Kanchipuram was one of the important and major urban centers in the lower Palar river in south India during the Early Historical period. Now it is a satellite center of Metro Chennai, however, still, the importance of the town has appeared in the form of art and architecture, pilgrimage, education and industries. The archaeological explorations followed by excavations were carried out by the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Culture, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Maha Vidyalaya (SCSVMV Deemed to be University), Enathur, Kanchipuram on the northern part of Tamil Nadu under the direction of Prof. S. Rama Krishna Pisipaty, author of the present volume, along with his research scholars from 2000 onwards. This effort revealed that the region to be very prolific and has high potential from an archaeological point of view. The excavator exposed many significant localities in and around the Kanchipuram of different natures such as Stone Age, Early Iron Age Megalithic burials as well as habitations along with iron workshops and also Early Historic period structures, both secular and religious, besides collecting a rich crop of antiquities. The explorations and excavations brought to light that the early human occupation in the lower Palar right from the Early Stone Age and a continuation in human activities have appeared even till now in the region. By the end of the last millennium BCE, the concentration of settlements appeared towards the rivers Vegavati and Palar in the region. Therefore, the entire cultural appendage has been divided into three volumes with different headings, depending upon the nature of assemblage viz. 1. Stone Age 2. Early Iron Age 3. Early Historical period. The present volume no 1 deals with the evidence related to the Early Historical period activities (Late Sangam, pre or early Pallava and during Pallava i.m. a few centuries before starting the present era up to Pallava) in and around the Kanchipuram region, from Sriperambattur taluk on northeastern up to present Palar river bed on the southwestern direction. The richest crop of Inscriptions and Art & Architecture of the Kanchipuram region are not discussed in the monograph which has already been studied and published by many scholars. The present volume is a brief survey of the results of different field seasons explorations and excavations so as to enable the readers to have a bird’s-eye view of the culture, technologies and other aspects relating to the Early Historical period to realize the importance of the region in its proper resemblance.

"Introduction to various pilgrim centres, sacerd shrines, and holy sites in India."

This edited book presents a novel collection of field-based empirical studies on the Quaternary geomorphology of the Lower Ganga Basin. The book covers a wide range of topics discussing various geomorphological facets of the Lower Ganga and its subsidiary rivers focussing on laterites, palaeoenvironment and palaeogeomorphology, palaeo-coastal landforms, neo-tectonism, tidal-fluvial dynamics, extra-channel geomorphology and channel-pattern adjustment among others. Various methodologies were applied ranging from historical records and religious texts to state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS techniques. The book appeals to all scientists and post-graduate students of geomorphology and related areas who want to acquire detailed knowledge of the geology and geomorphology of the Lower Ganga Basin or are in search of new methodologies for studying the feedback mechanisms between forms and processes.

Contributed articles.

The Tamils have an unbroken history of more than two thousand years. Tamil, the language they speak, is one of the oldest living languages in the world. The only people comparable to the Tamils in terms of their hoary past and vibrant present would be the Jews with one marked difference. The Tamils have always had their homeland 'Tamilaham' (alternately pronounced and spelt 'Tamizhaham') known today as Tamil Nadu which to them represents their mother and is revered by them as 'Tamizh Tai' literally ‘Tamil Mother’. This is in striking contrast to the Jews who have been through a long and arduous struggle to gain their homeland, a deeply contested site to this day with Hebrewisation of Israel being a key marker of Jewish identity in the region. Tamils, by contrast have a clear numerical majority in the region that now comprises Tamil Nadu and the language unites rather than divides adherents of different faiths. The second edition of Historical Dictionary of the Tamils contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Tamils.

Kanchi, the ancient capital city of the South, teems with historic temples of great beauty and grandeur. The magnificent temple of Lord Varadaraja, situated in Vishnu-Kanchi, has played a remarkable part in fostering the growth of Sri-Vaishnavism and has justly been ranked with the famous temples of Srirangam and Tirupati as the holiest of the holies. This is the first comprehensive and illustrated treatise on this hoary temple, focusing attention of the various aspects like the origin and the growth of the temple, critical review of the temple traditions, the role of the temple in the growth of Sri-Vaishnavism, the association of the acharyas like Ramanuja with the temple, besides the pivotal role the temple has played in the social and cultural life of the community. The vast literature that has grown round the temple and the five hundred and odd inscriptions that crowd the wall-spaces of the shrines provide a sumptuous source material for this study. One of the largest temple complexes of South India, the temple presents interesting variety of architectural and sculptural styles of different schools. The temple is particularly rich in Vaishnava iconography. The book provides a detailed study and interpretation of these features with the help of hitherto unpublished photographs and drawings. The book also brings to light the presence of fine paintings of the Vijayanagar times that are found in the dark cloister around the sanctum. The book is a distinct contribution to the field of historical and architectural studies of ancient Indian temples.

On antiquities collected by Robert Bruce Foote in South India.