A full account of Indian history from the establishment of Aryan culture to the coming of the Mughals in 1526 A.D.
A History of India: v. 1 (Penguin History)
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About the Author
Romila Thapar is Emeritus Professor of History at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As can be seen from the other reviews, opinions about this book span the spectrum. I just finished reading the book, and overall, I found the book useful. The language was lucid and the structure compact. It takes the readers from ancient times to the year 1526 (the year that Babur won the first battle of Panipat and laid the foundation for the Mugal empire). Chapters in the book deal mostly with distinct periods and they begin with a coverage of the kingdoms of the period, then proceed to administration methods, arts and literature, and finally to religion and culture. South India gets mostly distinct treatment from the North, but there are constant cross-references of co-occuring events. There is a definite attempt to provide coverage of what peoples lives were like during the times, and what the social customs were. All this is good.
However, as some others have pointed out, the author does come off as having a distaste for anything that is associated with the religion of Hinduism. How palatable this is for the reader will depend on the reader's own perception. For me, there were definitely places where I accepted the acid tone and stern language of the author - especially when she talks about the caste system, and how it prevented the democratization of education, arts and literature (the latter also a product of the treatment given to the Sanskrit language). There were also places in the book where the text appeared needlessly harsh and biased. In the latter parts of the book, the author, while praising Islamic architecture, draws a comparison with the pillars in Hindu temples and comments that the latter were unnecessarily ornate! For every piece of warranted criticism, there appeared to be an unwarranted one.... Read more ›
However, as some others have pointed out, the author does come off as having a distaste for anything that is associated with the religion of Hinduism. How palatable this is for the reader will depend on the reader's own perception. For me, there were definitely places where I accepted the acid tone and stern language of the author - especially when she talks about the caste system, and how it prevented the democratization of education, arts and literature (the latter also a product of the treatment given to the Sanskrit language). There were also places in the book where the text appeared needlessly harsh and biased. In the latter parts of the book, the author, while praising Islamic architecture, draws a comparison with the pillars in Hindu temples and comments that the latter were unnecessarily ornate! For every piece of warranted criticism, there appeared to be an unwarranted one.... Read more ›
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The book was published in the 60s and that shows. So much new has been discovered about ancient India since then that the book is hopelessly outdated. I would recommend to Romila Thapar that she should revise it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Emerald
Format:Paperback
While historians aren't well known for their colorful writing, I found this book an exceptionally dry read with biased information at every other page. By biased I mean that it is very clear the authors opinions are the fuel for much of the commentary. Some of the information in the book is insightful, for example the process a "snake charmer" has to go through to keep the dangerous cobra. (they have to remove the fangs) They are portrayed as starving no matter how much trouble they've gone through to catch and de fang the snake. I don't know that all of them are, but this is the "unveiling" of the romanticism about the ideas many have about snake charmers. There are definitely good parts, but seeing as how I am not adept in Indian History, I don't know how to compare this with other Indian History books. However with the authors history, and with my knowledge of other cultural history books, paired with the concerned reviews,I wonder how reliable this book is, and why it was used for a beginning Indian History class. I did learn from it, but I really do believe that there are far better works on Indian History, simply from understanding that a well written unbiased book is what is needed when reading about history.
10 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book was written almost 40 years ago, since when archaeologists and historians have made great advances in the understanding of ancient India. It is written engagingly, but it needs a revision badly. In its current form it misleads as much as it illuminates. Ms Thapar, please update your book!
11 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Romila Thapar's writings on India present a sanitized, revisionist view of the encounter between India and Islam. She interposes her Marxist ideology too strongly into her narrative which makes it hard for the reader to trust her judgments. She is unable to define an `Indian' view of Indian history.
10 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Paper Man
Format:Paperback
The above rating would more accurately be 3.5 stars.
This book is not the best introduction to Indian history, but it is certainly not a bad one. The writing is good, concise and readable, and Ms. Thapar does a good job avoiding being overly academic. A good introduction and a worthwhile read if one is interested in Indian history.
Reccommended.
This book is not the best introduction to Indian history, but it is certainly not a bad one. The writing is good, concise and readable, and Ms. Thapar does a good job avoiding being overly academic. A good introduction and a worthwhile read if one is interested in Indian history.
Reccommended.
12 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Marc Osborne
Format:Paperback
I'm not saying Thapar's book is or is not the best introduction to Indian history, but the criticism of the book as Marxist is unfair. I have no idea if Thapar is a Marxist personally, but it doesn't show in this informative and easy to read book. The book discusses economic developments, but not in a heavy-handed way and without detracting from the more prominently discussed political history. It's like any other work of history. Similarly, while it's true that the book doesn't include more recent archeological work, especially in discussing ancient India, that work is not really critical to a short introduction, which is what this book is. A revision would be great, but the book is still very good.
10 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Communism is dead but it lives on in Indian universities. Romila Thapar is the foremost Marxist scholar of ancient Indian history. This book is, therefore, full of the prejudices that mark that ideology.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
biased marxist/communist representation of India
Prof. Romila Thapar is a well known marxist and communist sympathizer from India. Her works have been biased by her marxist ideology and her communist background. Read more
Published on January 5, 2008 by Arya
5.0 out of 5 stars
A HISTORY OF INDIA: VOLUME I
THIS BOOK IS EXCEPTIONAL AND I RECEIVED THIS BOOK ARRIVED MORE THAN ON TIME. THE BOOKSELLER IS A CREDIT TO THE AMAZON COMPANY.
Published on March 25, 2006 by F. I. Khattab
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is a joke-book!
Avoid it; anyone who buys this book is financing a anti-India, socialist looby.
Author is well-known for her twisted take on anything Indian.
Author is well-known for her twisted take on anything Indian.
Published on October 18, 2005 by Shaq Uri
1.0 out of 5 stars
Completely outrageous and informationless
I expected a more out or a historian like Romila Thapar. The whole book looks like biased Indian culture bashing boring read. Read more
Published on March 3, 2005 by Shankar Ratneshwaran
1.0 out of 5 stars
Outdated History Book
After advent of "Orientalism" by Edward Said, the playing field is even. This Book by Romila Thapar is an Outdated Marxist Rhetoric/
Published on June 12, 2004 by A reader from PA
5.0 out of 5 stars
An objective view of caste and economics
Romila Thapar is one of the leading Indian historians. Her earliest book, which was very well received academically, was on the emperor Asoka. Read more
Published on January 20, 2003
1.0 out of 5 stars
Romila's history
Romila Thapar is infamous for her ideological view of Indian History. This book is an interesting study of that ideology and how it affects the reading (and writing) of history,... Read more
Published on December 16, 2002
1.0 out of 5 stars
Outdated based on Colonialist-Marxist view
This book is based on assumptions that are simply not true. It sees Indian history in terms of caste conflict which is a gross over-simplification. Read more
Published on October 9, 2002
1.0 out of 5 stars
Marxist pap marketed as History!
Imagine, if you will...Romila writing a History of Europe from the 15th to the 19th Centuries. The book would be a marvel of fiction, centering on a litany of the ills that the... Read more
Published on March 16, 2001 by "jayjina"
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 67
books:
See all 67 books this book cites
133
books
cite this book:
See all 133 books citing this book
- A Forgotten Empire by R. Sewell in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Wonder That Was India (Vol 1) by A.L. Basham in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- History Of India by Romesh Chunder Dutt in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors (6 vols. in 3 books) by Max Arthur Macauliffe in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Ancient India as described by Megasthenes and Arrian ( 2nd Edition) by John W. McCrindle in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 67 books this book cites
- Subordinate and Marginal Groups in Early India (Oxford in India Readings: Themes in Indian History) by Aloka Parasher-Sen on 5 pages
- Hinduism and Its Sense of History by Arvind Sharma on 4 pages
- Elephas Maximus: A Portrait of the Indian Elephant by Stephen Alter on 4 pages
- Siting Translation: History, Post-Structuralism, and the Colonial Context by Tejaswini Niranjana on page 27, page 176, and Back Matter
- India: A History by John Keay in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 133 books citing this book
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