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The Story of India

Page 28

by Michael Wood

Lumbini 107

  Maakhi Dhand Lake 41

  Macaulay, Lord 274, 281

  Macedonia/Macedonia ns 82, 109

  Madras 126, 265, 273

  Madurai 125–31, 132–4, 210

  Maghada 77, 78, 84, 190, 199

  Mahabharata 29, 56–61, 63–4, 125, 163, 167, 178–81, 183, 231, 268

  Mahabodhi temple 75

  Mahada 21

  Mahadeo 144

  Mahanadi river 101

  Maharak Khanda 94

  Mahavira 68, 71

  Mahinda 97

  Mahmud 202–10, 232

  Makran 14, 83

  Malabar coast 123

  Maldives 209–10, 212

  Manaat 207–8

  Mandalay 156

  mantras 18–19

  Manu 178, 195

  Manucci, Niccolao 260

  Marathas 220, 263

  Marshall, John 28, 30, 32, 33

  Mary (city) 52

  Mary, Mother of God 229

  Massawa 121

  Masud 206

  Mat 165

  Mathura 92, 105, 140, 143, 147, 161–4, 167–8, 169, 205

  Mauryans 93, 97, 100, 105, 106, 107–9, 112–13, 128–9, 186, 189, 194, 211, 240

  Mayavaram 128

  Mecca 207

  Medea 181

  Medina 200

  Mediterranean 116, 121, 124–5, 136, 141

  Meerut 58, 59, 63

  Megasthenes 86, 89, 90–4, 107, 108, 129, 189

  Mehrgarh 23–5, 31

  Menander 198

  Merv 52, 169

  Mesopotamia 34, 37, 43, 53, 146

  Mian Mir 261

  Michelangelo 252

  Middle Ages 48–9, 50, 119, 123, 132, 221–3, 249, 290

  migration 50–1, 53, 54

  Minakshi temple 126, 127, 132–3

  Mir 146

  Mirabai 243

  Mitanni 49, 53

  Mitra 49

  Mohenjo-Daro 29, 31–4, 36–7, 39–40, 42, 43, 45, 49

  moksha 10, 96

  Mongolia 142, 168

  Mongols 8–9, 52, 63, 113, 184, 201, 265

  Monserrate, Antonio 245

  Moonlit Garden 229, 254

  Mopylas 116, 222

  Mount Abu 221

  Mughalistan 228

  Mughals 27, 64, 87–8, 100, 107, 137, 147–8, 158, 163, 165, 175–6, 184–6, 222, 225–69, 271, 273, 275–6, 278–9, 285, 290

  Muhammad, Prophet 123, 200, 204–5, 207–8, 232, 256

  Muhammad Adil Shah 239

  Multan 26, 29, 204, 204–7, 257

  Mumbai 116

  Mumtaz 251, 253–5

  Murad 260

  Murghab 52, 54

  Murray, John 270

  Murugan 126, 127, 128

  Muslim League 283, 285–8

  Muslims 9, 11, 16, 87, 94, 113, 116, 123, 153–4, 172–6, 200–10, 216, 222–3, 226, 228–64, 273, 275–6, 283–91, 293–4

  see also Islam

  Muziris 121–5, 129, 201

  Mycenae 28, 58, 62

  Myos Hormos 118

  Mysore 216, 273

  Nagapattinam 213

  Nahkon Pathom 152

  Nalanda 190

  Nana 144, 145, 146

  Nanda king 84, 85

  Nandi 214

  Napoleon Bonaparte 100

  Nara river 41

  Narasa 146

  Nasdatya (Asvons) 49

  National Highway 100–1

  Natya Shastra 217

  Naushero 25

  Nayaks 220

  Nazis 17

  Nedunjeliyan 131

  Nehru, Jawaharlal 267–8, 284, 288–91, 293–4

  Nehru, Motilal 268–9

  Nehru, ‘Pandit’ 79

  Nepal 78–9, 187, 243

  Nero 122

  Nicobar islands 210

  Nile 32, 135

  Nizami 205

  Nizamuddin 232

  No5 highway, Pakistan 25–6

  noble truths 76

  northern alliance 239

  Northwest Frontier 50, 159, 273

  Oman 116

  Omar, Mullah 143

  oral transmission 47

  orientalism 45, 134

  Orissa 100, 101, 105, 172, 210, 221, 276, 282

  Ottomans 244

  Oxus river 34, 54, 138–9, 143, 228–9

  Padshahnama, Muhammad Qazwini 250

  Pakistan 8, 14, 25–31, 40, 50, 72, 106, 109, 160, 174, 201, 204–5, 257, 286–8

  Pala kingdom 221

  Palestine/Palestinians 24, 124–5

  Pali 74, 80, 198

  Palladio 252

  Pallavas 129, 210

  Pamirs 143

  Pandavas 56–7, 231

  Pandyans 97, 126–7, 129, 131, 210

  Panini 57

  Panipat 229–32, 236, 239

  Paniyan people 14–16

  Panjshir river 141

  Paramartha 183

  Parsees 9, 267, 293

  Partition 1947 72, 147, 172, 201, 258, 264, 286–90, 293

  Parvati 193, 222

  Pasupatimalai 126

  Pataliputra (now Patna) 86–7, 89–90, 94, 196

  Patna 86–90, 95, 98–9, 107, 111–12, 146–7, 162, 184, 190–1, 193, 197

  Pattana Devi 122

  Pattanam 122

  Periplus of the Erythraean Sea 120–1, 124, 133, 134–5, 136, 139

  Periyar river 122, 123–4

  Persepolis 82

  Persia 69, 190, 202

  Persians 66, 82, 115–16, 124, 201, 205, 206, 225

  Peshawar 50, 140, 147–57, 159–60, 161, 162, 169

  Phalgu river 72, 75

  Pioneer (newspaper) 270

  Pipal Mandi 149

  Pitchappan, Professor 15

  Pius, Antoninus 147

  Plassey 273

  Plato 244

  Pliny the Elder 109, 121, 134

  Pliny the Younger 119–20

  Plutarch 86

  poetry 11, 42, 57–8, 124, 126–7, 129–34, 191–3, 220

  Polo, Marco 125–6, 211

  Pompeii 124

  Pongal 7

  population figures 8, 36, 42–3, 166

  Portuguese 16

  Porus 82

  pottery 23, 25, 60–1, 62

  Pradhan, Debraj 103–5

  Prayag (now Allahabad) 92, 246, 268

  Prinsep, James 272

  Ptolemy 129, 134, 135

  Pul-i-iKhumri 144, 145

  Punjab 25–6, 30–1, 36, 38–9, 42, 51, 55–6, 82–4, 86, 124, 140, 188, 201, 204–5, 208–9, 229, 239, 260, 275–6, 287

  Punjab river 42

  Purananuru 130

  Puranas 29, 61, 62, 192

  Purus 55, 82

  Pyrrho 114

  Pythagoras 244

  Qana 121

  Qissa Khawani bazaar 149, 150

  Quetta 22

  Qutb Minar complex 186

  Rabatak 160

  Raghuvamsa 192

  Raj 131, 267–71, 279, 282–3

  Rajanagar 104

  Rajaraja (formerly Arulmoli) 211, 212–18, 219–21

  Rajarajesvaram 213

  Rajasthan 38–9, 40

  Rajendra 212

  Rajghat 68

  Rajgir 77–8, 81, 84

  Rajputs 263

  Ram 242

  Rama 171, 174–82, 183, 184, 192, 213, 222–3, 257, 290, 291

  Ramayana 60, 163, 176, 177, 178, 180, 183, 222, 257–8

  Ramrajya 171

  Rangoon 101

  Rann of Kutch 41, 260

  Rao, Narasimha 176, 291

  Ravana 179, 180

  Ravi river 27, 28, 32, 55, 83, 238

  Ray, Satyajit 175

  rebirth/reincarnation 70, 78

  Red Desert 51

  Red Sea 115, 118, 119–21, 123, 136

  Renaissance 114, 172, 203, 247, 252

  Ridge, The 295

  Rig-Veda 45–52, 55–8, 70, 83, 127, 157, 226

  Romans 16, 32, 58, 101, 115, 118–31
, 142, 144, 165, 174, 184–5, 196, 201

  Rome 129, 142, 159, 166, 168, 172

  Rothermere, Lord 284

  Roy, Ram 272

  RSS 290

  Rushdie, Salman 241–2

  Russia/Russians 142–3, 226

  Sahiwal 25, 26

  Sahya mountains 211

  Saivism 195, 209, 211, 277

  Sakas 265

  Saketa (present-day Ayodhia) 146, 147, 162, 182, 183

  Sakuntala (play) 191

  Sakya clan 97

  Sakyamunis 73

  Samarkand 228, 236

  Sambara 55

  Samghamitta 97

  Samudragupta 183, 187, 268

  Samvat calendar 46

  Sanskrit 42, 44–6, 49, 57, 69, 138–9, 163, 193, 208–9, 255, 266

  Saraswati 42

  Saraswati river 38

  Sarayu river 182

  Sarianidi, Victor 52, 53, 54

  Sassanians 169

  Sceptics 114

  Schliemann, Heinrich 29, 58, 60, 62

  Schopenhauer, Arthur 257

  science 190–1

  sea levels 14

  Second World War 287

  secularism 200, 280, 283, 285–6, 289–90

  Selene 144

  Seleucus Nicator 84, 85

  Selim 262

  Senapati, Fakir Mohan 282

  Sengulam 218

  Seraphis 144

  Seringapatam 273–4

  Seth, Shantam 78

  Shah-ji-ki Deri 153

  Shahnama 205

  Shaka era 140

  Shakespeare, William 191, 192, 266, 278

  Shalimar Gardens 250

  Shastras 127

  Sher Shah 237

  Shiabuddin Ghuri 233

  shipping 92–3, 115, 116–21, 134–5

  Shiva 21, 60, 62, 66, 88, 92, 127, 144, 168, 175, 193, 207, 210, 211, 213, 214, 215, 217, 222

  Shuja 260

  Siddartha, Prince 75

  see also Buddha

  Sikhs 27, 83, 235–6, 242, 263–4, 280, 287, 293–4

  Sikkal 115, 118

  Silapaddikaram 133–4

  Silk Route 51–2, 116, 136, 141, 142, 147, 148, 152, 159

  Sind 29, 32–4, 201, 260, 287

  Sinhalese 101

  Sistani, Farrukhi 207

  Sita 174, 178–9, 180–1, 257–8

  Sivakkolundu 132–4

  Sivaratri 62, 63

  Skanda 144

  Skandagupta 182, 183, 188

  Sleeman, William 253

  Smith, Vincent 186

  Solam 218

  soma (ritual drink) 18, 47, 48, 52–3

  Somapura 221

  Somnath 206–7

  Son river 89, 94

  South China Sea 119

  Spain 200

  Spice Route 116

  spice trade 119–20, 124–5, 165

  Sravanabelgola 96

  Sri Campa 146, 147

  Sri Lanka 74, 109, 110, 135, 142, 159, 179, 198, 209–10, 211, 212

  land bridge 14

  Srinagar 229

  Srivilliputtur 125

  Sroshard 146

  Stein, Aurel 28, 39

  Stevens, Thomas 45

  Sthula-Badra 95

  Stone Age 14, 20–1, 56, 93

  Strabo 32, 36, 109

  Stuart, General Charles ‘Hindoo’ 271, 277

  Sufis 87–8, 154, 175, 204, 205, 209, 232, 256, 258

  Suhrawardi 244–5

  Sujata 73

  Sukkur 22, 35

  Sultanate 158, 185

  Sumatra 135

  Sung dynasty 212

  Surkh Kotal 144–5, 160, 164

  Swaminath Aiyar 132

  Swat 50, 51

  Syria 16, 49, 53, 109, 141

  Tagore, Rabindranath 209

  Taj Mahal 161, 228, 250–5, 262, 266

  Taklamakan desert 137–8

  Taliban 141, 143, 145, 225

  Tambrapani river 127

  Tamburlaine 63, 64, 225, 227, 230, 235

  Tamil language 9, 222

  Tamil Nadu 15, 126, 129, 132, 215

  Tamils 7, 97, 101, 115, 121, 124–34, 211–13, 217, 220, 276–7

  Tamluk 135

  Tamralipti 135

  Tang dynasty 89, 199

  Tanjapuri 218

  Tanjore 210–21

  Tarim basin 109, 138, 160

  Tashkurgan 142

  Taxila 82, 86, 111, 124

  textiles 265

  Thailand 109, 152

  Thanesar 209

  Thar desert 39, 40, 41, 207

  Thermopylae 260

  Thomas, Apostle 123–4

  Tiber 119

  Tiberius 122

  Tibet 109, 142, 151, 168

  Tilak 203

  Tilak, Bal Gangadhar 284

  Tilya Tepe 52

  Tipu 273, 274, 275

  Tirupparakunram 126

  Tiruvasagam 277

  Tiryns 28

  Tissarakha 105, 110, 111

  Tochari Tila 138, 165

  Tolkapiyam 130

  Torkham 50

  Tosali 104

  trade 50, 115–21, 123–5, 134–7, 159, 264–6, 272–5

  Trajan 125

  Treta Yuga 178, 182

  Trichy 125

  Trivandrum 17

  Trojan heroes 55

  Troy 57, 58, 62, 63, 180, 184

  Tudors 184, 192

  Tuqluqs 235

  Turkestan 29

  Turkmanbashi 51

  Turks 8–9, 64, 113, 172, 184, 201, 202, 203, 208, 222, 265

  Turvasa 51

  Tutankhamun 30

  Tuticorin 119

  Udaigiri 103

  Udaipur 260

  Ujain 97, 98, 184, 191

  Umma 146

  UNESCO 148

  United Provinces 285

  United States 10, 20

  bases 22, 141

  untouchables (dalits) 56, 70, 93–4, 113

  Upagupta 105

  Upanishads 256–7

  Ur tombs, Iraq 30

  Uttar Pradesh 58

  Vaigai plain 126

  Vaishnavaites 177, 181, 209, 221, 257, 277

  Valmiki 181

  Varkala 13, 16

  Varuna 49

  Vasistha 256–7

  Vasubhandu 183

  Vatsayana Mallanaga 193, 194, 195

  Vedic culture 17, 46, 48–9, 52–4, 70, 75, 187, 192, 256

  Vellore Mutiny 1806 275

  Vennar river 218

  VHP 290

  Victoria, Queen 50, 103, 108, 149, 150, 268, 275

  Vidisa 97, 98

  Vidisha 186

  Vietnam 119

  Vikramaditya 182

  Vima Kadphises 146

  Vima Takto 139, 140, 146, 162

  Virumandi 15

  Vishnu 79, 125, 167, 175–7, 190, 213, 257

  Vivekananda, Swami 209, 277

  Vulture Peak 78

  Waddell, Laurence 94

  Wandiwash 273

  Wellesley, Richard 274

  Western Ghats 13

  Wild Goose Pagoda 198–9

  Woolley, Leonard 29

  World Heritage Sites 213–18

  Xanadu 89

  Xian 89

  Yadu 51

  Yanado Irula 14–15

  Yellow river 160

  Yemen 14, 121

  yoga 18

  Yoga Vasistha 256–7

  yoni stones 22

  Yueh-chi 137, 138–9, 159

  see also Kushans

  Yuga Purana 88

  Yusef, Sheikh 205

  Yusufzai, Bibi Mubarika 229

  Zanaibar 136

  Zeus 47, 51, 141

  Zheng He 160

  Zoroaster 69, 244

  Zoroastrianism 146, 241

  see also Parsees

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  For a project long in the making I have many debts. First I would like to thank the Government of India, the staff of the Ministry of External Affair
s, and the Archaeological Survey of India for their great help in facilitating the filming. In London I must especially thank the High Commissioner of India Kamalesh Sharma and Mrs Babli Sharma who went out of their way to help and encourage us; also the then Indian Minister of Culture and Director of the Nehru Centre in London, Dr Atul Khare. At Air India, staff were unfailingly helpful over all our journeys. Thanks also to the staff at the National Museum in Delhi, and at the museums of Patna, Sarnath, Mathura, Calcutta, Allahabad, Chennai and Tanjore, and to the Asiatic Society in Calcutta and the National Archive in Delhi. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madurai kindly facilitated our shooting their genetics programme. Saregama generously allowed us to use some of A.R. Rahman’s compositions in the films. In Pakistan, I am grateful to the Archaeological Survey of Pakistan, to Orya Maqbool Jaan, to Raees Abbas Zaidi, to Jalil Abbas the then Minister of Culture, and to the staff of the Museums at Taxila and Peshawar, and the sites at Harappa and Takht-i-Bai.

  At home, at the British Library Catriona Finlayson and her colleagues opened that wonderful resource for shooting and provided much research material; at Imperial College London Dr Sanjiv Gupta showed us the long view; at the British Museum Richard Blurton, Joe Cribb, and Liz Errington generously answered queries and lead us into new directions. Professor Nick Sims-Williams shared the excitement of his Kushan discoveries. In India, I would like to thank Profs R. Pitchappan, Irfan Habib, D.N. Jha, A. Prasad, S.P. Gupta, and S. Mehrotra, for their help and insight; Prof Ihsan Ali was our guide to the archaeology of the North West Pakistan; and Zahoor Durrani, again our host in Peshawar, enthused us with his knowledge and passion. Thanks, too, to Shereen Ratnagar and Nayanjot Lahiri for talking on the phone about their work; Lolita Nehru at a dinner in London, Indira Peterson in a Tanjore garden; and Romila Thapar for kind words of advice to a young beginner many years back. It cannot be too strongly stressed that none of the above bear any responsibility for any errors of fact or interpretation that may be in this book: there are many contentious topics, such as the ‘Aryan’ invasion, or the interpretation of Islam and Hinduism in the Middle Ages to name but two, and the conclusions drawn are mine alone; one hopes that a work of popularization has not fallen too far short of their high standards. On location, my thanks to Sandhya Mulchanani and Rakshander Jalil; Prof Dhiditi Biswas; Prof R. Balasubrahmaniam; Prof B.B. Lal; Shashi Tharoor; Dr Ajit Prasad at Patna; Prof Harbans Mukhia at Panipat; Aggamaha Bhadanta Gyaneshwar at Kushinanaghr; William Dalrymple and Mahmood Farooqi; Prof Mridula Muckerjee; Profs Sathyabama and Pandian in Chennai; Dr A Sivakkolundu; Dr S. Suresh; Dr Pradhan and his colleagues in Orissa; R. Krishnamurthy; Drs Selvakumar and Shajan in Kerala; Ambika Shukla in Delhi; Ranjeet Choudary and his family in Benares; Bhikku Bodhipala at Bodhgaya; Mahathero Wathai in Sarmath; Kunwar Rani Kulsum Begum and her husband Rajkumar Amir Nakheer Khan in Lucknow and their family and friends with whom we spent a memorable Eid; Dr Liladhar Gupta and his family who showed us the ancient traditions of Ayurveda in Mathura. In Kerala, Vinod Bhattathiripad and the Namudiri community; in Allahabad Rustom Gandhi and family, Shantum Seth in Rajgir and Bodgaya for his wisdom and his good company; Pankaj Mishra in Simla; Prof Sriram Mehrotra at Etawah, Simla and Bareh: Ed Moulton in Calgary.

 

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