India : a short history / Andrew Robinson

By: Robinson, Andrew, 1957- [author]
New York, New York Thames and Hudson, c2014Description: 248 pages : illustrations ; 24 cmContent type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9780500251997Subject(s): India -- History | IndiaDDC classification: 954
Contents:
Preface -- Introduction -- The Indus Valley Civilization -- Vedas, Aryans and the Origins of Hinduism -- Buddha, Alexander and Asoka -- Hindu Dynasties -- The Coming of Islam -- The Mughal Empire -- European Incursions and East India Companies -- End of Empire -- The World's Largest Democracy -- Postscript
Summary: India has always been a land of great contradictions. To Alexander the Great, the country was a place of clever naked philosophers and massive armies mounted on elephants--which eventually forced his army to retreat. To ancient Rome, it was a source of luxuries, mainly spices and textiles, paid for in gold--hence the enormous numbers of Roman gold coins excavated in India. At the height of the Mughal empire in 1700, India boasted 24 percent of the world economy--a share virtually equal to Europe's 25 percent. But then its economy declined. Colonial India was known for its extremes of wealth and poverty, epitomized by the Taj Mahal and famines, maharajas and untouchables, and also for its spirituality: many-armed Hindu gods and Buddhist philosophy, Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. India: A Short History places as much emphasis on individuals, ideas and cultures as on the rise and fall of kingdoms, political parties and economies.
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Item type Current location Home library Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
BOOK BOOK HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY - JHS
HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY - JHS
954 R5604 2014 (Browse shelf) Available CITU-HS-JHS6687
Total holds: 0

Preface --
Introduction --
The Indus Valley Civilization --
Vedas, Aryans and the Origins of Hinduism --
Buddha, Alexander and Asoka --
Hindu Dynasties --
The Coming of Islam --
The Mughal Empire --
European Incursions and East India Companies --
End of Empire --
The World's Largest Democracy --
Postscript

India has always been a land of great contradictions. To Alexander the Great, the country was a place of clever naked philosophers and massive armies mounted on elephants--which eventually forced his army to retreat. To ancient Rome, it was a source of luxuries, mainly spices and textiles, paid for in gold--hence the enormous numbers of Roman gold coins excavated in India. At the height of the Mughal empire in 1700, India boasted 24 percent of the world economy--a share virtually equal to Europe's 25 percent. But then its economy declined. Colonial India was known for its extremes of wealth and poverty, epitomized by the Taj Mahal and famines, maharajas and untouchables, and also for its spirituality: many-armed Hindu gods and Buddhist philosophy, Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. India: A Short History places as much emphasis on individuals, ideas and cultures as on the rise and fall of kingdoms, political parties and economies.

900-999 954

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