THE HISTORY OF INDIA

THE HISTORY OF INDIA

The land From Himalaya in the north to the sea in the south is called BHARATVARSH(INDIA).

And the people of this land is called BHARATI(INDIAN) or The descendants of the ARYANS. The people from europe called this land INDIA and the muslims from arabia called this land HINDUSTAN ( because it is located on and beyond Indus river).

 For the study of india , we have divided it's history into 3 parts :- ANCIENT INDIA, MEDIEVAL INDIA and MODERN INDIA.

ANCIENT INDIA

1. Types of Sources and Historical Construction

We get to know our Ancient India from these sourses

1. Material Remains
2. Coins
3. Inscriptions
4. Literary Sources
5. Foreign Accounts 

1. Material Remains : - We have got so many material remains from Ancient India. The stone temples in the south and Buddhist monasteries made of bricks in eastern India still remind us the building activities of the past. But the major part of these remains lies buried in the mounds scattered all over the country.

2. Coins : - Although a good number of coins and inscriptions has been found on the surface, many of them have been unearthed by digging. The study of  Coins is called "numismatics". The ancient coins were made of metal - copper, silver, gold, or lead. The most of the coins are from the Kushan period( the first three christian centuries) . The use of such moulds  in the post-Gupta periods almost disappeared.

              Since there was nothing like modern time banking system so people kept their money in earthen ware and also in brass vessels and maintained them as precious hoards from which they could buy things. Many places in India coins were find which were minted abroad such as coins of Roman Empire.This indicates that ancient India had trades with other countries also.

3.Inscriptions:- The study of Inscriptions are more important than coins. Their study is called "epigraphy". The study of old writing used in inscriptions and other old records is called "palaeography".The Inscriptions are carved on seals, stone pillars, rocks, copper plates, temple walls and bricks or images.The earliest inscriptions were recorded on stone. But early centuries of christian era ,copper plates began to be used for this purpose.

4.Literary Sources : - The Ancient Indians knew writings as early as 2500 B.C. our most ancient manuscripts are not older than 4th century A.D., and have been found in Central Asia. they were written on birch bark and palm leaves but in Central Asia, where the Prakrit language had spread from India.

5. Foreign Accounts : - Indigenous literature can be supplemented by foreign accounts. To India came the Greek, Roman and Chinese visitors, either as travelers or religious converts, and they left behind accounts of things that they saw. It is remarkable that Alexander's invasion finds no mention in Indian sources, and it is entirely on the basis of the Greek sources that we have reconstruct the history of his Indian exploits.

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