Studying Early India - Archaeology, Texts, and Historical Issues 8178241439

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Studying Early India

for Professor Ram Sharan Shanna and

Professor Romila Thapar

a modest token of appreciation of scholarship and fortitude

Studying Early India Archaeology, Texts, and Historical Issues

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Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya

permanent black

Published by PERMANENT BLACK

D-28 Oxford Apartments, 11, LP. Extension, Delhi 110092

Distributed by ORIENT LONGMAN PRIVATE LTD

Bangalore Bhopal ,Bhubaneshwar Chandigarh Chennai Ernakulam Guwahati Hyderabad Jaipur Kolkata Lucknow Mumbai New Delhi Patna

©

PERMANENT BLACK 2003

First paperback printing 2005 Second impression 2008

ISBN 81 7824 143 9

Typeset in Naurang by Guru Typograph Technology, Dwarka, New Delhi 110045 Printed by Pauls Press, New Delhi 110020 Binding _by Salm

Contents Preface

Vll

Introductory

The Study of Early India Archaeology and Historical Issues 2 Indian Archaeology and the Epic Traditions

1

3 27

29

3 Transition to the Early Historical Phase in the 39

Deccan: A Note 4 Geographica l Perspectives , Culture Change and Linkages: Some Reflections on Early Punjab 5 Urban Centres in Early Bengal: Archaeological Perspectives Texts and Historical Issues

6 The City in Early India: Perspective from Texts 7 'Autonomou s Spaces' and the Authority of the State: The Contradiction and Its Resolution in Theory and Practice in Early India 8 Historical Context of the Early Medieval Temples of North India 9 'Reappearan ce' of the Goddess or the Brahmai:iical Mode of Appropriation: Some Early Epigraphic Evidence Bearing on Goddess Cults 10 Other, or the Others? Varieties of Difference in Indian Society at the Tum of the First Millennium and Their Historiograp hical Implications Historiography and History as Communication

11 Trends of Research on Ancient Indian Economic History

48

66 103

105

135 153

172

191 215

217

vi / Contents 12 State and Economy in North India: Fourth Century to Twelfth Century 13 Cultural Plurality, Contending Memories and Concerns of Comparative History: Historiography and Pedagogy in Contemporary India

233

263

Preface

his compilation of articles, written on disparate themes and on different occasions, owes its publication to Rukun Advani. I have chosen only such articles for the collection as reflect somewhat my own position on what I would consider certain key areas in the study of early Indian history. They have been grouped into several sections to suggest what these areas are. In preparing the collection for publication I have not attempted to substantially revise the texts or update the references; alterations and additions in both have been kept to a minimum. My excuse is that I have not found adequate reasons to change my position on any of the issues discussed in the articles; my arguments remain the same today. On the other hand, if I were to write on the same issues now, I would perhaps attempt further studies and thus run the risk of not completing anything at all. The book is intended to suggest ways oflooking at facets of early India, on the basis of material available from and on early India. Early India, admittedly, is an imprecise term, but search for a precise chronological definition is not the aim of this book. I acknowledge with gratitude my debt to the publications in which many of the articles included here were originally published.

T

B.D.

CHATIOPADH YAYA

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