SOURCES OF ANICIENT INDIAN HISTORY

1- Literary Source: Vedic,Sanskriti,Pali,Prakrit and other literature and foreign accounts.
  
2-Archeological: Epigraphic,nimismatic and architectural remains, archaelogical explorations and excavations
                                         
 1- study of development of scripts: Paleography  

 2- study of inscriptions: Epigraphy

 3- study of coins: Numismatics

 4- study of monuments,material   remains:   Archeology
                                                                         

LITERARY  SOURCES 

Indian Tradition Of History Writing 

 1- Many foreign scholars opined that Indians had no sense of history writing and whatever was written in the name of history is nothing more than story without any sense.

2- But this appears to be a very harsh judgement.Because the knowledge of history was a very high place in anicent India. It was accorded sanctity equal to a Veda.
                      
  3- Atharvaveda,Brahmans and Upanishads include  Ithihas Purana as one of the branches of knowledge.

  4- Kautilya in his Arthashastra (fourth century B.C) advises the king to devote a part of his time every day for hearing the narrations of history.
                     

Puranic Literature                         

1- The Puranic literature is very vast.
                        
2- 18 main Puranas, 18 Subsidiary  Purans and a large number of  other books. 

  3- According to the Puranas following are the subject matters of the history.

  4- All the earlier dyansties and the kings have been narrated in future tense.
                   
  5- The two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, may also be used as a source. It is generally held that there have been constant interpolations in these  works.
           

  Ramayana, Valmiki 

 1- Composition started in 5BC, passed through five stage, fifth stage in  12AD.

 2- 6000 verses to 12000 verses and  finally 24000 verses.
                 
  3- As a whole, this text seems to have been composed later than Mahabharata. 

  Mahabharata Vyas

1- Reflects the state of affairs between 70 BC to 4AD. 
                       
  2- Originally 8800 verses, collection dealing with victory.

  3- Later raised to 2400 verses came to be known as Bharata after Bharat tribe.

  4- Finally compilation: 1 lakh verses and came to be known as Mahabharata or Satasahasri  Samhita.
                        
  5- Didactic portion from Post Maurya,  Gupta times.

                        
                               

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