The "Maratha period" of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when an independent Maratha state successfully resisted the Mughals, is a defining era in the history of the region of Maharashtra in western India. In this book, Prachi Deshpande considers the importance of this period for a variety of political projects including anticolonial/Hindu nationalism and the non-Brahman movement, as well as popular debates throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries concerning the meaning of tradition, culture, and the experience of colonialism and modernity. Sampling from a rich body of literary and cultural sources, Deshpande highlights shifts in history writing in early modern and modern India and the deep connections between historical and literary narratives. She traces the reproduction of the Maratha period in various genres and public arenas, its incorporation into regional political symbolism, and its centrality to the making of a modern Marathi regional consciousness. She also shows how historical memory provided a space for Indians to negotiate among their national, religious, and regional identities, pointing to history's deeper potential in shaping politics within thoroughly diverse societies. A truly unique study, Creative Pasts examines the practices of historiography and popular memory within a particular colonial context, and illuminates the impact of colonialism on colonized societies and cultures. Furthermore, it shows how modern history and historical memory are jointly created through the interplay of cultural activities, power structures, and political rhetoric.

Marathas and the Maratha Country' : under this general theme we have already published two books of Professor A. R. Kulkarni, namely (1) Maharashtra in the Age of Shivaji and (2) Maharashtra Society and Culture. We are now introducing his four books under the same series containing reasearch articles based on orginal source and published in various journals. They are (i) The Marathas (1600-1818), a brief survey, (ii) Medieval Maratha Country, essays throwing fresh light on the various aspects of land and people of the region, (iii) Medieval Maharashtra containing essays on Village Communities, social relations, jiziya etc. and (iv) Studies in Maratha History which also includes articles of some other foreign and Indian scholars on Maratha historiography.

In this book, Dr. Stewart Gordon presents the first comprehensive history of the Maratha polity, which was an important regional kingdom in the seventeenth century and the largest political entity of eighteenth century India. He focuses on the origins of the elite families, problems of legitimacy and loyalty, military organization and change, and the development of administration, tax collection and religious patronage. Through the use of a vast array of documents, the author also gives a picture of everyday life in the Maratha polity.

In this pathbreaking book, the authors show that the ancient Indians were no primitives but possessed a high spiritual culture, which not only influenced the evolution of the Western world in decisive ways but which still hs much to teach us today. India's archaic spirituality is codified in the rich symbols, metaphors and myths of the magnificent Rig-Veda, which is shown to be much older than has been widely assumed by scholars. The present book also unravels the astonishing mathematical and astronomical code hidden in the Vedic hymns. Anyone interested in ancient cultural history, India, archaeo-astronomy or spirituality will find this well researched and cross-cultural work spellbinding and enriching.

In this book, Dr Stewart Gordon presents a comprehensive history of one of the most colourful and least-understood kingdoms of India: the Maratha Empire. The empire was founded by Shivaji in the mid-seventeenth century, spread across most of India during the following century, and was conquered by the British in the nineteenth century. Using administrative documents of the Maratha polity, family papers and Histories of the Empire, Stewart Gordon explores the origin of the Marathas, their emergence as elite families, patterns of loyalty and strategies for maintaining legitimacy. He traces how the armies developed into European-style infantry and artillery and assesses the economics that funded the polity, especially taxation and credit. Finally the author considers the lasting effects the empire had on administrations, law and trade patterns of Central India, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The present work on the Maratha historiography is essentially a resume of the contributions of eminent historians, both foreign and Indian, with special emphasis on the trends in historical writing from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. The study is in 3 parts - Foreign Historians of the Marathas - The Archival Movement: Collection of Source Material - Maratha Historiography in Modern Times: The Indian Approach.

The Book Deals With All Aspects Of Historiography. In This Book The Chapterisation Is Clearly Made So As To Indicate The Meaning, Scope And Value Of History In An Exemplary Manner. In The Middle Of The Book Ancient, Medieval And Modern Historiography Have Been Discussed In Detail In Chronological Order. Moreover, The Chapter On Western Historians Provides An Opportunity To Know Their Contribution To Historiography. The Book Is Written In A Simple And Lucid Style So As To Meet The Requirements Of The Students And The Common Readers. The Last Chapter Of This Book Research In History Is Very Useful To The Research Students. No Wonder It Serves As A Guide To The Research Scholars Not Only In This Discipline But Also In Other Disciplines.