Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by
Google Books (University of Michigan)
Transcriber's Notes:
1. Page scan source:
http://books.google.com/books?id=swpuAAAAMAAJ
(University of Michigan)
2. The letter "y" with circumflex is [^y].
3. Map images are incomplete and are not provided here.
[Map: India to the Present Day.]
INDIA THROUGH THE
AGES
A POPULAR AND PICTURESQUE
HISTORY OF HINDUSTAN
BY
FLORA ANNIE STEEL
AUTHOR OF "ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS," ETC.
WITH 7 MAPS
THIRD EDITION
LONDON
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, LIMITED
NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
1911
PREFACE
A history, above all one which claims to hold no original research,
but simply to be a compilation of the work of others, needs no
introduction save the compiler's thanks to many who have been
consulted.
One word, however, may be said regarding the only accent used--the
circumflex.
This is put always on the tone of stress; that is to say, on the
syllable to be accented. Thus Malwa, Amber, Jeysulmer, Himalya,
Vizigapatam. Where no accent appears the syllables are of equal value.
F. A. STEEL.
Talgarth, Machynlleth.
LIST OF MAPS
INDIA TO B.C. 231.
INDIA TO A.D. 1000.
INDIA TO A.D. 1483.
INDIA TO A.D. 1556.
INDIA TO A.D. 1707.
INDIA TO A.D. 1757.
INDIA AT THE PRESENT DAY.
CONTENTS
PART I
THE ANCIENT AGE
CHAPTER I
The Ancient Age--When it began--Earliest hymns--The Black
people--The White people-Was there a third tribe?
CHAPTER II
The Vedic times--Extent of India--Rig-Veda--Seven
rivers--Agriculture--Aryan gods--Aryan features--Hymns to
the Dawn.
CHAPTER III
Days of the Epics--Larger extent of India known--Two great
epics--The Brahmanas--The Mahabharata--Story of Bhishma
--A golden age--Bhishma's vow and its results--The Princess
Draupadi--Bhishma's death--The Ramayana.
CHAPTER IV
The marvellous millennium--Its literature--The Upanishads--Kapila's
philosophy--Vedanta teaching--Religious atmosphere--Gautama
Buddha--Yoga, and other philosophies--Megasthenes' accounts.
CHAPTER V
The Sesu-naga and other kings--Actual history--Scythians--First
breath of reality--History of parricides--Nanda dynasty.
CHAPTER VI
The Anabasis--Alexander's march--Halt on the Indus--The
Hydaspes--The stealing of a passage--His victory--Appeal to
his soldiers--Forced to return--His sail down the Hydaspes to
the sea--His death.
CHAPTER VII
The Great Mauryas--A landmark of history--Chandra-gupta's ability
--His iron nerve--Seleukos Nikator--His great success and
vast empire--Bindu-sara--The great Asoka--His reign of
religion--The Rock and Pillar edicts--An example to all people
--His vast empire.
CHAPTER VIII
The outlying provinces--Difficulty of piecing together historical
facts--Case of coins--The personal equation our only
guide--The Sakas--The Yuehchi--Manes--Gondophares--St Thomas
--Horse sacrifice--Vikramaditya--His era--Difficulty of
recognising him--Soter Megas-Greek influence on India.
CHAPTER IX
The Bactrian Camel and the Indian Bull--Indo-Greek rulers--Age
of gold--Transference of power--Mongolian invasion--Embassy
to Rome--Kanishka--Buddhist council--Hushka, Jushka,
Kanishka--Secretiveness of India--Song of the Plough.
CHAPTER X
The Great Gupta Empire--Wedding bells--Kumari Devi--
Chandra-gupta II.--Samudra-gupta--An Indian Alexander--
An Admirable Crichton--Vikramaditya-gupta--The Golden
Age of Hindus--Extraordinary artistic activity--A real
Renaissance.
CHAPTER XI
The White Huns and good King Harsha--Attributes of the Huns--
Worst invasion--Hindu life crystallised into
custom-Hypoaestheticised--Good King Harsha--Conversion to
Buddhism--Hiuen T'sang, the Chinese priest.
CHAPTER XII
Chaos--The Dark Ages--No hero to hold the imagination--History
silent--The Mahomedan invasion imminent--Mahomed's character.
PART II
THE MIDDLE AGE
CHAPTER I
Campaigns of the Crescent--Northern battlefield--Constant invasion
--New blood against old--New creed against old--Mahmud of
Ghuzni--Taking of Nagarkot--Twelve raids--The last to
Somnath--Mahmud's cruelty--His avarice--A born doubter.