Traditional India - 1-17-07

1-17-07 Vedas Puramas Banbhatta Harsha-Carita, 6th c.ad Kalhana, 12th c.ad Rajatarangni Asoka, 3rd c.bc Prinsep Brahmi Kharoshti Prakrits    

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Mohenjo-Daro Harappa Alberuni Twarikh Herodotus Ctesias Megasthenes Ptolemy Phiny Fa-Hsien, 5th c.ad Hsuan-Tsang, 7th c.ad

Earliest Indians were very cultural, spiritual, and philosophical…but didn’t write the history down Hindu/Buddhist India Muslim India Traditional India o Literary sources o Historical monuments, palaces, temples, ect...(archeology)  In stone and marble o Foreign accounts Literacy o Indian genius was not applies to historical accounts/texts o British destroyed any historical text that India may have had The Vedas o Produced by the Aryans (European origins)  Introduced Sanskrit  Wrote about everything (lasted 2,000 yrs.) 1500 bc-500ad • Full of history (just have to look for it) Puranas- a track of text in the Vedas that is filled with names of kings, queens, kingdoms, battles, ect…history. o Puranas = old Harsha-Carita (7th c.ad) – scholarly king Banbhatta – was brought in to write Harsha’s reign. o Very descriptive writer o Royal biographies became popular First historical text of India was written in 12th c.ad – “Rajatarangi”—garland of rulers o History of Kashmir o Reliable until 7th -12th c.ad Prakrits – regional/local languages (People wrote there local histories)