Some Aspects Of Early Indian Society is a comprehensive study of certain social institutions of early India based on literary and epigraphic traditions, located between Vedic times to the 8th century A.D. It poses new questions on ticklish issues like the social thought of Kautilya, Hindu sacraments, graded early Indian society, the question of the Sudras, subjection of women, Buddhist attitudes towards women, Ashoka Dharma as gleaned from rock edicts, feudal relationship and obligations between kings and vassal. This study of Kautilya's social thought is probably the first of its kind to discover the essentials of Hindu social thought and its systematic presentation. Some Aspects Of Early Indian Society is an attempt to trace the origin and growth of various Hindu sacraments in early Indian society.

First published in 1965, The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in Historical Outline is a strikingly original work, the first real cultural history of India. The main features of the Indian character are traced back into remote antiquity as the natural outgrowth of historical process. Did the change from food gathering and the pastoral life to agriculture make new religions necessary? Why did the Indian cities vanish with hardly a trace and leave no memory? Who were the Aryans – if any? Why should Buddhism, Jainism, and so many other sects of the same type come into being at one time and in the same region? How could Buddhism spread over so large a part of Asia while dying out completely in the land of its origin? What caused the rise and collapse of the Magadhan empire; was the Gupta empire fundamentally different from its great predecessor, or just one more ‘oriental despotism’? These are some of the many questions handled with great insight, yet in the simplest terms, in this stimulating work. This book will be of interest to students of history, sociology, archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies, South Asian studies and ethnic studies.

This Book Shows How The Culture Of India Emerged As A Result Religio-Spiritual Thinking Of The Indian Seers And Saints. Discussing The Ethnic Composition And Foreign Elements In Indian History, It Provides A Deep Insight In To The Four Asramas Brahmacharya, Grihasthya, Vanaprastha And Sanyasa. Also It Takes A Close Look At Marriage, Sex Relations, Status Of Women, Spirituality, Religion, Philosophy, Language, Literature, Art And Living Conditions Of The People.

A collection of papers that interprets afresh, known facts about the early period of Indian history up to the end of the first millennium AD. The papers discuss several associated themes such as society and religion, social classification and mobility and the study of regional history. A useful reference book for postgraduate students of History.

Women In Early Indian Societies Is An Anthology Of Articles And Excerpts From Leading Works On The Theme. There Is A Special Focus On Issues And Perspectives In Historical Writings, On The Material Underpinnings Of Gender Relations, Socio-Sexual Construction Of Gender And The Complex Relationship Between Women And Religious Traditions. The Introductory Essay And Bibliography Contextualise The Themes Which Are Explored And Suggest Possibilities For Future Research.

The claim that India--uniquely among civilizations--lacks historical writing distracts us from a more pertinent question: how to recognize the historical sense of societies whose past is recorded in ways very different from European conventions. Romila Thapar, a distinguished scholar of ancient India, guides us through a panoramic survey of the historical traditions of North India, revealing a deep and sophisticated consciousness of history embedded in the diverse body of classical Indian literature. The history recorded in such texts as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is less concerned with authenticating persons and events than with presenting a picture of traditions striving to retain legitimacy amid social change. Spanning an epoch from 1000 BCE to 1400 CE, Thapar delineates three strains of historical writing: an Itihasa-Purana tradition of Brahman authors; a tradition composed mainly by Buddhist and Jaina monks and scholars; and a popular bardic tradition. The Vedic corpus, the epics, the Buddhist canon and monastic chronicles, inscriptional evidence, regional accounts, and literary forms such as royal biographies and drama are all scrutinized afresh--not as sources to be mined for factual data but as genres that disclose how Indians of ancient times represented their own past to themselves.

This study presents a valuable account of social and economic conditions in India in the ninteenth century. Drawing upon the material gathered from the reports preserved in the desoatches of the American Consuls in Calcutta and Bombay, the author has evaluated sources for the history of Modern India which had not been tapped before. He has examined the material critically and built up his thesis on firm grounds, carefully delineating the conditions under which the American consuls wrote their reports.

The Book Highlights The Nature And Features Of Indian Society And The Charges That Has Taken Place In Various Social Institutions During Different Historical Phases.This Is Comprehensive Book And Covers Subjects Widely Prescribed In The Syllabi Of Various Indian Universities At The Under-Graduate And Post-Graduate Levels In Sociology. The Topics Covered Include Indian Society, Indian Society And Culture, Indian Society And Social Institutions, Social Change In India And Indian Social Institutions, Contemporary Indian Society And Culture.While The Subject Has Been Presented In An Analytical Style With Central, Side And Running Headings, Integral And Holistic View Has Been Adopted, In Matters Having Different Opinions. The Language Is Easy And Free Of Technical Jargon As Far As Possible. At The End Of Each Chapter, Questions Of University Examinations Have Been Given To Help The Students For Preparing Well For The Examination. This Ideal Textbook Will Prove Most Useful To The Students, Teachers, Policymakers And Common Readers.

Contents: Culture and Society, Our Social Dilemma, Social Life, South India, Origins of the Indian Village System, The Ideal Social Order, The Religion and Social Organisation of the Sikhs, Prospects of an Integrated Approach to Social Reality, Religion and its Impact on Indian Society, Besant on Social Reform, The Theosophical Society and its Contribution to Tamil Society in the 19th Century, Theosophy and Social Change in India, Nationalism and Social Change, Social History of Modern India: A Trend Report, New Social Patterns: Voluntary Community Action.