A Brief History of India

369 Pages·2006·6.276 MB·English

by  Judith E. Walsh

A B H
RIEF ISTORY
I
OF NDIA

A B H
RIEF ISTORY
I
OF NDIA
J E. W
UDITH ALSH
State University of New York
Old Westbury
A Brief History of India
Copyright © 2006 by Judith E. Walsh
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Walsh, Judith E.
A brief history of India / Judith E. Walsh
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8160-5658-7
1. India—History. I. Title.
DS436.W34 2005
954—dc22 2005001892
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Contents
List of Illustrations viii
List of Maps ix
List of Tables x
Acknowledgments xi
Note on Photos xii
Introduction xiii
1 Land, Climate, and Prehistory 1
2 Caste, Kings, and the Hindu World Order
(1000 B.C.–A.D.700) 20
3 Turks, Afghans, and Mughals (600–1800) 59
4 The Jewel in the Crown (1757–1885) 89
5 Becoming Modern—the Colonial Way (1800–1900) 125
6 Toward Freedom (1885–1920) 153
7 Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement (1920–1948) 178
8 Constructing the Nation (1950–1991) 207
9 Bollywood and Beyond (1947–2004) 239
10 India at the Turn of the Century (1991–2004) 264
Appendixes
1 Basic Facts about India 285
2 Chronology 290
3 Bibliography 308
4 Suggested Reading 321
Index 331
List of Illustrations
Zebu bull seal from Mohenjo-Daro 7
Front and Back of Unicorn seal from Mohenjo-Daro 10
“Priest-King” from Mohenjo-Daro 12
Mahabalipuram rock carving, c. seventh century A.D.,
Pallava dynasty 21
The Horse Sacrifice, 1780s 24
The deer park at Sarnath 32
Lion capital on Ashokan pillar at Lauriya-Nandangarh, Bihar 38
Ajanta cave paintings 42
Jagannatha temple at Puri, Orissa 49
Krishna instructs Arjuna, wall carving at the Birla Mandir,
New Delhi 51
Portrait of Aged Akbar, 17th century 74
Jama Masjid, New Delhi 82
Taj Mahal, Agra 83
An 18th-century palki 93
Government House, Calcutta, c. 1824 99
Mahadaji Sindhia, c. 1820 101
Sir Henry Lawrence in 1857 110
Two rajas from the Central Provinces 114
Bullock cart in Rajasthan 117
Chalk Farm at Meerut, 1883 119
St. Mary’s Church, Madras 121
Writers’ Building, Calcutta 127
Belvedere House, Calcutta 128
Jorasanko Thakurbari, Calcutta 129
Sadharan Brahmo Samaj temple, Calcutta 136
The Dance of the Emancipated Bengalee Lady,
Gaganendranath Tagore, c. 1921 140
Dadabhai Naoroji 156
The science of noses 158
viii
Ganesh, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa 164
Mohandas Gandhi in South Africa, 1903 174
Salt march crowds, 1930 191
Birla Mandir, New Delhi 197
Jinnah and Gandhi, 1944 202
Nehru, 1947 204
Buddhist conversions, New Delhi, 2001 212
RSS daily rituals, 2000 230
Rajiv Gandhi reelection billboard, 1984 232
Campaign poster for Janata Dal candidate, 1989 236
Urban shack, c. 1978 242
Man on bicycle 246
Ice cream parlor, South Delhi 247
Film posters, Victoria Station, Mumbai 251
Durga Puja pandal, New Delhi 259
Sarasvati Puja pandal, Calcutta 260
Demolition of the Babri Masjid, 1992 269
BJP campaign poster, 1996 275
Modi’s “Pride Yatra” 2002 282
Congress election celebration, 2004 283
List of Maps
South Asia 2
Ancient River Valley Civilizations 8
Harappan Civilization Sites 11
Mauryan Empire at Its Greatest Extent, c. 269–232 B.C. 40
Kingdoms and Dynasties, 300 B.C.–A.D. 550 45
Gupta Empire at Its Greatest Extent, c. A.D. 375–415 48
Mughal Empire at the Death of Akbar (1605)
and Aurangzeb (1707) 79
British India and the Princely States, c. 1947 113
Modern India, c. 2001 210
ix