prolific writer who has written about (among others)
Islamism and Islamic extremist terrorism
The rise of Chinese power and influence
Christian missionary activity and conversions
Minority appeasement politics in India
Leftist politics in India
The Occidentalist view of Indian geopolitics
The Aryan Invasion theory of Hinduism’s appearance in India
The Pervasive anti Hindu tenor of Western Media
He has an active blog at Blogspot, titled “Shadow Warrior”. As of March 2007, he has taken on a
group of co‐authors for the same, but maintains a Wordpress blog for his sole authorship. Some
of the major blogosphere issues he has been instrumental in covering include the California
textbook controversy over Hindu history and Shekhar Gupta‘s “Hindu fanatic bombers” slip‐up.
Rajeev Srinivasan has been a tireless crusader for the truth and is among the small band of
Activists who has taken up positions and causes
In December 2003, he made an appearance as a guest speaker at the Indian Institute of Science‘s
Prasthutha forum, speaking on “Rethinking Indian History” [2].
OM PRAKASH
Assistant Professor‐in‐History and Public Policy
School of Policy Sciences, National Law University,
University, NH‐65, Nagaur Road
Mandore, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
omprakashnlu@gmail.com
Mobile: 09461030615
100
Fax: 91‐0291‐2577540
He did his Graduation and Masters from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. He did his MPhil
from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has a number of publications in reputed
national and international journals, books and on website.
Publications
Negating the Colonial Construct of Oriental Despotism: The Science of Statecraft in Ancient India
Partition of India, Refugee Crisis in Punjab and Problem of Rehabilitation in Punjab
Wild Life Destruction: A Legacy of the Colonial State in India,
Roots of Islamic Separatism in the Indian Subcontinent.
Political Awakening Caste Movement and Congress Behavior in Bihar (1920‐1950)
Historicity and Myth of Scientific Forestry in British India
The Sri Lankan Ethnic Vulcanism: Historical Misperceptions and Pragmatic Vision
Indo‐Oman Gas Pipe line Project: Need to Resurrect Again,
An Assessment of the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007
Hindraf and Indian Diaspora in Malaysia
SUDHEER BIRODKAR
technical writer technicalwritersudheer@rediffmail.com
I began my forays at putting my pen to paper when I was in college in the
period 1975 to 1980. I began as a prolific writer to the “Letters to the
Editor” column of various newspapers. I began putting my thoughts down
on the social issues current at that time. My letters appeared in The Times
of India, Economic Times, Indian Express, Financial Express, etc. I started
by writing for my college annual Magazine. I wrote an article on the Topic
of Economic Development which was published in my college magazine in
the year 1978. In the same year I won the second prize in the 21st A.D.
Shroff Memorial All India Essay Competition conducted by the Forum of
Free Enterprise. The topic was “The Economic Regeneration of Rural India”
Initially my interest was primarily in Social welfare and economics. I had participated in inter‐
collegiate Elocution competitions conducted by The Forum of Free Enterprise and the Yuvak
Biradari. The topics of these elocution competitions were related to issues concerning economic
development. I also wrote for local periodicals published from Mumbai. During this period I was
101
a Karyavaha (Secretary) of the Goregaon Shakha of a socio‐cultural organization, in 1977‐78.
After completing my post graduation in Commerce and Economics in 1980, I started working on
the subject of Macro‐economic planning. I wrote my first book on Economics, which was
published in 1988 by Multitech Publishers.
While studying Economics, I also took up Indian Economic history as a second subject. I focused
on the period 1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D. In the course of this study I collected a massive pile of
notes on the origin of rituals, customs, beliefs, folklore etc., in the economic life of the bygone
ages. These notes also covered the subject of advances made in science and technology in
ancient India. Initially, these notes were to form a chapter in a General book on history which
was planned. But going along, there was so much information on this subject that I decided to
present the notes on this topic in the form of a separate book entitled “India’s Contribution to
the World’s Culture”.
The lack of a book exclusively on this subject was an important motivation to present it as a
separate book. This is how the present book was born. Some of the texts referred to while
working on this book are:
I have also written articles on topics related to Indian culture in Periodicals like The Illustrated
Weekly, The Sunday Observer, The Free Press Journal, Imprint, Blitz, Current, etc. I am a Resident
Life member of the Asiatic Society’s Library. Centre for further studies on Indian Culture.
Aryabhattiya (By Aryabhata) – Astronomy
Bramhasputa Siddhanta (by Bramhagupta) – Astronomy
Surya Siddhanta (Anon?)‐ Astronomy
Arthashastra (by Kautilya) ‐ Political Science
Vaisheshika Sutra (by Kanada) ‐ Physics/Philosophy
My next aim is to set up a Centre for further studies into the subject of Indian Culture. The aim is
also to motivate other students and researchers to come forward and continue this study of the
rich intellectual heritage of ancient India. For this, I have donated some land for setting up the
Center at Village Dongaran Hawa in Murbad Taluka, in Thane District at the foothills of the
main Sahayadri range. The site is near the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga temple.
Parameswaran Murthiyedath,
Free Lance Writer, Author, Mechanical Engineer.
Murthiyedath Tharavad, Valambilimangalam P.O, Srikrishnapuram ‐679513
Mobile: +919495131550
102
Parameswaran Murthiyedath, a graduate mechanical engineer, retired, 65 years of age and
settled in my native place and address as below. Since past 4 years He is a student of heritage
geometry of India and has written the following books.
1. Natyamandapa and the Kuthampalams‐ A 250 page book on the architecture of the
traditional performing art theatres attached to Kerala Temples‐ The book is sponsored
for publishing by the Kutiyattam centre at Thiruvananthapuram and under the Kendra
Sangeet Natak akademi, New Delhi
2. My next book was published in Malayalam ‐``YajNavedikaL'' about the geometry of the
Vedic altars as practiced in Kerala
3. My third work was a detailed commentary on Baudhayana Sulvasutra proposed for
publishing and under the scrutiny of IGNCA, New Delhi.
4. My fourth book is `` Vedic Cosmogony" ‐ publishing being worked out.
Thanksgiving
It is inconceivable that a project of such a large magnitude could have come to fruition without
the dedicated and selfless work put in by countless individuals and it is impossible that we can
do justice to everybody. So, I hope you will grant me the pardon of having omitted a name
inadvertently
First and foremost is the dedicated work that Prashant Bhardwaj has put in. He has been
tireless since the beginning and it is not an exaggeration to say that the project would not have
reached this stage without his extensive involvement. He has given me his unstinted
cooperation despite the fact that he has reservation on the conduct of the conference.
Prashant ji, is the new breed of the Indic civilization, a true karma yogi, a confident and highly
competent individual
Prof Shivaji Singh has been unstinted in his dedication to the success of this conference and
from the beginning he has been highly encouraging in both words and action. I have learnt a lot
from Prof Shiva ji , and I am certainly not restricting my remarks to History. Over the last 12
months I have come to respect his scholarship and dedication to the cause of deciphering the
accurate history of India
Sri Om Prakash is one of the new generation of historians who is committed to integrity in his
narrations of the history of the subcontinent. He does not subscribe to any political ideology,
as far as I am aware. I am confident that he will over time occupy a significant spot in the
pantheon of up and coming Indian historians. He had no hesitation whatsoever in responding
to my request for help at a very early stage of the inception of the project.
Sri S Kalyanaraman has been an enthusiastic supporter of this conference ever since it’s
inception. I deeply value his role as a mentor ever since our association in the Indian
civilization yahoo group , when he reposed sufficient trust in me to moderate the group in the
late 1990’s and early 2000’s
Sri JP Sharma has been extremely generous with his time in spite of his other commitments and
has given freely of his administrative expertise on more than a few occasions.
103
Sri Sraddhalu Ranade has been kind enough to undertake the videotaping of sessions and his
involvement is much appreciated
Sri Sanjay Choudary has been one of the few volunteers who has enthusiastically pitched in
with help in various matters.
Dr. Manohar Shinde, who had no hesitation whatsoever to pledge (so far ) the highest amount
by an individual and who has been highly encouraging throughout the long drawn out process.
Sri Prem Ghai for providing the airline ticket for one of the participants from America
Sri Laxmi Nivas Jhunjhunwala, Chairman of the Bhilwara Group for being receptive to my
requests for assistance.
Sri Aruneshwar Gupta for being extremely supportive with many tangible and intangible
contributions to the effort.
Sri Rajiv Verma, who inspired me to undertake this project.
Sri KG Suresh for undertaking the PR effort for this project, not merely as a commercial
endeavor.
Sri Pradeep Mittal of Low PrIce Publications, for printing the Philosophy document at no charge
to us.
I am impressed with the level of service that Kamakshi Events has provided, which makes the
job of organizing the conference less onerous.
My colleagues in the India Research Foundation and Indic Studies Foundation , Dinesh Acharya,
Durvasula Ramana Murty, Arun Sharma, Ratnendra Pandey, Ranadheer Soletti and Prem Ghai,
for their constant encouragement.
I wish to place on record the support of individuals and moderators at India‐Forum.com for
giving me the forum to express my views, among whom are Viren Honnaya, Muthukumar
Prakashan, Mudita Purang, L Arvind.
To the countless individuals who have interacted with me on the internet with requests for
information on Indian history over the last decade which convinced me there remains an
unfulfilled hunger for the authentic history of India
I am indebted to the following individuals who have given of their time, commitment and
resources in a generous manner
Sri Arun Panday
Sri Balmukund
Sri Ramakrisha Ohri
104
Sri Jayesh Gadhia
Sri Haribhau Vajhe
Sadhu AksharVatsal Das Swami
Sri Keertivasan Bharat
Sri Sachin Gupta
Individual Donors
Dr Manohar Shinde
Dr Madan Lal Goel
Sri Prasanna Rao
Dr. Rao Vemuri
Sri Prem Ghai
Sri Himadhar Vemulepalli
Finally but not least, i would be remiss if I did not mention the long suffering members of my
family Suguna, Kalpana, for enduring my exile into the ‘Ozone Layer’ during the entire
duration of an entire year; my son Sanjay and daughter in law Shruti for their encouragement.
Kosla Vepa, Convener, ICIH 2009
105
Index
Alexander, 12 Hinduism, 30
Alexander, the Unknown, 55 History, 42
Asha Goswami, 64 Indika, 15
Asiatic Society of Bengal, 55 Indology, 21
Asokaditya Priyadarshin, 18 Itihaasa, 16, 19, 36, 42, 43, 44
Bal Ram Singh, 58 Jagat K. Motwani, 66, 97
Bharat Gupt, 47 K. Ramasubramanian, 62
Bhu Dev Sharma, 81 Kalikivayi Mahankali Rao, 50
C. K. Raju, 71 Karl Marx, 25
Michel Danino, 46, 93, 94 RC Majumdar, 25
Murlidhar H. Pahoja, 72 S.C. Mittal PhD, 82
N Mahalingam, 61 Sage Yajnavalkya, 28
Nalin Kant Jha, 47 Salivahana, 50, 51, 74
Narayan Rao, 65 Samudragupta, 16, 18, 19, 33, 42
Oleg Perzashkevich, 53, 95 Sandracottus, 56, 63
Om Prakash Mishra, 60, 69 Sattwa,Suddhi, 29
Paara and Apaara Vidya, 30 SAurav Basu, 73
Palibothra, 14, 18 Sharada Sugirtharajah, 74
Pandit Bhagavad Datta
, 19 Shashi Tiwari, 85
Panini, 14 Sir William Jones, 11, 12, 14, 18, 21, 22, 23,
55, 66
Parameswaran Murthiyedath, 67
Sisunaga, 17, 32, 36, 38
Pataliputra, 56, 73
Stefan Arvidsson, 22
PC Dogra, 81
Sudheer birodkar, 64
Prodosh Aich, 13, 22, 23
Sudheer Birodkar, 101
Proto‐Indo‐European, 43
Sunil Bhattacharjya, 18
Puranas, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 26, 44
The Greek Synchronism, 54
Purânas, 48
The Buddha, 18, 20
Rajagriha, 18, 20
The Imperial Gupta Dynasty, 42
Rajaram, Navaratna, 22
The Nanda Dynasty, 39
Rajatarangini, 19
The Pradyota Dynasty, 38
Rajeev Srinivasan, 46, 99, 100
Trautmann, 23
107
Trautmann, Thomas, 22 Vishnu gupta, 19
Upanishad, 49 Vishnu Swarop Misra, 87
V S Naipaul, 24 Viveka,, 30
Vairagya, 30 Vyaasa, 16, 17, 31
Vasu Murti, 51 Yugantar, 50
Vibha Tripathi, 84 Yvette (Rani) Claire Rosser, 95
Vikramaditya, 50, 51 Yvette Rani Rosser, 53, 57
108
Appendix Program schedule
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