A History of India, Third Edition

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CONTENTS

List of maps vii

Preface viii

INTRODUCTION: HISTORY AND THE ENVIRONMENT 1

1 EARLY CIVILISATIONS OF THE NORTHWEST 16
Prehistory and the Indus civilisation 16
Immigration and settlement of the Indo-Aryans 29

2 THE GREAT ANCIENT EMPIRES 47
The rise of the Gangetic culture and the great empires
of the east 47
The end of the Maurya empire and the northern invaders 67
The classical age of the Guptas 81
The rise of South India 91

3 THE REGIONAL KINGDOMS OF EARLY
MEDIEVAL INDIA 103
The rise and conflicts of regional kingdoms 103
Kings, princes and priests: the structure of Hindu realms 120
Gods, temples and poets: the growth of regional cultures 130
India’s impact on Southeast Asia: causes and consequences 143

4 RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES AND MILITARY
FEUDALISM IN THE LATE MIDDLE AGES 152
The Islamic conquest of northern India and the sultanate
of Delhi 152
The states of central and southern India in the period of
the sultanate of Delhi 169

5 THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE 184
The Great Mughals and their adversaries 184
Indian landpower and European seapower 197
The struggle for supremacy in India 210