The Glories Of Magadha

Author : Jogindra Nath Samaddar
Publisher : Gyan Books
ISBN 13 : 9788121200448
Total Pages : 199 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (4 download)

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Download or read book The Glories of Magadha written by Jogindra Nath Samaddar and published by Gyan Books. This book was released on 1986-01-01 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In India, a country of enormous historical importance as it is, historical writings, in the modern sense of historiography, started only with Kalhana (12th cent), the celebrated author of Rajatarangini. Since then a considerable number of works serving the purpose of history have been written in various languages, e.g. Sanskrit, Persian, Hindi, etc. From the middle of the nineteenth century, along with the emergence of modern India, an ardent desire to know the glorious past of the motherland was felt and within a few decades rose a school of Indian scholar who wrote valuable monographs on diverse aspects of ancient Indian history and civilization. The present work is an elegant product of this school, a bold step to the abovementioned direction. It is a collection of a series of six lectures delivered at the Patna University in 1922.It deals with Magadha, major part of present Bihar, most important centre of cultural, political and socio-economic mobilizations in ancient and medieval India. It played a major role in the socio-political and cultural life of the rest of the country. Glories of Magadha virtually presents the glories of the then India. In spite of his strong nationalistic impulses, the learned author has taken great pain t restrain his emotions which otherwise might have desisted him from the responsibility of a historian. He has supported his view with all available documents and at some places has carried on scholarly polemics. The work elaborately present : Magadha as gleaned fron the Vedas, Puranas, Buddhists and Jaina classics, accounts of the Greek and Chinese travelers; pre-Aryan civilization in Mithila; Brahmanism Buddhuism, Jainism and Islam in Magadha; rule of the dynasties like Nandas, mauryas, Sungas, Kanvas, Andhras, Kusanas, Guptas and Palas. Muslim invasion and falll of Magadha; its capitals: Vaisalt, Rajagrha and Pataliputra; analysis of the edicts of Asoka; universities of Nalanda Vikramasila and Odantapura. Apart from the historical importance, it will be of great use to the scholars and average students engaged in the study of the educational system in ancient and medieval India. The work is profusely illustrated and contains useful bibliography.