The History and Culture of the Indian People is a series of eleven volumes on the history of India, from prehistoric times to the establishment of the modern state in 1947. Historian Ramesh Chandra Majumdar was the general editor of the series, as well as a major contributor. The entire work took 26 years to complete. The set was published in India by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai.
The first volume (1951) is about the Vedic period. It has 27 chapters by 11 contributors. Three chapters and part of a fourth were written by R. C. Majumdar. Other contributors to the first volume are V. M. Apte, A. D. Pusalker and B. K. Ghosh. The volume discusses the archaeology, geology, flora, fauna and other aspects of this period and includes a chapter on the paleolithic, neolithic and copper ages by H. D. Sankalia. This volume was first published by George Allen & Unwin Ltd in London though it was prepared under the auspices of Bharatiya Itihasa Samiti, a part of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Its subsequent editions and other volumes were published in India by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
The sixth volume (1960) is on the Sultanate period of medieval India. This volume consists of 19 chapters by 19 contributors. Six chapters and parts of four other chapters were written by R. C. Majumdar. Other significant contributors to this volume are S. Roy, A. K. Majumdar, P. M. Joshi, N. Venkat Ramanayya, S. K. Chatterjee and S. K. Saraswati.
The seventh volume (1974) is on the Mughal era. This volume has 24 chapters by 28 contributors. Only parts of two chapters were written by R. C. Majumdar. The most significant contributors to this volume are J. N. Chaudhuri, G. S. Sardesai, A. L. Srivastava, Abdur Rashid and S. Roy.
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Upon the appearance of the first volume in the series, in a review in the Isis journal M.F. Ashley Montagu described it as:
... the first volume of the first genuine history of India.... [and that it] is likely to remain for many generations the most important of all histories of India, and, indeed, renders all others obsolete if not superfluous. [1]
Marxist historian D. N. Jha however describes the first three volumes thus:
... as informative as they are revivalist and Hindu chauvinist in approach. [2]
Historian John Keay describes the work as:
... a standard work of many volumes commissioned in the 1950s to celebrate India's liberation from foreign rule and foreign scholarship. [3]
Kshatriya is one of the four varnas of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term kṣatriyaḥ is used in the context of later Vedic society wherein members were organised into four classes: brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra.
Medieval India refers to a long period of post-classical history of the Indian subcontinent between the "ancient period" and "modern period". It is usually regarded as running approximately from the break-up of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century CE to the start of the early modern period in 1526 with the start of the Mughal Empire, although some historians regard it as both starting and finishing later than these points. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the early medieval and late medieval eras.
Ramesh Chandra Majumdar was an Indian historian and professor known for promoting Hindu nationalist views. He principally studied the history of India.
Ashirbadi Lal Srivastava, more commonly known as A.L. Srivastava, born 16 September 1899, in Andhana, Uttar Pradesh, died 12 July 1973, in Agra district, was an Indian historian specialising in medieval, early modern and modern history of India.
The Malwa Sultanate was a late medieval kingdom in the Malwa region, covering the present day Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and south-eastern Rajasthan from 1401 to 1562. It was founded by Dilawar Khan, who following Timur's invasion and the disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate, in 1401, made Malwa an independent realm.
The Gujarat Sultanate or Sultanate of Guzerat was a late medieval Islamic Indian kingdom in Western India, primarily in the present-day state of Gujarat. The kingdom was established in 1394 when Muzaffar Shah I, the Governor of Gujarat, declared independence from the Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi.
The Ilyas Shahi dynasty was the first independent dynasty to set the foundations of the late medieval Sunni Muslim Sultanate of Bengal of Turk origin. Hailing from the Sistan region, their rule extended from 1342 to 1487, though interrupted with an interregna by their slaves as well as the House of Ganesha.
Ala-ud-Din Hasan Bahman Shah whose original name was Zafar Khan or Hasan Gangu, was the founder of the Bahmani Sultanate.
Ala-ud-din Husain Shah (Bengali: আলাউদ্দিন হোসেন শাহ was an independent late medieval Sultan of Bengal, who founded the Hussain Shahi dynasty. He became the ruler of Bengal after assassinating the Abyssinian Sultan, Shams-ud-Din Muzaffar Shah, whom he had served under as wazir. After his death in 1519, his son Nusrat Shah succeeded him. The reigns of Husain Shah and Nusrat Shah are generally regarded as the "golden age" of the Bengal sultanate.
Khwaja Nizam-ud-Din Ahmad Bakshi was a Muslim historian of late medieval India. He was son of Muhammad Muqim-i-Harawi. He was Akbar's Mir Bakhshi. His work, the Tabaqat-i-Akbari, is a comprehensive work on general history covering the time from the Ghaznavids (986-7) up to the 38th year of Akbar's reign. The author quoted twenty-nine authorities in his work, some of which are entirely lost to us now.
The Bengal Sultanate–Kamata Kingdom War was a late 15th century conflict between the Kamata Kingdom and the Bengal Sultanate. As a result of the conflict the Khen dynasty was overthrown and the Bengal Sultanate extended its domain up to the Hajo in what is present day western Assam by 1502. Nevertheless, the Sultanate administration was removed in about ten years by the Assamese Bhuyans led by Harup Narayan.
Damajadasri III was a ruler of the Western Satraps. His reign lasted possibly from c. 251 AD to 256 AD.
The Varna Ratnakara, Maithili: वर्ण रत्नाकर,, literally "Ocean of description", is the oldest prose work of Maithili language, written in 1324 CE by the Maithil scholar, priest and poet Jyotirishwar Thakur. The author was a part of the court of King Harisimhadeva of the Karnat dynasty whose capitals were in both Simraungadh and Darbhanga.
Gangu or Gangadhar Shastri Wabale was a Brahmin ruler of the Deccan. A popular legend claims that Ala-ud-din Hasan Bahman Shah, the founder of the Bahmani Sultanate, was a servant and general in his service, but historians generally reject this as unfounded.
Dānyāl, Prince of Bengal, also known as Dulāl Ghāzī, was the eldest son of the Sultan of Bengal Alauddin Hussain Shah. He performed official duties and engagements on behalf of his father. In 1495, Danyal secured a peace treaty with the Delhi Sultanate in Bihar, and served as the regional governor of Bihar under the Bengal Sultanate. He was appointed as the governor of Kamata following its conquest in 1498.
Haider Shah Miri also known by his given name Hāji Khān or simply by his regnal name Haider Shah was the tenth Sultan of Kashmir.
The Mewar–Malwa conflicts were a series of wars between the Kingdom of Mewar and the Sultanate of Malwa. The conflict erupted due to mutual territorial expansion triggered by both sides on each other. The war was fought in the modern-day regions of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Rana branch of the Guhilas, following their successful recovery of the Rajput stronghold of Chittorgarh and the entire region of Mewar alongside Rajputana after the Battle of Singoli, embarked on an ambitious expansion at the cost of their neighbouring kingdoms. On the other side, with the invasion of Timur, the Delhi Sultanate grew weak and many of its provinces gained independence which included Malwa, adjacent to Mewar.
The Bahmani–Vijayanagar War began with the Siege of Pangal, where Sultan Firuz Shah of the Bahmani Sultanate attempted to capture the fort. They faced setbacks, including a disease outbreak among their ranks, leading to the failure of the siege. In response, Deva Raya I of the Vijayanagara Empire launched a successful counteroffensive, defeating Sultan Firuz Shah in a decisive battle. This victory dealt a significant blow to the Bahmani Sultanate, ultimately leading to Firuz Shah's demise and further weakening of his empire.
The Battle of Devarkonda took place between Gajapati Empire and Bahmani Sultanate in 1458 A.D. at Devarkonda, Telangana, India. In this battle Odia forces led by prince Hamvira Deva under king Gajapati Kapilendra Deva Crushed a massive Army of Bahmani Muslim forces led by Humayun Shah. The Battle outcomed Odia forces victorious and the Devarkonda state became vassal state of Gajapati Empire.