Question : How far can the ancient Indian Shruti literature be used as historical sources.
(2015)
Answer : “Shruti” literally means ‘that which has been heard’. In the Hindu tradition, the Vedas have the status of Shruti. Vedic texts comprise a religious literature, and references to possible historical events are a few. The Vedic corpus was not a popular literature and therefore, does not necessarily represent popular ideas or practices. The Vedic literature forms an important part of the Brahmanical tradition. It reflects their religious beliefs, practices and points of view.
But a major ....
Question : “While using the accounts of foreign writers, historians must distinguish between statements based on hearsay and those grounded in perceptive observations.” Elaborate with examples
(2014)
Answer : Many of the foreign writers have given partial and sometimes imaginative account of India in their attempt to depict a total picture of India in their works. Some of the foreign writers sometimes could not present the ‘total India’ because they were just interlopers who could view India only superficially from the outside, therefore, the images presented by them are somewhat limited.
It is true that India is fortunate to have a variety of foreign literature. ....
Question : Evaluate the ownership of land in ancient India on the basis of literary and epigraphic sources.
(2013)
Answer : Ancient record show that land has been under cultivation in India for more than 5,000 years. In the beginning, tribes exercised control (especially delimitation and defence) over the areas they had taken possession of. This right of the conqueror was the initial from of land right. The tribes allotted to the individual families land for their utilization, usually by means of shifting cultivation.
The jungle which covered unlimited land, although economically useless, led to another form ....
Question : Justify Pliny’s statement that Rome was being drained out of its gold by India during the first century of the Christian era.
(2012)
Answer : The emergence of the Roman empire as the dominant power in the western world gave a fillip to India’s trade from the first century BC onwards; for the eastern part of the Roman empire became the chief customer of Indian Luxury goods. The main exports were pepper, pearls, ivory, silk spikenard, malabathrum, diamonds, saffron, precious stones and tortoise shell. As a result of the Indian export of a variety of spices, especially pepper, Roman cuisine ....
Question : To what extent archeological materials are useful in understanding the progress of neolitic man in India?
(2010)
Answer : In neolithic period, the textual documentation, inscriptions, coins etc. which are general sources to study ancient India do not exist and in such circumstances the archeologicalmaterials become crucial for the understanding of progress of neolithic man in India.
The term Neolithic was coined by Sir John Lubboch. He used this term to denote an age in which the stone implements were more skillfully made and were more polished. Gordon Childe defined Neolithic Cultures as self sufficient ....
Question : In what ways are the accounts of the Graeco Romans and the Chinese helpful in reconstructing the social history of India? How far is their information corroborated by other Contemporary sources?
(2009)
Answer : Most stunning accounts of ancient India have been provided by the visiting foreigners. The Greeks who accompanied Alexander the Great in his Indian campaign recorded their encounters of this mystical, magical land. Although much of these works are now lost, the details have percolated into subsequent Greek literature. Special reference can be made of the Indica by Megasthenes who lived in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, of Periplus of the Erythrean Sea by an unknown ....
Question : Assess Kalhana’s views on History.
(2009)
Answer : The Rajatarangiri is a metrical chronicle of the kings of Kashmir from earliest time written in Sanskrit by Kalhana. It is believed that the book was written sometime during 1147-1149 CE. The work generally records the heritage of Kashmir, but 120 verses of Rajatarangiri describe the misrule prevailing in Kashmir during the reign of King Kalash, son of King Ananta Deva of Kashmir.
Although the earlier books are far from accurate in their chronology, they still ....
Question : “Reconstruction of Early Indian history is hardly possible without the help of inscription and coins.” Discuss.
(2007)
Answer : The greatest handicap in the treatment of history of ancient India, both political and cultural, is the absence of a definite chronology.
The literary genius of India, so fertile and active in almost all branches of study, was somehow not applied to chronicling the records of kings and the rise and fall of the states. Ancient India did not produce historians like Herodotus and Thucydides of Greece or Levy of Rome and Turkish historian Al-beruni. We ....
Question : Discuss the changing approaches to the study of early Indian History.
(2006)
Answer : The history writing in Ancient India started with the coming of Europeans to India.
Even though Indians possessed historical works, like Rajatarangini, and Puranas, modern history writing as is understood today began with the Europeans. The modern research regarding early Indian history started in the eighteenth century because of the needs of the colonial administration set up by the British.
Initially, the Manusmriti was translated into English as the Code of Gentoo laws in 1776. The initial ....
Question : Vedic literature.
(1995)
Answer : It refers to the texts of four Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. The four Vedas are Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. The Rigveda is the earliest of them, which may be assigned to circa 1500-1000 B.C. This is the most accepted text of the Aryans that is necessary for collecting information of the Early Vedic people. It consist of 1017 or 1028 Hymns or Suktas which have been divided into ten mandalas or chapters according ....
